Apple Music vs Amazon Music
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Apple Music is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.1. Apple Music wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Amazon Music on 1.
iPhone and Mac users who want high-quality audio without ads
Prime members and Alexa households who want music without another big bill
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Apple Music | Amazon Music |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Music & Podcasts | Music & Podcasts |
| Category rank | #2 of 11 | #9 of 11 |
| Developer | Apple | Amazon |
| Pricing | Subscription | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | No | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Apple Music better than Amazon Music?
Apple Music is the better app overall, scoring 8.9 to 8.1. Apple Music wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Amazon Music on 1.
Which is cheaper, Apple Music or Amazon Music?
Apple Music: No free tier; Individual $11.99/month in the US after a one-month trial. Amazon Music: Free with ads; Unlimited is $12.99 a month, $11.99 with Prime; family $21.99. On value for money, Amazon Music scores higher.
Do Apple Music and Amazon Music work on the same devices?
Yes, both run on iPhone & iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Web.
Which is more private, Apple Music or Amazon Music?
Apple Music scores higher on privacy (8.9/10). No tracking per its App Store label. Purchases, location, contact info, search history, usage data and identifiers are linked to your Apple Account for features and recommendations. No ads.
Strengths and weaknesses
Apple Music
- Hi-res lossless and Dolby Atmos at no extra cost
- No ads and no cross-app tracking
- Still cheaper than Spotify Premium in the US
- No free tier beyond a trial
- Discovery and recommendations trail Spotify
- Works best if you own Apple hardware
Apple Music pairs excellent sound with tight Apple integration. Lossless, Spatial Audio and Apple Music Classical come at no extra cost, the synced lyrics view is a joy, and AutoMix blends tracks like a DJ. iOS 27 added a landscape player and a weekly Friends playlist. Recommendations still trail Spotify's, and there's no free tier. Get it if you live on iPhone, Mac and HomePod and care about sound.
Full Apple Music review
Amazon Music
- Prime members get ad-free music at no extra cost
- HD and spatial audio at no extra charge
- Unlimited includes an Audible audiobook each month
- Prime's music is shuffle play, not full on-demand
- Lots of data is linked to your Amazon account
- Busy app that mixes music, podcasts and books
Amazon Music makes the most sense if you already pay for Prime. Prime gets you ad-free music and top podcasts in shuffle mode, and Unlimited adds 100 million songs on demand, HD and spatial audio, offline listening and one Audible audiobook a month, for a dollar less than non-members pay. There's a free tier with ads too. The app mixes music, podcasts and audiobooks, so it can feel busier than Spotify.
Full Amazon Music review
