These differences matter and should be a major factor when deciding which streaming service to subscribe to. Well take a look at all the biggest ones in this post that will help you decide which of the two services comes out on top in the YouTube Music vs Spotify battle.
YouTube Music vs Spotify: Free plan limitations
David Imel / Android Authority
Both Spotify and YouTube Music have a free plan available, but the limits set in place by each provider are very different.
Spotify only allows you to choose the songs you want to play on specific playlists like the personalized Daily Mix. On others, you can only play tracks in shuffle mode, which is annoying. You can skip the songs you dont like, but only six times per hour. Audio quality is limited to 160kbps, and you cant download songs for offline listening. Also, there are occasional ads that interrupt the listening experience.
YouTube Music's free plan lets you play any song you want.
The free YouTube Music plan, on the other hand, allows you to pick and play any track you like, making it much more useful than Spotify in this regard. You can even skip tracks as many times as you want. However, the biggest disadvantage of Googles streaming service is that once you turn off the screen on your phone, the music stops. And forget about browsing the web while listening to music: as soon as you close the app, the music cuts off. Spotify doesnt have this limitation.
Just like its biggest rival, the free version of YouTube Music is also supported by ads and doesnt allow you to download music to your phone. Audio quality is limited as well: you can stream at a maximum of 128kbps.
Theres no clear winner here, as the free plans offered by the streaming services are more different than alike. Deciding which one is right for you comes down to the limitations that work better in your specific situation.
YouTube Music vs Spotify: Content
Both Spotify and YouTube Music offer access to tens of millions of songs. Quality trumps quantity any day of the week, and there isnt a big difference between the two in this area in my experience. All my favorite songs and artists are available on both platforms. Your mileage may vary, though, although likely not by much especially if the artists youre into are relatively popular and well-known.
The biggest difference between the two services in terms of content is that Spotify also gives you access to podcasts, while YouTube Music is focused on music and music videos.
Read next: Why Im an avid Spotify user
There are over a million podcast titles on Spotify. Theres a good chance the ones youre listening to are available on the streaming service, regardless if they are popular or super-niche. This means that if youre a Spotify user, you dont need a separate app for podcasts anymore.
There are no podcasts on YouTube Music, but there are a lot of music videos, as one would expect. They are a big part of the service. A list of recommended and new videos frequently shows up on the front page, and you can also check out various charts, including the top global 100 music videos.
Keep in mind that Spotify also has several videos, although they arent front and center like its competitor. The selection is limited, to say the least, and theres no dedicated section where you could find videos. Instead, they usually pop up when searching for an artist or song.
The two streaming services are a better fit for you when it comes to content coming down to what you value more. If youre into videos, YouTube Music is the better option for you. But if podcasts are more of your thing, Spotify is more up your alley.
YouTube Music vs Spotify: Music discovery
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
Heres where the gap between the two services gets bigger. Spotify is much better for music discovery. It has the popular Discover Weekly playlist containing songs from artists and genres youre listening to. A new one is released every Monday with 30 tracks. Additionally, the service also creates up to six daily mixes for you based on your listening habits.
The Swedish streaming service also has a ton of playlists for just about every genre and mood you can imagine. Its easy to find what youre looking for, regardless if youre using the service on your phone or PC. Whats more, the app also has a lot of charts that list the most popular songs by country there are more than 60 of them available.
Spotify has a lot more playlists than YouTube Music.
YouTube Music offers four types of personalized playlists. Theres the Discover Mix that gives you 50 lesser-known tracks every week, the New Release Mix that contains the most recent releases by your favorite artists, and a set of mixes based on your listening habits. Then theres the My Supermix, a mix of songs from different genres you like and includes 100 tracks.
Googles service also allows you to browse playlists by mood or genre, but the problem is that the selection is limited. Spotify seems to have much more playlists for each genre when compared to YouTube Music. There are also more moods and genres available to browse through on Spotify compared to Googles streaming service.
Also: The best Spotify tips to get more out of your subscription or free account
Im not saying that YouTube Music is bad at music discovery. There are a few mixes available and a few playlists, which most people will likely be happy with. However, Spotify does it way better. With that in mind, this round definitely goes to the Swedish streaming giant.
YouTube Music vs Spotify: Pricing and plans
Weve already talked about the free plans and their limitations in the first section of this post, so now lets take a closer look at the premium plans the two services offer. Spotify and YouTube Music have very similar prices in the US.
Spotifys individual monthly subscription will set you back $9.99 per month, while a two-user plan, called Duo, will cost $12.99 per month. The price is lowered to $4.99 if youre a student. You can also get a family plan that supports up to six accounts for $15.99.
Meanwhile, YouTube Music costs $9.99 a month for a single user. It also has a $14.99 plan that can be used by six users, making it a dollar cheaper when compared to the same plan offered by Spotify. Then theres also a $4.99 plan for students.
Read next: Tidal vs Spotify Which one is the better option for you?
However, Google also offers a YouTube Premium subscription that will appeal to those who love watching YouTube videos. The subscription costs just $2 more per month and includes both YouTube Music and YouTube Premium. YouTube Premium gets rid of ads. You can also download YouTube videos and take advantage of background play, which means that a videos audio wont stop playing if you close the app or turn off your phone screen.
Other differences
There are several other small differences between the two services as well. For example, Spotify has better social features than its competitor. In addition to sharing songs on social media, you can check out exactly what your friends are listening to. Its a great way to discover new music.
You can also see how many monthly listeners a certain artist has and how many followers playlists have. This can be used for comparison purposes, allowing you to figure out which artists/playlists are popular among Spotify users.
YouTube Music also lets you share tracks on social media and allows you to see how many subscribers each artist has. But you cant see what your friends are listening to or how popular a certain playlist is.
Spotify offers a lot more features than its rival.
Spotify also has a bunch of other extra features you wont find on its competitor. Theres a sleep timer available that will stop playing music after a specified amount of time. Then theres the crossfade feature that lets you create a seamless transition between songs and gapless mode that tries to eliminate the pause after one song ends and a new one starts.
Spotify also works with Google Maps. This means you can play, pause, or skip tracks without leaving the app while having navigation turned on. Theres even a Windows app available, which you dont get with YouTube Music.
And the winner is
Overall, Spotify is the superior service. Its better for discovering new music, has more playlists, offers stronger social features, and gives you access to loads of podcasts. The app is also packed with useful features, including crossfade. However, that doesnt mean its a better option for everyone.
There are still reasons to choose YouTube Music over Spotify. If you love watching music videos, Googles service is right up your alley. Its also a great option for those who want to get YouTube Premium features, although that will require an extra $2 per month [totally worth it!]. These are the two main selling points of YouTube Music right now, but if they arent super important to you, Id suggest you subscribe to Spotify.
Next: YouTube Music vs YouTube Premium vs YouTube Music Premium
If you dont want to spend money and are satisfied with a free plan, YouTube Music is the better choice. Especially if youre using it on a computer. You can play any song you like and skip as many times as you want. But if you want to browse the web on your mobile device while listening to music or turn off the display to save battery life, Spotify is a better option. As already mentioned, theres no winner when it comes to the free plan, so youll have to base your decision on the limitations you can more easily live with.
Keep in mind that both services offer a free one-month trial for their premium service. So if youre still on the fence regarding which one to go with, test them out both first to see which one you like better.
These are the main differences between YouTube Music and Spotify, although there are a few other smaller ones. Perhaps you realized you value sound quality more than you thought; in that case, be sure to turn your attention to Tidal HiFi or Amazon Music HD.