Comparing Industry Giants: Apple Music vs Spotify 🎵
The way people listen to music has changed so much over the years. Technology has completely transformed our listening experience. The most significant change is the shift from CDs, digital music players (iPod—remember?) to streaming platforms.
And since most people play their favourite tunes on streaming platforms, let’s discuss the two giants in this industry—Apple Music and Spotify.
Apple Music vs Spotify comparison ⚖
Spotify has been in this business for a longer time than Apple Music. In Singapore, Spotify launched their platform in 2013, while Apple introduced Apple Music only in 2015. So, it is safe to say that Spotify has the front foot and is an industry leader in many countries.
Although this may be true, it seems like Apple Music has taken the industry by storm. That is why Apple Music VS Spotify is an exciting topic among music listeners. And if you are considering switching your music streaming platform, read on for an exhaustive comparison between these two giants.
Image source: Pocket Lint
Subscription and its pricing 💲
Apple Music and Spotify are like most on-demand services, following the freemium model where users have to subscribe for full access to their features. If you do not subscribe, Apple Music will only allow you to listen to Apple Music 1 (previously known as Beats 1). It’s a 24/7 music radio station owned by Apple Inc.
Meanwhile, Spotify offers an ad-supported listening experience for the users. Of course, the free tier is lacklustre compared to Spotify Premium. Aside from the ads that play between your songs, the free tier only allows you to listen on shuffle mode on your phone and limit your account to six skips per hour.
If you decide to subscribe to their service, both of them offer industry-standard pricing in Singapore. Apple Music costs $9.98/month, and Spotify costs $9.99/month. That is the price for an individual account, though.
You can get a cheaper fee per month if you buy the other plans they offer. For Apple Music, a family plan supports up to six people under one account only for $14.98. At the same time, you can get Spotify’s family plan for the same price. It also allows access for up to six people.
Good news if you are a student—both platforms have a student plan. Apple Music costs $4.98/month and Spotify $4.99/month.
The pricing so far might make you wonder why people are debating over the two giants. Their pricing is more or less the same, a 1 cent difference, yet they have a competitive edge over each other.
From what we found, people love Apple Music due to its Apple One bundle. Starting as low as $16.95/month, you can get full access to Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50-200GB of iCloud. Some people are more likely to subscribe to Apple Music if they also enjoy other Apple services and love its ecosystem, one thing that Apple is very well-known for.
Although Spotify does not offer an exciting bundle like Apple, the ad-supported access is enough to press people to subscribe to the premium account. It is also inclusive of both Apple and Android users, covering more bases than Apple Music (for obvious reasons). That might be why Spotify is winning this race.
Audio quality 👂
The purpose of subscribing to these music streaming services is to listen to your favourite tunes. For this very reason, audio quality must be excellent.
How do these two fare on their music quality?
Apple Music streams audio in AAC format at 256kbps, whereas Spotify streams audio using either AAC or Ogg Vorbis format. The maximum streaming quality for a free account is 160kbps and 320kbps on a Spotify Premium account. According to SoundGuys, in uncomplicated terms, the audio quality for both Apple Music and Spotify is sufficient to satisfy casual music listeners.
If you are an audiophile looking for the best listening experience, Tidal might be your best bet instead.
Music library 📚
Apple Music claims that it has over 70 million songs in its catalogue. In contrast, CNET reported that Spotify has over 50 million songs for their users. If both numbers are accurate, then Apple Music would most certainly top Spotify on paper.
Podcasts 🗣
While music streaming may have once been all the rage, the growing popularity of podcasts in recent years (as observed from the rise of companies like Audible) has prompted streaming services to consider incorporating podcasts more seriously.
Spotify has since taken the leap to include podcasts as part of its catalogue, allowing users to listen to local and international podcasts on their platform. The company has been doubling down on its podcast strategy, going as far as to obtain exclusive rights to some of the most popular podcasts in the world, such as The Joe Rogan Experience.
On the other hand, Apple Music does not offer podcasts on its platform due to the existence of Apple’s dedicated podcast app, Apple Podcasts.
Given the convenience and content exclusivity that Spotify offers, some people may hence choose the former over Apple Music, making podcasts a prominent selling feature for Spotify.
Music discovery 🔎
One of the best features of music streaming services is the ability to discover new tunes of your liking. Both Apple Music and Spotify can create a tailored experience for your ears when you use their service for a certain time. Your listening habits, likes and dislikes, determine the experience they tailor for you.
Based on this data, Spotify’s ‘Discover Weekly’ and ‘Release Radar’ playlists are populated automatically with new songs every week on your ‘Made For You’ tab. Similarly, Apple Music also creates curated playlists, like ‘New Music Mix’. On both platforms, every new subscriber is asked to pick the artists and songs they like. Once you complete this process, curated playlists will be created for you.
Both platforms also have curated radio stations based around your favourite genres, artists and tracks. Apple Music also has a separate station called Apple Music 1—a live 24/7 radio station curated and hosted by actual DJs. That allows you access to international radio stations that help you find new songs that you might like from their selection and get you a traditional radio listening experience.
Surprisingly, the biggest music discovery on both platforms was not from their machine-learning algorithm but human-curated playlists, playlists created by their users. Spotify’s algorithm-powered suggestions for new music based on your listening habits hit the spot much better than Apple Music. But Apple Music’s human-curated radio station often uncovers new or unreleased tracks that also appeal to many.
Offline Playback 📴
As with most streaming services, an internet connection is typically required to stream most music (or audio) content. For users who wish to continue listening without connection, however, both platforms fortunately also offer the feature for offline playback with their paid programme.
Via offline playback, users can download their favourite tracks to their device to listen to music without incurring hefty data charges or play music when there is no service.
However, two key differences lie in the number of downloads available via each platform and the number of devices downloads are permitted on. In the case of downloads, Apple Music allows up to 100,000 song downloads. In contrast, Spotify only allows for a comparatively meagre 10,000 songs. Spotify users are also only permitted to download tracks across a maximum of five different devices, which is greatly limited in contrast to Apple Music’s ten different devices.
Things we love on Apple Music 💗
- Apple One’s pricing is a super offer especially if you already use Apple’s ecosystem
- Consistent audio quality due to no free tier
- Integrate your iTunes music library to Apple Music
- Apple Music 1 and a vast selection of radio stations
Things we love on Spotify 💚
- Free, if you are on a budget
- You can listen to a wide variety of podcasts without opening another app
- Industry-proven music discovery—their Discover Weekly has received so many praises from music enthusiasts
All things considered, choosing Apple Music vs Spotify is not an easy task. Therefore, we suggest that you try their free trial. You can get free Spotify Premium for one month to test the waters and head to Apple Music for Singapore for 3-month free access to Apple Music. Let’s see which one you like more!
