I recently made the switch from Apple Music to Spotify—two of the largest music streaming platforms in the world.
Both are priced the same for students at $5.99 a month, but for individual plans, they charge $10.99 a month.
Prior to finally giving in and switching to Spotify, I only used Apple Music because my parents were paying for it. I can now say that Apple Music cannot compete with Spotify’s much larger user base, cross-platform support, better algorithmic playlists, and my personal favorite: collaborative playlists. Unfortunately, Apple is only accessible to iPhone users, which makes sharing music with friends an annoying task.
Not to mention Spotify has a free plan that allows you to stream music with ads; whereas, Apple Music requires a paid subscription and offers no free option. Currently, I’ve cheated the system and used the individual free trial for three months, then another free three-month student trial as of right now, allowing me to not have to pay for a subscription.
As a former user of Apple Music, I’m happy to say I’m a Spotify girlie now. Spotify recommends music really well using an algorithm based on the music you’ve recently listened to.
My favorite feature of Spotify is the collaborative aspects it incorporates. Spotify has a feature where you’re able to share a link that allows you and the recipient to join in on listening to the music.
Making playlists on Spotify is also far easier compared to Apple Music. If you scroll all the way down after adding music, once again, Spotify uses an algorithm that recommends music based on the songs in the playlist.
Spotify is accessible to everyone which is also another big selling point; meanwhile, Apple Music is very annoyingly only available for iPhone users and is frustrating to navigate on non-apple computers. Spotify is easily streamed across computers, phones, and other devices.
However, it’s important to note that Apple Music also has its strengths such as integration with Apple devices, exclusive releases, music library size, and sound quality.
Apple Music is deeply integrated with Apple’s ecosystem, providing a seamless experience for users with Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches. Apple Music has had exclusive album releases and early access to certain music content, which can be appealing to some users, but honestly, I’ve never really noticed this feature.
Both Spotify and Apple Music have vast music libraries, but the exact size and availability of specific tracks or albums can vary. Personally, I’ve noticed Spotify has a much larger library than Apple Music, but It’s worth checking which platform has the music you enjoy most.
Yet another buried feature I had no idea about is that Apple Music offers lossless and hi-res audio options for audiophiles, which can provide a superior listening experience if you have the right equipment.
Ultimately, the choice between Spotify and Apple Music comes down to your personal preferences, but I’ll be sticking with Spotify.
