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Spotify vs Apple Music

Weighing the pros and cons of these two streaming services.
Weighing the pros and cons of these two streaming services.

My freshman year of college I learned that a subscription to a music streaming service was almost as essential as buying books. It is what kept me going during the all-nighters and my long walks across the campus at 8 a.m. were much better with the newest music from Drake or Ryan Adams. I love music, and it just makes sense to shell out an extra $10 a month to get all the music I want.

I chose Spotify as it basically dominates the market when it comes to streaming services. I got the student discount and paid $4.99 a month. The coolest feature for me was the streaming without Wi-fi or wasting my 4G data.

This summer Apple rolled out its version of Spotify, and with my student discount coming to an end for Spotify, I chose to take Apple up on their three month trial. I can say I have been a happy customer as I have been able to listen to my music and watch my bank account stay the same.

My trial ends at the beginning of October and I will be faced with a choice between the two streaming services. The two services both have their pros and cons. Here is a guide to what those are to see which is best for you.

Cost:

Both services cost $9.99 per month for the premium account.

With Apple Music, you can share an account with up to six people for $15 a month.

For Spotify, it is $5 for every person added to the account.

If you can share with friends or family, then Apple music seems to be the way to go. Spotify does offer the student discount if you sign up through the link on their website for $4.99 a month.

Offline listening:

Both services allow you to listen offline as you simply pick the music you want and add it to your playlist. Apple music is confusing at first as I had a hard time finding all the music that I saved compared to Spotify, which has it lined up in a the form of playlists.

Music Catalog:

This is another category where both seem evenly matched as each catalog contains up to 30 million songs. Apple pulls from Itunes, but you cannot stream every song that Itunes offers, such as the Beatles discography.

Radio:

Both offer up a feature which is basically like a radio station when you can’t quite pick out the artist that you want. Apple does, however, have a slight edge as they have hired actual disc jockeys to run their station. This allows for the best music to play at all times and someone to discuss the music world. Spotify offers you the ability to create your own stations based on what you prefer. So, again, this comes down to preference on control or whether you want a live person determining the songs that come through the radio.

Extra features:

Apple music has basically turned the connect tab into a social media for music. It gives you the chance to “connect” with artists who are big in the music world or ones who are still trying to make it. Spotify has added a feature for those who love to work out and run. It picks up the tempo of the work out and changes the song to that tempo. They also fade into one another so there’s never really a silent pause while you are running.

Taylor Swift:

If you are a fan of Taylor Swift, then you will only find her music on one of these streaming sites. She pulled her music from Spotify much to the dismay of her fans, including yours truly. She threatened to do the same in a public battle with Apple music over the payment of its artist. In the end, the only place that you can stream T-Swift’s music is on Apple music.

Verdict: I am personally still torn as both are great options. I have had both services and been extremely happy with them. At the end of the day, I think I will see which one best suits me and my style.


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