Best Music Streaming Services
There are a lot of music streaming services to choose from, and most of them have more similarities than differences.
They give you access to a wide variety of songs for around $10 per month. But some options will appeal to users with specific interests, and companies continually roll out new features to fight for consumers’ attention.
Competition is heating up. Spotify and Apple Music—which lead the market—have engaged in a public battle for music streaming supremacy.
Google and Amazon both launched free versions of their services, which smart speaker users can access on demand. Amazon’s latest update offers a high-quality tier, called Amazon Music HD, in a bid for Tidal’s audiophile niche.
Meanwhile, older players such as SiriusXM have revamped their services and newcomers include two platforms for fans of classical music.
Most music streaming services offer an unpaid trial period. Many also offer a free tier; check out CR’s guide to free music streaming for details.
Here, we’ve laid out what sets each streaming service apart. Scroll through, or click the links below to jump to our take on a particular service.
Amazon Music Unlimited & Prime Music
Price: Prime Music is included with Amazon Prime, Amazon’s paid subscription service that costs $13 per month or $119 per year.
Amazon Music Unlimited costs $8 per month for Prime members or $10 per month for non-Prime members. In addition to a free three-month trial and a family plan for the service, you can receive a special rate of $4 per month if you sign up via an eligible Amazon Echo device.
The one caveat: You can use Music Unlimited only on that single device.
Alexa voice assistant users without a Prime account can also access free, ad-supported playlists and stations by asking Alexa to play music.
Who it’s best for: Amazon Prime members.
Pros: Both are ad-free, on-demand services. Amazon Music Unlimited gives you access to 60 million songs, thousands of hand-curated playlists, and personalized stations. If you have an Amazon speaker, you can summon songs using Alexa and get some additional content, such as commentary from selected artists.
Cons: The dual music plans can be confusing. Prime Music has more than 2 million songs, but that’s still a thinner selection than what other streaming services offer.
Amazon Music HD
Price: The new Amazon Music HD is technically just an optional upgrade to the company’s main streaming service, but it’s different enough to consider on its own.
In addition to the library of tracks you get with Amazon Music Unlimited, Music HD delivers a selection of higher-quality music files. It costs $15 per month ($13 for Prime members), and family plans run $20. New customers can take a free 90-day test drive. You can also score a discount if you pay for an annual plan.
What you’ll get is the option to stream files at a higher bit rate, which can make for better sound quality—as long as you have the right equipment.
Amazon Music HD offers upward of 50 million files that can be streamed at up to 850 kbps, more than double the maximum you find on most other services. The real prize is the selection of “millions” of tracks that can be streamed in uncompressed, 24-bit lossless FLAC files.
Who it’s best for: Those who want to stream audiophile-quality sound.
Pros: Amazon Music HD is cheaper than Tidal’s hi-res plan, which costs $20 per month.
Cons: Files compressed at a higher bit rate can sound better, but the differences are subtle once you go higher than about 320 kpbs. The streaming quality you’ll find on basic services will probably satisfy most listeners.
In our tests, we’ve also found that the difference in sound with higher-quality files is perceptible only on great audio equipment. Think speakers and headphones that earn an Excellent score in our ratings.
It’s also worth noting that some devices might not even support the HD streaming, though most new devices should do fine. (See Amazon’s FAQ for details.) And, of course, high-quality files can burn through your data. Stick to WiFi or read carefully if your phone plan isn’t unlimited.
Apple Music
Price: There’s a three-month free trial. After that, individuals must pay $10 per month (or $15 for up to six family members). Apple Music also has a discounted rate of $5 for students. There is no free tier.
Who it’s best for: Consumers who already have large iTunes libraries or who are otherwise committed to the Apple ecosystem.
Pros: Apple Music has a library of 60 million songs that can be accessed on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Human curators create a variety of themed playlists that help users discover new music.
Apple Music sometimes has exclusive early releases of new music from popular artists, such as Drake. This is the only service that will stream directly from the HomePod, Apple’s connected speaker. It also has a novel feature that lets you search for songs using lyrics, which is useful if you can remember the words but not the title.
Cons: The desktop experience on Windows computers is still integrated with the iTunes app, which is a little clunky. However, you can now listen to Apple Music in a browser for a more streamlined experience.
If you have a Google Home smart speaker, you won’t be able to listen to Apple Music directly from the speaker, though you can set up Apple Music on, say, a smartphone and stream to a Google Home speaker over Bluetooth.
Google Play Music
Price: Google Play Music, which launched in 2011, has a free ad-supported tier as well as an ad-free $10 per month All Access option and a $15 All Access family plan. Google offers a 30-day free trial for the paid tier.
Users who sign up for the paid tier of Google Play Music get access to YouTube Music Premium (see below), and vice versa.
Who it’s best for: Heavy Google users, and consumers who want to stream audio files they’ve downloaded from the internet or ripped from old CDs.
Pros: The free and paid versions of Google Play Music both let you upload 50,000 of your own audio files to Google’s servers that you can then stream from any compatible device using the mobile app.
While other services have a similar feature (commonly referred to as a digital locker), Google Play Music is the easiest to use and offers the fewest restrictions on what you can upload. The paid tier also grants you access to a 40 million-song library, comparable with those of other services.
Cons: You can still use it for now, but Google Play Music is shutting down this year. The app will be replaced by YouTube Music (described below) which now has many of Play Music’s best-loved features, including the digital locker. Users can transfer their Google Play Music files and data to the newer service with a couple of clicks.
Idagio
Price: Idagio costs $10 per month and comes with a free two-week trial period so that you can try the service before you commit. Students can get 50 percent off, and there’s also a free tier.
Who it’s best for: Like Primephonic, described below, Idagio is meant for fans of classical music. Services such as Apple Music and Spotify have plenty of classical, but they aren’t designed to organize tracks by factors such as conductor, ensemble, soloist, or individual movements within a larger piece.
That makes for a frustrating experience for listeners hunting for a specific recording. Idagio solves this problem with an interface built for classical music from the ground up.
Pros: Idagio makes it easy to dig up your favorite classical tracks, whether you want to search by composer, performers, or other factors, such as recording date.
The service also has a number of browsing tools, such as curated playlists and the option to sort by various instruments. Idagio also lets you choose to stream high-quality audio files at no extra charge.
Cons: Idagio doesn’t have music that falls outside the realm of classical music, so you’re out of luck if you like a little Springsteen with your Stravinsky.
LiveXLive
Price: Streaming radio is free with ads or $4 per month without ads. For $10, you also get access to an on-demand music library. There’s no trial period for the paid service.
Who it’s best for: LiveXLive—the new name for the service previously known as Slacker Radio—is similar to Pandora, and best for people who prefer a more laid-back listening experience and aren’t picky about exactly which song comes next. The service also focuses on streaming live performances, so subscribers may get access to streams from upcoming concerts where the service is a partner.
Pros: Access to a variety of stations, including ABC News and ESPN Radio, in addition to the usual music genres.
Cons: LiveXLive is geared toward listening to stations, not streaming tracks on demand. The app is a bit difficult to navigate, and the website can be a challenge as well.
Pandora
Price: The streaming radio feature is free with ads or $5 per month without ads. For $10 per month, you get ad-free streaming radio and access to an on-demand library. A $15 family plan is also available. Pandora offers free trial periods for both paid plans. Discounts are available for students and members of the military.
Who it’s best for: Paid subscribers can stream specific tracks as they can on any other service, but Pandora shines for those who want tailored recommendations and the kind of hands-off listening experience you get with a live radio station. You don’t need to scroll through lists of songs or do a lot of searches—you just sit back and listen to what the service picks for you.
Pros: It’s easy to get started. Tell Pandora which artist you want to hear and it creates a channel with selections from that artist and others with similar styles, which you can then tweak to match your tastes. Apps are available for most major platforms, including web browsers, Android and iOS smartphones, and most smart speakers.
Cons: Pandora’s maximum audio quality isn’t as high as that of some of its competitors.
Primephonic
Price: Primephonic charges two different rates, depending on audio quality: $8 per month for lower-quality files (320 kpbs MP3s) or $14 per month for higher-quality files (lossless 24-bit FLACs). Discounts are available if you pay by the year instead of the month. The service offers a free 14-day trial.
Who it’s best for: Classical music die-hards. Like Idagio, listed above, Primephonic is designed to suit the idiosyncrasies of the genre. It can be hard to find your favorite recording of a beloved Rachmaninov concerto on more mainstream services, even though they might work perfectly well for tracking down that fifth official remix of “Old Town Road.” On Primephonic, the search tools handle the naming conventions of classical tracks with ease.
Pros: Primephonic is simple and intuitive. New albums are added frequently, and there’s a variety of playlists, some curated by well-known artists. Primephonic puts a particular focus on new releases and more obscure artists and labels, which is a nice bonus for listeners who are always hunting for something new. The optional high-quality streaming package will be attractive to many users as well.
Cons: Primephonic might not work as your only source for music streaming because it has only classical music. The service has apps for mobile devices, but there’s no desktop app, so you’ll need to open a web browser to listen on a computer. And audiophiles may be put off by the extra money required to access Primephonic’s lossless audio streaming when its chief competitor Idagio doesn’t charge for it. The sound quality of the basic package should be more than enough for most users, however.
SiriusXM Essential and SiriusXM Premier
Price: SiriusXM has recently launched “Outside the Car” packages that let users without satellite radios listen using an app or a web browser.
The Essential package costs $8 per month and gives you access to hundreds of channels, including comedy, sports, talk radio, on-demand shows, and commercial-free music with skippable tracks. For $16, you can upgrade to Premier, which adds two dedicated Howard Stern channels and play-by-play sports, which are missing from the Essential package.
There’s no free trial, but $1 buys you a three-month test run for either package.
Who it’s best for: Consumers who like terrestrial radio stations but want more options and a commercial-free experience with the option of skipping tracks. SiriusXM is also the only game in town for Howard Stern fans.
Pros: SiriusXM has a wide variety of options that will almost certainly be a significant upgrade over your local radio stations. And if you have good cell service on your commute, plus an unlimited data plan, you could stream to your car stereo from your phone. You’ll get cheaper access to the same content offered in the company’s satellite radio packages.
Cons: You have to call customer service to end your subscription, which was a convoluted, time-consuming process when we tried it. Choosing a package is also surprisingly complicated. When you factor in the satellite radio tiers, new users need to choose from more than a dozen subscription options with a confusing variety of offerings, optional add-ons, and hidden fees. The SiriusXM app and web interface are also more difficult to navigate than those of most competitors.
Spotify
Price: Users can stream songs on demand free with ads via desktop and web apps. On a smartphone, users can stream playlists and stations free with ads, but on-demand song selection is limited to a small selection of tracks. The Premium tier, which costs $10 per month for individuals or $15 for up to six family members, grants full on-demand access to Spotify’s library of 35 million-plus songs. Student subscribers can also get access to Hulu (with commercials) for an additional $5 per month. A 30-day trial period is available.
Who it’s best for: Consumers who want to hear plenty of music on a variety of devices. The free tier is also one of the better options for users who don’t mind ads and want to listen to songs on demand.
Pros: Spotify combines a large library of popular songs with a series of robust playlists. These playlists are often geared toward specific activities and genres, helping consumers find music for specific situations, such as the gym or long car trips. Podcasts and other original programming are also available. If you’re a student who also wants a TV streaming service, bundling with Hulu could save you money as well.
Spotify works with a variety of connected devices, including the Sonos One and Google Home Max smart speakers, as well as the Sony PlayStation 4 game console. Desktop apps are available for macOS and Windows, and mobile apps are available for Android and iOS.
Cons: Syncing music you already own to your Spotify library can be confusing.
Tidal
Price: Tidal has many tiers. It starts at $10 per month for standard audio quality; $20 per month unlocks high-resolution audio. Discounted plans for families, students, and members of the military are available. The service offers a free one-month trial.
Who it’s best for: Music lovers who want high-quality audio (including hi-res audio) and offline listening. The service is also great for hip-hop and R&B fans; its offerings are particularly comprehensive, including some exclusive material.
Pros: Tidal offers CD-quality and hi-res audio (via HiFi, its top-tier service). Tidal’s library features 60 million songs and 240,000 videos.
Cons: $20 per month is steep, especially when Prime Members can get Amazon Music HD for $13. You might not be able to hear the difference with the high-quality files if you don’t have excellent audio equipment, and even if you feel high-quality audio files are worth the price of admission, they can use up small cellular data plans pretty quickly. And though Tidal has a wide selection of tracks that will stream at CD quality, the entire library isn’t available in high resolution. You also can’t upload your own songs.
YouTube Music
Price: YouTube Music is free with ads. YouTube Music Premium, which is ad-free, costs $10 per month, or $15 per month for families. A free three-month trial is available. Discounts are available for students. Consumers with a Google-powered smart speaker can also access free ad-supported playlists and stations without signing up for the service by asking their device to play music.
Adding to the potential confusion, a separate service called YouTube Premium, which costs $12 per month, includes the same music streaming service plus ad-free videos and some original video content.
Who it’s best for: Heavy Google users, particularly those who spend a lot of time listening to music or watching videos on YouTube. And like Spotify, the free version of YouTube Music is one of the few options for users who want to listen to songs on demand.
Pros: Access to a large library of songs (including personalized playlists) and music videos available via mobile and desktop apps. Location-based playlists will even suggest songs—think high-tempo music at the gym—at appropriate times. The premium tier offers extras, such as the ability to download music and videos for offline use. Users can also upload up to 100,000 of their own audio files to stream from the cloud, a great option if you have a collection of music that you can’t find on streaming services.
Cons: On the free tier of YouTube Music, you can’t lock your phone screen or switch over to another app or the music stops unless you’re listening to music you uploaded yourself. YouTube Music and YouTube Premium are also accessed via separate apps, which could be cumbersome for some users.
How to Listen
Whichever service you choose, you’ll have a better time with your music if you play it on equipment that sounds great. Here are a few of the best-rated headphones and speakers from CR’s ratings.
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