With so many options available, selecting the best music streaming service can be difficult. Spotify and YouTube Music are two of the most well-known platforms. They both have song libraries of over 100 million and comparable plan options, varying from ad-supported free tiers to different premium paid plans.
Spotify is the most widely used music service globally. Compared to YouTube Music, it provides marginally better audio quality, podcasts, and audiobooks. YouTube Music, on the other hand, is a superior option for people who already use Google for different purposes because it is an expansion of the well-maintained and feature-rich Google ecosystem.
But, as you might expect, Spotify and YouTube Music are similar, so it's important to compare the two before choosing. In this article, we'll go over several categories compare YouTube Music and Spotify, and let you know why Spotify is the best choice for most users.
Understanding Spotify and YouTube Music?
You can stream music, make playlists, find new songs, and more with services like Spotify and YouTube Music.
There are many variances between them, even if at first glance they appear to be rather similar. They might offer content other than music, differing streaming quality, and much more. Their libraries might also vary in size.
Spotify vs. YouTube Music: so alike, but which is best for you?
When choosing which streaming service to subscribe to, these distinctions should be taken into consideration. We’ll look at the biggest ones in this post to help you decide which of the two services comes out on top in the YouTube Music vs Spotify battle.
1. Free Plan Comparison
Although there is a free plan offered by both Spotify and YouTube Music, the restrictions imposed by each provider differ significantly.
Spotify
You can only select the songs you wish to play on particular playlists, such as the Daily Mix playlist if you have a Spotify free account. If not, tracks can only be played in shuffle mode, which is inconvenient.
You are limited to six skips every hour of the songs you don't like. There is a 160kbps limit on audio quality. Additionally, you are unable to download music for offline listening and there are sporadic advertisements that disrupt the audio experience.
Youtube Music
However, you may choose and play any song you want with the free YouTube Music plan, which makes it far more useful than Spotify in this aspect. You are free to skip tracks as often as you choose.
But the biggest drawback of Google's streaming service is that you can't play music without keeping the app open. The music stops as soon as you close the app, so forget about using the screen to browse the web or listen to music.
Similar to its largest competitor, YouTube Music's free edition does not let you download songs to your phone and is ad-supported. There is a limit to the audio quality as well. You can stream at a maximum of 128kbps using
YouTube Music wins the free version category.
While neither free plan allows you to download songs, YouTube Music allows ad skips and unlimited song skips, unlike Spotify.
2. Premium Plans and Prices
You may access all of Spotify's and YouTube Music's entire library under their free service tiers. Nevertheless, there ought to be ads in between songs, and nothing can be downloaded for offline listening.
Spotify
Spotify offers several premium options that remove all of these limitations, enabling downloads, eliminating advertisements, and providing you with the full experience.
Spotify’s Premium plans include:
- Individual: $11 per month
- Duo: $15 per month (good for couples or two people in the same household)
- Family: $17 per month (for up to 6 accounts)
- Student: $6 per month
YouTube Music
After five seconds, you can skip songs on YouTube Music for free as many times as you'd like, but the advertisements are arguably worse and more invasive than those on Spotify. Thankfully, the YouTube Music app now allows you to enjoy background music playing while using other apps or when your lock screen is active. Similar to Spotify, YouTube Music Premium can be upgraded to remove all advertisements, permit downloads, and provide full-service capabilities.
Plans include:
- Individual: $11 per month (or $3 more per month with a YouTube Premium membership)
- Family: $17 per month (or $6 more per month with a YouTube Premium membership)
- Student: $5.50 per month (or $2.50 more per month with a YouTube Premium membership)
Spotify wins the premium plan and price category
Spotify simply offers more with a premium plan instead of YouTube Music. While YouTube Music Premium has a slightly cheaper student plan, Spotify Premium has more flexible options if you share your subscription with others.
3. User Interface
Spotify
Both platforms include a boxy grid arrangement for albums and playlists, along with a UI with a dark background. Spotify makes excellent use of available space with its refined layout, captivating cover art, header pictures, and in-depth playlist descriptions.
Spotify’s desktop app is more intuitive, thanks to a resizable sidebar with a drag-and-drop function, which you will find handy for accessing and organizing your music library.
A key difference in the Spotify mobile experience is Clips, short-form videos that bring a social media vibe similar to Instagram or TikTok.
YouTube Music
YouTube Music’s design appears more simplistic, with some areas, like the Explore and Moods & Genres sections, lacking inspiration.
YouTube Music doesn’t have a dedicated desktop app, so desktop users must rely on the web player. Unfortunately, it falls short of the feature-rich experience provided by Spotify.
You can restrict search results on Spotify and YouTube Music, but their appearance is different. On a mobile device, looking for an artist on Spotify displays only songs and recommended playlists; conversely, top songs, videos, albums, and other relevant content can be found on YouTube Music. The desktop client and online player display comparable search results, though.
The winner in the UI category is Spotify since Spotify’s setup, however, feels more seamless.
4. Music Discovery
Spotify
This is the point at which the two services diverge more. Spotify is far superior for finding new songs. The tracks in the well-liked Discover Weekly playlist are from musicians and genres you now enjoy. Every Monday, a brand-new one with thirty tunes is launched. Furthermore, the service uses your listening preferences to generate up to six daily mixes for you.
YouTube Music
A few different kinds of custom playlists are available on YouTube Music. A weekly selection of mixes based on your listening preferences, the Discover Mix features fifty lesser-known tunes, and the New Release Mix features the newest music from your favorite artists. Next is My Supermix, which is a compilation of 100 tracks of songs from various genres that you enjoy.
Discoverability Is a Tie Between Platforms
Both platforms have many personalized playlists, and it's up to your personal preference to decide which one fits you better.
5. Library
Spotify
Spotify’s vast library is just the beginning of its offerings. With over five million titles in its podcast library, it has become a leader in the realm, and it now offers audiobooks as well.
Spotify excels in the numerous ways users can find and discover its content. You can also find endless mixes, playlists, and radio station recommendations that are auto-generated based on your most listened-to genres, moods, and artists. New episodes of your favorite podcasts and audiobooks are front and center.
YouTube Music
YouTube Music’s library is just as vast as Spotify’s, with almost everything you can think of at your fingertips. And while it’s not doing the audiobook thing yet, just last year, the service started adding podcasts to the platform’s home screen for U.S. users only now.
And while the Home section does deliver some great generated playlists, it’s just not as vast as Spotify’s. The Explore section does a decent job at offering up new albums and singles, trending tracks, and mood and genre-based music, and the integration of YouTube videos adds a unique element.
Spotify Wins The Library Category
While both platforms have a huge music library, Spotify has more to offer, with more podcast titles as well as the introduction of audiobooks.
6. Audio Quality
In terms of technical specifications, Spotify provides higher-quality audio than YouTube Music. While Spotify's maximum streaming quality for its free versions is 160kbps (maximum at 128kbps if utilizing the online player), YouTube Music's highest streaming quality is 128kbps.
As you move up to the premium tiers of both services, you receive 256kbps if you use the web player to play Spotify Premium in your browser. You can choose between a range of 24 kbps and 320 kbps while using Spotify's apps. Regardless of the location, YouTube Music Premium plays at the same 48 kbps to 256 kbps peak bit rate.
Spotify wins the audio quality category
While it has lower limits for each range, you can get better audio quality with Spotify—though most users will not notice much of a difference between each set.
Which Should You Go For?
In general, Spotify is an excellent service. It includes more playlists, more powerful social features, and a ton of podcasts, making it better for finding new music. Crossfade is one of the many useful functions that the software has to offer. That does not imply, however, that it is a better choice for everyone.
Spotify is still comparable to YouTube Music for some reasons. If you enjoy watching music videos, you'll adore Google's service. For those who wish to access YouTube Premium features, it's also a great choice; however, it will cost an additional $3 per month (well worth it!). These are now YouTube Music's two primary selling features; nevertheless, if none of them are essential to you, I recommend signing up for a Spotify subscription.
Ultimately, it depends on your personal preferences.
Learn More: Spotify vs SoundCloud
Conclusion
So, which music-streaming giant should you choose? It boils down to your preferences. If you’re all about the music, value high-quality audio, and love discovering new tracks through personalized playlists, Spotify is likely your best bet. Its intuitive interface and robust social features make it a top choice for music enthusiasts.
However, if you enjoy watching music videos and live performances and want an ad-free YouTube experience, YouTube Music might be the better option for you. Its vast library of diverse content and video integration provides a unique experience that goes beyond just music.
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