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Updated on 2025-06-27
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5min read
Over the years, the music streaming industry has experienced unprecedented growth, with numerous services establishing incredible innovations to lure music lovers around the globe into investing in their products. Both Apple Music and Spotify are among the best platforms with excellent qualities.
However, this doesn’t mean they don’t have their weaknesses. In today’s post, we will compare Spotify to Apple Music using their pros and cons to help you make informed decisions. Also, we will provide a universal music streaming downloader that you can use to export your favorite music from Apple Music or Spotify to your local storage. Keep reading!
Quick Overview of Apple Music and Spotify
Before we compare Apple Music and Spotify in depth, let’s have a quick look at their basic info.
| Apple Music | Spotify | |
|---|---|---|
| User Base | Over 93 million subscribers | Over 626 million monthly active users(246 million premium users included) |
| Library Size | Over 100 million songs | More than 100 million songs and 6 million podcasts |
| Supported Devices | iPhone, Mac, Android, iPod, iPad, Apple Watch, Windows, etc. | Android, iOS devices, Windows, Mac, smart watches, etc. |
Apple Music vs Spotify: Which One is Better?
In this section, we will look at how Spotify and Apple Music compare across sound quality, pricing plan, user interface, download feature, and music-sharing features. Let’s dive in:
Sound Quality
Sound quality significantly affects your listening experience. Although both platforms offer the standard audio quality option, Apple Music is the better option in this case due to the lossless audio quality options it supports. Here is a table comparing Spotify to Apple Music on sound quality.
| Apple Music | Spotify | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Audio Quality | 256 kbps | 320 kbps |
| Lossless (24-bit/48 kHz) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Hi-resolution Lossless (24-bit/192 kHz) | ✅ | ❌ |
Editor Review: If you value sound quality or use devices that need to be compatible with high-quality audio, then Apple Music may be your top choice
Subscription Plan
Spotify and Apple Music offer diverse subscription plans to cater to the budgets of different listeners. Below, we have a table analyzing both music-streaming services in terms of subscription.
| Apple Music | Spotify | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | Yes, within 30 days and with ads | Yes, within 2 months and with ads |
| Individual | $10.99/month | $11.99/month |
| Duo(2 premium accounts) | ❌ | $16.99/month |
| Family(6 members) | $16.99/month | $19.99/month |
| Student (eligible students) | $5.99/month | $5.99/month |
Editor’s Verdict: Overall, Apple Music is more affordable than Spotify, and if you mainly focus on listening to music, it's worth giving Apple Music a try.
User Interface
What’s Apple Music versus Spotify without the UI/UX comparison? Both music streaming platforms are popular for their intuitive and user-friendly interfaces, which can be easily managed by an amateur in the tech industry. However, the quality of their interfaces varies across platforms. For instance, Apple Music has a more simplified interface across Apple devices, while for other operating systems, the service feels restrictive. Spotify, on the other hand, maintains the same UI/UX quality across all platforms.
Editor’s Verdict: Spotify wins in terms of UI/UX simplicity, as it powers a comprehensive interface with customizable features.
Music Discovery and Recommendations
Spotify and Apple Music recommend music to end-users but with unique differences in their methodologies and user experience. Here is a table comparing both services.
| Apple Music | Spotify | |
|---|---|---|
| Algorithmic Playlist | Not available | Spotify supports Discovery Weekly and Release Radar features, which use an intelligent algorithm to recommend songs based on your listening experience. |
| Human Curated | Apple Music focuses on editorial curation to suggest playlists for end-users, meaning your listening habit isn’t considered when recommending songs. | No |
Editor’s Review: If you value curated content, Apple Music provides a richer experience than Spotify. However, if you love continuous personalization and algorithmic recommendation, Spotify is your go-to option.
Download Feature
The download feature for Spotify and Apple Music is peculiar to premium subscribers. However, each music streaming service has its unique quality. Here is a table showing how they stand in terms of the download feature.
| Apple Music | Spotify | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Strictly for premium subscribers | Strictly for premium subscribers |
| Download Limit | Up to 100000 song downloads on up to ten devices per profile. | Limited to 10,000 downloads on up to five devices per account. |
| Automatic Download | Allow you to configure your profile to download music to your library for offline listening at your convenience. | It can only download podcasts automatically and you have to be connected to a WiFi network. |
| Expiration | Your subscription ends. | Your subscription ends or you haven’t accessed your account within 30 days. |
Editor’s Review: Apple Music is the better option compared to Spotify, using the download feature as the criterion. The platform has a more flexible download feature, with support for a larger offline library, unlike Spotify which is quite restricted.
Music Share Feature
Sometimes, you might want to share the great music you’re listening to with your friends or family, whether by playing it simultaneously or sharing a link. Comparing the music-sharing feature of Spotify to Apple Music, here is a table that highlights their differences:
| Apple Music | Spotify | |
|---|---|---|
| Collaborative Playlist | ✅ | ✅ |
| Real-Time Sharing(SharePlay) | ✅ | ✅ |
| Family Sharing and Recommendation | ✅ | ❌ |
| Shareable Links and Social Integration | ✅ | ✅ |
Editor’s Review: If you love sharing the music you enjoy, then don’t hesitate to try Apple Music.
Apple Music vs Spotify: Which One Should You Pick?
The table below shows the side-by-side comparison of Spotify to Apple Music across all features. Check it out to see the differences:
| Apple Music | Spotify | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription Plan | Free or Premium | Free -tier (supports ads) and Premium |
| Music Library Size | Over 100+ million | Over 100+ million |
| Music Discovery | Curated playlist. | Power an excellent algorithm that suggests songs based on your listening habits, using features like Discovery Weekly and Release Radar). |
| Audio Quality | Offer lossless and Hi-Resolution audio quality | Standard audio quality with the promise to integrate HiFi quality in the future. |
| Social Sharing | Have a basic sharing option, allowing you to send your favorite songs via social links or using the Friends Are Listening To feature. | Support extensive social sharing with popular social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and more. |
| Collaborative Listening | Available | Support |
| Compatibility | Integrate with all Apple devices, and other platforms like PCs, Android, etc. | Support Windows, iOS, Android, game consoles, and more. |
Looking at the chart above, it’s obvious that both music streaming services have their unique differences. If you prioritize social features, a simplified interface, and the free-tier pricing plan, Spotify is the one for you. However, if you value high-quality audio and are deeply rooted in the Apple ecosystem, Apple Music is the best option to invest in.
Bonus: How to Export Spotify or Apple Music Locally without Premium
Regardless of the music streaming service you selected, both offer a download feature for you to export your favorite audio resource for offline listening. However, you have to deal with challenges like, continuous premium subscription, and DRM-protection restricting you to playing from native apps. To bypass all of these problems, downloading the audio resource locally is the way to go, and to do that, a professional tool like StreamFox for Music, the Eassiy All-in-one Music Converter, is needed.
StreamFox is a versatile music streaming downloader committed to exporting content from popular platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Deezer, and more to your computer's local storage for permanent offline listening. This software with its sleek interface supports a built-in music streaming browser that gives you unlimited access to all audio resources from Spotify and Apple Music. It downloads content such as podcasts, tracks, playlists, and albums.
Eassiy All-in-one Music Converter
Download music from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and three other music services as local MP3 in 320kbps with ID3 tags retained.
Key Features
- Save the ID3 tags of the song downloads.
- Personalize the song name and output destination.
- It allows you to download in a series of audio formats such as MP3, WAV, FLAC, and more.
- Robust integration with Windows and Mac.
Steps to Download Spotify or Apple Music Locally Using StreamFox for Music
Step 1: Launch the software and an interface showing all the music streaming services supported will come up. Select Spotify to proceed (if you are going with Apple Music, the process is the same).
Step 2: At the upper right corner of your screen, click on Log in and enter your Spotify details to sign in to your profile.
Step 3: Navigate to your Spotify library and choose an audio resource to download for offline listening. Drag the song or podcast to the circular Add icon on the right-hand side of your screen to proceed.
Step 4: StreamFox on receiving your request will direct you to the following screen. Choose the audio format to export the music by clicking on the drop-down menu under Output Format. Once done, proceed to the lower left corner and choose Browse to set the destination path where you want your download to be stored. After that, click Convert All.
StreamFox will start the music or podcast download in the selected audio format to your local storage in no time. When this is finished, you can export the content to your mobile device or any portable player for offline playback.
To preview the download on StreamFox, click on the Finished Tab and select View Output File.
Conclusion
That’s all on the Apple Music versus Spotify debate. We’ve examined both music streaming platforms using features like user interface, subscription plan, audio quality, and more. To download music or podcasts from Spotify for permanent offline playback without subscription issues, StreamFox is one tool you can count on. The software is simple to operate and offers excellent services.