Hello r/AppleMusic!

Due to the many posts asking about comparisons between Apple Music and Spotify (and other services) we are consolidating them into a single mega-thread. Per the rules, all discussion on this topic should be kept to this thread and any other posts will be removed.

Here are some ideas on what to discuss:

• Platform support (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, web players, smart TVs, etc.)

• Audio quality & formats (Lossless, Hi-Res, Dolby Atmos, Spotify’s current vs. promised HiFi)

• Offline downloads (Limits, reliability, playback without internet, device syncing)

• User interface & design (Navigation, layout, customization, dark mode, now playing screen)

• Playlists & curation (Official playlists, editorial content, genre depth, taste-matching)

• Algorithmic recommendations (Discover Weekly vs. Listen Now / Favorites Mix, accuracy)

• Library management (Adding your own music, editing metadata, iCloud Music Library vs. Local Files)

• Crossfade, gapless playback, and playback customization (Who actually supports what and how well)

• Social & stats features (Spotify Wrapped, Blend, following friends vs. Apple Music Replay & SharePlay)

• Pricing & plans (Individual, Student, Family, Bundle with Apple One, Duo on Spotify, regional pricing)

• Third-party integration (Smart speakers, Android Auto, CarPlay, Discord rich presence, etc.)

• Exclusive content or artist bonuses (Spatial Audio, early releases, live lyrics, music videos)

- Mod Team

I am ready to join one of them and need some advice - family subscription ( 2 kids already have Spotify - but we have all Apple devices). Advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

i know people have complained about spotify’s shuffle, but i never really understood why. i got apple music 3 hours ago, and the quality difference in shuffle is immediately noticeable. i’m hearing songs i haven’t heard in years. it also feels like the songs have a cohesion?? my spotify library has 7k+ songs and i used a playlist sync tool to get them on apple…. wow. and the quality of course. this might make me switch permanently… the only thing i will miss is spotify user playlists.

I switched to Apple Music last month after being a loyal Spotify Premium subscriber for nearly a decade since I was getting tired of waiting for Spotify to release their hi-fi tier.

The good:

• Sound quality: Apple Music's native support for lossless audio and Dolby Atmos makes a big difference. Using my AirPods Pro 2, Dolby Atmos tracks sound noticeably more immersive and spacious. Overall music sounds much clearer than it was on Spotify.

• Curated playlists: I never liked the curated playlists on Spotify but with Apple Music I've actually found myself coming back to a few of their editorial playlists.

• Pricing: I was already paying separately for Apple Arcade, iCloud+ and Apple TV+, so I decided to upgrade to Apple One. I save a bit compared to before so no complaints here.

• UI: I really enjoy the lyrics screen and the built in karaoke mode.

The not so good:

• No Spotify connect equivalent: This is where Apple Music really falls short. I always took this feature for granted and didn't realise how not having it would make things quite inconvenient sometimes.

• Lack of social features: I miss being able to create Blend playlists with friends, those were updated daily and I could discover what my friends were listening to daily. I also can't connect Apple Music to Discord so it's harder to share what I'm listening to with others.

For now I'm pretty happy with the switch and will probably stick around with Apple Music for a while.

I have been using Spotify since 2020, but I wanted better sound quality and a more simple and better ui without podcasts too.

I switched to Apple Music for a month.

• It has some problems like wrong album dates after adding to library

• Slower and buggier experience

• I don’t like the windows app too which is slow (iTunes/Apple Music beta app).

• Removing albums deletes all the songs from library too.

I tried Tidal too at the same time. Currently have the Hi Fi plus trial of Tidal.

• Windows app is way better than AM, but iOS app isn’t, and in iPhone, the sound quality is better and louder with Apple Music

• Some less known artists are shown wrong like albums from wrong years or duplicates of same artists names

• There are too many versions of the same album (max, normal, and more)

• Tidal Apple Watch app isn’t available for me as a home screen shortcut like Apple Music and Spotify which is strange

• Tidal doesn’t have wrapped year playlist and Shazam app sync. (Instead it has monthly wrapped, and I have to add manually the songs from Shazam to a Tidal playlist I created)

I use iPhone 14 Pro with AirPods Pro & Windows Gaming PC with Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro and Yamaha AG06 Mixer. (If needed I can get a better amp/dac).

Which one should I choose, then?

I’ve always used Spotify, but since Apple Music is a little cheaper I decided to try it out. Now I have a three month trial. I’m curious, what music app do you use and why?

Like I get it, some songs aren’t on Apple Music and that’s kind of annoying but experience wise I just feel like Apple Music is better.

All of Spotify’s extra features just feel distracting to me like the videos and the playlists and the podcasts and the what your friends are listening to.

Apple Music is so much simpler and cleaner in a way, it’s just songs, basically feels like an mp3 player with graphics.

Idk maybe it’s just my idiosyncrasy because I don’t like mixing my food either like chicken on rice with veggies, I like em all seperated.

I have some friends with iPhones, we always joke and discuss which music platform is better & I just don’t understand how some like Spotify especially with AirPods. Me on the other hand ? Apple Music all day every day. But what do you peeps prefer?

Question in title.

do u guys use apple music or spotify? been using apple music my whole life but i recently went premium on spotify cause damn their song reco is way better than apple music. help me decide tho!

For $6 more than price of my Spotify Premium ($20), I can get the Apple One family plan which includes Apple Music, TV, storage, etc.

Sure I’ll lose the playlists I’ve been building for years, but apart from that, is there any drastic differences between the two music platforms?

Since 2021 till now, I jump back and forth between both, and I finish up using Spotify at the end of the day.

But, I can hear and recognize the better Audio Quality and want to switch to Apple Music finally, but Spotify playback is way faster in my country in Europe and the play song time is 1-2 seconds slower than Spotify in my country at least.

I like Spotify Wrapped more than Apple Music Replay.

Since 2021, I have jumped back and forth between both and finished using Spotify at the end of the day. Spotify playback is way faster in my country in Europe and the play song time is 1-2 seconds slower than Spotify in my country at least.

Which one should I choose? Thanks.

Edit - 13.12.23: I’ve just finished up switching from Spotify to Apple Music. So therefore, instead of using Spotify for both music and podcasts, now Im using Apple Music (AM) for music and music videos, and Overcast app for podcasts.

Some positive insights 🤗

I had been using both Spotify and AM since 2016/17.

Found Spotify great at music discovery, app responsiveness, social features, playlists etc. But AM is just better at lyrics, overall interface, sound quality (though lately i found AM and Spotify to have same sound quality).

But last week Spotify radically increased its prices in my country. Now Spotify costs ₹299/month ($3.37) for the high res plan.

While Apple Music still costs only ₹99/month ($1.12). And i now have it for just ₹80/month ($0.90) thanks to apple gift card 20% cashback.

Spotify for me just doesn't make sense any longer. More than 3 times the price for no special benefits.

I’ve been thinking of going to Apple Music because I heard that audio quality is better and other things I just wanna know what’s the differences and what’s better from people who actually use Apple Music.

Which one is better in your opinion? I’m in the Apple ecosystem, iPhone 15 pro max, AirPods Max, Mac , Apple TV, etc.

But I feel like the algorithm on Spotify is better, but I can’t stand the UI

Also, Spotify is cheaper for two people. But which one do you guys have?

Which has better audio quality in your opinion

I’ve been bouncing between Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music for a while now, and honestly, each platform has its own strengths that make it really hard to choose just one. Here’s my take on what makes each of these apps great—and what each one desperately needs to fix in order to dominate the music streaming space.

Apple Music: Hands down, Apple Music has some of the best sound quality out there with its Lossless and Spatial Audio features. The curated playlists and exclusive releases are also major perks. However, Apple Music is severely lacking in connectivity options. We desperately need a “Spotify Connect” type feature that allows seamless playback control across devices, including Chromecast. This would give Apple Music a massive edge in terms of usability for people with mixed ecosystems (Android/Chromecast users, I’m looking at you).

Spotify: I love Spotify for its user interface, algorithm-driven playlists, and, of course, the unmatched social features like collaborative playlists and sharing. However, the glaring issue? No lossless audio. With other platforms offering higher quality sound, it feels like Spotify is lagging behind on this front. If Spotify released a lossless audio option, it would retain its user-friendly vibe while offering audiophiles the sound quality they crave—making it the perfect all-rounder.

YouTube Music: YouTube Music shines with its massive library that goes beyond just songs—you get live performances, remixes, and those obscure tracks that are hard to find elsewhere. The one thing holding it back? Limited device compatibility. There’s no stand-alone desktop app for PC or Mac, and it’s just not as integrated into other devices as Spotify or Apple Music. Expanding to more platforms would make it a serious contender, especially for those who like a diverse library that goes beyond traditional music tracks.

In the end, each platform has its unique advantages, but if they tackled these specific issues, they’d gain a massive competitive edge. What do you guys think? Which app would you commit to if they fixed one key problem?