From Amazon to Apple, you’ve got a lot of choices when it comes to music streaming services. To help you narrow things down a bit, we took a look at two of the biggest platforms out there—Apple Music and Spotify—to see how they stack up against one another.
While both offer robust catalogs and plenty of ways to discover new music, each brings a little something different to the table. https://brownless249.weebly.com/download-spotify-linux-ubuntu.html. Before you pop on your headphones and press play, check out our guide to find the major differences between Apple Music and Spotify so you can choose the one that’s right for you.
While you can download and install Spotify/Amazon Music on multiple devices, you can only stream songs using a single device at a time. Spotify Used to limit offline downloads with 10,000 songs.
Library
- The big difference between Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited is Amazon offers a tier of service for use on one Echo device for $3.99 per month; just ask your Alexa device to start a free trial.
- Plan Premium Country England, United Kingdom Device (iPhone 10XS 64GB (ios.12.3) Operating System (Windows 10 Pro) My Question or Issue I listen to Spotify a lot when transporting to work and saw there's an option called 'Music Quality' I am very interested in the pro's/con's of the Very High mu.
- It can not only download tracks from Spotify, but also convert Spotify to MP3 or other common formats. With this solution, even if you are using a free Spotify account, you can easily download Spotify songs to Apple Watch for offline playback without iPhone.
When it comes to the amount of music available, Apple Music stands out with a total of 60 million available songs for subscribers. However, Spotify still delivers an abundance of music with more than 50 million songs at your fingertips. In addition, Spotify integrates an extensive library of podcasts and audiobooks, while Apple splits both off into separate apps. Free spotify premium for android.
When it comes to music, most users will find the vast majority of the tracks they’re looking for on either Apple Music or Spotify. But if you’re looking for something specific, you can try out the limited free option for either service (more on that below) to see if you’re missing anything crucial.
Available plans and pricing
Unlike Apple, which is a subscription-only service, Spotify comes in two primary flavors: the free version, which is supported by ads and has streaming restrictions, and the paid version, Spotify Premium.
Spotify Premium’s basic plan costs $9.99 per month for unlimited skips, the highest-quality playback the service offers, and the ability to download up to 10,000 songs on five devices for playback offline. There’s also a $14.99 family plan, which allows for up to six users and comes with all of the above, as well as Spotify Kids, a special app for children 12 and under.
If you’re a student, Spotify’s Premium Student Plan gives you all the benefits of the regular Premium plan, as well as Hulu’s ad-supported TV plan, and unlimited access to Showtime, all for $4.99. A basic Hulu subscription costs $5.99, while Showtime is regularly $11 per month, making this plan the most cost-effective subscription for those who qualify.
If you’re a student, Spotify’s Premium Student Plan gives you all the benefits of the regular Premium plan, as well as Hulu’s ad-supported TV plan, and unlimited access to Showtime, all for $4.99. A basic Hulu subscription costs $5.99, while Showtime is regularly $11 per month, making this plan the most cost-effective subscription for those who qualify.
Additionally, Spotify offers a free, ad-supported plan, which also offers access to millions of songs, podcasts, and audiobooks without forking over a penny—but there are some caveats. Those including frequent advertisements, lower streaming quality, and shuffle-only playback on mobile devices for most tracks.
Like Spotify, Apple Music offers three monthly subscription tiers: Student ($4.99), Individual ($9.99), and Family ($14.99), which offers up to six users and the ability to share purchases. All of Apple's plans allow you to listen online or offline without any ads. You can also download up to 100,000 songs to your library, access Apple Music across your devices, see what your friends are listening to, and gain access to original shows, concerts, and Apple Music exclusives.
Free trial
Along with Spotify’s free option, the service also offers new subscribers one month of Spotify Premium for free.
Although Apple Music doesn’t have a free, ad-based plan like Spotify, the service does offer a longer, three-month free trial for new users.
Not sure you want to commit to Apple Music or Spotify? Do yourself a favor and set a reminder in your phone to cancel your plan before the trial period ends.
Streaming quality
Both Apple Music and Spotify allow you to adjust the sound quality options, but it varies by platform.
Spotify streams AAC files at 128 kbps for free accounts, or double that (256 kbps) for Premium accounts. Spotify automatically adjusts the sound quality based on your network connection. However, within the Settings menu of the desktop, mobile, and tablet apps, the Music Quality feature allows you to select low, normal, high, and very high (only offered with Premium accounts) which the service claims is the “equivalent to approximately 320 kbps.”.
Like Spotify Premium, Apple Music streams AAC files at a rate of 256 kbps. You can adjust the quality under the Settings of your iOS device—just remember that doing so may use more cellular data and may also cause a delay when you press play on a song.
It’s worth noting that neither Apple Music or Spotify offer lossless (i.e. uncompressed) listening options like Tidal's HiFi membership, which gives you access to CD-quality streaming (1411 kbps) or even higher on select devices for $19.99 per month.
Amazon Music HD also offers high-definition listening, including many tracks at around 850 kbps and select tracks at up to 3730 kbps for $14.99 per month (or $12.99 for Prime members).
Design and accessibility
Does Spotify Download Or Stream
The Apple Music app stays true to Apple’s signature minimalist style, offering a clean, white aesthetic that’s light and modern. Compare that to Spotify’s overall dark theme that primarily showcases a black background and the brand’s signature green color splashed throughout for a completely different appearance.
![Stream Stream](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133940328/263178992.jpg)
When it comes to the overall layout, both services offer similar ways to discover new music, access your library of playlists and purchased tracks, and call up specific selections from the search function.
Apple Music also offers the aid of Siri on Apple devices, allowing you to use voice search for playback control, search, and song skip. While Spotify doesn’t have its own voice assistant, the service is more device agnostic, meaning it's accessible across more devices and can be integrated with third-party voice assistants.
In other words, Apple Music is tailored for those highly invested in Apple hardware, while Spotify is more versatile and accessible across a wider range of devices.
Music discovery
With millions of songs at your fingertips, it may feel overwhelming to find new songs that suit your musical tastes. Thankfully, both music streaming platforms offer curated playlists just for you. Spotify's Discover Weekly playlist is updated every Monday with 30 new tunes based on your previous musical choices. The service’s Daily Playlists, based on your most-played genres, are also easy ways to play and discover new songs.
You'll find similar playlists under Apple Music's 'For You' tab, based on your listening history and musical preferences. When you sign up for Apple Music, you’ll also be prompted to select different genres and bands you listen to. Apple Music also uses this data when assembling your curated playlists.
Radio
Apple Music has invested heavily in radio to help it stand out from the pack. In September 2019, Apple partnered with TuneIn, bringing more than 100,000 global radio stations to the service. And, of course, there’s also Apple’s Beats 1 Radio, a 24-hour live radio station. Beats 1 offers the human touch, including curation from big-name DJs like Zane Lowe, as well as celebrity shows from the likes of The Weeknd, St. Vincent, and others.
Spotify’s radio feature takes a much less traditional approach, offering algorithm-based listening a la Pandora. Based on any artist, album, playlist, or song of your choosing, Spotify will create a continuous mix of songs that match certain attributes of your theme of choice. While there’s no live aspect like Beats 1, Spotify has invested heavily in algorithm curation to make its playlists more robust and varied.
Spotify Web Player vs. Apple Music Web Player
![Spotify Spotify](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133940328/616085940.jpg)
Both Apple Music and Spotify have web players where you can view a particular artist's page, as well as access and edit your music library. You can also search for artists, songs, albums, new releases, and more.
When it comes to web players, Apple Music was a little behind the curve here. In April, Apple Music launched a web-based music player, after introducing a beta version in Sept. 2019.
Spotify's web player is supported by the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera. If you're having trouble running the web player, it's possible that your browser may be out of date. Installing the latest rendition should fix any problems. Still not working? You can also try opening the web player in a private or incognito tab. Spotify may be restricted at certain locations like schools, work, and other offices. Follow @SpotifyStatus to track outages or report any issues.
How to cancel Apple Music and Spotify
Another important factor to consider is the cancellation process for both Apple Music and Spotify. It’s actually a lot easier than you might think.
To cancel your Apple Music subscription, open the Settings folder on your smartphone. Navigate to iTunes & App Store. At the top of the screen, click on your Apple ID and then select View Apple ID. Scroll down toward the bottom of the page and select Subscriptions.
If you have a current Apple Music subscription, you should see it at the top of the page under the Active category. Tap on your Apple Music Membership to view more details. Click on Cancel Subscription (in red letters) to end your subscription. The app will prompt you to confirm you want to cancel. All you have to do is select Confirm and you're all done.
Ready to cancel your Spotify subscription? If you signed up via the website or the app, simply login to your account page. In the menu on the left side of the page, click on Subscription. Next, select Cancel and then Cancel Premium. Like Apple Music, Spotify asks you to confirm that you do indeed want to cancel your membership. So, go ahead and click Yes, Cancel. There is one thing to note. If you signed up with a student discount and then cancel your plan, you will not be able to apply it to another account until the year-long verification period is through. You can also log in to your account and fill out this form to submit to Spotify to cancel your membership.
Sign up for Apple Music starting at $4.99 per month
Sign up for Spotify Premium starting at $4.99 per month
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If you’re looking for a new music streaming service, the current king of the ring is Spotify. But should you be giving some lesser-known contenders a try? There aren’t many differences between Spotify and Deezer. They’re both streaming services with similar functionality and available content, but there’s a big difference when it comes to their respective popularity and audio quality.
Spotify vs Deezer: User interface and functionality
The background color of the main “Now Playing” section in Deezer changes color depending on the song you’re listening to.
As someone who values aesthetics a lot, I have to say I’m impressed by both Spotify and Deezer. Deezer has a bright user interface with lots of color, and a nice uniform font for everything. The Music page has different sections including “Your favorite artists,” “Recommended playlists,” “Music by genre,” “Popular playlists,” and “Made for you.”
Spotify’s interface is dark-themed and similarly very easy to navigate. Its “Home” page features recommended music for the current time of day, recently played music, new releases, and a “Made for You” section. When it comes to the actual music player, I think Spotify is a bit more attractive than Deezer, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Spotify also supports animated cover art, so sometimes you’ll see short videos to playing during certain songs. For example, Cornelia Street by Taylor Swift repeats a 5 second montage of pictures of her in nature.
- Some songs have videos that play on the Spotify player.
- The Behind the Lyrics feature on Spotify is a great tool to learn about your favorite songs.
- You can view the lyrics to a song if an artist has uploaded them to Deezer.
Deezer and Spotify both have similar functionality within their interface; you can skip songs, like songs, add to queue, adjust the playback mode, and with Spotify in particular you can select which device to stream from. Some songs on Spotify have a “Behind the Lyrics” feature, which comes from Spotify’s partnership with Genius, and explains certain parts of a song based on things the artist has said about it. Deezer has a feature that lets you view the lyrics of a song as they’re being sung.
Both Deezer and Spotify allow you to dislike songs on some of their algorithmically-designed playlists, and you can specify if it’s the song you don’t like—or the artist in particular. Once you like a song on either streaming service, it gets added to a playlist. On Deezer, the “Favorites” tab keeps track of everything you’ve saved and downloaded along with any playlists you’ve made, and it keeps track of your top tracks and MP3s you’ve uploaded for local file playback (“My MP3s”). On Spotify, “Your Library” works the same way, and you can enable local files to be visible from your account settings.
Unfortunately, Deezer could use some development love, as there are a few gremlins in its app. In his quest for a new music streaming service after Google Play Music died, Chris has reported that every time he tried to make a playlist in Deezer the app would crash, and there have been plenty of similar complaints on Deezer’s forums. These issues seem to strike rather unlucky individuals, as there hasn’t been a mass exodus from the service just yet. Just be aware that you may run into issues from time to time.
Winner: Spotify
Spotify vs Deezer: Music discovery
Both Deezer and Spotify have charming user interfaces, making it easy to navigate new and saved music.
Spotify has the infamous “Discover Weekly” playlist which updates every Monday with new songs Spotify’s algorithm thinks you will like. In addition, it has the “Release Radar” playlist which updates weekly with newly released songs from the artists you follow, and “Daily Mix” playlists. Spotify regularly recommends additional playlists, albums, and radios based on your listening history. Besides personalized algorithmically-designed playlists, Spotify has an extensive catalog of editorial playlists categorized by mood, genre, activity, culture, and more.
The “Made for You” section of Deezer includes several different daily mixes created by the Deezer personalized algorithm. It also recommends playlists and stations based on mood, what’s currently popular, and what Deezer thinks you will like. Deezer’s main discovery feature is “Flow,” which is a never-ending playlist that can be modified in real time by blacklisting tracks and/or artists. Flow is built based on all of your music tastes—at least, the ones you’ve shared with the service, anyway. Deezer also has a weekly “Discovery” playlist, a “New Releases” playlist, and a “Chill” playlist all based on your preferences.
Both Spotify and Deezer create Radios or Mixes of related songs based on songs and artists. Spotify also creates them for playlists that you make. All in all, the discovery features of Spotify vs Deezer are very similar.
Winner: Draw
Spotify vs Deezer: Content and availability
Music
When it comes to their respective music catalogs, there aren’t too many differences between Spotify and Deezer. They both have upwards of 50 million songs and all the underground music you could wish for. Both streaming services accept submissions from unsigned artists and signed artists alike. Deezer, however, is available in many more countries across the world than Spotify.
Both streaming services allow you to upload your own files for local media playback, and both services allow you to download songs for offline listening.
Podcasts
Spotify has a large collection of podcasts including some exclusive shows.
Spotify has more podcasts than almost any other service, but Deezer is continuing to add shows to their catalog. Deezer’s Shows tab allows you to browse podcasts by their duration, which is a cool feature that Spotify doesn’t have. On either streaming service, you can browse podcasts by topic, popularity, network, and more. Spotify and Deezer both have original podcasts and Spotify has quite a few exclusive deals with shows, such as The Michelle Obama Podcast.
Exclusive artist content
Deezer Originals include Live EPs which artists record in Deezer’s studios and are exclusively available on Deezer. Spotify Singles is pretty much the exact same thing—but for Spotify. In addition, artists can publish an “About” page on their profile, and Spotify’s artist profiles allow artists to make their personal playlists available for fans to listen to.
- Artists can make public playlists on their Spotify profiles and compose an About section.
- Spotify Singles are exclusive songs recorded and produced within Spotify Studios.
- Deezer Originals are recorded and produced within Deezer’s studios.
When it comes to how much each streaming service pays their artists, Deezer comes out on top (at least, by a per-stream revenue of a single artist reported by The Trichordist), but not by a huge amount. Of course, take this chart with a heaping helping of salt, because the payouts change all the time, and vary based on revenues for each service.
Digital Service Provider | $ Per Stream |
---|---|
Qobuz | $0.04390 |
Peloton | $0.04036 |
iHeartRadio | $0.01426 |
Amazon Unlimited | $0.01175 |
Napster/Rhapsody | $0.01110 |
24/7 Entertainment GmbH | $0.01050 |
YouTube Red | $0.00948 |
Tidal | $0.00927 |
Deezer | $0.00567 |
Google Play | $0.00543 |
Apple | $0.00495 |
KKBox | $0.00435 |
Amazon Digital Services Inc. | $0.00395 |
Spotify | $0.00331 |
Loen | $0.00205 |
Pandora | $0.00155 |
Vevo | $0.00109 |
Yandex LLC | $0.00051 |
YouTube Content ID | $0.00028 |
UMA | $0.00013 |
Like I said, there aren’t that many differences between Spotify vs Deezer when it comes to content, but Spotify has more podcasts than Deezer and a few more artist exclusives, so it wins this round just by a tad.
Winner: Spotify
Spotify vs Deezer: Audio quality
The biggest thing that sets Deezer and Spotify apart is audio quality. Deezer has a HiFi setting, which plays lossless FLAC files at 16-bit/44.1kHz, so long as you pay for Deezer HiFi. Deezer Free’s audio quality tops out at 128kbps via MP3 files, and Deezer Premium’s is 320kbps. You can also download audio files of any of these quality settings. You can adjust your audio quality playback settings at any time and can even preset them to play or download certain quality types over WiFi vs data. This can come in useful because streaming and downloading FLAC files takes up a lot of data and storage space. Keep in mind that if you want to enjoy all the benefits of Deezer HiFi audio quality, you need a good set of studio headphones or speakers—your earbuds aren’t going to cut it.
Spotify only has lossy file options, AAC and Ogg Vorbis. Spotify Free’s audio quality tops out at 160kbps and Spotify Premium’s maximum quality is 320kbps—the same as Deezer Premium. There is no high fidelity option. You can switch between streaming quality and download quality at any time on Spotify, and you can set your downloads to only occur over WiFi.
On the upside, both Spotify and Deezer have adjustable EQ settings, so you can edit the sound signature of your playback to be however you like it.
Winner: Deezer
Spotify vs Deezer: Pricing
Both services offer a free, ad-supported tier and both offer free trials of Premium to test the waters.
To read more about the differences between the Spotify subscriptions, read our in-depth Free Spotify vs Spotify Premium article.
Subscription | Price | Features |
---|---|---|
Spotify Free | Free | - Listen to music with ad interruptions - Shuffle music - On-demand playback from 15 Spotify-created playlists |
Spotify Premium Student | $4.99/mo | - Listen to music ad-free - Download music for offline listening - On-demand playback - SHOWTIME and ad-supported Hulu |
Spotify Premium Individual | $9.99/mo | - Listen to music ad-free - Download music for offline listening - On-demand playback |
Spotify Premium Duo | $12.99/mo | - 2 separate Premium accounts for a couple under one roof - Duo Mix: a playlist algorithmically created and updated for both members - Listen to music ad-free - Download music for offline listening - On-demand playback |
Spotify Premium Family | $14.99/mo | - Up to 6 Premium accounts for family members living under one roof - Family Mix: a playlist algorithmically created and updated for all members - Can block explicit music - Spotify Kids: app for kids 12 and under - Listen to music ad-free - Download music for offline listening - On-demand playback |
Subscription | Price | Features |
---|---|---|
Deezer Free | Free | - Ad supported - Shuffle play - Personalized recommendations - 128kbps MP3 audio |
Deezer Student | Free for 30 days then $4.99/mo | - No ads - On demand playback - Personalized recommendations - Unlimited access to tracks - 320kbps MP3 audio - Offline listening |
Deezer Premium | $9.99 for 3 months then $9.99/mo OR $99.90/year | - No ads - On demand playback - Personalized recommendations - Unlimited access to tracks - 320kbps MP3 audio - Offline listening |
Deezer Family | Free for 30 days then $14.99/mo | - No ads - On demand playback - Personalized recommendations - Unlimited access to tracks - 320kbps MP3 audio - Offline listening - Up to 6 accounts - Content catered to kids |
Deezer HiFi | Free for 30 days then $14.99/mo | - No ads - On demand playback - Personalized recommendations - Unlimited access to tracks - High quality audio - Offline listening - 16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC files - 360 Reality Audio |
Because it has an annual plan that saves you about $20 each year, and a relatively inexpensive HiFi plan, Deezer wins this round.
Winner: Deezer
Spotify vs Deezer: Social functionality
The Friend Activity section on the right updates as your friends change the song they’re listening to.
Many people choose Spotify because of its social features. Spotify can be hooked up to Facebook to easily find your friends’ profiles from where you can view and follow their playlists and artists they’ve recently listened to. Additionally, once you follow your friends, you can view their live listening activity on the desktop Spotify app under “Friend Activity.” If you find it creepy that people can view your activity, you can disable these features.
Another fun social feature is called “Collaborative Playlists,” which is exactly what it sounds like. Anyone who creates a playlist can set it to “Collaborative,” share the link with other Spotify users, and then everyone with the link can make edits and additions to the playlist.
Deezer also allows you to follow your friends’ profiles and view and save their playlists. However, because Spotify is simply a more popular streaming service, it’s likely that you’ll be able to find more of your friends on Spotify than Deezer. Additionally, Deezer does not afford the ability to view your friends’ live listening activity. Both streaming services allow you to share songs to a number of apps, and Spotify has partnerships with Tinder and Bumble so you can display your top songs on your profile.
Winner: Spotify
Spotify vs Deezer: Additional features
Deezer and Spotify both have special features.
Ever heard of Shazam? Deezer has a similar feature within the app for identifying the song that’s playing wherever you are. In a different vein, Spotify has the Crossfade feature for eliminating the gaps between songs. Both streaming services work with Carplay and Android Auto, but Spotify can also be integrated with Google Maps and Waze.
Listening statistics are another fun feature to keep in mind. Every December, Spotify releases statistics in the form of interactive graphics for each Spotify user to view, called Spotify Wrapped. The graphics display the song you listened to most over the year, how many total minutes you spent listening, who your top new artist was, and more. Deezer has a similar feature called the Stateeztics app, which updates consistently rather than just becoming available once a year. In this app you can view the average number of songs you listen to each day, your top track from the last 30 days, and more.
Winner: Draw
Which streaming service you crown the winner here depends on what you’re looking for in a streaming service. Samsung gear fit 2 pro spotify download. If HiFi audio is the most important thing to you, get Deezer HiFi. If you want the ability to easily share music with your friends, go with Spotify Premium. Spotify equalizer mac download.