Apple Music vs. Spotify: Agree to Disagree

One of the greatest debates within the music streaming industry is over the superior streaming service: Apple Music or Spotify. While there are many other streaming services, Spotify and Apple Music are of the most popular. Spotify was released in 2008 with Apple Music following in 2015, and ever since, there has been an ongoing debate as to which is better. Users of both streaming services are quick to argue why they chose the service they use. However, both sides of the battle can willingly admit to some pros of the opposite streaming service.

Both services offer very similar features. With the ability to download songs, Spotify and Apple music allow listeners to listen to their music both off and online. Both platforms offer a variety of different package plans, flexible to the user and each with a different price tag. Apple Music has a student plan for $4.99 per month, an individual user plan at $9.99 per month, and a family plan at $14.99 per month. Spotify also offers a student plan at $4.99 per month or a Premium plan for $9.99. Spotify also offer a free version; however, this version is not ad free. 

Apple music comes already downloaded on Apple devices and can also be listened to on popular smart TVs, smart speakers, Android and Windows devices. For convenience, Apple Music offers a free trial without commitment for those who would like to test out the platform. Many Apple Music users claim to love the many features they offer. Ella Molyneux, 18-years-old, shares an Apple Music subscription with her family. She said she has been using Apple Music for 3 years and claims “My favorite feature would have to be the lyrics that you can read while music is playing, so you can sing along.” Even though she is content with her Apple Music subscription she said she would consider a Spotify subscription and even uses the free version sometimes because she likes the radio stations better.

The Spotify radio is one of many features that Spotify offers. The platform will organize a line of popular artists and songs based off of previously listened to music. Spotify also makes it easy to share music with friends. Users can share a whole playlist with one click through Facebook, Twitter, Messenger, or through email. It also allows for collaborative playlists in which users can create playlists with friends and allows everyone to add or remove tracks. Taylor Archibascio, 15-years-old, has been using Spotify for a little over a year. She said one of her favorite features to the app is that it shows a little video while songs are playing. “The short videos show more creativity the artist has, along with the song,” says Archibosico. She also adds that a reason she would consider switching to Apple Music is so that she could read the lyrics to a song while she is listening to it. This is different from Spotify’s “behind the lyrics” feature that describes the meaning behind a few lines in selected songs.

In the end, both services offer many similar features for their users, making it hard to decide which service is the better choice. The popularity of both Apple Music and Spotify means the debate between the two will carry on.