Spotify and Amazon Music are two of the most popular music streaming apps right now. However, you can either have Spotify Premium or Amazon Music Unlimited, and it won’t be a wise decision to subscribe to both music streaming services. This Spotify vs Amazon Music guide will help you choose the perfect app for you.
Both Spotify and Amazon Music offer a similar set of features but also have a fair share of differences. The former is especially known for its unique functionalities that allow you to share your musical preferences with your friends while the latter is more preferred by users already having an Amazon Prime subscription.
Spotify vs Amazon Music: Which Has Better Audio Quality?
The first aspect that we’ll use to compare Spotify and Amazon Music is audio quality. Sound quality is an important factor when choosing the right music streaming service. Spotify provides four audio quality options- Low (24kbps), Normal (96kbps), High (160kbps), and Very High (320kbps) but the latter is exclusively available to Spotify Premium subscribers.
Meanwhile, Amazon Music takes an edge over Spotify in terms of sound quality with the presence of CD-quality music streaming with its Music Unlimited subscription. It even features songs available in Ultra HD which is beyond the CD-quality tier.
You will also get access to spatial audio with Dolby Atmos or 360 Reality Audio. Amazon Music HD songs are a minimum of 16-bit 44.1kHz – CD quality – and an average bitrate of 850kbps. And, Ultra HD tracks are 24-bit, with sample rates from 44.1kHz up to 192kHz, with an average bitrate of 3730kbps.
On the other side, Spotify is yet to roll out the HiFi quality (lossless, Hi-Res) it promised a couple of years back. The recent reports confirm that it’s still coming but no one exactly knows when. There are also rumors it’ll be packed with the upcoming Spotify Supremium tier.
Winner: Amazon Music
Spotify vs Amazon Music: Library, Discovery, and Recommendations
Spotify boasts a library of over 80 million tracks while Amazon Music claims to have over 90 million songs in its catalogue. However, when we take a closer look, Spotify features comparatively more genres than Amazon Music. The latter lacks the great collection of indie music that Spotify offers.
Both music streaming services offer podcasts that you can listen but Spotify has a fairly richer collection than Amazon Music. In recent years, Spotify was involved in a number of acquisitions and collaborations that helped it grow the podcast and audiobook library significantly.
Spotify also has around 4.5 billion playlists that help you find any sort of music when it comes to discovery or recommendations. Meanwhile, Amazon Music also has a great collection of playlists like Pop Culture, All Hits, Viral Hits, Hot Singles, and others but I personally found Spotify’s compilation better.
Spotify has certain playlists like Discover Weekly, New Releases, Top Charts, and others that help you find tracks that you’d like. Amazon Music also has a recommendation section that provides albums and playlists based on your listening preferences. Both apps have a solid music suggestion algorithm.
Winner: Spotify
Amazon Music Lacks Social Sharing Features like Spotify
Spotify has a vast range of social features such as the annual Wrapped experience that help users stay connected with each other. The service encourages users to share playlists with their friends. It also allows you to see what your friends have been streaming and vice versa.
A lot of users love this and stick to Spotify as it’s a common interest among their circle. In addition to these, Spotify allows third-party apps to access user data which leads to viral trends like Icebergify, Receiptify, Color Palettes, and other challenges. Users love participating in these and sharing them online.
On the other side, Amazon Music lacks such features. It allows users to share tracks and playlists with each other but it’s yet to develop other key functionalities that helped Spotify solidify its space in users’ lives. Amazon Music rarely gets discussed on social media while Spotify keeps trending frequently.
Winner: Spotify
Spotify vs Amazon Music: User Interface, Design, and Ease of Use
Spotify and Amazon Music both use a similar user interface with dark-themed layouts. Both apps have a sleek design with fine functionality. They aren’t cluttered or confusing and you can easily navigate to any feature easily. Both of them have a navigation bar at the bottom.
However, the key difference is on desktop apps. Spotify has an incredible desktop app that is clean, and dynamic, and provides additional features such as the ability to what your friends are listening to. Meanwhile, Amazon Music’s desktop is comparatively dull and only packs the essentials.
You’ll be better off using the Amazon Music mobile app or using it in a browser on the desktop. To counter Spotify’s lead, Amazon Music provides a good set of filters in the app. For instance, you can filter search results to show only 3D audio or Ultra HD tracks. Spotify lacks any such functionality.
Other than that, both music streaming platforms are easy to use, attractive, and satisfying to the eyes.
Winner: Draw
Key Features of Spotify Premium
Spotify is especially known for its vast range of features and its impressive algorithm that knows what you want to listen to. Spotify has a feature called “Enhance,” which lets users invite random songs into playlists that fit the mood and style of the already existing ones.
There are some other interesting features on Spotify such as Karaoke Mode, Private Sessions, Group Sessions, and others. Karaoke Mode and Group Sessions allow you to have fun with your group of friends while Private Sessions allow you to listen to your music alone without others knowing.
Recently, Spotify also introduced a “DJ” feature that uses AI to recommend songs that fit your style and preferences. There is also a Radio feature that lets you find tracks from your favorite artists or albums with ease. You can also download songs on Spotify for listening to them offline (with Premium).
Key Features of Amazon Music Unlimited
Similar to Spotify, Amazon Music also has a set of key features that make it worth using. The highlight of the service is its fine compatibility with Alexa, the famous voice-based home assistant. You can use Alexa with Amazon Music to play and pause your favorite tracks hands-free.
In addition to that, Amazon Music has a feature called “X-Ray Lyrics” which is a ‘behind-the-song’ feature that lets you understand the context of hard-to-understand tracks. Spotify also has a feature called “Storyline” which works in a similar way.
There is also a Car Mode on Amazon Music that lets you play songs while driving with a minimally distracting interface. It simplifies your music-listening experience while driving. Amazon Music also has a Radio feature that’s similar to Spotify and allows users to save songs for offline listening.
Winner: Spotify
Spotify & Amazon Music Compatible Platforms
Spotify and Amazon Music are both available on a wide range of devices including Android smartphones, desktops, browsers, tablets, iPhones, iPads, TVs, and others. However, Spotify reigns supreme in this aspect with Spotify Connect which lets you stream songs on other devices including Bluetooth speakers directly from your main device. You can control the playback without needing to touch the device that’s playing music.
Another advantage of having Spotify is that you can play music on gaming consoles including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The platform continues to add more devices to its list of compatible ones. Meanwhile, Amazon Music isn’t this flexible when it comes to compatible devices.
You can use it on mainstream devices but there’s nothing like Spotify Connect. It also doesn’t have a dedicated app for gaming consoles. However, the shortcoming is covered to an extent with Amazon Music’s Alexa Cast which allows you to cast to a variety of Alexa or Bluetooth devices.
Winner: Spotify
Spotify vs Amazon Music: Price and Plans
Spotify uses an easy-to-understand freemium model where you can stream tracks for free and you also have an option to upgrade to the paid Spotify Premium. Having the premium subscription gets rid of ads, unlocks additional features, and removes limitations imposed on Spotify’s free users.
The plans for Spotify Premium start at $9.99 per month for an individual while students can get it for only $4.99 per month. Spotify also has a “Duo” plan for two users that costs $12.99 per month. There is also a Family plan which costs $15.99 per month and allows usage for up to 6 users.
On the other side, Amazon Music has a subscription system that’s a bit complicated. Amazon Music Unlimted costs $8.99 per month for Prime members (or $89 per year) while it costs $10.99 per month for non-Prime users. It also has a Student plan that costs $5.99 per month (a dollar costlier than Spotify’s student plan).
There is also a Family plan of Amazon Music Unlimited which has the same price as Spotify’s Family plan, i.e. $15.99 per month. However, it doesn’t have a “Duo” plan but you have the option to get Amazon Music Unlimited’s “Single Device” plan which costs only $4.99 per month. This plan allows you to stream music only through an Echo speaker or Fire TV. You can’t transfer the plan to any other device either.
Winner: Spotify
Does Spotify Premium have a Free Trial?
Yes, Spotify offers a free trial for all its new customers to try the Premium subscription. Currently, Spotify provides a 30-day (1-month) free trial if you haven’t bought any plan previously. You can also sign up for a new Spotify account and claim the deal.
Before this, Spotify was providing free trials of 2, 3, and 4 months in some regions. If you’re planning to get Spotify Premium, you can first try the service and see if it suits you. If it does, you can continue to pay but if it doesn’t, you can simply cancel your Spotify Premium free trial.
Does Amazon Music Unlimited have a Free Trial?
Yes, Amazon Music Unlimited also offers a 90-day (3-month) free trial to all its new subscribers (and it’s longer than Spotify’s free trial). If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you will also get an additional month which means you can use the music streaming service free for 4 months.
After that, you’ll have to start paying the regular subscription costs. This period will be enough to figure out if Amazon Music Unlimited is worth the money. If you find Spotify better, you can easily switch and transfer your Amazon Music playlist to Spotify using this guide.
Result: Amazon Music
Final Verdict
Going by our in-depth comparison, Spotify seems to be better than Amazon Music Unlimited right now. However, the reality is that there aren’t many differences between both music streaming services. Both Spotify and Amazon Music are excellent sources for audiophiles to play their favorite tracks.
If you’re wondering which one is better than the other, then the answer varies for different users. It depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a free-to-use music streaming service, then Spotify is the better option but if you want the best audio quality while listening on your premium headphones, Amazon Music Unlimited would be the winner.
In general opinion, Spotify currently offers more features than any other music streaming service right now, it’s also a bit cheaper than others, has the best music recommendation and discovery algorithm, and you can stay connected with your friends while streaming your favorite tracks.
The wise choice would be to use the free trial available with both Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited, and then decide for yourself. You’ll find the perfect music streaming app in this way.
FAQs
1. Is Amazon Music free with a Prime subscription?
No, Amazon Music Unlimited is not free with a Prime subscription. However, it costs only $8.99 per month for Prime subscribers and it costs $10.99 per month for non-Prime customers.
2. Is Amazon Music better than Spotify?
Both Amazon Music and Spotify are amazing music streaming apps. If you’re looking for the best sound quality, then Amazon Music Unlimited would be better than Spotify Premium as it has the perfect audio streaming experience with the presence of HD and Ultra HD tracks.
3. Why do people use Spotify instead of Amazon Music?
People use Spotify over Amazon Music as it provides the best music streaming experience for free and there’s also a paid plan that unlocks additional perks. Spotify has a better library, better music discovery features, and the best music recommendation algorithm that knows the right songs for your mood. It is also largely better than Amazon Music in terms of social sharing features.
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