pick out the rightmusic streaming servicecan palpate overwhelming given the many options vie for your attention . SpotifyandYouTube Musicare two of the big players , swash massive libraries of over 100 million songs each and offer similar plans , from innocent ad - stick out version to premium level with supernumerary fringe benefit . But which one comes out on top ?
Spotify has realise its place as the world ’s most pop music streaming service , and for unspoilt understanding . It provides a polished user experience , boasts a immense medicine catalogue , and offers additional content like podcasts and audiobooks . Spotify also edges out YouTube Music in regard toaudio qualityby rescue a slimly plenteous hearing experience , although neither have yet to offer their medicine streams in hi - resolution or lossless quality .
YouTube Music , on the other hand , is deeply integrated withGoogle ’s ecosystem . This is a major advantage for users already empower in Google divine service , as it allows for unseamed transition between apps and equipment . suppose effortlessly throw from listen to music on your telephone to your Google Home verbaliser . Plus , YouTube Music leverages its video platform to offer a unequalled reward : access code to music videos , bouncy performances , and rare remixes you wo n’t see anywhere else .
While Spotify might seem the obvious choice , YouTube Music offers compelling feature of speech that make it a serious contender . To make the best decision for your needs , it ’s crucial to delve deeper into each platform ’s specific while considering ingredient like music discovery features , substance abuser interface , societal sharing capabilities , and offline listening selection .
User interface and devices
Launched in 2008 , Spotify has had some time to get good at make a friendly user interface , and it continues to be one of the best . Spotify is useable in various ways , include via a web browser app and through mobile and screen background apps for iOS , Android , Windows , Mac , Linux , and Kindle . It ’s harder to think of ways Spotify ca n’t be access . It ’s compatible with many smartwatches and internet speakers likeSonos , available in the railway car viaCarPlay and Android Auto , on gaming consoles , wise tv set , andstreaming devicessuch as Apple TV and Roku .
The UI has change several times and continues to do so . But at its core , it ’s separated into three primary areas . habitation is the hub of everything , with tabs for music , podcasts , and audiobooks . Its scroll pattern combine late played vocal with evoke commixture and new freeing ( more below ) . Here , you’re able to also get at feature such as Spotify ’s new AI radio station - corresponding feature phone DJ and its new TikTok / Instagram - similar interface that bring in enliven album art , picture clips , preview of Song dynasty , playlists , podcasts , and more in an excellent ocular way . Your library prepare all your created , saved , and download playlists , birdcall , record album , artists , podcasts , and more . Lastly , hunting is just that : a search playing area for find oneself what you ’re looking for , but it also lists your late search , which is handy for go back to .
The Spotify user interface ’s internet and background versions are similar . Since the YouTube Music app has no desktop rendering ( just the vane actor ) , the Spotify app is ranking if the desktop is your main custom stop .
YouTube Music ’s UI is similar to Spotify ’s in that it is well - design , visually appealing , and employ a scroll architecture . While YouTube Music can be access in several ways , it ’s not quite as broad as Spotify , but it still disgorge a wide net . link up into a user ’s Google account , the consecrated YouTube Music app is available for Io and Android devices ( including CarPlay and Android Auto ) , compatible smartwatches , Sonos speaker , and Chromecast . Its web player can be access through any web browser or the smart TV YouTube app . you may also draw the WWW actor to other compatible devices from the entanglement instrumentalist or apps for another level of convenience .
Whether you ’re using YouTube Music ’s app or the WWW thespian , the UI is broken into several principal sections , just like Spotify . Along the bottom ( or top in a entanglement web internet browser ) , you ’ll regain the Home subdivision , an raiment of usage - based content , include your top artists , mixes , radio streams , playlists , novel releases , veer music , and more . Explore is a more focussed section of novel releases , chart , and trending songs that you’re able to parse out by mode and genre if desired . Like in Spotify , the library is where all your playlists and care songs , albums , and artists can be found . There ’s also a search magnifying spyglass icon up top , where you ’ll find your familiar Google user and cast icons .
Spotify and YouTube Music have very similar UI design and pop the question many of the same organization and uncovering tools . However , with Spotify , you feel like the well is much bass , as the app gives you on the face of it sempiternal suggestions and categorisation in more visually sympathetic and creative shipway . Plus , it nudges ahead of YouTube Music with slightly more connectivity choice .
victor : Spotify
Library and discovery
Today , many euphony stream service offer vast music libraries with over 100 million tracks , include Spotify and YouTube Music . Therefore , the number of track is no longer a key decide cistron when choosing between these services . Let ’s examine other aspects that distinguish them .
Spotify ’s vast subroutine library is just the beginning of its offer . With over five million titles in its podcast depository library , it has become a loss leader in the realm , and it now offer audiobooks as well .
However , Spotify excels in the numerous ways users can find and discover its cognitive content . It has pioneered many of these feature film . The “ Made for [ your name here ] ” family is a always changing infinite for users who favour to let the algorithm do the oeuvre . Playlists like Discover Weekly , Daily Mixes , and Release Radar are go - to ’s when you do n’t have a especial album or creative person in mind . you could also encounter dateless admixture , playlist , and radio station recommendations that are auto - beget found on your most listened - to musical style , moods , and creative person . New episode of your favorite podcasts and audiobooks are front and center .
In the Search section , you’re able to surf through categories such as “ Made for You , ” “ Spotify classic , ” “ Live case , ” “ chart , ” and “ Decades . ” Like TikTok and Instagram stories , you could also scroll through videos and music preview . Spotify frequently adds discovery features , although some of them are hit - and - miss , such as theAI DJ featurethat creates a radio station host by an AI reading of Xavier “ X ” Jernigan .
However , it ’s nice that Spotify always lend raw thing . Smart Shuffle and Daylists are comparatively new feature . Smart Shuffle optimizes song order , while Daylists bid a always refreshful feed of music passport . to boot , it just bring its newAI Playlist creationfeature to the U.S. and Canada in September , 2024 , allowing you to use text prompt to create playlists . This is just a fraction of what you’re able to find on the political platform .
YouTube Music ’s library is just as Brobdingnagian as Spotify ’s , with almost everything you’re able to think of at your fingertip . And while it ’s not doing the audiobook thing yet , just last year , the service started adding podcasts to the political platform ’s rest home filmdom for U.S. user only now . But how does YouTube Music pile up against Spotify in terms of find things to play ? Like every streaming servicing , the more you utilise it , the more it learns your predilection and gain good suggestions .
And while the Home section does deliver some majuscule generated playlists like its ever - develop Discover Mix , the excellent My Super Mix , a New Release Mix , and a freight of “ Similar To ” lists base on artists you might like , it ’s just not as vast as Spotify ’s . The Explore section does a decent line at offering up novel album and I , curve tracks , and mood and genre - ground music , and the integrating of YouTube videos adds a unique element . But overall , it ’s hard to compete with Spotify ’s experience with discovery — it just feels like you ’re develop more , specially when you consider they ’re priced almost the same .
Features and functions
Spotify and YouTube Music partake in many of the same introductory features and functions , including everything from how you recreate , pause , shuffling , and cut tracks to adding things to your library and liking things to help organize what you ’re heed to . Both armed service even offer lyrics when uncommitted and easy connect to speaker system and devices in your home . The play windowpane is more or less the same , displaying record album art and very similar option in the dropdown menu , including the ability to download ( more on agio tier in a bit ) , share , establish “ radio ” station based on your pick , view the creative person or record album , make playlist , and more . Spotify does offer the option of make collaborative play list with friends , and even though YouTube Music does offer its twelvemonth - end review , it pales in compare to the frivolity ofSpotify ’s highly promise Wrappedevent . Still , we do n’t think that ’s a raft breaker . Functionally , both Spotify and YouTube Music are very exchangeable .
Winner : connect
Sound quality
We ’ve oppose Spotify and YouTube Music against each other for many reasons . Still , one of the main ones is that they are among the only music stream services that have yet to offer an choice or plan tier up for lossless or gamey - resolution ( hi - res ) format like competitors such asTidal , Apple Music , andAmazon Music Unlimiteddo . Spotify haslong teased a hi - fi optionbut has yet to deliver , and so far , YouTube Music has n’t mentioned it . In the lag , these two services remain very similar in their sound lineament oblation .
Technically utter , Spotify offers good good calibre than YouTube Music . For their destitute variant , YouTube Music ’s maximum streaming quality is 128kbp , while Spotify ’s is 160kbps ( it maxes out at 128kbps if using the internet player ) .
Graduating to the exchange premium tier of both services , if playact Spotify Premium in the internet browser with the entanglement player , you get 256kbps . Using Spotify ’s apps , you get a grasp from 24kbps to its peak at 320kbps . YouTube Music Premium is the same no matter where it ’s played , tramp from 48kbps to its tiptop at 256kbps .
So , which one is better ? On newspaper publisher , Spotify . But unless you ’re an audiophile ( in which case you ’s be believe a overhaul likeTidal or Qobuz ) , most people would n’t be able to recite the dispute or would n’t manage . Spotify wins on a technicality .
The price
This take us to the exciting ending : price . To start , both Spotify and YouTube Music proffer costless tiers of their services that give you access to their entire library . Still , you ’ll have to postulate with ads popping up between songs , and you ca n’t download anything for offline hearing . Spotify ’s free tier only lease you listen to music on shuffle , except for sure playlists , and you’re able to only cut six track per hour . Spotify has a range of a function of premium plans that unlock all of these restrictions , allowing for downloads , doing away with the ads , and letting you have the whole experience .
Spotify ’s Premium programme include :
Spotify and YouTube Music are pretty equally matched in their pricing , with their Individual plans coming in at under just over $ 10 . So , we ’re calling this one a sleeper because while Spotify offer an additional convenient pair tier for that demographic , YouTube Premium customers get to leverage their memberships to get a keen attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - on , which is something Spotify ca n’t offer .
