Benjamin Levicek A comparison of music streaming services may be of interest to all those who want to switch to one of them. Every person is original and unique, but I probably don't know anyone who wouldn't be impressed by the tones of a certain song or the words of a podcast. More demanding users who wake up, work, play sports and sleep with their favorite songs have probably already figured out that the easiest way to listen is to subscribe to the service, which gives them access to an almost unlimited library of songs and albums from most artists. But there are several providers on the market and you may not be able to choose which one to choose. If you are indecisive, then together in this article we will look at the comparison of the most popular music streaming services - you will definitely choose one of them.
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Spotify
Everyone who has at least a passing glance at technology has certainly heard of the Swedish service Spotify. It is by far the most popular in its field - and no wonder. In its library you will find more than 50 million songs, so everyone can choose. Spotify is also known for its sophisticated algorithms, which, based on what you listen to, can put together playlists exactly to your taste. If you're interested in what tones make your friends happy, it's possible to track and interact with each other. The developers have also implemented a section for podcasts in their service, which will be welcomed by many users. The service is also able to use an advanced search by lyrics, which is useful if you don't know the name of the song, but at least remember snippets of the lyrics. In addition to the iPhone app, Spotify is also available for iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Android, Windows, web browser, and almost all smart TVs and speakers. If you don't want to pay for Spotify, you'll have to put up with having to play songs only at random, limited track skipping, frequent ads, and the inability to download songs for offline listening. Spotify Premium then unlocks downloading songs directly to the phone's memory, music quality of up to 320 kbit/s, a program for Apple Watch with the possibility of streaming music to headphones, or perhaps controlling music using Siri. Spotify Premium for one costs €5,99 per month, a plan for two members costs €7,99 per month, a family plan for up to six members costs €6 and students pay €9,99 per month. Whichever kind of subscription you choose, Spotify gives you the first month to try it out for free.
Apple Music
Apple's streaming service, which contains more than 70 million songs, fits perfectly into the Apple ecosystem. It has perhaps the best Apple Watch app of its kind, which can not only stream music but also download songs to it for offline listening. In addition, the service works perfectly on the HomePod smart speaker, where you can completely control the music via Siri. In addition to all Apple products, Apple Music will be enjoyed by Android owners, it can also be used in a web browser or Amazon Alexa speaker. However, compared to Spotify, you won't be able to enjoy it on as many smart speakers or TVs. Singers will surely be pleased that the Californian giant has implemented the lyrics of some songs into the service, so those who don't know the lyrics can sing along with their favorite performers. Apple also thought about informing users about their favorite artists, so it bets on exclusive interviews and video clips in which individual performers are involved. Like the Scandinavian developers, those from Cupertino have implemented algorithms for recommending songs, but their sophistication is nowhere near as high as it could be. The same goes for the sophistication of sharing what you're listening to with other friends. The sound quality of Apple Music is average, you get up to 256 kbit/s for your money. If you would like to use the apple service in a limited mode for free, you will not go. However, you will get at least a three-month trial period, during which you will definitely find out whether the service "fits" for you or not. The prices are not out of line with the competition - Apple charges 149 CZK per month for an individual subscription, 6 CZK for a family subscription for 229 members and 69 CZK for a student subscription.
You can install Apple Music for free here
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YouTube Music and YouTube Premium
Google is not far behind either, specifically making money with two services - YouTube Music and YouTube Premium. The first one mentioned only serves to play music and does not deviate in any way from the range of its competitors. Here you will find approximately 70 million songs, the sound quality of which does not exceed 320 kbit/s, and the lyrics can also be displayed for the songs. Thanks to the fact that Google collects significantly more information about its users than other companies, recommending songs works really well, on the other hand, compared to the competition, there is a rather confusing sorting of personalized genres and playlists for you. In terms of device support, in addition to iPhone, iPad and web browser, YouTube Music is available for Apple Watch and some smart TVs and speakers. The free version contains ads, doesn't allow downloads for offline listening, you can only stream in lower quality, and you have to have the app open on the screen to play, so you can't lock your phone. You can try YouTube Music for free for one month before paying. If you activate YouTube Music in the iOS or iPadOS application, the prices will be higher than those of the competition. When activating via the web interface, however, you only pay 149 CZK per month for individuals or 229 CZK for families. In the iOS application, the price is CZK 199 and CZK 299, respectively. In addition to a YouTube Music membership, YouTube Premium unlocks video downloads and background playback, removes all ads, and even allows you to enjoy exclusive content. In case of activation via the iOS application, individuals pay CZK 239 and families CZK 359, if you activate the service via the web interface, you will pay CZK 179 and CZK 269, respectively.
You can download YouTube Music from this link
You can install the YouTube app from this link
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Tidal
If you're a true music lover, you shouldn't miss the Tidal service. Compared to competing applications of a similar kind, here you can play songs in lossless quality, with which you will achieve the same experience as if you were listening to music on a CD. Under the conditions of an ideal Internet connection, streaming stops at 16-Bit/44.1 kHz. Tidal is also an ideal way if you want to support artists as much as possible - most of the revenue goes to them. The creators are also trying to get exclusive interviews with the performers, but unfortunately there aren't many of them. Apart from lossless quality, the application does not offer much, both in terms of functions and advanced song recommendations or attractive design. In the area of supported devices, Tidal is slightly above average, in addition to phones, tablets and computers, you can also play music on some smart speakers or televisions, but you will not find all of them here. The free version works on a similar principle to Spotify - you can only skip tracks to a limited extent and you won't get rid of ads. For 149 CZK per month for individuals, 224 CZK for families or 75 CZK for students, it will be possible to download and listen to music in a quality of up to 320 kbit/s. If you want premium sound, prepare CZK 298 per month for individuals, CZK 447 for families or CZK 149 for students. Again, I recommend activating the subscription via the Tidal web interface, because if you activate it via an application downloaded from the App Store, the prices will be 30% higher.
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