If you are a music fan, there are basically two options: Spotify and Apple Music. Sure, there are other music streaming services – Tidal, Amazon Music, Qobux – but if you want access to as much music as possible, Spotify and Apple Music are head and shoulders above the rest.
But just because they’re the two best services doesn’t mean one doesn’t have advantages over the other. Apple Music may have had a rocky start, but if you haven’t tried it out in a while, there are plenty of reasons to consider dropping your Spotify Premium account and signing up for Apple Music. Here are six:
Apple Music Classical
The latest Apple Music feature is actually a brand new app dedicated to classical music. The Apple Music Classical app is included for free with individual and family plans and contains more than 5 million classical music tracks, with “hundreds of Essentials playlists, insightful biographies of composers, in-depth guides to many important works, and intuitive browsing.” If classical music is your thing, you won’t find anything even close on Spotify.
Album and song descriptions
For years, Spotify was the best place to discover new artists, but Apple Music has come a long way. From radio stations to playlists, Apple Music is a great place to both find new music and learn about the music you love. Click into an album and you’ll find an informative description that adds context to the recording, information about the artist, and a track-by-track breakdown for some albums. It’s a fantastic way to get to know a new artist beyond the songs you listen to, and helps gain an appreciation for the work as you explore their music.
A friendlier interface
As with music, user interfaces are in the eye of the beholder, but Apple Music does a great job of putting new music, old favorites, and related artists all in one great interface that’s easy to navigate at a glance. Spotify, on the other hand, is going through something of an identity crisis with a recent UI overhaul that brings “a more active experience with advanced recommendations, a spotlight on visual canvases, and a completely new and interactive design.” Some may like it, but it definitely needs some work.
Spotify
Apple Music, on the other hand, has slowly refined its interface to one that is smart and sensible. Music that I absolutely want to hear, probably want to hear, and maybe want to hear is all accessible without getting in the way. The Listen Now tab does a great job of collecting artists and genres I like, and the Browse tab has an excellent mix of playlists, new releases, and events I may have missed. For example, the Monday after Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour kicked off, there was an official playlist with her full setlist as soon as I launched the app. Many people have created similar playlists on Spotify, but you have to search for them.
Sing Apple Music
Back in December, Apple launched a new feature called Apple Music Sing that essentially turns your iPhone or Apple TV into a karaoke machine with real-time animated lyrics prompts and the incredible ability to customize vocals to make it a solo or a duet. Since high-quality machines cost hundreds of dollars, this is probably reason enough to make the switch if you’re into karaoke.
HomePod
Now that the full-size HomePod is back, it’s also the best way to listen to Apple Music. While you can listen to Spotify on any number of smart speakers, HomePod offers Apple Music subscribers a fully integrated, stylish speaker with incredible sound you can’t get anywhere else.
Sound quality
In 2021, Apple introduced high-resolution lossless audio for Apple Music, making almost every song available in a maximum resolution of 24-bit/192kHz versus 24-bit/48kHz for ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) and 16-bit/44.1 kHz (CD quality). While it’s been promising a similar service for years, Spotify doesn’t offer anything close to that quality, with a top speed of 320kbps for Premium subscribers. Your ears may not hear the difference, but we prefer to spend our money on the service that delivers the best possible quality.
Speaking of money, Apple Music costs $10.99 / £10.99 per month for an individual plan or $16.99 / £16.99 per month for a family plan with up to six people. There’s also a student plan for $5.99/£5.99 and a limited Voice option for $4.99/£4.99. Apple also offers several ways to get Apple Music for free if you want to try it before canceling your Spotify subscription.
