It’s no secret that right now, the three most popular music apps are Spotify, SoundCloud Go, and Apple Music. Which is the best investment? Which has the newest music? Is it true that Spotify offers a family plan? We’ve tried out all three premium music apps so that you can make the best decision based on your interests. This article will provide you with all the information you need to make a decision…or you could just scroll to the bottom to find out our favorite.
Pricing and Free Trials:
Spotify Premium: The price is $9.99/month. You can get a 30-day free trial and also have the option to use a free version of the app
Apple Music: The price is $9.99/month. There is also the option of purchasing a family plan for $14.99 for up to six people, which could be shared using the Apple Cloud. Apple Music offers a free 3-month trial.
SoundCloud Go: SoundCloud Go charges $9.99/month as well. However, if it is purchased through the iOS app, it costs $12.99/month because the user is purchasing it through Apple. Registering for an account on your computer, and then downloading the app on the iPhone can avoid this extra cost. SoundCloud Go also offers a 30-day trial and offers a free version, similar to Spotify.
Downloadable Music:
All three music apps allow you to download music so that you can listen without Wi-Fi or data.
Music Collection:
Spotify Premium: Spotify claims to have over 300,000 songs.
Apple Music: Apple also claims to have over 300,000 songs.
SoundCloud Go: While SoundCloud Go has over 125 million songs, keep in mind that many of these songs are personal uploads, podcasts, and remixes.
Artist Library:
Spotify Premium: Some artists haven’t given Spotify their permission. Major artist Taylor Swift’s music is currently not available.
Apple Music: Almost all major artists are available on Apple Music.
SoundCloud Go: Many major artists haven’t given SoundCloud their permission such as Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and Rihanna.
Personalization:
Spotify Premium: The “Discover Weekly” playlist is updated every Monday morning, which offers two hours of personal music recommendations based on the music and artists that you listen to most.
Apple Music: Apple offers the “For You” tab, which is specialized based on your music preferences. Playlists are created from previous music you have listened to.
SoundCloud Go: While SoundCloud Go doesn’t have a particular place for you to find suggested music, after playing a track, multiple recommended songs will come up that are similar to what you just listened to.
Radio:
Spotify Premium: Spotify offers playlists based on your mood with multiple auto-generated stations. They also offer a 24/7 radio station called Beats 1 with various popular DJ hosts.
Apple Music: Numerous radio stations are offered, which are sorted by artist, music type, and more.
SoundCloud Go: The user has the option of selecting stations, which are playlists of music sorted by artists, genre, etc.
Wireless Listening:
Spotify Premium: Spotify Connect allows you to send audio to connected speakers in most locations.
Apple Music: Apple supports AirPlay, which allows you to send music from your iPhone or iPad to any speakers or television.
SoundCloud Go: The extent of using SoundCloud Go wirelessly is by using Bluetooth.
Cons:
Spotify Premium: Spotify doesn’t always have the latest remixes. Senior Samantha Callahan states, “Apple Music usually gets the newest songs right when they come out.”
Apple Music: Apple Music lacks the social aspect that Spotify and Soundcloud offer to get their users involved. In the other two apps, you can create an account and follow other users, but Apple Music doesn’t offer this capability.
SoundCloud Go: This app is less organized than the other two. For example, in order to download an album by an artist, you would have to find each song and add it to a playlist individually.
What’s the Verdict?
At this point, the leading premium music apps are Spotify Premium and Apple Music. Both apps are similarly priced, allow the user to listen to music without Wi-Fi, and have a large collection of widely known artists. If you’re stuck between these two apps, a leading question to ask yourself would be: how important to you is it that all your music is located in the same place? If you want your downloaded music in with your iTunes account on your phone and computer, and also want to play a song by commanding Siri, then Apple Music is for you. On the other hand, Spotify locates all of the songs within the app. If you don’t care about the integration with iTunes, then Spotify may be the app for you.
If you don’t want to pay for a music app, there are many free options as well. Senior Jake Thole stated that he usually just uses the free version of Pandora. So, regardless of if you’re listening to songs, free or paid, use the app that has the best assortment of music for you.