Many music enthusiasts now prefer streaming music. This is because it is more accessible, convenient, affordable, and often of higher quality than traditional CDs. It also lets you access your favorite out-of-print recordings and doesn’t require local storage.
YouTube Music
What to Look for in a Music Streaming Service in 2023
Library size is the first consideration for most music lovers because the more songs from artists you like, the merrier. The featured music streaming services here feature more than 100 million songs each across different genres.
A free trial is also key when looking into these services. With a free trial, you get ample time to explore entire libraries and get firsthand experience of different music streaming services. There’s nothing worse than paying for a service that doesn’t have the music or quality that you want.
While some music streaming services offer a free tier with ads, premium ad-free music streaming attracts a monthly or annual fee, depending on your preference. Some platforms also offer family plans and special discounts.
For audiophiles, bitrate is also important. Bitrate is the amount of audio/video data transferred per second. Usually, the higher the bitrate, the better the audio quality. The featured music streaming services below offer bitrates of up to 6,971Kbps.
Downloads and offline streaming are also important for areas with poor reception and users concerned about data consumption. Most popular music streaming services offer this, but it’s always good to double-check.
Extras are the icing on the cake. Some of the featured streaming services support lossless audio (that doesn’t degrade with compression), music videos, podcasts, radio stations, live events, and skippable ads in the free tier, among others.
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Free tier (Spotify Free) but with ads
Ads are not skippable on Spotify Free
30-day free trial for Premium, student/family plans also available
No lossless audio support
Vast library of over 100 million songs at up to 320Kbps
Offline streaming available for Spotify Premium
Claiming the top spot as the best overall music streaming service isSpotify—a music streaming pioneer. Launched in 2008, Spotify is the largest music streaming platform. It offers decent audio bitrates of up to 320Kbps and also supports music videos.
Spotify features 100 million+ songs, including classics and golden oldies, with audio formats includingAAC and Ogg/Vorbis. you may browse through Spotify’s playlists or even create your own custom playlists. Featured Charts and Viral Charts showcase the top trending songs globally, in the US, and by country.
You can also explore top podcasts across different categories, such as business and technology, as well as lifestyle and health. You can even find live events around your location sold by Spotify or third parties.
You can either use Spotify Free (with ads and limitations) or go premium.Premium plansinclude Student ($5.99/mo), Duo ($14.99/mo), and Family ($16.99/mo) and support offline streaming, higher bitrates, a mobile-only AI-powered DJ/OAP, and other perks.
Spotify is available pretty much everywhere you would listen to music, including Android, iOS, Windows, and even smart TVs and some smart home devices.
Spotify
Spotify is a pioneer in music streaming. It features a vast library, impressive bitrate, curated and custom playlists, as well as offline streaming. Spotify is available for free and for a monthly or annual fee.
Generous 30-90 day free trial with student/family plans
No podcast support except with Apple Podcast
100 million+ songs plus 30,000+ curated playlists, all ad-free
No free tier
Lossless music with spatial audio support
Access to a vast classical music collection
Apple Musicis the music streaming platform of choice for the majority of Apple device users, having the music streaming experience easily integrated with Apple devices. Android and Windows users no longer need to miss out—this popular streaming service is available regardless of your operating system.
Launched in 2015, Apple Music supportslossless musicwith bitrates of up to 1,152Kbps, nearly five times that of Spotify. Unlikelossy audio, lossless audio retains its original audio quality even after compression. Apple Music also supports spatial audio with Dolby Atmos.
Its library features over 100 million songs across genres, including over 30,000 curated playlists to choose from. you may browse through these playlists and sections or, or ask Siri to find your favorite music, album, show, or podcast. Apple Music also supports music videos and offline streaming.
You can listen to Apple Music Classical, Apple Music Radio, Daily Top 100, City Charts, upcoming music, and artist interviews, among others. You can also find local and international live music events, concerts, and shows using Apple Music Guides on Apple Maps.
A one-month free trial gives you full access on all your connected devices. Apple Music plans include Student ($5.99/mo), Individual ($10.99/mo), and Family ($16.99/mo). You can alsogift others up to three months of free trial. All plans are completely ad-free.
Formats supported include AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3, WAV, and MPEG-4 AAC. Supported devices include iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, PC, HomePod, CarPlay, Android, Sonos, Amazon Echo, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Google Nest, PlayStation 5, and the web.
Apple Music
Listen to your favorite songs, artists, and playlists on Apple Music. Stream music in lossless audio, download songs, and play them offline.
CD-quality hi-res lossless audio for audiophiles
100 million+ songs with album reviews and author bios
Up to 30 days of free trial
Offline streaming supported
If you’re a die-hard audiophile who will do anything for high-fidelity sound, then you’ll probably loveQobuz, a leading lossless music platform. Qobuz also supports THX spatial audio for a more immersive 360-degree audio listening experience.
Like Spotify, Qobuz was launched in 2008, but it has a relatively smaller user base. However, don’t let its relatively small user base fool you. Qobuz was the first to offer 16-bit CD-quality audio files for download and streaming, plus the first to stream 24-bit hi-res audio.
Qobuz’s vast library features over 100 million songs, including more than 500,000 album reviews and artist bios. It is home to one of the largest collections of lossless CD and hi-res albums with a growing catalog of new additions. Qobuz features more specialized music genres than many of its competitors and supports offline streaming.
You’ll also have interactive articles, exclusive content, and expert-curated playlists to help you widen your musical knowledge—or you may create your own custom playlists.
Qobuz supports AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, and WMA lossless formats. It is available on Bluetooth/Wi-Fi devices with a speaker, such as smartphones, tablets, desktops and web players, cars, game consoles, smart TVs, smart home devices, and other audio equipment.
Qobuz
Qobuz is one of the best lossless music platforms for audiophiles seeking true high-fidelity sound. It comes with a vast library, specialized genres, and an optional 30-day free trial.
Cons
100 million+ songs available with maximum bitrate of 3,730Kbps
SD, HD, Ultra HD, and spatial audio unavailable for single-device plan
Supports SD, HD, UHD (lossless) and spatial audio
No offline playback for single-device plan
90-day free trial plus 30 more for subscriptions around Prime Day
Animated sing-along lyric feature
Amazon is a household name in online retail. The retail giant also runs a music streaming service. Launched in 2016, this service is available in three categories: Amazon Music Free, Amazon Music Prime, andAmazon Music Unlimited(AMU).
A Prime membership is not required to use Amazon Music Free and Amazon Music Unlimited. However, the latter costs a bit more for non-Prime members. Additionally, Prime members can access Amazon Music Unlimited’s 100 million plus songs—but only in shuffle mode.
Songs are available in SD, HD, UHD (lossless), and spatial audio (mastered in Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio), provided it’s not the single-device plan. AMU offers curated playlists, ad-free music and podcasts, as well as music videos and radio stations. Amazon’s Music Unlimited plan also supports offline streaming, unlimited skips (for the non-single-device plans), and Alexa.
In addition, the music player has a cool animated lyric feature that makes listening and singing along much more fun. It definitely makes Amazon Music Unlimited a great choice to for setting up a karaoke night!
In terms of audio formats, you’ll get OPUS, FLAC, DD+JOC/EAC3-JOC, and MPEG-H (MHA1). Many of these aren’t the typical MP3 and Lossless formats you’re used to, but this won’t be a dealbreaker if you’re not an audiophile looking for a very specific format.
Amazon Music Unlimited is available for pretty much any device you’d play music from, including iOS, Android, smart home devices, smart TVs, and more. Make sure to double check that your device of choice can download AMU before diving in—more likely than not this streaming service will be supported.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon Music Unlimited, with a massive collection of songs and various plans, is suitable for Amazon Prime members and non-members alike. It offers a 90-day free trial and supports spatial audio.
100 million+ songs in library with seamless YouTube integration
No lossless music support yet
Free tier with skippable ads plus a 30-day free trial
Maximum bitrate of 256Kbps
Student and family discounts available
YouTube is one of the largest video streaming services around, with billions of monthly active users. The Google-owned platform also runs a music streaming service, known asYouTube Music, which seamlessly integrates with YouTube.
YouTube Music uses the same algorithm as YouTube, making it great at recommending tracks, albums, and artists. Supported music formats include FLAC, M4A, MP3, OGG, and WMA. However, similar to Spotify, it does not yet support lossless music—if this is a requirement for you, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
YouTube Music currently features more than 100 million songs. This includes official albums, singles, videos, remixes, live performances, and more across different genres. If you’re unsure on what to listen to, the service also features several expert-curated playlists based on your preferences. These playlists also features New Releases, Charts, playlists by Moods and Genres, Trending Music, music videos, podcasts, radio stations, and so much more. Of course, you can create your own custom playlists, as well.
YouTube Music Premium offers a 30-day free trial. Plans include Student ($5.49/mo), Individual ($10.99/mo), and Family ($16.99/mo), and all let you download music and listen to music ad-free, offline, and with your screen off. Even the free tier lets you skipYouTube’s increasingly annoying ads.
YouTube Music is available on Android, iOS, ChromeOS, Wear OS, watchOS, Google Nest, Sonos, Android TV, Android Auto, and via a web app.
YouTube Music seamlessly integrates with YouTube, allowing you to access over 100 million titles. It comes with a 30-day free trial, and even its free tier supports skippable ads.
FAQ
Can I use Apple Music on non-Apple products?
Yes, you can use Apple Music on non-Apple products. This includes Android devices, Sonos, Amazon Echo, Samsung Smart TV, Google Nest, PlayStation, XBox, Roku, and the web.
Can I move my playlists between streaming services?
Yes, you may move your playlists between streaming services. Playlist transfer services such as SongShift, Tune My Music, and Soundiiz allow you to transfer your playlists from one streaming service to another.
Are there any music streaming services with lossless music?
Yes, there are music streaming services that support lossless music. Examples include Apple Music, Qobuz, and Amazon Music Unlimited. These let you enjoy high-fidelity music.
