Thinking of checking out a different streaming service in the new year? Getting tired of using free trials? Want to finally have all your playlists in one place instead of switching between multiple sites? Well, we figured it would be helpful to create a comprehensive guide for all of the popular music streaming sites to make it easier to decide which one works best for you!
Spotify
How Much it Costs:
- $9.99/month (and only $0.99 for the first 3 months) for Spotify Premium
- $4.99/month for Spotify Student – this comes with a Hulu membership too!
- $14.99/month for Premium for Family – this allows families to have multiple accounts on the same plan
Pros:
- You can download music to be played offline
- Great personalized playlists – Discovery Weekly, Time Capsule, Release Radar, etc.
- Daily Mix playlists are updated every day based on your recent listening preferences
- Access to endless playlists categorized by mood, genre, holiday, and more
- You can cancel your Premium membership at any time and use the free plan
- The student plan comes with Hulu for only $5 a month…unlimited music and TV streaming?! What more could we want?
Cons:
- The free Spotify plan is limited because you are only able to shuffle music, rather than selecting specific songs. The frequent advertisements can be intrusive, too.
- Limited access to song lyrics
- If you have a billing/account question, you have to rely on emails or online chats with customer service
Apple Music
How Much it Costs:
- $9.99/month for the Individual Plan
- $4.99/month for the Student Plan
- $14.99/month for the Family Plan
Pros:
- Offers a free trial for the first 3 months of each plan
- Siri integration for iOS devices
- There are various exclusives (such as Views from the 6 by Drake and 1989 by Taylor Swift) that usually last a week or two before being available on other streaming services, if at all
- If you have a question, you can call and talk to an actual person
- The personalized playlists “My New Music Mix” and “My Favorites” are updated weekly
- The iPhone and iPad app includes song lyrics
Cons:
- There is no access through a web browser
- There is no completely free option, besides the 3-month trial
- User-created playlists can only be shared through direct links, not through searching or browsing
Tidal
How Much it Costs:
- $8.49/month for Tidal Premium
- $16.99/month for Tidal HiFi
- $14.99/month for Tidal Premium for Families (up to 5 members)
- $29.99/month for Tidal HiFi for Families (up to 5 members)
- $4.99/month for Tidal Premium for Students
- $9.99/month for Tidal HiFi for Students
Pros:
- Lots of exclusive material and pre-streams that are unavailable through any other site
- Offers a 40% discounted military subscription, unlike their competitors
- Access to playlists created by major artists like Jay Z and Danger Mouse
- Provides high-quality streaming
- You can stream Tidal Music directly through mobile devices using Chromecast for your TV
Cons:
- $16.99 is a hefty price for higher sound quality
- HiFi streaming might not be an option for people with slower internet or data speeds
- Not many people use the app, so it can be hard to share music with friends
YouTube Red
How Much it Costs:
- $9.99/month for the Standard Membership
- $14.99/month for the Family Plan
Pros:
- You can use YouTube Music for free, but there are a bunch of added features with a subscription to YouTube Red
- The service offers unique live concert footage and karaoke tracks
- You can turn off your screen or close the window and keep the music playing (unlike regular YouTube videos)
- By signing into the app through your Google account, you give the app your entire YouTube history, so the app takes the songs you listen to the most, music videos you ‘liked’, and recent music videos to create playlists based on your interests.
- There is a “My Station” option which takes into account everything you’ve listened to and adds suggestions based on your preferences
Cons:
- The best features of YouTube Music are not free – you have to pay for a YouTube Red account in order to get audio-only listening and ad-free listening
- There is no student plan
- Since it takes into account your entire YouTube history, there are sometimes surprises, random suggestions, and possibly unwanted flashbacks
Google Play Music
How Much it Costs:
- $9.99/month for the Individual plan
- $14.99/month for the Family plan (up to 6 people)
Pros:
- First 30 days are free
- YouTube Red is included with the paid membership plans
- Gives you the option to upload up to 50,000 audio files from your desktop to the service’s online music locker
Cons:
- Does not offer song lyrics
- There is no student plan
- The catalog does not usually include exclusive content
Final Thoughts: Although each site has special features with slightly different options, it seems necessary to keep in mind that truthfully, these sites all offer pretty similar services. For any advantage one site has, it also has a disadvantage. Ultimately, it all depends on what you’re looking for. Spotify’s social features and deal with Hulu are ideal for simple music fans. If you like the ease of throwing on a radio station and you feel devoted to iOS, Apple Music is a good choice. If you watch a lot of videos, YouTube or Google Play Music might be right for you. Finally, if you like putting on a good pair of headphones to appreciate high sound quality, or if you want access to exclusive music releases, Tidal might be the way to go. There is really no bad decision, and you can always cancel your membership and try out another service. But, one thing is for certain: music streaming is the future and we can be sure that the streaming industry will only grow in the coming years. Let us know what you think!
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