By now, I’ve probably tried all the major music streaming providers. Many years ago, it was Spotify and Deezer. Then came YouTube Music and YouTube Premium. Thanks to buying an iPhone, I’m currently enjoying a trial of Apple Music.
The conclusion is quite simple: the providers are barely different. Spotify still offers exclusive podcasts, Apple has integrated lyrics, and Deezer supposedly has higher audio quality. None of this really makes a difference for me. I hardly listen to podcasts, and the public ones are enough for me. I can look up lyrics elsewhere, and the higher audio quality is virtually inaudible with Bluetooth headphones. Only YouTube Music offers music, including remixes and mashups, that aren’t available on the other services. Plus, with Premium, you get ad-free YouTube videos, including music videos.
Prices (as of March 28, 2024)
****Spotify Individual: €10.99 Family: €17.99
****Apple Music Individual: €10.99 Family: €16.99
****Deezer Individual: €11.99 Family: €19.99
****Amazon Prime Music Individual: €10.99 Family: €16.99
****YouTube Music / Premium Individual: €10.99 / €12.99 (annually €10.84) Family: €16.99 / €24.99
After a long phase of being €9.99, there’s now some movement in the prices. Deezer is more expensive than the competition for both individual (+€1) and family plans (+€3), while Spotify is at least more expensive for families (+€1). Google charges an extra two euros for YouTube Premium, which includes ad-free YouTube. At least in the monthly subscription; in the annual subscription for €129.99, it costs only €10.84 for individuals, making it the cheapest offer across all providers. At €24.99, however, the family plan is noticeably expensive. It’s definitely only worth it for three or more people. And of course, YouTube Premium is only worthwhile if you’re regularly on YouTube. Otherwise, the Music subscription is the better choice.
Other features? They all have curated lists, each with a slightly different focus depending on the service. They also all have personal, automatically generated lists. Apple disappointed me here. Amazon is hit-or-miss. YouTube was just good, but not outstanding. I have the most positive memory of Spotify, but that was a few years ago. It’s been so long since I used Deezer that I don’t want to make a statement. And the apps? All similarly good or bad. Managing playlists on mobile devices is definitely not great on any of them. With YouTube, there are shared playlists between YouTube and YouTube Music. The downside is that when you search for music on YouTube itself, you can’t tell if Google actually considers it a song and if it’s therefore playable in the YouTube Music app.
Well, and now here I am. Apple Music is free for another month, then I have to decide. We actually need three accounts: my girlfriend, me, and Sonos. Otherwise, the Sonos playback will kill my local playback when my girlfriend is at home and I’m out. But since I’m annoyed by the ads on YouTube, YouTube Premium is currently my favorite.