Qotd

There are so many music streaming services out there now it’s becoming increasingly difficult to know which one to choose.

Jay-Z’s Tidal was heralded by music royalty as a new and better Spotify but their enthusiasm hasn’t been mirrored by the consumer. In fact, while many complain that Spotify fails to properly reimburse the artist, Tidal has been criticised for helping rich artists get richer.

Still, these criticisms haven’t prevented users from leaving Spotify and for $10 less a month it seems that they prefer the services value for money.

Now, however, Apple have thrown their hat into the ring with Apple Music, but how does it compare to the current market leader Spotify?

If you wish to try before you buy, Apple Music offer a 3-month free trial and Spotify offer a 30-day free trial.

Pricing

Pricing seems to be an important point to most consumers, if it wasn’t everyone would be on Tidal right?

Well, there’s nothing to differentiate Apple Music and Spotify in terms of pricing with both of their premium plans starting at $10 a pop.

Both the services also offer a free version but this comes at a cost. On Spotify the free version means that your music will occasionally be interrupted by ads, whilst Apple’s free offering comes in the form of limited features.

Where the two also differentiate is with their ‘family plans.’ Spotify allows you to add other family users to a premium account for $5 per user extra each month, whilst Apple Music will allow you to add up to 6 users for $14.99 per month.

Obviously, if you only want to add two users or less Spotify’s plan is preferable but any more than this and Apple Music represents better value for money.

Database

Both the services offer relatively similar music databases. Spotify’s is estimated to be slightly larger at over 30 million tracks whilst Apple’s is approximately 30 million large too.

Interfaces

Ease of use is important to most users and whilst we can’t find a winner in regard to pricing and database, the interface may be the deciding factor.

Both are simple and great looking but that is where the similarities end. Apple Music, like all Apple products, looks great. But it has come in for criticism as being too concerned with aesthetics and not enough with user experience.

This problem, is highlighted when you begin to use the platform. You will find that navigation is difficult at first and certain tasks have to be completed in their own section of the app rather than being available at all times. The most annoying of which is when you’re listening to a song and wish to add it to a playlist, rather than being able to add it on-page you will have to navigate to the playlists section; which is annoying.

Spotify isn’t as stunning as Apple Music, but it makes up for appearance thanks to its ease of use. Spotify is incredibly easy to use and if you’re looking for a hassle free experience then I wouldn’t look beyond it.

In the end, it is a question of whether you want your streaming service to look good or be easy to use, I personally prefer the latter.