YouTube Music vs. Spotify: So alike, but which is best? Macky Briones | usagoldmines.com

Choosing the proper music streaming service can really feel overwhelming given the various choices vying to your consideration. Spotify and YouTube Music are two of the largest gamers, boasting large libraries of over 100 million songs every and providing related plans, from free ad-supported variations to premium tiers with additional perks. However which one comes out on prime?

Consumer interface and gadgets

Launched in 2008, Spotify has had a while to get good at constructing a pleasant person interface, and it continues to be probably the greatest. Spotify is offered in numerous methods, together with by way of an online browser and thru cellular and desktop apps for iOS, Android, Home windows, Mac, Linux, and Kindle. It’s more durable to consider methods Spotify can’t be accessed. It’s appropriate with many smartwatches and community audio system like Sonos, accessible within the automobile by way of CarPlay and Android Auto, on gaming consoles, good TVs, and streaming devices equivalent to Apple TV and Roku.

The UI has modified a number of instances and continues to take action. However at its core, it’s separated into three principal areas. House is the hub of every part, with tabs for music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Its scrolling design combines not too long ago performed songs with steered mixes and new releases (extra under). Right here, you may also entry options equivalent to Spotify’s new AI radio station-like characteristic referred to as DJ and its new TikTok/Instagram-like interface that brings in animated album paintings, video clips, previews of songs, playlists, podcasts, and extra in a superb visible method. Your library organizes all of your created, saved, and downloaded playlists, songs, albums, artists, podcasts, and extra. Lastly, search is simply that: a search discipline for locating what you’re searching for, however it additionally lists your current searches, which is helpful for going again to.

The Spotify interface’s internet and desktop variations are related. Because the YouTube Music app has no desktop model (simply the net participant), the Spotify app is superior if the desktop is your principal utilization level.

YouTube Music’s UI is just like Spotify’s in that it’s well-designed, visually interesting, and makes use of a scrolling structure. Whereas YouTube Music may be accessed in a number of methods, it’s not fairly as broad as Spotify, however it nonetheless casts a large web. Tied right into a person’s Google account, the devoted YouTube Music app is offered for iOS and Android gadgets (together with CarPlay and Android Auto), appropriate smartwatches, Sonos speakers, and Chromecast. Its internet participant may be accessed by way of any browser or the good TV YouTube app. It’s also possible to forged the net participant to different appropriate gadgets from the net participant or apps for one more stage of comfort.

Whether or not you’re utilizing YouTube Music’s app or the net participant, the UI is damaged into a number of principal sections, similar to Spotify. Alongside the underside (or prime in an online browser), you’ll discover the House part, an array of usage-based content material, together with your prime artists, mixes, radio streams, playlists, new releases, trending music, and extra. Discover is a extra targeted part of latest releases, charts, and trending songs that you would be able to parse out by temper and style if desired. Like in Spotify, the library is the place all of your playlists and favored songs, albums, and artists may be discovered. There’s additionally a search magnifying glass icon up prime, the place you’ll discover your acquainted Google person and forged icons.

Spotify and YouTube Music have very related UI designs and supply lots of the similar group and discovery instruments. Nonetheless, with Spotify, you are feeling just like the properly is way deeper, because the app offers you seemingly countless ideas and categorizations in additional visually interesting and artistic methods. Plus, it nudges forward of YouTube Music with barely extra connectivity choices.

Winner: Spotify

Library and discovery

Derek Malcolm / Digital Developments

Immediately, many music streaming companies supply huge music libraries with over 100 million tracks, together with Spotify and YouTube Music. Subsequently, the variety of tracks is now not a key deciding issue when selecting between these companies. Let’s look at different elements that differentiate them.

Spotify’s huge library is only the start of its choices. With over 5 million titles in its podcast library, it has grow to be a pacesetter within the realm, and it now affords audiobooks as properly.

Nonetheless, Spotify excels within the quite a few methods customers can discover and uncover its content material. It has pioneered many of those options. The “Made for [your name here]” class is a continuously altering house for customers preferring to let the algorithm do the work. Playlists like Uncover Weekly, Each day Mixes, and Launch Radar are go-to’s whenever you don’t have a selected album or artist in thoughts. It’s also possible to discover countless mixes, playlists, and radio station suggestions which might be auto-generated primarily based in your most listened-to genres, moods, and artists. New episodes of your favourite podcasts and audiobooks are entrance and middle.

Within the Search part, you possibly can flick through classes equivalent to “Made for You,” “Spotify Classics,” “Reside Occasions,” “Charts,” and “A long time.” Like TikTok and Instagram tales, you may also scroll by way of movies and music previews. Spotify often provides discovery options, though a few of them are hit-and-miss, such because the AI DJ feature that creates a radio station hosted by an AI model of Xavier “X” Jernigan.

Nonetheless, it’s good that Spotify at all times provides new issues. Good Shuffle and Daylists are comparatively new options. Good Shuffle optimizes music order, whereas Daylists supply a continuously refreshing feed of music suggestions. Moreover, it simply introduced its new AI Playlist creation characteristic to the U.S. and Canada in September, 2024, permitting you to make use of textual content prompts to create playlists. That is only a fraction of what you could find on the platform.

YouTube Music’s library is simply as huge as Spotify’s, with nearly every part you possibly can consider at your fingertips. And whereas it’s not doing the audiobook factor but, simply final yr, the service began including podcasts to the platform’s residence display for U.S. customers solely now. However how does YouTube Music stack up towards Spotify when it comes to discovering issues to play? Like each streaming service, the extra you employ it, the extra it learns your tastes and makes higher ideas.

And whereas the House part does ship some nice generated playlists like its ever-evolving Uncover Combine, the wonderful My Tremendous Combine, a New Launch Combine, and a load of “Related To” lists primarily based on artists you may like, it’s simply not as huge as Spotify’s. The Discover part does an honest job at providing up new albums and singles, trending tracks, and temper and genre-based music, and the combination of YouTube movies provides a singular ingredient. However general, it’s arduous to compete with Spotify’s expertise with discovery — it simply feels such as you’re getting extra, particularly when you think about they’re priced nearly the identical.

Winner: Spotify

Options and features

Spotify and YouTube Music share lots of the similar fundamental options and features, together with every part from the way you play, pause, shuffle, and skip tracks to including issues to your library and liking issues to assist set up what you’re listening to. Each companies even supply lyrics when accessible and simply connect with audio system and gadgets in your house. The play window is kind of the identical, displaying album artwork and really related choices within the dropdown menus, together with the flexibility to obtain (extra on premium tiers in a bit), share, launch “radio” stations primarily based in your choice, view the artist or album, create playlists, and extra. Spotify does supply the choice of making collaborative playlists with pals, and although YouTube Music does supply its year-end Recap, it pales compared to the frivolity of Spotify’s highly anticipated Wrapped occasion. Nonetheless, we don’t assume that’s a deal breaker. Functionally, each Spotify and YouTube Music are very related.

Winner: Tie

Sound high quality

Derek Malcolm/Digital Developments

We’ve pitted Spotify and YouTube Music towards one another for a lot of causes. Nonetheless, one of many principal ones is that they’re among the many solely music streaming companies which have but to supply an possibility or plan tier for lossless or high-resolution (hi-res) codecs like rivals equivalent to Tidal, Apple Music, and Amazon Music Unlimited do. Spotify has long teased a hi-fi option however has but to ship, and thus far, YouTube Music hasn’t talked about it. Within the meantime, these two companies stay very related of their sound high quality choices.

Technically talking, Spotify affords higher sound high quality than YouTube Music. For his or her free variations, YouTube Music’s most streaming high quality is 128kbp, whereas Spotify’s is 160kbps (it maxes out at 128kbps if utilizing the net participant).

Graduating to the premium tiers of each companies, if enjoying Spotify Premium within the browser with the net participant, you get 256kbps. Utilizing Spotify’s apps, you get a variety from 24kbps to its peak at 320kbps. YouTube Music Premium is identical regardless of the place it’s performed, starting from 48kbps to its peak at 256kbps.

So, which one is best? On paper, Spotify. However until you’re an audiophile (wherein case you’s be contemplating a service like Tidal or Qobuz), most individuals wouldn’t be capable to inform the distinction or wouldn’t care. Spotify wins on a technicality.

Winner: Spotify

The worth

Phil Nickinson / Digital Developments

This brings us to the thrilling conclusion: value. To start out, each Spotify and YouTube Music supply free tiers of their companies that provide you with entry to their whole libraries. Nonetheless, you’ll need to take care of advertisements popping up between songs, and you’ll’t obtain something for offline listening. Spotify’s free tier solely helps you to take heed to music on shuffle, apart from sure playlists, and you’ll solely skip six tracks per hour. Spotify has a variety of premium plans that unlock all of those restrictions, permitting for downloads, casting off the advertisements, and letting you could have the entire expertise.

Spotify’s Premium plans embody:

Particular person: $12 per 30 days
Duo: $17 per 30 days (good for {couples} or two folks in the identical family)
Household: $20 per 30 days (for as much as 6 accounts)
Scholar: $6 per 30 days

YouTube Music free helps you to skip tracks as many instances as you want after 5 seconds, however the advertisements are arguably worse and extra intrusive than on Spotify. Fortunately, although, the YouTube Music app now helps you to play music within the background when your lock display is lively or whenever you’re utilizing different apps, a characteristic that wasn’t potential earlier than. Upgrading to YouTube Music Premium, as with Spotify, removes all of the advertisements, permits downloads, and provides you full-service options. Plans embody:

Particular person: $11 per 30 days (or $3 extra per 30 days with a YouTube Premium membership)
Household: $17 per 30 days (or $6 extra per 30 days with a YouTube Premium membership)
Scholar: $5.50 per 30 days (or $2.50 extra per 30 days with a YouTube Premium membership)

Spotify and YouTube Music are fairly equally matched of their pricing, with their Particular person plans coming in at beneath simply over $10. So, we’re calling this one a tie as a result of whereas Spotify affords an extra handy Duo tier for that demographic, YouTube Premium clients get to leverage their memberships to get an incredible add-on, which is one thing Spotify can’t supply.

Winner: Tie

Verdict

Spotify is the world’s hottest music streaming service, with over 600 million users, 236 million of whom are paying subscribers. Whereas YouTube Music and YouTube Premium have over 100 million subscribers, an excellent quantity, it’s nonetheless not sufficient to beat Spotify’s superbly designed huge inexperienced wall of music discovery, podcasts, and new options.

Though YouTube Music and Spotify have comparable library sizes and music high quality, Spotify’s expertise is extra refined and affords extra extras for a similar value. If you’re already a YouTube Premium subscriber, including music for just a few additional {dollars} is a good suggestion. Nonetheless, if you don’t care in regards to the flashier UI or podcasts, YouTube Music may be extra appropriate for you.

Winner: Spotify