Asking your loved ones whether they\u2019re Team Apple Music<\/a> or Team Spotify<\/a> is tricky territory. It can be just as heated of a debate as politics on family holidays, but both music streaming platforms have their pros and cons. I love curating my monthly playlist as much as the next person, and I\u2019ve been an avid Spotify user since high school. But I will admit that after dating someone who is strictly an Apple Music user, I can see its advantages and why some may \u201cprefer it to an app with a black and green colorway,\u201d as assistant shopping editor Jasmine Hyman<\/a> would hilariously describe it.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a music lover<\/a> on the fence about which streaming platform to pledge allegiance to, I\u2019m here to help. Whether you are thinking about making a switch or want to confirm you\u2019re getting the best for your $$, I\u2019ve laid out everything you need to know about Apple Music vs. Spotify, along with all the pros and cons of each, after personally testing both platforms (and I am 100 percent confident in my choice of which I\u2019ll be keeping downloaded on my phone). Let\u2019s dive in, shall we? <\/p>\n A quick snapshot of Apple Music… <\/strong><\/p>\n A quick snapshot of Spotify… <\/strong><\/p>\n I went in with the mindset that cost would be a big factor in determining which music platform was better for me. Unfortunately (but also fortunately), both Spotify and Apple Music are pretty similar in price. <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Unlike Spotify, Apple Music does not offer a free version of its service. Each of its monthly plans offers ad-free listening, Spatial Audio, lossless audio, exclusive artist interviews, access to live concerts, and the ability to listen offline. Apple Music monthly plans start at $5.99\/month<\/strong> for students with the added perk of one month free and access to Apple TV+. An individual plan is $10.99\/month<\/strong>, while a f<\/strong>amily plan for up to six accounts is $16.99\/month<\/strong>. No matter the plan a user chooses, new subscribers get three months of Apple Music free. Users can also opt for the Apple One Bundle, which gets you Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+ all for an individual plan starting at just $19.95\/month,<\/strong> which is a better price than if you were to subscribe to all separately. <\/p>\n While Spotify does have a free listening option, Spotify Premium offers ad-free listening, offline listening, and the ability to play songs in any order. Spotify monthly plans start at $5.99\/month<\/strong> for students. Spotify Premium for students also includes six months free and access to Hulu. Similarly, the individual Premium plan offers one month free but costs $11.99\/month<\/strong>. The other monthly plans include a duo Premium plan consisting of two Spotify accounts at $16.99\/month<\/strong> and a family Premium plan for up to six accounts at $19.99\/month<\/strong>. <\/p>\n THE BOTTOM LINE: <\/strong>Both music streaming platforms offer monthly plans at similar prices, but Spotify is a great choice for those who want to listen to music for free (even if that means hearing a few ads every few minutes). However, if you\u2019re willing to pay, the Apple One bundle provides a greater value for Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Arcade all in one if you want to go beyond just music streaming. There\u2019s a long-winded debate about whether Apple Music or Spotify has a better look, and let\u2019s just say it\u2019s all about preference. When it comes to Spotify, users like Cosmo beauty editor Beth Gillette<\/a> admit, \u201cI love the interface. My mom uses Apple Music, and I find it difficult to navigate in comparison whenever I\u2019m trying to play music.\u201d I found that the Spotify interface shows more options without having to scroll<\/strong>. On the homepage, you have your last listened-to audios and suggested playlists to jump back into. A downside to Spotify\u2019s interface, though, is that it changes more often than users would like. The platform does a lot of A\/B testing with its interface, which can lead to different and less cohesive user experiences.<\/p>\n On the other hand, there are people like my fellow Cosmo editor Jasmine Hyman who feels \u201clike Apple Music is so much more organized and clean as an app overall.\u201d I feel that the Apple Music platform prioritizes visuals over everything else, especially on the homepage<\/strong>. Upon opening the app, your screen is mostly taken up by large graphics that cause you to scroll to see more of your listening options. It also proved difficult for me to get the hang of Apple Music\u2019s queuing. If you play an album but choose not to listen to it all the way through, the remaining songs will stay in your queue unless you manually clear them.<\/p>\n THE BOTTOM LINE: <\/strong>It all comes down to personal preference regarding which platform has the best interface. I personally prefer Spotify\u2019s interface where I can have all of my current and most recent listening displayed front and center. <\/p>\n When asking colleagues whether they\u2019re #TeamSpotify or #TeamAppleMusic, one of the major pros to being the latter was the impressive sound quality. Apple Music users can enjoy \u201cSpatial Audio,\u201d<\/strong> which is an improved version of surround sound that places sounds in different locations, so it feels like you\u2019re immersed in the music. No need for any fancy equipment\u2014headphones will do just fine. The platform also boasts lossless audio<\/strong>, which is basically just a fancy way of saying that the music you hear is uncompromised and sounds exactly how it was intended to. It\u2019s a similar experience to listening to a CD.<\/p>\n Spotify doesn\u2019t have \u201cSpatial Audio\u201d or claim to offer lossless audio like Apple Music, but it\u2019s slowly catching up. Premium users can manually set their audio quality to 320kbit\/s, which is supposedly similar to lossless audio for an untrained ear. To compete with Apple Music\u2019s sound quality, Spotify plans to introduce \u201cSpotify HiFi,\u201d which will be v similar to Apple’s lossless audio format<\/strong>. The timeline for this is unknown though.<\/p>\n THE BOTTOM LINE<\/strong>: <\/strong>Apple Music\u2019s sound quality is much more advanced and appeals more to the music aficionado thanks to enhanced features such as \u201cSpatial Audio\u201d and lossless audio. But, hey, if you are anything like me and just love to blast music regardless of the quality, both platforms will do the trick. <\/p>\n Apple Music claims to have over 100 million songs and says it has the largest collection of streaming music<\/strong>. However, despite a very large music catalog, if you want to switch from your playlist to your favorite podcast, you have to go to a separate Apple Podcasts app<\/a>. The Apple Music platform grants access strictly to music, radio stations, and exclusive artist interviews. <\/p>\n If you like your music, podcasts, AND audiobooks all in one place, Spotify is your best bet<\/strong>. Unlike Apple Music, the platform allows access to all of these without having to leave the app. Consider it a one-stop shop for all your listening needs. Similarly to Apple Music, as of this year, Spotify reports that it has more than 100 million songs, 6 million podcast titles, and about 350,000 audiobooks available on the platform. Spotify Premium subscribers receive 15 hours of free (!!) audiobook listening per month<\/strong>, which means you don\u2019t have to buy the audiobooks separately. <\/p>\n THE BOTTOM LINE: <\/strong>With a similar-sized music catalog, Spotify reigns supreme solely due to its offering of podcasts and audiobooks all within the same platform. You get more entertainment all in one place without having to switch between different apps. <\/p>\n Spotify is well-known for being able to connect with your friends\u2019 listening. From the ability to follow your friends\u2019 accounts and playlists to being able to blend playlists with other users (and even your favorite fictional characters), Spotify makes it easy to share your music taste with others<\/strong>. \u201cSorry to Apple Music, but when it comes to making listening fun, Spotify is at the forefront of it all. From Spotify First to Wrapped, they make listening to music an event,\u201d says Cosmo entertainment editor Tamara Fuentes<\/a>. <\/p>\n Spotify has also excelled at these once-a-year events where users excitingly take to social media to share their yearly music habits. Trust, there\u2019s a v good chance you\u2019ve seen some Spotify Wrapped content on Instagram stories more times than you\u2019d like to count. Heck, even I\u2019m guilty of it! <\/p>\n Apple Music similarly lets you follow your friends to see their listening habits. The Apple platform also rolled out collaborative playlists that let you invite users to add, remove, reorder, and even react to songs<\/strong>. While Spotify Wrapped seems to be more popular, Apple Music has a similar year-in-review feature called Apple Music Replay. It hasn\u2019t really gained as much attraction as Spotify\u2019s Wrapped, but, hey, it still offers a fun way to share your music habits.<\/p>\n THE BOTTOM LINE: <\/strong>Spotify definitely offers more ways to connect and share your music socially. The platform is better at promoting and encouraging users to share and collaborate not only on the app but through social media. If you don\u2019t really care about social features and just want to jam out to your playlists, then Apple Music will do the trick.<\/p>\n One thing that I\u2019ve noticed about my Spotify algorithm is that it truly gets me. The platform\u2019s taste profile is consistent in helping users discover new music and artists through fresh, weekly auto-generated playlists<\/strong>. A new feature that Spotify rolled out to expand its music discovery capabilities is the AI DJ. I\u2019ve found it to be a great feature when I\u2019m in the mood to hear something new but don\u2019t know where to start. Users can also enjoy curated \u201cTime Capsule\u201d playlists that resurface all of your fave songs you forgot you even loved and a very fun \u201cDaylist\u201d feature that gives you new music mixes throughout the day. Spotify also provides music lovers with different decade, genre, and mood mixes based on previous listening<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Similarly to Spotify, Apple Music creates rewind, discover, new music, and mood playlists for users<\/strong>. A strong feature for discovering new music on the platform is Apple Music Radio. It has three main stations, all free even if you aren\u2019t a subscriber, and live broadcast stations if you\u2019re into that. If you are a subscriber, you have access to on-demand stations and shows, such as the popular Zane Lowe Show. Similar to Spotify\u2019s AI DJ, there\u2019s a Beats1 Radio station hosted and curated by actual real-life DJs where you can listen to new music in real time<\/strong>. <\/p>\n THE BOTTOM LINE: <\/strong>I think Spotify\u2019s algorithm is better at predicting what I want to hear while also bringing me back to throwbacks I loved in the past. In my opinion, Spotify\u2019s taste profile is more accurate and great at bringing new music (that I actually like!) to my attention. On the other hand, Apple Music is a great resource for those who prefer radio.
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Music Catalog and Podcasts<\/h2>\n
Social Features<\/h2>\n
Discovering New Music<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nSo, which is better: Apple Music or Spotify?
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