10 Best Spotify Alternatives for Audiophiles Everywhere
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
With over 574 million users worldwide, Spotify is one of the most popular audio streaming services in existence. It offers users access to millions of songs, curated playlists, and podcasts like Call Her Daddy, Armchair Expert, and Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain to name a few.
While you can listen to Spotify for free on desktop and mobile, Spotify's $10.99 Premium monthly subscription gives you total listening flexibility and an ad-free experience — there are also membership plans available for families and students.
However, Spotify is far from the only digital audio service out there. There are a handful of Spotify alternatives that offer subscribers similar perks — plus some unique features. If you’re considering pausing your Spotify membership to explore other options, you’ve come to the right place.
YouTube Music
YouTube watchers can upgrade their free subscription to a paid premium option that includes access to YouTube Music, the platform’s subsidiary app. YouTube Music allows streamers to save and download music and podcasts to a library on their computer and phone. Users can also create playlists, enjoy curated collections based on their interests, or browse those created by other YouTube Music subscribers.
YouTube Premium costs $13.99 per month or $22.99 per month for a family plan. YouTube Music is included in your purchase, however, you can purchase the streaming portion of the plan separately. On its own, YouTube Music costs $10.99 per user or $14.99 per month for a family plan.
Apple Music
Apple Music is another audio player with a lot of perks. Subscribers can enjoy over 100 million songs and 30,000 playlists ad-free whether they’re on or offline. Plus, if you listen to Apple Music with your AirPods or Beats headphones, the music will track with Spatial Audio, so it feels like the beat is surrounding you.
It's easy to keep tabs on your favorite artists though this service, too. When an Apple Music user adds songs and albums to their library, they'll get notifications every time that artist releases new music. Additional features include the ability to tune into live radio shows, access to curated playlists, the option to create and share playlists, and the largest classical music catalog on a streaming service to date.
Apple Music offers three plans: Student ($5.99 per month), Individual ($10.99 per month), and Family ($16.99 per month).
Tidal
Tidal’s tagline on Instagram reads “For the love of music” — we think that sums it up nicely. This is the music streaming service of choice for those who want the highest-quality listening experience possible. Tidal has over 100 million songs and 650,000 videos, but it’s also an interactive hub where artists and fans can connect through live performances, original collaborations, and more.
Tidal offers users two plan options. HiFi is $10.99 per month, and it includes high-quality sound, 100+ million songs, 650+ million videos, ad-free listening, unlimited skips, offline access, and live on Tidal events. HiFi Plus is $19.99 per month and it includes everything in the HiFi plan, along with maximum sound quality that's available in numerous formats: HiRes FLAC, Dolby Atmos, Sony 360 Reality Audio, FLAC, and Master Quality Authenticated (MQA).
Pandora
While Pandora is the Spotify alternative for those who prefer to be mostly hands-off with their music choices, it now offers the flexibility of a semi-randomized, radio-esque listening experience and the on-demand song search and curated playlists that so many other services offer.
Pandora is powered by the Music Genome Project, in which every song on the service is analyzed by music experts and grouped with complementary tracks to create a smooth, cohesive listening vibe. Listeners can influence their future song selections by giving each track a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down.
There are three subscription plans available for the smart web player: Pandora Free, Pandora Plus ($4.99 per month), and Pandora Premium ($9.99 per month)
Amazon Music
Amazon Music is a streaming platform that is owned and operated by — you guessed it — Amazon. It's also the first streaming service to sell music without micromanagement from the big four music labels.
Currently, there are three Amazon Music subscriptions to choose from:
Amazon Music Free offers users free access to today’s top hits, playlists, and podcasts, but it does include ads.
If you're already an Amazon Prime member and paying $14.99 per month (or $139 per year) for the service, choosing Amazon Music as a Spotify alternative is a no-brainer. Prime members get access to over 100 million streamable songs, plus the largest catalog of podcasts on a streaming service — both of which you can listen to without ads.
Amazon Music Unlimited ($9.99 per month) is a premium subscription, but you don’t need to be a Prime member to sign up. It features 100 million songs in HD, plus millions of songs in Ultra HD and Spatial Audio to be enjoyed through select devices.
Deezer
Deezer is a multimedia streaming service that offers music, podcasts, and radio stations for your listening pleasure. It also has some unique features: Shaker is a tool that allows users to gather their music and their friends’ music all in one place, even if their BFFs are Spotify members. There's also Flow, an AI-powered recommendation tool that requests songs based on user history. Finally, Song Catcher is a tool that can identify a song playing nearby.
Deezer offers a free 1-month trial, but a Premium monthly subscription costs $11.99. The Premium Annual plan is $143 per year, the Student plan is $5.99 per month, and the Family plan is $19.99 per month.
SoundCloud
You might know SoundCloud as a platform for indie artists to upload their tracks, but the site has grown into a hub for both artists and fans. SoundCloud is currently home to over 375 million tracks from 40 million artists, both new and established.
A free subscription lets you listen with ads. The SoundCloud Go membership ($4.99 per month) drops the ads, lets you save songs and listen to them offline, and supports independent artists via SoundCloud’s Fan-Powered Royalties. Finally, SoundCloud Go+ ($9.99 per month) unlocks exclusive songs and gives subscribers the option to download their mixes.
Hoopla
Book lovers, rejoice! If you have a library card, you can have a Hoopla membership. This Spotify alternative operates under Midwest Tape, a full-service entertainment and media provider that distributes products like DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, and more to libraries across North America. Hoopla is its digital branch where libraries can offer patrons access to digital video, music, audiobooks, e-books, and comic books.
The best part is that a Hoopla membership is free. All you need is a valid library card and email address, and you’ll have instant access to Hoopla’s entertainment catalog.
Radio Garden
Launched in 2016, Radio Garden is not your traditional streaming service. You can’t download Top 40 songs from this site, but you can tune in to live radio stations around the globe if you’re seeking the ultimate music variety.
The site’s designer, Jonathan Puckey previously told NPR that Radio Garden is funded by public money from The Netherlands Institute of Sound and Vision, with its goal being to “help radio makers and listeners connect with distant cultures and reconnect with people from home.”
When you log on to the free service, you’ll be met with a spinning globe dotted with green markers; each one represents a different city or town. Simply tap on any dot and tune into that city or town’s broadcast.
Qobuz
At Qobuz, quality trumps quantity — but they still have a lot of music (over 100 million tracks) for users to stream. Songs and albums available on Qobuz are “as close to the original studio recording as you can get,” according to their website. It was the first service to offer CD-quality and 24-bit Hi-Res files for streaming.
Qobuz currently offers two subscription options: The Studio plan ($10.83 per month) includes studio-quality streaming, access to over 100 million songs, original editorial content, as well as offline listening. The Sublime plan ($14.99 per month) includes the same perks, plus discounts of up to 60% off Hi-Res purchases.
You Might Also Like
