In seven years of operating, Apple Music has gone from launching with 30 million songs to now having over 100 million songs with 20,000 added every day. That compares favorably to Spotify’s 80 million plus songs and podcasts (and everybody seems to have a podcast these days). While most commercially successful artists are present on both platforms, this could make it easier to find the next uber-cool indie band to brag to your friends about on Apple’s service.
Aside from this headline number, there are plenty of reasons to consider switching from Spotify to Apple Music to find the best music app. Spotify’s free service (with ads) isn’t something Apple can offer, but if you are looking to subscribe to a streaming service both are priced at $9.99 a month. In fact, a monthly family plan of six accounts is slightly cheaper on Apple Music ($14.99 to $15.99).
This minor financial difference is probably not enough to justify users saying goodbye to their perfect playlists on Spotify, but audiophiles should note a huge disparity between the services when it comes to audio quality.
A subscription to Apple Music includes access to spatial audio and true hi-res audio at 24 bits/48kHz for no additional cost, something Spotify simply cannot compete with (no word on Spotify HiFi’s release coming anytime soon). Not only will your ears thank you, but so will your favorite artists, Apple Music pays artists significantly more per stream than Spotify, although Tidal is better still.
In terms of additional features, Spotify’s availability across all consoles is nice (Apple Music is currently PS5 only) but Apple’s CarPlay mode is uncontested and connectivity with the Apple TV 4K is much handier.
Spotify’s recent investment in podcasts and now audiobooks might compel some to stay. But Apple has its own separate platforms for these mediums, leaving Apple Music to focus on hitting the right notes when it comes to songs. There are of course several other competitors, and neither Spotify nor Apple Music might be right for you, so check out our roundup of the best music streaming services.
