Spotify vs Apple Music
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
It's close: Spotify edges it 9.0 to 8.9, so the right pick depends on what you need. Spotify wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Apple Music on 1.
Music fans who want great recommendations on every device they own
iPhone and Mac users who want high-quality audio without ads
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Spotify | Apple Music |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Music & Podcasts | Music & Podcasts |
| Category rank | #1 of 8 | #2 of 8 |
| Developer | Spotify | Apple |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Subscription |
| Usable for free | Yes | No |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux | ✓ | — |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Strengths and weaknesses
Spotify
- Best-in-class recommendations and playlists
- Works on nearly every phone, speaker, console and car
- Free tier lets you listen without paying
- Free tier has ads and playback limits on mobile
- Ad-supported model relies on data collection
Spotify is the best all-round music app. Its recommendations, Discover Weekly and daylist keep surfacing music you actually like, and Spotify Connect makes switching between phone, speaker and car painless. Premium adds lossless audio, offline downloads and ad-free listening. The catch is the free tier's ads and the data collection behind them. Get it if discovery and device support matter most to you.
Full Spotify review
Apple Music
- Lossless and Dolby Atmos at no extra cost
- No ads and less data-driven than free rivals
- Excellent lyrics and library management
- No free tier beyond a trial
- Discovery and recommendations trail Spotify
Apple Music pairs top-tier sound with tight Apple integration. Lossless and Spatial Audio come at no extra cost, the time-synced lyrics view is excellent, and it fits neatly into iPhone, Mac, HomePod and CarPlay. AutoMix blends one song into the next like a DJ. Recommendations trail Spotify's, and there's no free tier. Get it if you live on Apple devices and care about sound quality.
Full Apple Music review
