{"id":323229,"date":"2025-11-14T05:16:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T10:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/?page_id=107821"},"modified":"2025-11-14T05:16:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T10:16:53","slug":"best-music-services","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/streaming\/best-music-services\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Music Streaming Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"best\" title=\"The Best Music Streaming Services\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Best Music Streaming Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Across the leading platforms, the biggest differences today aren\u2019t catalog size but features and experience: audio quality (lossless and hi\u2011res), spatial\/immersive mixes, AI\u2011assisted discovery and playlisting, integrated video, accessibility features, and how well each service fits your devices and household. Our six top picks are still neck and neck on core listening, but they now differentiate on these perks and ecosystem fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It all comes down to the perks. The best music streaming service should offer up the content you want, the way you want it \u2014 whether that means AI playlist generators, live radio, exclusive artist programming, high\u2011fidelity audio, or seamless video. Our top picks offer a little bit of everything, from <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.spotify.com\/2024-05-07\/ai-playlist-us-canada\/\">prompt-based playlists<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.spotify.com\/2024-03-13\/music-videos-beta\/\">music videos in-app<\/a> to lossless and spatial audio on <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT212183\">Apple Music<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/help\/customer\/display.html?nodeId=G6J9WLK32J6FJ3Q8\">Amazon Music Unlimited<\/a>. Read on to see what makes each one unique, or jump down to our <a href=\"#guide-to-music-streaming-services\">music streaming service buying guide<\/a> for help figuring out which platform is best for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 6 Best Music Streaming Services<\/h2>\n\n\n<section id=\"block_c4e85af62c7a3\" class=\"block b-item-list b-item-list--\" data-js=\"b-item-list\" data-preamp=\"b-item-list\">\n    <ul class=\"b-item-list__list\">\n            <\/ul>\n<\/section>\n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"compare\" title=\"Comparison Chart\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Best Music Streaming Service: Summed up<\/h2>\n\n\n<section id=\"block---\" class=\"theme-block c-table \">\n  \n<div class=\"row\">\n    <div class=\" h-width-100\">\n    \n      <div class=\"table-responsive table-responsive--with-summary h-shadow-2dp h-border-small\">\n        <table class=\"table table-striped table-bordered table--bordered-top table--rounded\">\n          \n          \n  <tbody>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/apple.co\/2mBs95r' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>Apple Music<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/www.spotify.com\/us\/' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>Spotify<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/premium' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>YouTube Premium<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=17117&#038;awinaffid=533489&#038;clickref=r15040&#038;p=' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>Tidal<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/www.pandora.com\/' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>Pandora<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/dmusic\/promotions\/PrimeMusic?&#038;_encoding=UTF8&#038;tag=r15041-20&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;linkId=16b49a5f986c9c98066ded2f4b82009d&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>Amazon Prime Music<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              Best Full-Service Streaming Platform \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              Best for New Music Discovery \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              Best for Original Content\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              Best for High-Quality Audio\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              Best for Low-Maintenance Listening\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              Best for Prime Members\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Price \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              $9.99-$14.99\/mo.\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              $0-$14.99\/mo.\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              $9.99-$17.99\/mo.\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              $9.99-$29.99\/mo.\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              $0-$15\/mo.\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              $0-$14.99\/mo.\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Number of tracks\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              50 million+\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              50 million+\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              Unlimited\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              60 million+\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              30 million+\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              2 &#8211; 50 million+\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Monthly paid subscribers \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              60 million\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              113 million\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              15 million\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              1-3 million\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              6.7 million+\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              32 million\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Free trial\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              3 months\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              3 months\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              1 month\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              1 month\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              2 months\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              1 month\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Unlimited free version\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              \u2714*\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Songs on demand \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Offline listening\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Music videos\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              \u2714 (Amazon Prime Video)\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Hi-fi audio\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              \u2714**\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Student discount\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \u2714 ($4.99 \/ month)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              \u2714 ($4.99 \/ month)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              \u2714 ($6.99 \/ month)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              \u2714 ($4.99-$9.99 \/ month)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              \u2714 ($4.99 \/ month)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              \u2714 ($0.99-$4.99 \/ month)\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Military discount\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              \u2714 ($5.99-$11.99\/mo.)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              \u2714 ($7.99 \/ month)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Google Play scores\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              3.6 out of 5 (318.6k reviews)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              4.5 out of 5 (16.7m reviews)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              3.9 out of 5 (735k reviews &#8211; YouTube Music)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              4.0 out of 5 (161.4k reviews)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              4.3 out of 5 (3.1m reviews)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              4.4 out of 5 (4.2m reviews)\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Apple\u2019s App Store ratings\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              N\/A\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              4.8 out of 5 (9.1m ratings)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              4.6 out of 5 (186k ratings)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              4.6 out of 5 (30k ratings)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              4.8 out of 5 (6.1m ratings)\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              4.7 out of 5 (338k ratings)\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/apple.co\/2mBs95r' class='button' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>Apple Music<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/www.spotify.com\/us\/' class='button' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>Spotify<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/premium' class='button' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>YouTube Premium<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?awinmid=17117&#038;awinaffid=533489&#038;clickref=r15040&#038;p=' class='button' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>Tidal<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-6\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/www.pandora.com\/' class='button' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>Pandora<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-7\">\n              <a href='https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/dmusic\/promotions\/PrimeMusic?&#038;_encoding=UTF8&#038;tag=r15041-20&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;linkId=16b49a5f986c9c98066ded2f4b82009d&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325' class='button' target='_blank' rel='nofollow sponsored'>Amazon Prime Music<\/a>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n      <\/tbody><!-- tbody -->\n        <\/table>\n      <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><font size=\"2\">Note: The comparison snapshot below reflects legacy values. For current market context, see <a href=\"https:\/\/investors.spotify.com\/financials\/press-release-details\/2024\/Spotify-Reports-Third-Quarter-2024-Results\/default.aspx\">Spotify\u2019s latest investor update<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.youtube\/news-and-events\/100-million-premium-and-music-subscribers\/\">YouTube\u2019s 100M Premium + Music milestone<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midiaresearch.com\/blog\/music-subscriber-market-shares-2023-growth-slows-but-not-for-everyone\">MIDiA Research\u2019s subscriber estimates<\/a>.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"2\">* Free options vary by device and plan and are generally ad-supported (for example on select Alexa devices or apps).<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"2\">** HiFi audio is included with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/help\/customer\/display.html?nodeId=G6J9WLK32J6FJ3Q8\">Amazon Music Unlimited (HD\/Ultra HD)<\/a>.<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"AppleMusic\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"Best_Full_service_Music_Platform\" title=\"Best Full-Service Music Platform\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"apple-music-review\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n\n\n                                                            \n            <section id=\"apple-music\"\n         class=\"block b-item-list-card b-item-list-card--\"\n         data-js=\"block-item-list-card\"\n         data-preamp=\"block-item-list-card\">\n\n        <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card\">\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top\">\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"><\/span>\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"> Best Full Service Streaming Platform<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__bottom\">\n                                                    <a target=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/2mBs95r?rvitemid=315579-20\"\n                        data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='MONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='315579' data-tag-product-name='Apple Music' data-tag-brand='Apple' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='month' data-tag-category=''\n                        aria-label=\"Apple button\" \n                        rel=\"nofollow sponsored\" >\n                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Apple-Music-Logo-for-Music-Streaming-Service.png\" alt=\"Image for Apple-Music-Logo-for-Music-Streaming-Service\" \/>\n                                            <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right\">\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__top\n                        b-item-list-card__card__right__top--line\">\n                Apple\n            <\/div>\n\n            <br>\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__topv2\" >\n                Apple Music\n            <\/div>\n            <br>\n\n           <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__middle\">\n                                        <a class=\"reviews-btn--primary reviews-btn--large reviews-btn--expand\"\n                    disable-tagular\n                    target=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/2mBs95r?rvitemid=315579-20\" type=\"button\"\n                    aria-label=\"Apple button\" data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='MONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='315579' data-tag-product-name='Apple Music' data-tag-brand='Apple' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='month' data-tag-category='' \n                    rel=\"nofollow sponsored\"\n                >\n                View plans<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__bottomv2 h-margin-top-15\">\n                \n            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info\">\n        <div class=\"grid-x\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto \">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Pros <\/p>\n                <p>Downloaded music integration<br \/>\nApple ecosystem<br \/>\nBeats 1<br \/>\nLyric search<br \/>\nVariety of plans <\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto\">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Cons <\/p>\n                <p>Confusing interface<br \/>\nNo free version <\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n      <div class=\"grid-x\">\n        <a href=\"#\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer cell back_to_top\" data-tag='cta' data-tag-element-type='LINK' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-outcome='INTERNALLINK' >\n            <p>Return to top\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer-image lazyload\" alt='Return to top arrow' style=\"height: 20px; margin-left: 5px;\"\n                data-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/Arrow.svg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/LightGray-placeholder.png\">\n            <\/p>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n    \n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why we chose it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Downloaded music integration<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Before there was streaming, there was iTunes (now called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/streaming\/apple-music-review\/\">Apple Music<\/a>.) Although streaming services have made music cheaper and more accessible, many people still have vast libraries that they\u2019ve downloaded and built up over the years. If you\u2019re a devoted music buyer, Apple Music is the best choice for integrating a pre-owned song catalog with your music streaming service. The iCloud Music Library allows you to access your entire music collection on the go, even if it\u2019s not downloaded to your device. This is head and shoulders above Spotify\u2019s \u201clocal files\u201d feature, which only lets you listen to downloaded music from the device it was originally stored on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And you don&#8217;t have to be an iPhone user to get in on the action. The Apple Music app is available on the Google Play store for Android users. However, Droid customers won\u2019t have access to Apple Music\u2019s voice command feature, which currently only works through Siri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Apple ecosystem<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple Music has grown into one of the world\u2019s largest music services, though Apple no longer provides up-to-date subscriber counts. Independent market analysis places Apple Music in the top tier globally with roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midiaresearch.com\/blog\/music-subscriber-market-shares-2023-growth-slows-but-not-for-everyone\">~100 million subscribers (estimate)<\/a>. What Apple gets right is deep ecosystem integration and quality: lossless and Hi\u2011Res Lossless plus Spatial Audio at no extra cost, tight device integration across iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, HomePod, and hands\u2011free control with Siri. Apple has also added accessibility features like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/newsroom\/2024\/05\/apple-introduces-music-haptics\/\">Music Haptics<\/a>, which lets users feel music through refined vibrations \u2014 a notable benefit for deaf or hard\u2011of\u2011hearing listeners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Beats 1<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with easy device and iTunes integration, Apple\u2019s live radio helps set Apple Music apart. The flagship global station features artist-led shows and exclusive programming alongside genre channels. It\u2019s a place to discover new music, listen to commentary from your favorite artists, or enjoy a steady stream of quality tunes without having to <em>choose<\/em> what to listen to. It\u2019s available to paying and non-paying users alike, but only subscribers can listen to shows on demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lyric search<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The latest iterations of Apple Music include synced lyrics and reliable lyric search \u2014 so when you can\u2019t remember why \u201cJoe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television\u201d are running through your head, Apple Music\u2019s search bar will remind you that they\u2019re the lyrics to \u201cWe Didn\u2019t Start the Fire\u201d by Billy Joel. In our experience, Apple\u2019s lyric search is right on the money and returns exactly what you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Variety of plans<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple Music offers individual, family, and student plans, plus the option to bundle services with Apple One. Prices have changed industry\u2011wide since 2020, and regional pricing varies, so check Apple for the latest details on Music and <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT207865\">Apple One bundles<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Apple Music plans compared<\/h3>\n\n\n<section id=\"block---\" class=\"theme-block c-table \">\n  \n<div class=\"row\">\n    <div class=\" h-width-100\">\n    \n      <div class=\"table-responsive table-responsive--with-summary h-shadow-2dp h-border-small\">\n        <table class=\"table table-striped table-bordered table--bordered-top table--rounded\">\n          \n          \n  <tbody>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>Apple Music Individual<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>Apple Music Family<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Price per month<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>$9.99 \/ month or \n$99 \/ year<br>\nStudent: $4.99 \/ month \n<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>$14.99 \/ month<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Number of Profiles <\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>1<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>6<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>How many devices can listen at once?<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>1<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>Up to 6<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Access all Apple Music content?<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Share iTunes purchases<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n      <\/tbody><!-- tbody -->\n        <\/table>\n      <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Points to consider<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Confusing interface<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple music is fairly easy to set up and control, especially if you\u2019re used to working with Apple products. However, the platform has a few navigation quirks that threw us off. For example, the desktop player is difficult to maneuver. It has no real \u201chome\u201d screen to center you, so once you\u2019ve clicked through a few tabs it can be hard to find a page you want to revisit. The app also lets you create stations based on songs, artists, or albums, but doesn\u2019t actually take you to that playlist (unlike Spotify, which lets you view the station\u2019s queue and select tracks). All in all, we found Spotify\u2019s interface just a bit more intuitive and customizable than Apple Music\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No free version<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Users can try Apple Music free for a time, but after that it\u2019ll cost you. Pricing is broadly similar to other top picks for ad\u2011free listening. If you want to save money and don\u2019t mind commercial breaks or limitations, you might prefer Spotify or YouTube Music \u2014 both of which have an unlimited, ad\u2011supported free option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"Spotify\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"Best_For_New_Music_Discovery\" title=\"Best for New Music Discovery\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"spotify-review\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n\n\n                                                            \n            <section id=\"spotify\"\n         class=\"block b-item-list-card b-item-list-card--\"\n         data-js=\"block-item-list-card\"\n         data-preamp=\"block-item-list-card\">\n\n        <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card\">\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top\">\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"><\/span>\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"> Best for New Music Discovery<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__bottom\">\n                                                    <a target=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spotify.com\/us\/?rvitemid=315580-20\"\n                        data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='NOTMONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='315580' data-tag-product-name='Spotify' data-tag-brand='Spotify' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='month' data-tag-category=''\n                        aria-label=\"Spotify button\" \n                        rel=\"nofollow sponsored\" >\n                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Spotify-Logo-for-Music-Streaming-Service.png\" alt=\"Image for Spotify-Logo-for-Music-Streaming-Service\" \/>\n                                            <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right\">\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__top\n                        b-item-list-card__card__right__top--line\">\n                Spotify\n            <\/div>\n\n            <br>\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__topv2\" >\n                Spotify\n            <\/div>\n            <br>\n\n           <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__middle\">\n                                        <a class=\"reviews-btn--primary reviews-btn--large reviews-btn--expand\"\n                    disable-tagular\n                    target=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spotify.com\/us\/?rvitemid=315580-20\" type=\"button\"\n                    aria-label=\"Spotify button\" data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='NOTMONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='315580' data-tag-product-name='Spotify' data-tag-brand='Spotify' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='month' data-tag-category='' \n                    rel=\"nofollow sponsored\"\n                >\n                View plans<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__bottomv2 h-margin-top-15\">\n                \n            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info\">\n        <div class=\"grid-x\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto \">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Pros <\/p>\n                <p>Diverse discovery features<br \/>\nBest music app<br \/>\nDevice integration<br \/>\nFree version<br \/>\nSpotify Kids music streaming<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto\">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Cons <\/p>\n                <p>Poor local music integration<br \/>\nNo smart search <\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n      <div class=\"grid-x\">\n        <a href=\"#\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer cell back_to_top\" data-tag='cta' data-tag-element-type='LINK' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-outcome='INTERNALLINK' >\n            <p>Return to top\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer-image lazyload\" alt='Return to top arrow' style=\"height: 20px; margin-left: 5px;\"\n                data-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/Arrow.svg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/LightGray-placeholder.png\">\n            <\/p>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n    \n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why we chose it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Diverse discovery features<\/h4>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/streaming\/spotify-review\/\">Spotify<\/a> shines for its ability to suggest new music that you\u2019ll actually like. As one of the earliest streaming sites \u2014 launched in 2006 \u2014 the company has had more than 10 years to hone its music matching algorithms. It uses these to create different daily mixes, a weekly \u201cdiscover\u201d playlist, and countless curated radio stations for each user. It also offers up themed playlists like \u201ctime capsule,\u201d \u201ctop songs\u201d for the year, and \u201csummer rewind,\u201d that let you revisit old favorites. Beyond that, Spotify now layers in prompt\u2011to\u2011playlist creation with <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.spotify.com\/2024-05-07\/ai-playlist-us-canada\/\">AI Playlist<\/a> and even a <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.spotify.com\/2024-03-13\/music-videos-beta\/\">Music Videos<\/a> beta that lets you switch from audio to video for select tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best Music App<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>We found Spotify to be the easiest to use of all the music streaming service apps we tested. On both the mobile and desktop apps, everything was exactly where we expected it to be. Your library, playlists, mixes, and stations all live on the sidebar, making them accessible at all times. The home screen is well organized and easy to navigate, with options to browse \u201cgenres and moods,\u201d \u201ccharts,\u201d \u201cnew releases,\u201d and more. And when you want to create a new radio station based on an artist or song, Spotify lets you \u201cGo to Radio\u201d so you can view your queue and customize the channel. Other platforms \u2014 like Apple Music and Tidal \u2014 create the station without actually showing you a queue, so you don\u2019t have much control over what\u2019s on (sort of like listening to an actual radio, although you can still skip tracks). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Device integration<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>With Spotify, as with our other top picks, each user can only listen on one device at a time. However, Spotify stood out for having seamless transitions between listening platforms. Using the \u201cdevices available\u201d button, you can switch playback instantly between laptop, cellphone, bluetooth speaker, smart TV, or any other synced device. Spotify also gives you the option to \u201ccontinue listening\u201d on one device while controlling your account with another. So you could, for example, \u201ccontinue listening\u201d on your smart TV while using your phone as a music remote to select playlists and skip tracks. Additionally, Spotify and Tidal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.androidpolice.com\/2017\/03\/14\/waze-spotify-partner-bring-music-directions-together-road\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">partner with Waze<\/a>, so that you can see turn-by-turn directions while listening to your music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Free version<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Of our top picks, Spotify is one of only two streaming services, along with YouTube, that offers an unlimited free version (the others only offer one- to three-month free trials). Of course, freeness comes at a price: You\u2019ll have to put up with quite a few commercial breaks, you must shuffle playlists instead of selecting specific songs, and you\u2019re only allowed to skip six songs per hour. Still, Spotify Free gives you access to the server\u2019s entire catalog of music and curated content. It\u2019s a good option if you want to save $10 to $15 per month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spotify Kids Music Streaming<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Spotify\u2019s motto is \u201cMusic for everyone,\u201d and with the release of the Spotify Kids App makes that even easier. The app was designed for kids and families, a \u201cplayground of sound\u201d bursting with color, and built with kids\u2019 \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.spotify.com\/2019-10-30\/introducing-spotify-kids-a-new-standalone-app-for-the-next-generation-of-listeners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">specific cognitive skills in mind<\/a>\u201d. Spotify Kids offers a collection of music targeted for kids \u2013 from movies, TV shows, and popular plays \u2013 as well as new songs for them to discover. The Spotify Kids App is ad-free, but can only be used if you\u2019re subscribed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/streaming\/spotify-family-plan-upgrade\/\">Spotify\u2019s Premium Family<\/a> plan ($14.99\/mo.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spotify plans compared<\/h3>\n\n\n<section id=\"block---\" class=\"theme-block c-table \">\n  \n<div class=\"row\">\n    <div class=\" h-width-100\">\n    \n      <div class=\"table-responsive table-responsive--with-summary h-shadow-2dp h-border-small\">\n        <table class=\"table table-striped table-bordered table--bordered-top table--rounded\">\n          \n          \n  <tbody>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>Spotify Free<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>Spotify Premium<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>Spotify Premium for Family<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Price Per Month<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>Free<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>$9.99<br>\nStudents: $4.99<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>$14.99 for up to 6 accounts<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>How many devices can listen at once?<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>1<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>1<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>Up to 6<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Access all Spotify content<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Playlists curated for you<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Ad-free music<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Pick and play songs <\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Offline listening<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Unlimited skips<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n      <\/tbody><!-- tbody -->\n        <\/table>\n      <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Points to consider<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Poor local music integration<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you already own a sizeable music library \u2014 iTunes purchases, ripped CD\u2019s, downloaded songs \u2014 then you may want to integrate this music with your streaming service. Spotify allows you to do so through its \u201clocal files\u201d feature, but it\u2019s not a perfect solution. Once you\u2019ve uploaded music from your hard drive to Spotify\u2019s \u201clocal files,\u201d they\u2019re only available on that computer; they don\u2019t travel with your account. That means you won\u2019t be able to listen on mobile or other devices. For easier access to music you already own, we recommend Apple Music. It\u2019s fully integrated with iTunes and has a more robust cloud locker for storing and accessing downloaded content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No lossless tier (for now)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe you caught a snippet of whistling or a single lyric, and you\u2019re hoping to find out what that great song was. Spotify\u2019s search and discovery are excellent \u2014 and it now offers AI\u2011assisted playlisting \u2014 but one notable gap remains: there\u2019s no broadly available lossless audio tier. Competing services like Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and TIDAL include lossless and even hi\u2011res options, while Spotify\u2019s current highest quality is lossy \u201cVery high.\u201d See <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT212183\">Apple\u2019s lossless<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/help\/customer\/display.html?nodeId=G6J9WLK32J6FJ3Q8\">Amazon HD\/Ultra HD<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/support.tidal.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360000631798-Sound-Quality-and-Formats\">TIDAL formats<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/support.spotify.com\/article\/audio-quality\/\">Spotify audio quality<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"YouTubePremium\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"Best_For_Original_Content_\" title=\"Best for Original Content\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"youtube-review\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n\n\n                                                            \n            <section id=\"youtube-premium\"\n         class=\"block b-item-list-card b-item-list-card--\"\n         data-js=\"block-item-list-card\"\n         data-preamp=\"block-item-list-card\">\n\n        <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card\">\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top\">\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"><\/span>\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"> Best for Original Content <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__bottom\">\n                                                    <a target=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/premium?rvitemid=315581-20\"\n                        data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='NOTMONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='315581' data-tag-product-name='YouTube Premium' data-tag-brand='YouTube' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='month' data-tag-category=''\n                        aria-label=\"YouTube button\" \n                        rel=\"nofollow sponsored\" >\n                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/YouTube-Premium-Logo-for-Music-Streaming-Service.png\" alt=\"Image for YouTube-Premium-Logo-for-Music-Streaming-Service\" \/>\n                                            <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right\">\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__top\n                        b-item-list-card__card__right__top--line\">\n                YouTube\n            <\/div>\n\n            <br>\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__topv2\" >\n                YouTube Premium\n            <\/div>\n            <br>\n\n           <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__middle\">\n                                        <a class=\"reviews-btn--primary reviews-btn--large reviews-btn--expand\"\n                    disable-tagular\n                    target=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/premium?rvitemid=315581-20\" type=\"button\"\n                    aria-label=\"YouTube button\" data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='NOTMONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='315581' data-tag-product-name='YouTube Premium' data-tag-brand='YouTube' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='month' data-tag-category='' \n                    rel=\"nofollow sponsored\"\n                >\n                View plans<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__bottomv2 h-margin-top-15\">\n                \n            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info\">\n        <div class=\"grid-x\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto \">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Pros <\/p>\n                <p>All of YouTube\u2019s content<br \/>\nBackground listening<br \/>\nAd-free music and videos<br \/>\nGoogle perks<br \/>\nFree version <\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto\">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Cons <\/p>\n                <p>Music and videos are separate<br \/>\nNo desktop app <\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n      <div class=\"grid-x\">\n        <a href=\"#\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer cell back_to_top\" data-tag='cta' data-tag-element-type='LINK' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-outcome='INTERNALLINK' >\n            <p>Return to top\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer-image lazyload\" alt='Return to top arrow' style=\"height: 20px; margin-left: 5px;\"\n                data-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/Arrow.svg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/LightGray-placeholder.png\">\n            <\/p>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n    \n\n<div id=\"block_5e84d292a6307\" class=\"block b-accordion\" data-js=\"b-accordion\">\n    <div class=\"b-accordion__container\">\n        <div class=\"b-accordion__header\">\n            <a href=\"#\" class=\"b-accordion__title\" data-tag='cta' data-tag-element-type='LINK' data-tag-location='ACCORDION' data-tag-outcome='INTERNALLINK' ><h3 class=\"b-accordion__title--h3\">YouTube Premium vs. YouTube Music<\/h3><\/a>\n            <span class=\"b-accordion__toggle chevron-arrow-down\"><\/span>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"b-accordion__content\" style=\"display: none;\">\n            <p>A YouTube Premium subscription gives you access to YouTube Music. Launched in May 2018, YouTube Music is the company\u2019s new and improved music platform. It brings you on demand songs, playlists, and personalized stations. Forget everything you know about YouTube\u2019s interface \u2014 the redesign is a full-fledged music streaming platform that looks and functions a lot like Spotify. Check it out at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/music.youtube.com\/\">music.youtube.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why we chose it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">All of YouTube\u2019s content<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You probably never thought of YouTube as a music streaming service (it\u2019s just the place you go for funny cat videos and legendary Vine compilations, right?). But that\u2019s the beauty of YouTube Premium: you get a pretty much endless catalog of songs plus YouTube\u2019s entire library of videos, including remixes, covers, mixtapes, and live footage. That means access to rare, unofficial content that you\u2019d never find on our other top picks \u2014 think <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/music\/thousands-of-rare-videos-of-legendary-rock-bands-are-now-on-youtube\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">concert footage from The Who and The Rolling Stones<\/a> or mixtapes like Chance the Rapper\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-AB1EcSYD2Q\" target=\"_blank\">Acid Rap<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Background listening<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>How many times have you started a music video on YouTube, only to lock your phone screen and become instantly frustrated when the music stops? Countless times? Us too. YouTube Premium solves that problem with \u201cbackground listening,\u201d which allows you to play both music and YouTube videos with the app minimized or your phone screen locked. It may seem like a no-brainer (you can play music in the background on any other music app), but YouTube lovers will rejoice at the ability to multitask while they enjoy their favorite content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ad-free music and videos<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>YouTube Premium users can enjoy both music streaming and all YouTube videos ad-free. Note that if you subscribe to YouTube Music Premium, you\u2019ll get music ad-free but videos will still have advertisements. For current plan options and pricing, see <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/6307365\">YouTube Premium\u2019s help page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Google perks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the Google family, YouTube Music and YouTube Premium come with all of its perks. YouTube is fully integrated into Android and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/home\/smart-home\/opt-out-of-google-homes-tracking-features\/\">Google Home<\/a> systems, so it can be controlled using <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/googlehome\/answer\/7030379?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\">Google\u2019s voice assistant<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/2019\/10\/28\/youtube-music-siri-desktop-app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">including Siri<\/a>. You can ask it to put on a specific song or playlist, request a genre, pause or skip a song, or even switch between devices (e.g. \u201cplay music on my bedroom speaker\u201d). YouTube also lets you tap into Google\u2019s advanced search mechanisms to find songs. For instance, you might ask it to play \u201cthat hipster song with the whistling,\u201d and it\u2019ll know to put on \u201cYoung Folks\u201d by Peter Bjorn &amp; John. As a bonus: if you were already using Google\u2019s streaming service (Google Play, $9.99 per month) before YouTube Premium came out in May 2018, you can access its new service free of charge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Free version<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t worry, the free YouTube that we all know and love isn\u2019t going anywhere. You can still access all of the site\u2019s video content and the new YouTube Music service free of charge. However the free version is ad-powered, so you\u2019ll have to sit through plenty of commercial breaks before videos and in between songs. YouTube Music subscribers get ad-free music but not video \u2014 so if you\u2019re taking the leap anyway, we recommend spending the extra $2 per month to stream all of YouTube\u2019s content without interruption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">YouTube Music plans compared<\/h3>\n\n\n<section id=\"block---\" class=\"theme-block c-table \">\n  \n<div class=\"row\">\n    <div class=\" h-width-100\">\n    \n      <div class=\"table-responsive table-responsive--with-summary h-shadow-2dp h-border-small\">\n        <table class=\"table table-striped table-bordered table--bordered-top table--rounded\">\n          \n          \n  <tbody>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>YouTube Music Premium<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>YouTube Premium<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>YouTube Premium Family Plan<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Price per month<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>$9.99<\/center>\n<center>($4.99 for students)<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>$11.99<\/center>\n<center>($6.99 for students)<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>$14.99 for up to 6 profiles<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Music: ad-free, offline, and background play<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Video: ad-free, offline, and background play<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Access YouTube Originals<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>How many devices can listen at once?<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>10 devices<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>10 devices<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center> Up to 10 devices<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n      <\/tbody><!-- tbody -->\n        <\/table>\n      <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Points to consider<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Music and videos are separate<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>YouTube is our platform of choice for people who want both music and video. That said, it doesn\u2019t do a perfect job integrating the two services. Although Youtube Premium customers are technically paying for a YouTube Music subscription and an ad-free YouTube video experience, the two still exist as separate apps. All music streaming happens through the YouTube Music app, while videos are only accessible on YouTube. Ideally, the two will eventually live in one place \u2014 but YouTube Music is relatively new, so there are still some logistics to work out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No desktop app<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal, YouTube Music doesn\ufffd\ufffdt have a downloadable desktop app that you can use to play music from your computer. You can still stream through its website at <a href=\"https:\/\/music.youtube.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">music.youtube.com<\/a>, but it\u2019s less convenient than a full-fledged desktop player. For instance, if you\u2019re listening on a Mac, you can\u2019t use the keyboard controls to play, pause, or skip songs. It also means there\u2019s no convenient \u201cmini player\u201d like the one Apple Music has, which lets you keep an eye on what\u2019s playing and control music in a small, discreet window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"Tidal\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"Best_For_High_quality_Audio\" title=\"Best for High-Quality Audio\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"tidal-review\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n\n\n                                                            \n            <section id=\"tidal\"\n         class=\"block b-item-list-card b-item-list-card--\"\n         data-js=\"block-item-list-card\"\n         data-preamp=\"block-item-list-card\">\n\n        <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card\">\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top\">\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"><\/span>\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"> Best for High Quality Audio<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__bottom\">\n                                                    <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tidal.com\/?rvitemid=315582-20\"\n                        data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='NOTMONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='315582' data-tag-product-name='Tidal' data-tag-brand='Tidal' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='month' data-tag-category=''\n                        aria-label=\"Tidal button\" \n                        rel=\"nofollow sponsored\" >\n                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Tidal-Logo-for-Music-Streaming-Service.png\" alt=\"Image for Tidal-Logo-for-Music-Streaming-Service\" \/>\n                                            <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right\">\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__top\n                        b-item-list-card__card__right__top--line\">\n                Tidal\n            <\/div>\n\n            <br>\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__topv2\" >\n                Tidal\n            <\/div>\n            <br>\n\n           <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__middle\">\n                                        <a class=\"reviews-btn--primary reviews-btn--large reviews-btn--expand\"\n                    disable-tagular\n                    target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tidal.com\/?rvitemid=315582-20\" type=\"button\"\n                    aria-label=\"Tidal button\" data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='NOTMONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='315582' data-tag-product-name='Tidal' data-tag-brand='Tidal' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='month' data-tag-category='' \n                    rel=\"nofollow sponsored\"\n                >\n                View plans<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__bottomv2 h-margin-top-15\">\n                \n            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info\">\n        <div class=\"grid-x\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto \">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Pros <\/p>\n                <p>High fidelity music streaming<br \/>\nMaster quality desktop streaming<br \/>\nExclusive music releases<br \/>\nArtist-driven content<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto\">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Cons <\/p>\n                <p>More expensive<br \/>\nSlow device switching<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n      <div class=\"grid-x\">\n        <a href=\"#\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer cell back_to_top\" data-tag='cta' data-tag-element-type='LINK' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-outcome='INTERNALLINK' >\n            <p>Return to top\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer-image lazyload\" alt='Return to top arrow' style=\"height: 20px; margin-left: 5px;\"\n                data-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/Arrow.svg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/LightGray-placeholder.png\">\n            <\/p>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n    \n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why we chose it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">High fidelity mobile streaming<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Tidal is owned by Jay Z, which is admittedly pretty neat. But the company\u2019s real claim to fame is its high-fidelity music streaming. TIDAL now delivers lossless FLAC and HiRes FLAC up to 24\u2011bit\/192 kHz in its main plan, with support for Dolby Atmos on compatible hardware \u2014 and it has <a href=\"https:\/\/tidal.com\/blog\/article\/simplified-plans-lossless-flac\">simplified plans and formats<\/a> by sunsetting MQA and 360 Reality Audio in favor of open FLAC. Competitors like <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT212183\">Apple Music<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/help\/customer\/display.html?nodeId=G6J9WLK32J6FJ3Q8\">Amazon Music Unlimited<\/a> also include lossless and hi\u2011res streams, but TIDAL remains a favorite among audiophiles for device integrations and transparent format support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Master quality desktop streaming<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>TIDAL\u2019s hi\u2011res catalog is broad and growing, and playback quality adapts to your device capabilities across mobile and desktop. With the shift to HiRes FLAC, TIDAL emphasizes open, widely supported formats while continuing to support immersive mixes like Dolby Atmos on compatible setups. For current specs, see <a href=\"https:\/\/support.tidal.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360000631798-Sound-Quality-and-Formats\">TIDAL\u2019s sound quality page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Exclusive music releases<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>All the major streaming services advertise unique content, but Tidal\u2019s exclusives carry strong clout. Expect occasional windowed releases, live sessions, and proprietary content alongside its editorial programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Artist-driven content<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Tidal is a music streaming service first and foremost, but it also aims to be a place where artists and fans can connect on a more personal level. It does this in a few ways. First is through Tidal X \u2014 a platform for live concert streaming, exclusive show invites (more than 3,000 Tidal members got tickets to the 6th anniversary of Rick Ross\u2019 debut album), and unique event access (Rihanna\u2019s Fenty runway show in Paris was live streamed for Tidal members, and a handful even got to attend). Members also get access to Tidal Read, which features artist interviews and articles by professional music journalists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tidal plans compared<\/h3>\n\n\n<section id=\"block---\" class=\"theme-block c-table \">\n  \n<div class=\"row\">\n    <div class=\" h-width-100\">\n    \n      <div class=\"table-responsive table-responsive--with-summary h-shadow-2dp h-border-small\">\n        <table class=\"table table-striped table-bordered table--bordered-top table--rounded\">\n          \n          \n  <tbody>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>Tidal Premium<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>Tidal HiFi<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Price per month<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>$9.99<br>\nStudent: $4.99<br>\nMilitary: $5.99<br>\nFamily: $14.99 (up to 6 profiles)<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>$19.99<br>\nStudent: $9.99<br>\nMilitary: $11.99<br>\nFamily: $29.99 (up to 6 profiles)<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Full Tidal catalog<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Tidal exclusive content<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Lossless audio<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>&#8216;Master quality&#8217; desktop listening<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>\u2714<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n      <\/tbody><!-- tbody -->\n        <\/table>\n      <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Points to consider<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Changed plans and formats<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>TIDAL now includes lossless and hi\u2011res FLAC in its primary plan and has retired MQA\/360 Reality Audio in favor of open formats. That simplifies choices and brings pricing closer to competitors that include lossless at no extra cost. If you\u2019re chasing the very best sound, audition services and formats on your own setup before deciding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Slow device switching<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As with our other top picks, Tidal users can only stream music on one device at a time. However, Tidal doesn\u2019t do a great job transitioning between systems. When we switched playback from desktop to mobile and back again, it took Tidal a few minutes to recognize that we had stopped listening on one device and started on another. This made for lag time, and us having to restart the app \u2014 not a huge inconvenience, but annoying considering that services like Spotify were able to switch playback instantly. <\/p>\n\n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"low-maintenance\" title=\"Low-Maintenance Listening\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"pandora\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n\n\n                                                            \n            <section id=\"pandora\"\n         class=\"block b-item-list-card b-item-list-card--\"\n         data-js=\"block-item-list-card\"\n         data-preamp=\"block-item-list-card\">\n\n        <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card\">\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top\">\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"><\/span>\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"> Best for Low-Maintenance Listening<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__bottom\">\n                                                    <a target=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pandora.com\/?rvitemid=316102-20\"\n                        data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='NOTMONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='316102' data-tag-product-name='Pandora' data-tag-brand='Pandora' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='' data-tag-category=''\n                        aria-label=\"Pandora button\" \n                        rel=\"nofollow sponsored\" >\n                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pandora-logo.png\" alt=\"Image for pandora-logo\" \/>\n                                            <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right\">\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__top\n                        b-item-list-card__card__right__top--line\">\n                Pandora\n            <\/div>\n\n            <br>\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__topv2\" >\n                Pandora\n            <\/div>\n            <br>\n\n           <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__middle\">\n                                        <a class=\"reviews-btn--primary reviews-btn--large reviews-btn--expand\"\n                    disable-tagular\n                    target=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pandora.com\/?rvitemid=316102-20\" type=\"button\"\n                    aria-label=\"Pandora button\" data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='NOTMONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='316102' data-tag-product-name='Pandora' data-tag-brand='Pandora' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='' data-tag-category='' \n                    rel=\"nofollow sponsored\"\n                >\n                View plans<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__bottomv2 h-margin-top-15\">\n                \n            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info\">\n        <div class=\"grid-x\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto \">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Pros <\/p>\n                <p>Four plans to choose from<br \/>\nVoice control and compatibility<br \/>\nPandora&#8217;s Music Genome Project<br \/>\nPandora Stories<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto\">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Cons <\/p>\n                <p>Restrictive free version<br \/>\nBare bones interface<br \/>\nLack of additional content<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n      <div class=\"grid-x\">\n        <a href=\"#\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer cell back_to_top\" data-tag='cta' data-tag-element-type='LINK' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-outcome='INTERNALLINK' >\n            <p>Return to top\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer-image lazyload\" alt='Return to top arrow' style=\"height: 20px; margin-left: 5px;\"\n                data-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/Arrow.svg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/LightGray-placeholder.png\">\n            <\/p>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n    \n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why we chose it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pandora&#8217;s Music Genome Project<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The Music Genome Project is the engine behind Pandora\u2019s music analysis and recommendations. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pandora.com\/about\/mgp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Pandora describes it<\/a> as deep study of music by human experts, \u201cOur team of trained musicologists has been listening to music across all genres and decades, including emerging artists and new releases, studying and collecting musical details on every track\u2013 450 musical attributes altogether.\u201d The result is a top-notch music discovery and station curation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This expertise extends beyond its radio stations. When creating your own playlist, Pandora has a button to add a handful of similar songs \u2014 an easy way to build out your party playlist without spending hours searching for songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Four plans to choose from<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Pandora offers a wide selection of plans, prices, and listening options. The free version centers on radio-style stations with ads and limited skips. Pandora Plus is a mid-tier option that removes ads and adds more skips and replays. Upgrading to Pandora Premium unlocks on\u2011demand listening and offline downloads, and there\u2019s a Family plan for multiple accounts. Pandora also offers discounted premium accounts for students and military members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re on the fence about Pandora\u2019s paid plans, Pandora Plus typically comes with a trial and Pandora Premium offers a longer trial window. Pandora\u2019s lineup is fairly unique among major services thanks to the in\u2011between \u201cPlus\u201d tier \u2014 a budget option that unlocks a few premium features without going fully on\u2011demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Voice control and compatibility<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Pandora has recently released a voice mode that enables listeners to control the app hands-free. Rather than calling on your chosen personal assistant to set the mood, you can simply command the app directly \u2014 \u201cHey Pandora, play something cozy\u201d \u2014 no matter the operating system. You can tell Pandora to \u201cthumbs up\u201d a song, add a song to an existing playlist, skip a tune, or play a specific station. If you\u2019re only familiar with the lyrics of a song, you can ask Pandora, \u201cPlay the song that goes hold me closer tiny dancer.\u201d We felt these innovations were one step closer to the smart house of our dreams, but a small step. Other services have similar hands-free voice command options, though not as simple or direct as Pandora. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pandora is compatible with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pandora.com\/everywhere\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">most major listening devices<\/a>. It works with both Android and iOS devices, along with Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Xbox, Sonos, Chromecast, smart TVs, Xfinity, Fitbit and Apple Watch, and Amazon Fire TV. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pandora Stories<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Pandora\u2019s most unique offerings is a series called Pandora Stories. Each one is a playlist with exclusive insights from artists. It often consists of an album or collection of biggest hits, with commentary from the artist on each track. You\u2019ll find countless Pandora Stories from artists like the Chainsmokers, John Legend, Taylor Swift, 2 Chainz, AJR, Little Big Town, and Ciara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These exclusive playlists go beyond music artists, with collections like \u201cWomen of New York\u201d where local NYC woman in leadership positions chose and speak about songs that empower them. There\u2019s also cinematic and cultural collections like \u201cThe Music of Wes Anderson Films,\u201d and a historically organized \u201cThe Rise &amp; Fall of Britpop.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only downside is that this kind of unique content is buried beneath Pandora\u2019s emphasis on simplicity. There\u2019s no natural way to find the playlists, you might stumble upon them if you journey deep into the \u201cBrowse\u201d tab or search for it specifically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pandora plans compared<\/h3>\n\n\n<section id=\"block---\" class=\"theme-block c-table \">\n  \n<div class=\"row\">\n    <div class=\" h-width-100\">\n    \n      <div class=\"table-responsive table-responsive--with-summary h-shadow-2dp h-border-small\">\n        <table class=\"table table-striped table-bordered table--bordered-top table--rounded\">\n          \n          \n  <tbody>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              Pandora Free\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              Pandora Plus\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              Pandora Plus\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              Pandora Family\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Price per month\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              Free\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              $5\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              $10<br>\n$5 Students<br>\n$8 Military\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              $15\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Number of profiles\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              1\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              1\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              1\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              6\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Ad-free music\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              On-demand listening\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              No*\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              No*\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              Yes\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              Yes\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Offline listening\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              \u2714**\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              Unlimited skips\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              \u2714\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n      <\/tbody><!-- tbody -->\n        <\/table>\n      <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>*Can listen on-demand in time-limited premium sessions after watching an ad.<br>\n** On Pandora Plus, you can listen to four radio stations offline.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Points to consider<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Restrictive free version<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Pandora&#8217;s free version hasn\u2019t changed much from when it practically pioneered music streaming in 2000 with its \u201cradio station\u201d model. It\u2019s pretty restrictive when you compare it to Spotify\u2019s free version. While both services have ads, you can\u2019t create or listen to your own playlists on Pandora\u2019s free version and don\u2019t have access to the desktop app. There is an odd loophole \u2014 to listen on-demand and enjoy anything outside of radio stations, you have to listen to a longer ad and then you\u2019ve started a <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.pandora.com\/us\/unlock-access-to-on-demand-listening-experiences\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cpremium session.\u201d<\/a> Once that session ends, instead of playing another ad, it auto-navigates you out of whatever playlist you were in and plays the last radio station you listened to. You have to renavigate and opt into an ad to active another free \u201cpremium session.\u201d It\u2019s a lot of hassle for something Spotify does automatically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bare-bones interface<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Pandora really keeps it simple when it comes to the organization and navigation of its music. In some cases, too simple. We found there wasn\u2019t much to browse through in the \u201cBrowse\u201d section, and a general lack of natural navigation to discover music. When you navigate to an artist, there\u2019s no chronological view of their discography. Songs that are collaborations with other artists won\u2019t be listed there, and playlists like Pandora Stories aren\u2019t stored there either. Finding a playlist by Pandora is sort of like a treasure hunt with this model. Most of your listening will have to be searched-based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, its super simple interface won\u2019t make you feel overwhelmed by choices or decisions about exactly which \u201cindie chill\u201d playlist to put on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lack of additional content<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Pandora doesn\u2019t offer much outside of music. You can listen to most popular podcasts on Pandora, but no video content or any kind. Pandora also lacks options to store or upload music you own. With most other music streaming services, you can watch music videos, listen to audiobooks, and store all your music in one place. We mostly recommend Pandora for casual music listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"AmazonMusic\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"Best_For_Prime_Members\" title=\"Best for Prime Members\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"amazon-review\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n\n\n                                                            \n            <section id=\"amazon-prime-music\"\n         class=\"block b-item-list-card b-item-list-card--\"\n         data-js=\"block-item-list-card\"\n         data-preamp=\"block-item-list-card\">\n\n        <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card\">\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top\">\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"><\/span>\n                <span class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__top--top\"> Best for Prime Members<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__left__bottom\">\n                                                    <a target=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/dmusic\/promotions\/PrimeMusic\/ref=as_at?creativeASIN=promotions&#038;imprToken=9rriP7XMhMuSHENK-j876A&#038;slotNum=0&#038;&#038;_encoding=UTF8&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;linkId=16b49a5f986c9c98066ded2f4b82009d&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325&#038;tag=315583-20\"\n                        data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='MONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='315583' data-tag-product-name='Amazon Prime Music' data-tag-brand='Amazon' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='month' data-tag-category=''\n                        aria-label=\"Amazon button\" \n                        rel=\"nofollow sponsored\" >\n                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Amazon-Prime-Music-Logo-for-Music-Streaming-Service.png\" alt=\"Image for Amazon-Prime-Music-Logo-for-Music-Streaming-Service\" \/>\n                                            <\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right\">\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__top\n                        b-item-list-card__card__right__top--line\">\n                Amazon\n            <\/div>\n\n            <br>\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__topv2\" >\n                Amazon Prime Music\n            <\/div>\n            <br>\n\n           <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__middle\">\n                                        <a class=\"reviews-btn--primary reviews-btn--large reviews-btn--expand\"\n                    disable-tagular\n                    target=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/dmusic\/promotions\/PrimeMusic\/ref=as_at?creativeASIN=promotions&#038;imprToken=9rriP7XMhMuSHENK-j876A&#038;slotNum=0&#038;&#038;_encoding=UTF8&#038;linkCode=ur2&#038;linkId=16b49a5f986c9c98066ded2f4b82009d&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325&#038;tag=315583-20\" type=\"button\"\n                    aria-label=\"Amazon button\" data-tag='product' data-tag-outcome='MONETIZABLE' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-product-id='315583' data-tag-product-name='Amazon Prime Music' data-tag-brand='Amazon' data-tag-price='0' data-tag-subscription='month' data-tag-category='' \n                    rel=\"nofollow sponsored\"\n                >\n                View plans<\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__card__right__bottomv2 h-margin-top-15\">\n                \n            <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info\">\n        <div class=\"grid-x\">\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto \">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Pros <\/p>\n                <p>Free with Prime or Alexa devices<br \/>\nPrime membership perks<br \/>\nStream with Alexa<br \/>\nVariety of plans<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line cell medium-auto\">\n                <p class=\"b-item-list-card__info__line--title\"> Cons <\/p>\n                <p>Smaller library<br \/>\nFewer features<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n      <div class=\"grid-x\">\n        <a href=\"#\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer cell back_to_top\" data-tag='cta' data-tag-element-type='LINK' data-tag-location='LISTCARD' data-tag-outcome='INTERNALLINK' >\n            <p>Return to top\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"b-item-list-card__footer-image lazyload\" alt='Return to top arrow' style=\"height: 20px; margin-left: 5px;\"\n                data-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/Arrow.svg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/themes\/reviews-2020\/assets\/images\/LightGray-placeholder.png\">\n            <\/p>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n    \n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why we chose it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Free with Prime or Alexa devices<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Prime Music\u2019s biggest selling point is that it\u2019s free for Prime users and anyone with an Alexa device (see below) through their Prime Music service. It\u2019s not the ideal choice for music buffs who want rare finds and ultra-tailored playlists. With a smaller library than their paid subscription service, Amazon Music Unlimited, and the inclusion of plenty of \u201cTop 100\u201d style stations and today\u2019s biggest hits, its collection will suit listeners who want casual, low-effort streaming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prime membership perks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Prime Music may not stand on its own, but it\u2019s worth a look when considered as part of the entire Prime package. Being a Prime member also grants you discounted access to the more-expansive Amazon Music Unlimited. Along with access to a broad catalog and curated playlists, Prime membership layers in shipping, video, and more \u2014 a compelling bundle if you prefer one provider for multiple services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stream with Alexa<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Prime Music also comes pre-programmed on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/home\/smart-home\/best-smart-hub\/\">Echo devices<\/a>, making it easy to control with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/home\/smart-home\/prevent-alexa-from-tracking-you\/\">Alexa voice commands<\/a>. Amazon Prime users can ask her to play, pause, or skip a song, select a playlist, or \u201cplay more like this\u201d to discover similar music. Music Unlimited customers get a few additional commands as well: For instance, you can request that Alexa play music from a specific era or genre, or even match your mood (\u201cAlexa, play something upbeat\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-amazon-music\/amazon-offers-ad-supported-free-music-streaming-service-idUSKBN1XS2F8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">released<\/a> an ad-supported option, meaning you no longer need a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription, just a device and WiFi. We have not yet tested the new service, but we do know that subscribers will have the opportunity to whistle through millions of free tunes from different \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.aboutamazon.com\/entertainment\/alexa-play-music?tag=theverge02-20\" target=\"_blank\">eras<\/a>\u201d and algorithm-based stations, although subscribers will have to swallow frequent ads and encounter some limitations for the free service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Variety of plans<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you love Amazon\u2019s platform but the Prime Music library just won\u2019t cut it, the company offers a more robust package with Amazon Music Unlimited, which looks a lot like our other top picks. It has a much bigger library and catalog of curated content, a more robust roster of Alexa commands, and now includes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/help\/customer\/display.html?nodeId=G6J9WLK32J6FJ3Q8\">HD and Ultra HD (lossless and hi\u2011res)<\/a> at no extra cost. Amazon is also experimenting with AI playlisting through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/music\/blog\/introducing-maestro\">Maestro<\/a> (beta), which creates playlists from natural\u2011language prompts and even emojis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For listeners who want to dabble with music during chores or gatherings, the ad\u2011supported option on compatible devices is a low\u2011effort way to try the service. More serious listeners should consider Unlimited for full on\u2011demand control, HD\/Ultra HD audio, and broader device support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Amazon Music plans compared<\/h3>\n\n\n<section id=\"block---\" class=\"theme-block c-table \">\n  \n<div class=\"row\">\n    <div class=\" h-width-100\">\n    \n      <div class=\"table-responsive table-responsive--with-summary h-shadow-2dp h-border-small\">\n        <table class=\"table table-striped table-bordered table--bordered-top table--rounded\">\n          \n          \n  <tbody>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              \n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>Amazon Music<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>Amazon Music Unlimited Individual<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>Amazon Music Family<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              <center>Amazon Music HD<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Prime member price<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>$0*<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>$7.99 \/ month or $79.99 \/ year<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>$14.99 \/ month or $149 \/ year <\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              <center>$12.99*<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Non-prime member price<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>$0<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>$9.99 \/ month<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>$14.99 \/ month<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              <center>$14.99 \/ month<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>How many devices can I connect to? <\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>Unlimited<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>Unlimited<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>Unlimited<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              <center>Unlimited<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>How many devices can listen at once? <\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>1<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>1<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>6<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              <center>6<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n          <tr>\n                              <td class=\"&#x20;col-1&#x20;fixed\">\n              <center>Music library<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-2\">\n              <center>2 million+ tracks<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-3\">\n              <center>50 million+ <\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-4\">\n              <center>50 million+<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                                        <td class=\"&#x20;col-5\">\n              <center>50 million+<\/center>\n            <\/td>\n                        <\/tr>\n      <\/tbody><!-- tbody -->\n        <\/table>\n      <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><font size=\"2\">* or $5 dollars extra per month for Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Points to consider<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Smaller library<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest drawback to Amazon\u2019s included Prime music tier is that it has a far smaller and more limited experience than our other top picks; it\u2019s designed for casual listening. If you opt to pay for Amazon Music Unlimited, you get a much larger catalog and feature set comparable to the rest of our top picks. Still, depending on your needs, other platforms may offer interfaces or discovery features you prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fewer features<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The Amazon Music player is straightforward and gets the job done, with a music library, curated content, and playlists, but lacks some of the extra features that we loved from our other top picks. We missed, for example, the more advanced discovery UX and social features you\u2019ll find on Spotify. Amazon is closing some gaps with lossless\/hi\u2011res audio included in Unlimited and AI playlisting via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/music\/blog\/introducing-maestro\">Maestro<\/a>, but the overall experience still feels a bit utilitarian compared to the most customizable apps.<\/p>\n\n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"others-to-consider\" title=\"Others to Consider\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Others to Consider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Google Play Music<\/h2>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/listen?u=0#\/sulp\" target=\"_blank\">Google Play Music<\/a> has been discontinued and replaced by YouTube Music. If you\u2019re looking for Google\u2019s current music service, head to <a href=\"https:\/\/music.youtube.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">music.youtube.com<\/a> for ad\u2011supported listening (with ads) or paid plans via YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>While Google Play Music no longer operates, YouTube Music covers on\u2011demand songs, playlists, and personalized stations, with Google\u2019s search advantages and deep ties to the broader YouTube video ecosystem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Current YouTube Premium and Music plan options and pricing are listed on <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/6307365\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube\u2019s help page<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"the-search\" title=\"The Search\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How We Chose the Best Music Streaming Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Music and content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Library size is less of a differentiator than it used to be among the big names, which collectively offer massive catalogs. What matters more now is audio quality, discovery UX, and experience depth. Streaming remains the primary growth engine for recorded music globally, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/ifpi.org\/ifpi-issues-global-music-report-2024\/\">IFPI\u2019s Global Music Report<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New music discovery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides serving up your favorite tracks \u00e0 la carte, music streaming services should help you explore new artists and genres. We looked for companies that make it easy to expand your musical horizons. All of our top picks offer algorithmic playlists and radio stations, and several now add AI\u2011assisted playlist creation \u2014 for example <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.spotify.com\/2024-05-07\/ai-playlist-us-canada\/\">Spotify\u2019s AI Playlist<\/a> and Amazon Music\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/music\/blog\/introducing-maestro\">Maestro<\/a> (beta).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Listening styles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Streaming formats are almost endless. Our top picks all offer a mix of on-demand listening, curated playlists, and personalized radio stations \u2014 so you can choose whether to actively DJ or just sit back and let the music roll. Many now include lossless\/hi\u2011res audio, immersive mixes, and even native <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.spotify.com\/2024-03-13\/music-videos-beta\/\">music videos<\/a> inside the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">User experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After putting together a list of the most popular music streaming services, we cozied up with their apps and put in some quality listening time. Besides judging the size and diversity of their catalogs, we paid close attention to each company\u2019s interface. Were playlists simple to build and access? Could we make new radio stations easily (and, once they were made, actually find them again)? Could we switch back and forth between devices without lag? The best platforms were customizable and ultra easy to navigate. Accessibility and inclusion are also increasingly central \u2014 Apple, for example, introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/newsroom\/2024\/05\/apple-introduces-music-haptics\/\">Music Haptics<\/a> for iPhone so more people can experience music.<\/p>\n\n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"guide-to-music-streaming-services\" title=\"Guide to Music Streaming Services\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"guide-to-music-streaming-services\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Guide to Music Streaming Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to find the right music streaming platform for you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Evaluate your listening preferences<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The biggest factor in choosing a music streaming service is how you prefer to listen. If you\u2019re a pretty choosy streamer \u2014 you like being your own DJ, you make lots of custom playlists, maybe you\u2019ve been building the ultimate iTunes library for the past 10 years \u2014 then you\u2019ll likely want Apple Music. Laid-back listeners might prefer Spotify, with its countless ready-made playlists and radio stations plus powerful discovery. TIDAL and Amazon Music Unlimited are perfect for audiophiles who want lossless and hi\u2011res, and YouTube is great if you love watching music videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Consider your devices<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>All of our top picks can be used on desktop and mobile, but some are designed to work seamlessly on other devices as well. For example, Apple Music syncs directly with the Apple Watch and HomePod, and can be voice-controlled using Siri. If Siri isn&#8217;t your thing, then you might prefer Amazon Prime Music \u2014 which comes pre-set on Echo devices and can be used with Alexa \u2014 or YouTube Premium, which is fully integrated into the Google sphere (think Google Home, Android phones, etc.). If you\u2019ve already bought into speakers, voice assistants, or smart home devices, then it\u2019s worth choosing a music streaming service that will integrate easily with the systems you\u2019re already using at home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Think about music sharing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Music streaming platforms can be a great place to share music, see what your friends are listening to, and even post your own original content. Our favorite service for building a music community is Spotify, which offers a \u201cfriend feed\u201d and collaborative playlists for discovering music through other users. Apple Music and YouTube also let members create robust profiles, so that you can explore playlists made by your friends and check out what the artists themselves are listening to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Look for the right price point<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Most major services have raised prices since 2020, and plan names and bundles have evolved. Student discounts remain common (Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, TIDAL, Amazon via Prime Student), and family plans still offer the best per-person value. For current plan options and prices, check the official pages like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotify.com\/us\/premium\/\">Spotify Premium<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/6307365\">YouTube Premium<\/a> in your region.<\/p>\n\n\n            <span class=\"b-toc-anchor\" id=\"faqs\" title=\"FAQs\"><\/span>\n    \n\n\n            <span class=\"b-anchor\" id=\"faqs\" > <\/span>\n    \n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Music Streaming FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the cheapest music streaming service?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Spotify and YouTube Music both offer unlimited free music streaming with ads. Among paid options, prices vary by region and have increased since 2020. Students can typically get discounted plans with Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, TIDAL, and Amazon (via Prime Student). Families save with multi\u2011account plans. For current pricing, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotify.com\/us\/premium\/\">Spotify Premium<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/6307365\">YouTube Premium<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does \u201chigh-fidelity\u201d or \u201clossless\u201d music streaming mean?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you can stream a song online, it has to be compressed into a digital file. When music is compressed, bits of sound are removed to make the file smaller and more manageable. In theory these bits are so minor that most people won\u2019t miss them \u2014 but to the trained ear, a compressed file could have noticeably poorer sound quality. \u201cLossless\u201d audio takes out fewer (or no) sounds, resulting in a digital file that\u2019s truer to the original recording. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What music streaming service has the best quality?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Several services offer excellent sound: <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT212183\">Apple Music<\/a> streams Lossless and Hi\u2011Res Lossless; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/help\/customer\/display.html?nodeId=G6J9WLK32J6FJ3Q8\">Amazon Music Unlimited<\/a> includes HD and Ultra HD; and <a href=\"https:\/\/support.tidal.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360000631798-Sound-Quality-and-Formats\">TIDAL<\/a> delivers lossless and HiRes FLAC with Atmos on supported devices. Audiophile\u2011focused services like Qobuz and Deezer also offer lossless tiers. By contrast, <a href=\"https:\/\/support.spotify.com\/article\/audio-quality\/\">Spotify<\/a> currently tops out at lossy \u201cVery high\u201d quality without a publicly available lossless tier. Your actual experience will depend on your device chain and headphones\/speakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s the difference between Google Play Music and YouTube Music?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Play Music has been discontinued; YouTube Music is Google\u2019s current music streaming service. You can listen free with ads or upgrade to YouTube Music Premium (or YouTube Premium) for ad\u2011free music, background play, and downloads. See <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/6307365\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">YouTube\u2019s help page<\/a> for plan details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does Apple Music work on Android?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes! The Apple Music app is available on the Google Play store for Android users. However, Droid customers won\u2019t have access to Apple Music\u2019s voice command feature, which currently only works through Siri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s the difference between Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon&#8217;s Prime Music is included with every Amazon Prime membership at no additional cost to you. It includes a limited catalog and curated playlists and stations. Amazon Music Unlimited is a more robust version of the service that you\u2019ll pay an extra fee for. Its library packs a far larger number of tracks and \u201cthousands of playlists and stations,\u201d more Alexa commands, and includes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/help\/customer\/display.html?nodeId=G6J9WLK32J6FJ3Q8\">HD and Ultra HD<\/a> audio at no extra cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How many songs does Spotify have?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no official, precise count published; Spotify\u2019s catalog is vast and growing, with thousands of new songs added each week. What\u2019s certain is that you\u2019ll never run out of new and exciting content. If you\u2019re craving something different, you can check out unheard gems on the website <a href=\"https:\/\/forgotify.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">forgotify.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Music Content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you\u2019ve found the best music streaming service, you\u2019ll need a way to tune in: bluetooth headphones to smart speakers, we\u2019ve got your audio cravings covered. Check out some of our other music related content:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"list-items\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/streaming\/apple-music-review\/\">Apple Music<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/streaming\/spotify-review\/\">Spotify<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/entertainment\/streaming\/music-streaming-royalties\/\">Streaming Royalties and the Starving Artist: How Musicians Make Money<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Best Music Streaming Services Across the leading platforms, the biggest differences today aren\u2019t catalog size but features and experience: audio quality (lossless and hi\u2011res), spatial\/immersive mixes, AI\u2011assisted discovery and playlisting, integrated video, accessibility features, and how well each service fits your devices and household. Our six top picks are still neck and neck on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":345,"featured_media":0,"parent":2286,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/template-reviews.php","meta":[],"categories":[1315],"tags":[],"post_author":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Best Music Streaming Services - Reviews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We have reviewed The Best Music Streaming Services\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/streaming\/best-music-services\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best Music Streaming Services - Reviews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We have reviewed The Best Music Streaming Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/streaming\/best-music-services\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Reviews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Reviewscom\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Reviews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"29 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/streaming\/best-music-services\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Entertainment\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Streaming\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/entertainment\/streaming\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"The Best Music Streaming Services\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/\",\"name\":\"Reviews.com\",\"description\":\"Your Guide to the Best Services\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Best Music Streaming Services - 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