Everyone loves a bit of music, right? Well, there are quite a few apps out there for your music fix, but two of them stand out from the rest: Spotify and Apple Music. I’ve used both of these services, so I feel as though I’ve experienced them enough to give a view on which is better. This is completely subjective though, and it comes down to the individual person.
Rather than keep you guessing until the end of the post, I’m an Apple Music user currently. I used Spotify for several years before deciding to make the switch, and I’m glad I did, especially in recent years as Apple Music has come on a lot, bringing its features on par with Spotify.
Now it’s time to compare the main features of each platform and give my take on the differences in what each one offers.
Music Discovery
Spotify does discovery really well; you get access to daily and weekly mixes, tailored for you. You also have the ability to create blended playlists where it will make recommendations based on what you and others are listening to.
I don’t think Apple Music’s discovery used to be that good, but it’s definitely got better in recent years. There are several playlists made for you, including Your Essentials, which learns from your history. My favourite feature is the stations – you get your own station, playing music you’ve listened to, as well as the discovery station, which is personalised to you, recommending songs you might like.
Audio Quality
Spotify offers 320kbps audio quality for premium users, and this is generally very good for most people, unless you’re really looking for the best in the business.
Apple excels at audio quality with lossless and hi-res lossless included, as well as Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. This, paired with Apple’s AirPods, is the perfect combination.
Music Library
Both platforms have 100M+ songs, so there’s no shortage of tracks to add to your library.
Spotify’s library is clean, fast and easy to navigate. You can split between grid and list view, and easily apply filters to keep your music, podcasts and more separate.
I feel as though Apple Music does the library part well. Remember, Apple already had music before streaming subscriptions – it had the iTunes Store, which has evolved into this library. It’s neat, organised, and syncs across your devices. You can even pin your favourite albums.
App Design
This is an interesting point as both platforms are really slick.
Spotify has had quite a distinct look for several years. For me, it feels like a social network in ways, as the homepage gives quick links and a sort of feed style at the bottom. The tabs are placed along the bottom, giving quick access to your library and create. One thing I don’t love about Spotify is that the app doesn’t have a light mode – it’s always in dark colours. I like when an app has the option of both.
For me, Apple Music wins at design on iOS. It has a stunning menu at the bottom which fits in with Liquid Glass. The tabs are simple and useful: Home, New, Radio and Library. There’s also a search button too, and the now-playing bar appears here when scrolling. It supports both dark and light mode. The homepage is more of a grid, giving you picks and the top songs at the top.
Device Support
Spotify has wide support across many devices, and it offers the same beautiful look and feel across devices, which is probably why it hasn’t adopted Liquid Glass on iOS. One area where Spotify wins is the ability to connect directly to Alexa devices and play music. This isn’t as simple with Apple Music.
Apple Music is available on Android, but you’re going to get the best experience on iOS thanks to its integration with the platform, using Liquid Glass and stunning home screen widgets. It’s also integrated fully with the Apple ecosystem.
Podcasts
Podcasts are integrated directly into the Spotify app, so there’s no additional app needed. You can subscribe to loads of them and they’ll appear in your library, where they can be filtered separately.
Apple has gone for a different approach and has its own dedicated podcast app, keeping your music library completely separate. You may prefer this – the podcasts app is good too!
Social Features
Spotify offers the ability to create blended playlists with partners, family and friends. You can also follow artists, share clips, access merch and see upcoming concerts.
In Apple Music, you can add friends, see what they’re listening to, create shared playlists, view artist concert listings, favourite artists, pin albums and more.
Price
Spotify has a free ad-supported version. Premium prices are £12.99 for an Individual account, £17.99 for Duo (two premium accounts), and £21.99 for Family (up to 6 premium accounts). A student plan is available for £5.99, but student proof is required.
Apple Music doesn’t have a free tier. The Individual plan is £11.99 a month, £1 cheaper than Spotify. The Family plan is £19.99 a month, allowing you to share with up to 5 people via Family Sharing – £2 cheaper than Spotify, but Spotify gives you an extra user. Student is priced the same at £5.99, but it comes with free Apple TV+.
You can also get Apple Music as part of Apple One, which starts from £18.95 a month. Apple One offers bundled Apple services at a cheaper overall price.
Final Thoughts
I’ll echo what I said at the start: both of these services are great, but it really comes down to what works for you. I use Apple Music, but I’m also in the Apple ecosystem device-wise – I’m not sure how appealing Apple Music would be on Android, please let me know if it is! Spotify is still very much a market leader, and it does have so many features that users enjoy, including the yearly Wrapped – Apple Music has its own version of this too! If you’d like to try one of the services, if you’ve always been on the other, look out for free trials – just remember to cancel it before the trial runs out.
I hope this comparison has been interesting. As always, I’d love to hear your views. Let me know which one you choose and why in the comments.