Apple Music and Spotify are two of the most popular ways for people to get their music.
As an avid Spotify user, I have never actually used Apple Music beyond downloading it for this article. Upon first glance, the way each app plays music looks very similar, but Apple Music does hold an advantage with having the lyrics show up on the screen while they’re being played.
In looking at the differences on the app stores for iOS and android, one thing that really stood out to me was the fact that the Apple app store had reviews turned off for Apple music, but Spotify has a 4.8/5 rating. The reviews may be turned off due to apple music being pre-downloaded on all Apple devices, but it still seems strange. The google play store has an overall rating of 3.7/5 for Apple Music and 4.4/5 for Spotify. These numbers seem close, but it is also important to note that Spotify has over 22 million reviews on the Google play store and 17 million reviews on the Apple app store, whereas Apple Music only has 400,000 reviews on Google play store only.
Reviews aside, both apps have the same subscription price for their services, however Spotify has a free version with ads whereas Apple Music requires a subscription fee to use the unlimited library, and charges per individual song without a subscription. Spotify also has more subscriptions with partnerships with other services such as Hulu for cheaper rates.
Spotify also has Podcasts included in the app with access included in the subscription costs, while Apple has a separate app and service for podcasts.
Overall both apps serve the same purpose, and use of each app is subject to the individual user, but if you’re looking for a higher rated app with more in-app features, then Spotify may be the right choice for you.