Apple Music vs Spotify – Who is the ultimate winner?

When we talk about the music streaming world, Apple Music and Spotify dominate the landscape. These platforms have revolutionized our music streaming experience and offer vast libraries of songs and personalized playlists.

While Spotify currently has over 515 million users and 210 million Premium subscribers worldwide. Apple has 98 million users worldwide. While both Apple Music and Spotify have garnered immense popularity, they each bring their unique features and capabilities to the table.

Spotify vs Apple Music – Which is better?

In this article, we will make a thorough comparison between Apple Music and Spotify. From user interfaces to pricing plans and exclusive content, we will examine the factors that make these services stand out and help you decide which one suits your music streaming preferences.

This will give you a better understanding of the key differences between these two popular music streaming platforms.

Music Library

Spotify offers an unparalleled abundance of audio content. It has over 100 million songs and a staggering collection of 5 million podcasts. This Swedish streaming service provides an extensive selection of music that leaves no room for boredom. 

Additionally, Spotify keeps you up to date with the latest releases, exclusive live sessions, and new singles through its dedicated New Releases tab every Friday, along with a personalized playlist tailored to your music preferences.

Apple Music on the other hand also boasts a music library that surpasses 100 million songs. But what sets Apple Music apart is its commitment to securing a significant number of exclusive releases. Apple Music can negotiate and showcase a broader range of exclusives by focusing on a subscription-only model, giving subscribers access to a variety of unique and sought-after content.

Apple Music also offers seamless interaction with the iTunes library. So, all of your existing music will be readily accessible within your Apple Music library. 

Spotify has a similar feature but keeps local music files separate in a distinct tab, limiting their discoverability compared to Apple Music’s comprehensive search functionality.

User Interface

When it comes to user interface (UI), Spotify takes the lead with its clean and well-organized layout. When you open the application, Spotify’s homepage provides instant access to recently played songs and playlists. You can also enjoy personalized recommendations based on your listening habits.

While Apple Music also boasts a well-designed interface, it incorporates different tabs at the bottom of the screen, which can sometimes hinder quick access to content. Unlike Spotify’s unified scrollable page, Apple Music divides its features into separate sections. However, Apple Music compensates with visually appealing and vibrant artwork, adding an attractive touch to the user experience.

In this case, Spotify emerges as the winner in terms of UI, offering a seamless and intuitive interface that enhances user navigation and content discovery.

Audio Quality

In Spotify’s free version, the streaming quality is set at AAC 128Kbps when using the web player. However, when you download the Spotify app on your desktop, mobile, or tablet, the streaming quality adjusts based on your internet connection, ranging from 24Kbps to 160Kbps.

Upgrading to Spotify Premium enhances the streaming quality, offering AAC 256Kbps on the web player and four different quality levels reaching a maximum of 320Kbps on the apps. 

In contrast, Apple has taken notable strides in enhancing the audio quality for all of its subscribers without any additional charges. A significant milestone has been reached as Apple Music now offers the entire collection of 100 million songs in lossless audio format. To achieve this, Apple utilizes ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), ensuring that the music remains faithful to the original audio files. 

The lossless audio experience is available in various tiers, starting from CD quality at 16-bit and 44.1kHz, and extending up to 24-bit and 48kHz. Moreover, Apple offers a hi-resolution lossless format that reaches an impressive 24-bit and 192kHz.

Furthermore, Apple introduced its immersive surround-sound spatial audio format last year. This feature allows users to enjoy a wide range of Apple’s library with enhanced spatial audio effects. 

Availability

Both Spotify and Apple Music have made efforts to expand their availability across various devices. In addition to the standard platforms such as phones, tablets, PCs, and Macs, Spotify offers compatibility with gaming consoles. This includes popular consoles like the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, as well as older models like the Xbox One series and the PS4. 

Spotify also caters to smartwatch users with compatibility across various models, including Fitbit, Garmin, Samsung, and Google Wear OS devices. Notably, Spotify continues to improve its functionality on wearables, as it now offers offline listening capabilities on both Wear OS devices and the Apple Watch.

Similarly, Apple Music ensures widespread accessibility by supporting a wide range of devices. Apple Music provides its automotive solution through Apple CarPlay and offers compatibility with a wide array of devices, including the Apple HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV 4K, and Apple Watch. 

In terms of third-party support, Apple Music extends its reach to Sonos, Xbox (Series X, S, and One), PS5, Roku, and even Android mobile users. However, Windows users will need to download iTunes to access the extensive library of content offered by Apple Music.

Apple Music and Spotify are working towards providing seamless integration and access across a wide range of devices to ensure that users can enjoy their favorite music on their preferred platforms.

Social features

Spotify offers robust social features that allow subscribers to follow friends, provided both parties connect their Spotify and Facebook accounts. This connection enables users to view what their friends are listening to and who they follow. 

Additionally, Spotify facilitates playlist sharing, allowing users to share and recommend playlists with others. Users also have the option to publish their listening history on Facebook, enabling their friends to like and comment on their activity. Moreover, the Collaborative Playlist feature allows users and their friends to collaborate, adding and editing tracks within shared playlists. Overall, Spotify’s social functionality is extensive and seamlessly integrated with social media platforms.

In comparison, Apple Music’s social features are more limited. Users can see what their friends are currently listening to and easily share playlists. However, Apple Music lacks messaging capabilities and additional social integration. Despite this, Spotify’s solid social media integration, coupled with the ability to explore friends’ listening activities and followings, gives the service a clear advantage in terms of social functionality.

Apple Music vs Spotify – Who’s the winner?

Well, both platforms have their unique strengths and offerings. Apple Music stands out with its seamless integration of the iTunes library, expansive availability of lossless audio, and compatibility with a wide range of Apple devices. On the other hand, Spotify excels in user interface design, extensive social features, and broader device compatibility.

Ultimately, determining the winner between Apple Music and Spotify depends on individual preferences and priorities. Apple Music caters well to those deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem and seeking high-quality audio options. Meanwhile, Spotify appeals to users looking for a user-friendly interface, robust social integration, and wider device support.

Consider your music listening habits, preferred user experience, device ecosystem, and social interaction requirements when choosing between Apple Music and Spotify. Whichever platform you choose, both Apple Music and Spotify offer exceptional music streaming experiences that will enhance your enjoyment and discovery of music.