HomepageEntertainmentStreamingThe Best Music Streaming Services
Last updated on Oct 28, 2020

The Best Music Streaming Services

The best digital access to top hits, deep cuts, and timeless classics ​

How We Found the Best Music Streaming Service

related highlight icon

33 Hours of Research

related highlight icon

3 Weeks of Listening

related highlight icon

6 Top Picks

Advertiser Disclosure:
We recommend products and services based on unbiased research from our editorial team. We make money via affiliate links, which means if you click a link on our site, we may earn a commission. Any commissions we receive do not affect our recommendations; if you want to know more about how that works, read more.

The Best Music Streaming Services

In terms of quality, services, and offers, all the major music streaming services are pretty equal. Our six top picks run neck and neck with fair pricing, vast music libraries, online/ offline listening, and personalized content. So how do you choose the best streaming service for you?

It all comes down to the perks. The best music streaming service should offer up the content you want, the way you want it — whether that means live radio, exclusive artist content, daily new music mixes, high-fidelity audio, or endless music videos. Our top picks offer a little bit of everything. Read on to see what makes each one unique, or jump down to our music streaming service buying guide for help figuring out which platform is best for you.

The 6 Best Music Streaming Services

    The Best Music Streaming Service: Summed up

    Apple Music Spotify YouTube Premium Tidal Pandora Amazon Prime Music
    Best Full-Service Streaming Platform Best for New Music Discovery Best for Original Content Best for High-Quality Audio Best for Low-Maintenance Listening Best for Prime Members
    Price $9.99-$14.99/mo. $0-$14.99/mo. $9.99-$17.99/mo. $9.99-$29.99/mo. $0-$15/mo. $0-$14.99/mo.
    Number of tracks 50 million+ 50 million+ Unlimited 60 million+ 30 million+ 2 – 50 million+
    Monthly paid subscribers 60 million 113 million 15 million 1-3 million 6.7 million+ 32 million
    Free trial 3 months 3 months 1 month 1 month 2 months 1 month
    Unlimited free version ✔*
    Songs on demand
    Offline listening
    Music videos ✔ (Amazon Prime Video)
    Hi-fi audio ✔**
    Student discount ✔ ($4.99 / month) ✔ ($4.99 / month) ✔ ($6.99 / month) ✔ ($4.99-$9.99 / month) ✔ ($4.99 / month) ✔ ($0.99-$4.99 / month)
    Military discount ✔ ($5.99-$11.99/mo.) ✔ ($7.99 / month)
    Google Play scores 3.6 out of 5 (318.6k reviews) 4.5 out of 5 (16.7m reviews) 3.9 out of 5 (735k reviews – YouTube Music) 4.0 out of 5 (161.4k reviews) 4.3 out of 5 (3.1m reviews) 4.4 out of 5 (4.2m reviews)
    Apple’s App Store ratings N/A 4.8 out of 5 (9.1m ratings) 4.6 out of 5 (186k ratings) 4.6 out of 5 (30k ratings) 4.8 out of 5 (6.1m ratings) 4.7 out of 5 (338k ratings)
    Apple Music Spotify YouTube Premium Tidal Pandora Amazon Prime Music

    Data as of 12/20/2019

    * Free option only available to Alexa users or Prime subscribers.

    ** HiFi audio is available through the Amazon Music HD plan.

    Best Full Service Streaming Platform
    Apple

    Apple Music

    Pros

    Downloaded music integration
    Apple ecosystem
    Beats 1
    Lyric search
    Variety of plans

    Cons

    Confusing interface
    No free version

    Why we chose it

    Downloaded music integration

    Before there was streaming, there was iTunes (now called Apple Music.) Although streaming services have made music cheaper and more accessible, many people still have vast libraries that they’ve downloaded and built up over the years. If you’re a devoted music buyer, Apple Music is the best choice for integrating a pre-owned song catalog with your music streaming service. The iCloud Music Library allows you to access your entire music collection on the go, even if it’s not downloaded to your device. This is head and shoulders above Spotify’s “local files” feature, which only lets you listen to downloaded music from the device it was originally stored on.

    And you don’t have to be an iPhone user to get in on the action. The Apple Music app is available on the Google Play store for Android users. However, Droid customers won’t have access to Apple Music’s voice command feature, which currently only works through Siri.

    Apple ecosystem

    Apple Music has quickly taken off in popularity. In fact, the service hit 60 million subscribers (including free trials) in June 2019, gaining 10 million subscribers in roughly a year, according to Variety. So what’s Apple doing right? For us, a huge selling point is easy integration. Not only does Apple Music have iTunes’ established music library behind it, but as part of the Apple ecosystem it’s a breeze for Apple fans to use. The Music app comes preinstalled on all iPhones, MacBooks, iPads, Apple Watches, and HomePods — making for seamless setup on any of these devices. Users can also control their playback and search for music using Siri voice commands. For anyone who’s already invested in Apple products, it’s an easy fit. There is also potential for Apple to release their own bundling options. Although they haven’t specifically mentioned bundling Apple TV and Apple Music services, they have already begun offering Apple TV for free with Apple Music for all student subscribers.

    Beats 1

    Along with easy device and iTunes integration, Beats 1 helps set Apple Music apart from the competition. This live, 24/7 radio service offers up content that you won’t find anywhere else — including stations anchored by artists like Elton John and The Weeknd. Beats 1 is a place to discover new music, listen to commentary from your favorite artists, or enjoy a steady stream of quality tunes without having to choose what to listen to. It’s available to paying and non-paying users alike, but only subscribers can listen to shows on demand.

    Lyric search

    The latest iteration of Apple Music, which rolled out with iOS 13, includes a couple neat features, for example, you can now opt to view lyrics as your songs play. Our favorite feature (from the iOS 12 update) is the ability to find songs through lyric search — so when you can’t remember why “Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television” are running through your head, Apple Music’s search bar will remind you that they’re the lyrics to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel. In our experience, Apple’s lyric search is right on the money and returns exactly what you’re looking for. The only other streaming service that shares this feature is Google Music, which can find lyrics through voice command.

    Variety of plans

    Apple Music offers individual, family, and student plans, so anyone can find the right streaming package for their needs. Prices are similar to our other top picks, but with one distinct perk: If you’re willing to pay upfront for a year, you can get the individual plan for $99 and save $21 annually. Students get the same access for only $4.99 per month. Apple’s family plan, which costs $14.99 per month, also has an edge: All six account holders can share iTunes purchases and iCloud storage — so if one family member buys a new album or uploads pre-owned content, everyone gets to listen. And here’s an Apple-specific price hack: You can get 12 months of Apple Music for the price of 10 months ($99). Just open your profile, go to the “Subscriptions” tab, and select “Individual (1 Year),” effectively saving about $20 over the course of the year.

    Apple Music plans compared

    Apple Music Individual
    Apple Music Family
    Price per month
    $9.99 / month or $99 / year
    Student: $4.99 / month
    $14.99 / month
    Number of Profiles
    1
    6
    How many devices can listen at once?
    1
    Up to 6
    Access all Apple Music content?
    Share iTunes purchases

    Points to consider

    Confusing interface

    Apple music is fairly easy to set up and control, especially if you’re used to working with Apple products. However, the platform has a few navigation quirks that threw us off. For example, the desktop player is difficult to maneuver. It has no real “home” screen to center you, so once you’ve clicked through a few tabs it can be hard to find a page you want to revisit. The app also lets you create stations based on songs, artists, or albums, but doesn’t actually take you to that playlist (unlike Spotify, which lets you view the station’s queue and select tracks). All in all, we found Spotify’s interface just a bit more intuitive and customizable than Apple Music’s.

    No free version

    Users can try Apple Music free for the first three months, but after that it’ll cost you. Prices are on par with our other top picks: $9.99 per month for an individual account, or $14.99 for a family plan with up to six unique profiles. That’s about what you’ll pay anywhere for ad-free listening. But if you want to save the 10 bucks per month and don’t mind commercial breaks, you might prefer Spotify or YouTube Music — both of which have an unlimited, ad-supported free option.

    Best for New Music Discovery
    Spotify

    Spotify

    Pros

    Diverse discovery features
    Best music app
    Device integration
    Free version
    Spotify Kids music streaming

    Cons

    Poor local music integration
    No smart search

    Why we chose it

    Diverse discovery features

    Spotify shines for its ability to suggest new music that you’ll actually like. As one of the earliest streaming sites — launched in 2006 — the company has had more than 10 years to hone its music matching algorithms. It uses these to create different daily mixes, a weekly “discover” playlist, and countless curated radio stations for each user. It also offers up themed playlists like “time capsule,” “top songs” for the year, and “summer rewind,” that let you revisit old favorites. Beyond that, we love Spotify’s unique autoplay feature: When the playlist, song, or album that you’re listening to ends, it’ll select similar tracks to play afterwards (other services will leave you sitting in silence until you get around to picking a new track).

    Best Music App

    We found Spotify to be the easiest to use of all the music streaming service apps we tested. On both the mobile and desktop apps, everything was exactly where we expected it to be. Your library, playlists, mixes, and stations all live on the sidebar, making them accessible at all times. The home screen is well organized and easy to navigate, with options to browse “genres and moods,” “charts,” “new releases,” and more. And when you want to create a new radio station based on an artist or song, Spotify lets you “Go to Radio” so you can view your queue and customize the channel. Other platforms — like Apple Music and Tidal — create the station without actually showing you a queue, so you don’t have much control over what’s on (sort of like listening to an actual radio, although you can still skip tracks).

    Device integration

    With Spotify, as with our other top picks, each user can only listen on one device at a time. However, Spotify stood out for having seamless transitions between listening platforms. Using the “devices available” button, you can switch playback instantly between laptop, cellphone, bluetooth speaker, smart TV, or any other synced device. Spotify also gives you the option to “continue listening” on one device while controlling your account with another. So you could, for example, “continue listening” on your smart TV while using your phone as a music remote to select playlists and skip tracks. Additionally, Spotify and Tidal partner with Waze, so that you can see turn-by-turn directions while listening to your music.

    Free version

    Of our top picks, Spotify is one of only two streaming services, along with YouTube, that offers an unlimited free version (the others only offer one- to three-month free trials). Of course, freeness comes at a price: You’ll have to put up with quite a few commercial breaks, you must shuffle playlists instead of selecting specific songs, and you’re only allowed to skip six songs per hour. Still, Spotify Free gives you access to the server’s entire catalog of music and curated content. It’s a good option if you want to save $10 to $15 per month.

    Spotify Kids Music Streaming

    Spotify’s motto is “Music for everyone,” and with the release of the Spotify Kids App makes that even easier. The app was designed for kids and families, a “playground of sound” bursting with color, and built with kids’ “specific cognitive skills in mind”. Spotify Kids offers a collection of music targeted for kids – from movies, TV shows, and popular plays – as well as new songs for them to discover. The Spotify Kids App is ad-free, but can only be used if you’re subscribed to Spotify’s Premium Family plan ($14.99/mo.)

    Spotify plans compared

    Spotify Free
    Spotify Premium
    Spotify Premium for Family
    Price Per Month
    Free
    $9.99
    Students: $4.99
    $14.99 for up to 6 accounts
    How many devices can listen at once?
    1
    1
    Up to 6
    Access all Spotify content
    Playlists curated for you
    Ad-free music
    Pick and play songs
    Offline listening
    Unlimited skips

    Points to consider

    Poor local music integration

    If you already own a sizeable music library — iTunes purchases, ripped CD’s, downloaded songs — then you may want to integrate this music with your streaming service. Spotify allows you to do so through its “local files” feature, but it’s not a perfect solution. Once you’ve uploaded music from your hard drive to Spotify’s “local files,” they’re only available on that computer; they don’t travel with your account. That means you won’t be able to listen on mobile or other devices. For easier access to music you already own, we recommend Apple Music. It’s fully integrated with iTunes and has a more robust cloud locker for storing and accessing downloaded content.

    No smart search

    Maybe you caught a snippet of whistling or a single lyric, and you’re hoping to find out what that great song was. With Spotify you’re out of luck; it only lets you search for music based on song title or artist name. Other services — like Apple Music and YouTube — use advanced voice or search technology that let you find music based on a few words or a tune. Including this feature in the app would help take Spotify to the next level, but it’s not quite there yet.

    Best for Original Content
    YouTube

    YouTube Premium

    Pros

    All of YouTube’s content
    Background listening
    Ad-free music and videos
    Google perks
    Free version

    Cons

    Music and videos are separate
    No desktop app

    Why we chose it

    All of YouTube’s content

    You probably never thought of YouTube as a music streaming service (it’s just the place you go for funny cat videos and legendary Vine compilations, right?). But that’s the beauty of YouTube Premium: you get a pretty much endless catalog of songs plus YouTube’s entire library of videos, including remixes, covers, mixtapes, and live footage. That means access to rare, unofficial content that you’d never find on our other top picks — think concert footage from The Who and The Rolling Stones or mixtapes like Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap.

    Background listening

    How many times have you started a music video on YouTube, only to lock your phone screen and become instantly frustrated when the music stops? Countless times? Us too. YouTube Premium solves that problem with “background listening,” which allows you to play both music and YouTube videos with the app minimized or your phone screen locked. It may seem like a no-brainer (you can play music in the background on any other music app), but YouTube lovers will rejoice at the ability to multitask while they enjoy their favorite content.

    Ad-free music and videos

    Then there’s the other scourge of frequent YouTube watchers: ad breaks. YouTube Premium users can enjoy both music streaming and all YouTube videos ad-free — no more “waiting five seconds to skip,” or worse, suffering through a 30-second non-skippable commercial. Note that if you subscribe to YouTube Music Premium for $9.99 per month (as opposed to YouTube Premium for $11.99 per month) you’ll get music ad-free but videos will still have advertisements.

    Google perks

    As part of the Google family, YouTube Music and YouTube Premium come with all of its perks. First off, YouTube is fully integrated into Android and Google Home systems, so it can be controlled using Google’s voice assistant technology, including Siri. You can ask it to put on a specific song or playlist, request a genre, pause or skip a song, or even switch between devices (e.g. “play music on my bedroom speaker”). YouTube also lets you tap into Google’s advanced search mechanisms to find songs. For instance, you might ask it to play “that hipster song with the whistling,” and it’ll know to put on “Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn & John. As a bonus: if you were already using Google’s streaming service (Google Play, $9.99 per month) before YouTube Premium came out in May 2018, you can access its new service free of charge.

    Free version

    Don’t worry, the free YouTube that we all know and love isn’t going anywhere. You can still access all of the site’s video content and the new YouTube Music service free of charge. However the free version is ad-powered, so you’ll have to sit through plenty of commercial breaks before videos and in between songs. YouTube Music subscribers get ad-free music but not video — so if you’re taking the leap anyway, we recommend spending the extra $2 per month to stream all of YouTube’s content without interruption.

    YouTube Music plans compared

    YouTube Music Premium
    YouTube Premium
    YouTube Premium Family Plan
    Price per month
    $9.99
    ($4.99 for students)
    $11.99
    ($6.99 for students)
    $14.99 for up to 6 profiles
    Music: ad-free, offline, and background play
    Video: ad-free, offline, and background play
    Access YouTube Originals
    How many devices can listen at once?
    10 devices
    10 devices
    Up to 10 devices

    Points to consider

    Music and videos are separate

    YouTube is our platform of choice for people who want both music and video. That said, it doesn’t do a perfect job integrating the two services. Although Youtube Premium customers are technically paying for a YouTube Music subscription and an ad-free YouTube video experience, the two still exist as separate apps. All music streaming happens through the YouTube Music app, while videos are only accessible on YouTube. Ideally, the two will eventually live in one place — but YouTube Music is relatively new, so there are still some logistics to work out.

    No desktop app

    Unlike Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal, YouTube Music doesn’t have a downloadable desktop app that you can use to play music from your computer. You can still stream through its website at music.youtube.com, but it’s less convenient than a full-fledged desktop player. For instance, if you’re listening on a Mac, you can’t use the keyboard controls to play, pause, or skip songs. It also means there’s no convenient “mini player” like the one Apple Music has, which lets you keep an eye on what’s playing and control music in a small, discreet window.

    Best for High Quality Audio
    Tidal

    Tidal

    Pros

    High fidelity music streaming
    Master quality desktop streaming
    Exclusive music releases
    Artist-driven content

    Cons

    More expensive
    Slow device switching

    Why we chose it

    High fidelity mobile streaming

    Tidal is owned by Jay Z, which is admittedly pretty neat. But the company’s real claim to fame is its high-fidelity music streaming. Tidal offers “lossless” audio, which, in short, is the highest sound quality available for mobile streaming. It’s the closest you’ll get to standing in the control room while your favorite band plays in the recording studio next door. None of our other top picks currently offer lossless audio as an option, except Amazon, which has designed a lossless HD music option that rivals Tidal. Note that the HiFi capabilities are only available through Tidal with the “HiFi” plan ($19.99 per month), while Tidal Premium customers ($9.99 per month), will experience the same sound quality as Apple Music or Spotify users. Tidal has also coupled with WAZE (like Spotify) to help you drive safer, you can now listen to TIDAL while receiving directions through WAZE.

    Master quality desktop streaming

    Tidal HiFi subscribers also get access to Tidal Masters, which includes thousands of Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) albums. MQA is the next step up from lossless streaming and is literally certified to be better than all other digital formats. It maintains 100% of the original recording and plays it back in the highest quality that your device allows. Tidal is one of only three streaming services that offers MQA audio (along with Deezer and Groovers+), and it’s currently only supported on desktop players.

    Exclusive music releases

    All the major streaming services advertise unique content, but Tidal’s exclusives carry the most clout by far. Tidal is the only place you can stream Jay Z or Beyoncé’s full discography, including the couple’s collaboration “Everything is Love” and Beyoncé’s visual album “Lemonade.” It also offers early releases from popular hip hop artists, like Kanye West’s “Jesus is King,” as well as proprietary content including a posthumous Prince album. The company continues to drop rare and restricted content as one of its main draws, whereas competitors like Apple Music have struggled to compete for album exclusives.

    Artist-driven content

    Tidal is a music streaming service first and foremost, but it also aims to be a place where artists and fans can connect on a more personal level. It does this in a few ways. First is through Tidal X — a platform for live concert streaming, exclusive show invites (more than 3,000 Tidal members got tickets to the 6th anniversary of Rick Ross’ debut album), and unique event access (Rihanna’s Fenty runway show in Paris was live streamed for Tidal members, and a handful even got to attend). Members also get access to Tidal Read, which features artist interviews and articles by professional music journalists.

    Tidal plans compared

    Tidal Premium
    Tidal HiFi
    Price per month
    $9.99
    Student: $4.99
    Military: $5.99
    Family: $14.99 (up to 6 profiles)
    $19.99
    Student: $9.99
    Military: $11.99
    Family: $29.99 (up to 6 profiles)
    Full Tidal catalog
    Tidal exclusive content
    Lossless audio
    ‘Master quality’ desktop listening

    Points to consider

    More expensive

    Tidal offers unparallelled sound quality, but you’ll have to pay for the upgrade. Lossless audio only comes with its “HiFi” package, which runs at $19.99 per month (or $29.99 for a family plan). For a dedicated audiophile with a discerning ear — you know who you are — it’ll be worth the price hike. But we confess: As average, untrained listeners, we couldn’t pick out much of a difference between Tidal HiFi and Apple Music or Spotify. Our suggestion? Try HiFi for free for a month — if you’re not floored by the lossless audio, you can always choose Premium, which has all Tidal’s perks but standard sound quality, and is half the price.

    Slow device switching

    As with our other top picks, Tidal users can only stream music on one device at a time. However, Tidal doesn’t do a great job transitioning between systems. When we switched playback from desktop to mobile and back again, it took Tidal a few minutes to recognize that we had stopped listening on one device and started on another. This made for lag time, and us having to restart the app — not a huge inconvenience, but annoying considering that services like Spotify were able to switch playback instantly.

    Best for Low-Maintenance Listening
    Pandora

    Pandora

    Pros

    Four plans to choose from
    Voice control and compatibility
    Pandora’s Music Genome Project
    Pandora Stories

    Cons

    Restrictive free version
    Bare bones interface
    Lack of additional content

    Why we chose it

    Pandora’s Music Genome Project

    The Music Genome Project is the engine behind Pandora’s music analysis and recommendations. Pandora describes it as deep study of music by human experts, “Our team of trained musicologists has been listening to music across all genres and decades, including emerging artists and new releases, studying and collecting musical details on every track– 450 musical attributes altogether.” The result is a top-notch music discovery and station curation.

    This expertise extends beyond its radio stations. When creating your own playlist, Pandora has a button to add a handful of similar songs — an easy way to build out your party playlist without spending hours searching for songs.

    Four plans to choose from

    Pandora offers a wide selection of plans, prices, and listening options. Pandora’s free version is its longstanding radio station model with 63 million listeners. You have limited skips, may be interrupted by ads, and can only listen to the shuffled stations. For those that enjoy the random and discovery-inspired stations, but hate to be interrupted by ads and want to skip songs you don’t like — there’s Pandora Plus, a $5 per month mid-tier option. Upgrading to the $10 per month Pandora Premium plan will unlock unlimited offline listening, on-demand playing, and the freedom to create your own playlists. The Pandora Premium Family plan is $15 per month for six accounts. Pandora also offers discounted premium accounts for students ($5 per month) and military members ($7 per month).

    If you’re on the fence about Pandora’s paid plans, the Pandora Plus comes with a 30-day free trial and Pandora Premium a 60-day free trial. Pandora’s plans are pretty industry standard, with the exception of Pandora Plus. None of our other picks have a half-way-premium style plan that unlocks a few features for a budget-friendly price. Pandora’s military discount is unique too — Tidal is the only other music streaming service to offer one. Overall, we favored Pandora’s breadth of options for a variety of user preferences and budgets.

    Voice control and compatibility

    Pandora has recently released a voice mode that enables listeners to control the app hands-free. Rather than calling on your chosen personal assistant to set the mood, you can simply command the app directly — “Hey Pandora, play something cozy” — no matter the operating system. You can tell Pandora to “thumbs up” a song, add a song to an existing playlist, skip a tune, or play a specific station. If you’re only familiar with the lyrics of a song, you can ask Pandora, “Play the song that goes hold me closer tiny dancer.” We felt these innovations were one step closer to the smart house of our dreams, but a small step. Other services have similar hands-free voice command options, though not as simple or direct as Pandora.

    Pandora is compatible with most major listening devices. It works with both Android and iOS devices, along with Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Xbox, Sonos, Chromecast, smart TVs, Xfinity, Fitbit and Apple Watch, and Amazon Fire TV.

    Pandora Stories

    One of Pandora’s most unique offerings is a series called Pandora Stories. Each one is a playlist with exclusive insights from artists. It often consists of an album or collection of biggest hits, with commentary from the artist on each track. You’ll find countless Pandora Stories from artists like the Chainsmokers, John Legend, Taylor Swift, 2 Chainz, AJR, Little Big Town, and Ciara.

    These exclusive playlists go beyond music artists, with collections like “Women of New York” where local NYC woman in leadership positions chose and speak about songs that empower them. There’s also cinematic and cultural collections like “The Music of Wes Anderson Films,” and a historically organized “The Rise & Fall of Britpop.”

    The only downside is that this kind of unique content is buried beneath Pandora’s emphasis on simplicity. There’s no natural way to find the playlists, you might stumble upon them if you journey deep into the “Browse” tab or search for it specifically.

    Pandora plans compared

    Pandora Free Pandora Plus Pandora Plus Pandora Family
    Price per month Free $5 $10
    $5 Students
    $8 Military
    $15
    Number of profiles 1 1 1 6
    Ad-free music
    On-demand listening No* No* Yes Yes
    Offline listening ✔**
    Unlimited skips

    *Can listen on-demand in time-limited premium sessions after watching an ad.
    ** On Pandora Plus, you can listen to four radio stations offline.

    Points to consider

    Restrictive free version

    Pandora’s free version hasn’t changed much from when it practically pioneered music streaming in 2000 with its “radio station” model. It’s pretty restrictive when you compare it to Spotify’s free version. While both services have ads, you can’t create or listen to your own playlists on Pandora’s free version and don’t have access to the desktop app. There is an odd loophole — to listen on-demand and enjoy anything outside of radio stations, you have to listen to a longer ad and then you’ve started a “premium session.” Once that session ends, instead of playing another ad, it auto-navigates you out of whatever playlist you were in and plays the last radio station you listened to. You have to renavigate and opt into an ad to active another free “premium session.” It’s a lot of hassle for something Spotify does automatically.

    Bare-bones interface

    Pandora really keeps it simple when it comes to the organization and navigation of its music. In some cases, too simple. We found there wasn’t much to browse through in the “Browse” section, and a general lack of natural navigation to discover music. When you navigate to an artist, there’s no chronological view of their discography. Songs that are collaborations with other artists won’t be listed there, and playlists like Pandora Stories aren’t stored there either. Finding a playlist by Pandora is sort of like a treasure hunt with this model. Most of your listening will have to be searched-based.

    On the other hand, its super simple interface won’t make you feel overwhelmed by choices or decisions about exactly which “indie chill” playlist to put on.

    Lack of additional content

    Pandora doesn’t offer much outside of music. You can listen to most popular podcasts on Pandora, but no video content or any kind. Pandora also lacks options to store or upload music you own. With most other music streaming services, you can watch music videos, listen to audiobooks, and store all your music in one place. We mostly recommend Pandora for casual music listening.

    Best for Prime Members
    Amazon

    Amazon Prime Music

    Pros

    Free with Prime or Alexa devices
    Prime membership perks
    Stream with Alexa
    Variety of plans

    Cons

    Smaller library
    Fewer features

    Why we chose it

    Free with Prime or Alexa devices

    Prime Music’s biggest selling point is that it’s free for Prime users and anyone with an Alexa device (see below) through their Prime Music service. It’s not the ideal choice for music buffs who want rare finds and ultra-tailored playlists. With a smaller library than their paid subscription service, Amazon Music Unlimited, and the inclusion of plenty of “Top 100” style stations and today’s biggest hits, its collection of around 2 million songs will suit listeners who want casual, low-effort streaming.

    Prime membership perks

    Prime Music may not stand on its own, but it’s worth a look when considered as part of the entire Prime package. Being a Prime member also grants you discounted access to the more-expansive Amazon Music Unlimited; you can sign up for $7.99 a month instead of the $9.99 monthly fee non-Prime customers are charged. Along with access to a couple million songs and a thousand curated playlists, that $12.99 per month gets you free two-day shipping, free grocery delivery, unlimited video streaming, access to Amazon Originals (like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Boys), and more. If you like to keep all your subscriptions in one place for convenience’s sake, Amazon is unquestionably your best bet.

    Stream with Alexa

    Prime Music also comes pre-programmed on Echo devices, making it easy to control with Alexa voice commands. Amazon Prime users can ask her to play, pause, or skip a song, select a playlist, or “play more like this” to discover similar music. Music Unlimited customers get a few additional commands as well: For instance, you can request that Alexa play music from a specific era or genre, or even match your mood (“Alexa, play something upbeat”).

    Amazon has released an ad-supported option, meaning you no longer need a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription, just a device and WiFi. We have not yet tested the new service, but we do know that subscribers will have the opportunity to whistle through millions of free tunes from different “eras” and algorithm-based stations, although subscribers will have to swallow frequent ads and encounter some limitations for the free service.

    Variety of plans

    If you love Amazon’s platform but the Prime Music library just won’t cut it, the company does offer more robust streaming packages. For $7.99 per month (Individual) or $14.99 per month (Family), Prime members can tap into Amazon Music Unlimited, which looks a lot like our other top picks. It has a much bigger library and catalog of curated content, as well as a more robust roster of Alexa commands. For those who listen on a limited basis — maybe you like to throw on a playlist when guests are over — there’s also their new free, unlimited ad-supported option. And for sound quality fanatics, Amazon has released a lossless audio streaming option, called Amazon Music HD.

    Subscriptions to Amazon Music HD are $12.99 or $14.99 per month depending on if you’re a Prime member. (It is $5 extra per month for those already subscribed to Amazon Music Unlimited.) This HD tier provides the highest quality of streamable audio, similar to Tidal. You’ll get all the features of Amazon Music for less than Tidal’s Hi-Fi option ($19.99-$29.99/month).

    Amazon Music plans compared

    Amazon Music
    Amazon Music Unlimited Individual
    Amazon Music Family
    Amazon Music HD
    Prime member price
    $0*
    $7.99 / month or $79.99 / year
    $14.99 / month or $149 / year
    $12.99*
    Non-prime member price
    $0
    $9.99 / month
    $14.99 / month
    $14.99 / month
    How many devices can I connect to?
    Unlimited
    Unlimited
    Unlimited
    Unlimited
    How many devices can listen at once?
    1
    1
    6
    6
    Music library
    2 million+ tracks
    50 million+
    50 million+
    50 million+

    * or $5 dollars extra per month for Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers

    Points to consider

    Smaller library

    The biggest drawback to Amazon’s music streaming service is that it has a far smaller library than our other top picks; Amazon Music users only get access to around 2 million tracks. If you opt to pay $7.99/month ($9.99/month for non-Prime members) for an individual Amazon Music Unlimited subscription, that number jumps up to “over 50 million songs” which is more comparable to the rest of our top picks’ offerings. Still, for only $2 more per month, these other platforms have more robust features and better interfaces. Our recommendation? Stick with Prime Music if you’re a light listener, and don’t mind a smaller (free, with ads) selection. Otherwise, you may be better off subscribing to one of the Amazon Music Unlimited plans, their HD plan, or with one of our other top picks.

    Fewer features

    The Amazon Music player is a bit bare-bones. It gets the job done, with a music library, curated content, and playlists, but lacks some of the extra features that we loved from our other top picks. For example, we missed the option to create stations based on songs and artists — a feature that makes it easy to discover new music similar to our favorite tracks. Nor does Amazon have live radio, feature content (like articles and artist interviews) or easy ways to share music with your friends. All this contributes to what we said earlier: Amazon Prime Music is a fine option if you want to dabble lighty in streaming, but it lacks the more robust features and bigger library that serious music lovers will want.

    Others to Consider

    Google Play Music

    Google Play Music is a versatile music streaming service that offers a free music streaming option financed by ads, and two ad-free subscription options ranging from $9.99-$14.99 per month. Everyone can enjoy free access to 40 million songs and podcasts, with the ability to import up to 50,000 songs from your library.

    Plus, you’ll be able to use Google Play’s music store to discover or organize tunes, and access their vast library to purchase content. Much like our top picks, without a paid subscription to Google Play Music you won’t be able to listen to music offline, you’ll have to endure ads while listening, and your number of skips is limited to six per hour. But considering the perks for Google Play’s free service, a few limitations and an ad-break here and there may be totally worth it.

    Google Play Music offers a single-user plan for $9.99 per month and a family plan for $14.99 per month, you can try either service for 30 days free. Both plans offer on-demand, offline, and ad-free listening, tools to create playlists, the ability to integrate previously bought or downloaded content, and a free subscription to YouTube Music. The family plan allows up to six users to share a subscription, and not only that, but also share all sorts of purchased content, like apps, games, books, movies, and music, in the Family Library.

    How We Chose the Best Music Streaming Services

    Music and content

    Library size is the main differentiator between big names in the market (like Apple Music and Spotify) and their smaller competitors. As leaders in the streaming industry, our top picks are able to purchase nearly limitless content. You’d be hard-pressed to name an artist too underground for Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal, which all boast libraries of around 40-50 million songs. And if you are looking for rarer content, there’s YouTube Premium — which streams just about everything the internet has to offer.

    New music discovery

    Besides serving up your favorite tracks à la carte, music streaming services should help you explore new artists and genres. We looked for companies that make it easy to expand your musical horizons. All of our top picks offer algorithmic playlists and radio stations, which are tailored for you based on your music tastes. These will introduce you to songs and artists that are right up your alley — no more asking your “musical” friends what they’re into these days and suffering through some dubious selections.

    Listening styles

    Gone are the days when “music streaming” meant searching one video at a time on YouTube or downloading songs from Limewire. Now, streaming formats are almost endless. Our top picks all offer a mix of on-demand listening, curated playlists, and personalized radio stations — so you can choose whether to actively DJ or just sit back and let the music roll. They also have some unique listening options, from live radio to video playlists, depending on how you like your music delivered.

    User experience

    After putting together a list of the most popular music streaming services, we cozied up with their apps and put in some quality listening time. Besides judging the size and diversity of their catalogs, we paid close attention to each company’s interface. Were playlists simple to build and access? Could we make new radio stations easily (and, once they were made, actually find them again)? Could we switch back and forth between devices without lag? The best platforms were customizable and ultra easy to navigate.

    Guide to Music Streaming Services

    How to find the right music streaming platform for you

    Evaluate your listening preferences

    The biggest factor in choosing a music streaming service is how you prefer to listen. If you’re a pretty choosy streamer — you like being your own DJ, you make lots of custom playlists, maybe you’ve been building the ultimate iTunes library for the past 10 years — then you’ll likely want Apple Music. Laid-back listeners might prefer Spotify, with its countless ready-made playlists and radio stations. Tidal is perfect for audiophiles with a discerning ear, and YouTube is great if you love watching music videos.

    Consider your devices

    All of our top picks can be used on desktop and mobile, but some are designed to work seamlessly on other devices as well. For example, Apple Music syncs directly with the Apple Watch and HomePod, and can be voice-controlled using Siri. If Siri isn’t your thing, then you might prefer Amazon Prime Music — which comes pre-set on Echo devices and can be used with Alexa — or YouTube Premium, which is fully integrated into the Google sphere (think Google Home, Android phones, etc.). If you’ve already bought into speakers, voice assistants, or smart home devices, then it’s worth choosing a music streaming service that will integrate easily with the systems you’re already using at home.

    Think about music sharing

    Music streaming platforms can be a great place to share music, see what your friends are listening to, and even post your own original content. Our favorite service for building a music community is Spotify, which offers a “friend feed” and collaborative playlists for discovering music through other users. Apple Music and YouTube also let members create robust profiles, so that you can explore playlists made by your friends and check out what the artists themselves are listening to.

    Look for the right price point

    All of our top picks are similarly priced, but you may be able to get a discount if you know where to look. Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and Amazon all give student discounts for their premium plans, as long as you can present a valid student ID. Tidal also gives a 40% military discount for service members and their families, as well as first responders (the only one of our top picks to offer this). If you’re willing to pay up front for an annual membership instead of month-to-month, both Amazon and Apple Music will cut you a deal. And, if you don’t mind the ads, you can get limitless free access to Spotify or YouTube.

    Music Streaming FAQs

    What is the cheapest music streaming service?

    Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music both offer unlimited free music streaming, although these versions are ad-supported so you’ll have to put up with interruptions. The cheapest music streaming subscription is Pandora Plus for $4.99 per month or Amazon Music for $7.99 per month for Prime subscribers, or two dollars more for non-Prime subscribers.If you’re a student with a valid ID card, you’ll only pay $4.99 per month for streaming with Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music or Tidal. Students get a discount on Amazon Prime too, which comes with Prime Music subscription built in and YouTube Premium for $6.99 per month which includes YouTube Music. Beyond that, all the major streaming services are around the same price: $10 per month for an individual plan or $14.99 per month for a family plan that includes up to six accounts.

    What does “high-fidelity” or “lossless” music streaming mean?

    Before you can stream a song online, it has to be compressed into a digital file. When music is compressed, bits of sound are removed to make the file smaller and more manageable. In theory these bits are so minor that most people won’t miss them — but to the trained ear, a compressed file could have noticeably poorer sound quality. “Lossless” audio takes out fewer (or no) sounds, resulting in a digital file that’s truer to the original recording.

    What music streaming service has the best quality?

    Tidal has the best audio quality of any streaming service we reviewed, but Amazon Music HD, which we haven’t reviewed yet, offers the same glorious lossless audio capabilities for just as many songs. They are the only companies on our list that currently offer high fidelity, lossless music streaming. TIDAL’s HiFi subscribers can also listen to select albums in Master Quality on Tidal’s desktop player. Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) albums retain 100% of the original recording quality so you can experience them “as the artist intended.”

    What’s the difference between Google Play Music and YouTube Music?

    Google Play Music (which has been around since 2011) and the new YouTube Music app are both owned and operated by Google. The services have slightly different offerings: Google Play is closer to Spotify or Apple Music — with official content only — and lacks the rare or user-made content that you can find on YouTube. Google Play Music also has a “cloud locker” feature that lets you upload and incorporate tracks you already own. There’s speculation that the two will eventually be merged, but as of November 2019 they remain two separate platforms. That said, anyone who was a Google Play subscriber at the time YouTube Music launched (in May 2018) does get access to the new YouTube Music Premium for free and anyone who signs up for YouTube Premium gets access to Google Play at no additional cost.

    Does Apple Music work on Android?

    Yes! The Apple Music app is available on the Google Play store for Android users. However, Droid customers won’t have access to Apple Music’s voice command feature, which currently only works through Siri.

    What’s the difference between Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited?

    Amazon’s Prime Music is included with every Amazon Prime membership at no additional cost to you. It includes a catalog of over 2 million songs, and “more than a thousand playlists and stations.” Amazon Music Unlimited is a more robust version of the service that you’ll pay an extra fee for (between $7.99 and $14.99 per month, depending on your plan). Its library packs “tens of millions” of tracks and “thousands of playlists and stations.” The two also have some differences in capability, with Music Unlimited boasting a more robust set of Alexa commands and exclusive artist content that you won’t find on Prime Music.

    How many songs does Spotify have?

    There’s no official count — the company claims more than 50 million tracks, and one Spotify community member estimates that thousands of new songs are added each week. What’s certain is that you’ll never run out of new and exciting content. In fact, there are so many unique tracks on Spotify that millions of them have never been played even once. If you’re craving something new and different, you can check out some of these unheard gems on the website forgotify.com.

    More Music Content

    Now that you’ve found the best music streaming service, you’ll need a way to tune in: bluetooth headphones to smart speakers, we’ve got your audio cravings covered. Check out some of our other music related content:

    About the Authors

    The Reviews.com staff is dedicated to providing you with all the deep-dive details. Our writers, researchers, and editors came together from Charlotte, Seattle, San Juan, Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, and Chicago to put this review together.