Introduction:
Spotify and YouTube music are two of the largest music streaming platforms available out there, and the comparison as to which one is better has been perennial. If anyone is looking to switch to even one of these platforms, diving into the advantages and disadvantages of using Spotify and YouTube Music could be beneficial.
Is Spotify or YouTube better for music streaming?
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Devices Supported
One of the fundamental differences between YouTube and Spotify for music is the difference in these devices. Right now, Spotify is supported on more number of devices, and it is not only on devices like Google assistant smart speakers but also on Amazon echo speakers as well. If someone is an Apple home pod owner, they should be able to set up either of these services to play on their home pod in fall 2020. Presently, both the Google Assistant and Siri can be used to play music from either of these services. Amazon’s assistant right now only connects to Spotify and not YouTube.
Spotify also has more interactions with more unusual devices, such as Tesla model 3. If someone opts for Spotify premium, they can connect their account to Tesla and play their music natively through the app on the Tesla screen without using Bluetooth from their phone.
Both services are available on common platforms like iOS and Android and those platforms’ car offerings- Apple’s car play and Android’s auto.
Both Spotify and YouTube music offer desktop apps for Windows mac and Linux.
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Free Vs. Paid Versions
Both services offer a free version of their service. Still, one key difference between them is that the accessible version of YouTube Music will allow one to play any song they want, which Spotify, however, does not qualify. One can also skip as many tracks as they like with YouTube music. However, Spotify does allow one to keep playing music in the background when the phone goes darker or if the app is closed, whereas YouTube’s music app will stop playing music once the same things occur. So the free versions of both of these services are somewhat usable depending on one’s situation, but if one decides to pay for one of these services, the scenario completely changes. Firstly, the users get an ad-free experience. On Spotify, one can play any song and artist that one wants and get unlimited skips. On YouTube music, one gets background lay, and both services allow users to download music to their devices.
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Music Catalogue
From what has been gathered, the music catalog for both Spotify and YouTube Music is pretty similar, especially if the artists being listened to are pretty popular, but their mileage may vary. But one advantage YouTube music has over Spotify is that YouTube music can pull songs uploaded by Indie artists directly from YouTube. YouTube music even lets one switch between a song and the music video version right within the app.
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Podcasts
Podcasts are one feature that Spotify offers, but YouTube Music does not. Spotify has lately entered the podcast business, obtaining exclusive podcasts from high-profile people like Michelle Obama, and Spotify also recently acquired the well-known Joe Rogan podcast. Whatever podcasts one listens to, they are almost certainly available on Spotify. The most significant thing is that one does not have to be a premium member to access Spotify’s podcasts, and they may be accessed for free via Spotify’s applications.
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Library Tab Comparison
Spotify additionally has a unique sleep timing feature on their app, which is pretty useful if someone wants to go to sleep listening to a podcast. Spotify also recommends albums that one might want to listen to based on the previous listening history.
The library view illustrates one of the main advantages of YouTube music. It allows one to upload music they may have purchased from services like iTunes to their library, whereas Spotify does not.
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Music Discovery, Playlists, and Daily Listening
Spotify is well known for its playlists and the ways that its platforms allow one to discover new artists. Spotify uses clustering technology to identify distinct sub-groupings within a user’s listening patterns, and then it builds recommendations around those, mixing in new suggestions along with known favorites. On the other hand, YouTube music has four main playlists that are made on the user preferences, which is not as nuanced as Spotify.
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Pricing Comparison
Spotify’s paid version, called Spotify premium in the US, costs 9.99/month for an individual account, 12.99/month for a dual one, and 14.99/month for the family plan, which supports six accounts and students 4.99/month. YouTube music premium costs 9.99/month for individual and family plans for 17.99/month for five accounts.
Conclusion:
Overall, if one is just looking for a music streaming service that makes it easy to discover new music, Spotify should be the preferred choice. The plans on Spotify are also more flexible. But if one wants an ad-free experience on YouTube plus a music streaming service for a great bundled price, then YouTube Music is the obvious choice.
