Apple Music vs. Spotify vs. Amazon Music: Which is better?

Jan 26, 2022 · 7 min read

Multimedia content platforms continue to flood the market, but... Which one is the best?

Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music are the main multimedia content platforms today. Thanks to them, you have full access to the highlights of the musical genre in real time.

As can be seen, each person has their particular tastes and will decide on one or the other. But, in case of being a first-timer, it will help to discern which is the best option at the moment.

Apple Music, Spotify or Amazon Music: Where to start?

Streaming music services are becoming increasingly popular given their versatility in content. They are expanded ways to enjoy a great tune or that particular genre that grabs your attention.

Having the three options in question, it is normal to wonder where to start. Knowing the basics of each of these alternatives and the advantages they offer, the panorama can be facilitated.

What Apple Music offers

Living up to its name, it is the streaming music service launched by the Apple company. And, contrary to what may initially be thought, it is not exclusive to the brand. On the contrary, it works on both Apple and Windows and Android devices.

Apple Music remains the main axis of the best streaming music platforms

In other playback channels, Apple Music is compatible with Amazon Echo, Google Nest, Smart TV, Samsung, among others. Given this, it is described as a versatile tool to live music one hundred percent.

Since its launch in 2015, it has experienced a huge boom in terms of popularity. Over time and by 2022, it has more than 85 million songs available to its users, under certain conditions.

Structurally, it is made up of three categories that organize the dynamics within the application. In this way, the management of the platform becomes intuitive and easy to cope with. They are cataloged as "Listen, Explore and Radio" respectively.

The one that never fails: Spotify

Spotify is not the typical music streaming service, postulating an operation that goes further. In addition to the songs, it also incorporates podcasts, videos and a variety of quality audiovisual content.

In general, it is much more complete than Apple Music from the perspective of what it offers. Also, regarding its creation, the application was released in 2008, so it has come much further.

It is open for an extraordinary range of operating systems where the main ones are: Windows, Android and iOS. However, Symbian OS, Chrome OS, Linux and Blackberry OS are not ruled out either.

As if that were not enough, he developed specialized versions for certain video game consoles. Such is the case of PlayStation 3 and 4, without neglecting the recent fifth edition.

What about Amazon Music?

The e-commerce giant has constantly innovated when it comes to technology and digitization. From there, the Amazon Music platform was successfully created.

Also renamed by the same company as Amazon Music Unlimited, it offers its users more than 75 million songs in HD in real time. As an addition, it provides a catalog of a higher level where thousands of melodies are added in Ultra HD.

Biodiversity on Amazon Music continues to grow by adding more albums and famous singers

Amazon Music was born as a result of Amazon MP3 as a beta version in 2007. By 2020, according to the latest report commented on and disseminated by the main digital media, more than 55 million users were successfully subscribed.

Opening a comparison with its opponents, it is perhaps the application with the least popularity. Together, it also lags behind in relation to the percentage of content it encompasses. However, it does not need to be underestimated given its incredible high-quality playback capabilities.

In another order of ideas, it barely opened its borders to a few operating systems. From the most renowned such as Android, iOS and Windows, to those of the company itself such as Amazon Alexa or Fire OS.

The good and the bad of each

After a brief introduction of each one, it is easy to get an image about the good and the bad. But, if it is still not entirely clear, the picture will be clarified below:

Pros and cons of Apple Music

In the field of its advantages, Apple Music continues to monopolize more and more content. The 85 million songs is a figure that will fall short in a few years given the scope of the application.

All of them can be downloaded and listened to offline for the convenience of the user. It allows you to create objective lists by analyzing the pattern of musical tastes; notifies about platform news and more.

From the economic point of view, it is the cheapest subscription that exists. In addition, you have an affordable "family plan" with up to 6 registered accounts for less than $10 USD per month.

On the other hand, the cons of Apple Music go through the low audio quality with a maximum of 256 kbps. Not to mention its little participation in connectivity with social networks or its expansion to other operating systems.

Spotify Turn: What's Right, and What's Wrong?

Spotify works with a special algorithm that automatically detects user interactions with certain music genres. It is a measure that benefits the creation of more sophisticated and detailed lists in the short term.

Spotify is one of the platforms with the most restrictions and prohibitions despite its high popularity rate

It guarantees superior connectivity without the need to be attached to a Wi-Fi or Internet network. Fewer ads and varied content that is not only focused on music for greater user comfort. And, in the area of sound quality, it exceeds the maximum of 320 kbps.

The negative part is that their subscriptions are more expensive due to the high demand. With more than 160 million users, their plans for 6 accounts (family) exceeds $10 USD as such. As another downside, some content is subject to tedious geo-restrictions.

Amazon Music: Known Advantages and Disadvantages

Amazon Music is synonymous with high quality and HD playback of the best songs of the moment. With more than 3700 kbps, the level of radio listening will drive a different experience.

On a design scale, it is the most intuitive platform of the three, going directly to the point of what is provided. Don't ramble too much about it, putting the consumer where they should be.

Unfortunately, they are the only notable pros on the platform when compared to their opponents. For the rest, the catalog is not exactly extensive, and its subscription is higher. For a single account the price is around $10 USD and, with Amazon Prime, it goes up to $36 USD.

So which one to choose between Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music?

1. If quality is desired, the indicated one is Amazon Music. Unfortunately, the content offered will be small and the subscription higher than normally accepted.

2. When it comes to content, Spotify definitely leads the way. Music, Podcasts, videos and more are within the repertoire.

3. If you are looking for economy and listening to popular music, Apple Music is a good alternative to start. There are more than 85 million songs that do not obey too many geographical restrictions.