The Best Music Streaming Services to Get Your Groove On
Music sure has come a long way since you had to go dig through the bins at your local record store. You can pipe hundreds of millions of songs directly into your headphones from anywhere with an internet connectionall for the price of one CD each month. No more buying tracks or buffing out scuffs.
All of these services’ libraries pretty much mirror each otherwith the phrase “over 100 millions songs” being thrown around by multiple services. The things that separate streaming services are the quality of music discoverythe experience on desktop and mobile appswhat devices you can use them withand of course their sound quality. Most of them have free tiersbut the experience improves if you subscribe and pay a monthly fee.
It was hard workbut I spent a few weeks jamming out to my favorite tracksjudging recommendationsand crunching the numbers on subscription plans to figure out which music streaming service deserves your dollars.
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Updated October 2025: We've updated this post with information about Spotify Losslessadded more information about lossless musicand updated plan and pricing information where applicable.
Listening Platform
While all the big players are available on most common operating systemsthe level of feature support and polish isn't consistent. Apple Musicfor exampleis tied closely into the iOS digital ecosystemmaking it easy to keep all of your accounts and info togetherbut Android users would need to jump through some hoops to manage their accounts. Amazon Music would prefer if you used Alexa speakers to listenalthough support varies.
The top pick on this listSpotifydoes well to support most major mobile and desktop platformsas well as a variety of game consolesbut the other services tend to vary in their compatibility. Make sure to check that your favorite devices are supportedparticularly if you're listening on esoteric hardware like a Garmin Watch or Windows Phone.
You shouldn't be afraid to switch platforms if you find one isn't working out for you. Almost all of our picks offer a way to import your existing library and playlists from other servicesmaking it easy to pick up where you left off without packing up any vinyl.
Audio Quality
Some streaming services offer lossless audiowhich just means that the compression used to transmit the file doesn't reduce its quality. Lossy music quality is typically measured in kilobits per secondor Kbpswith most streaming audio falling between 256 Kbps and 320 Kbps. Lossless audio is usually discussed with two numbersbit rate and sample ratewith the most common being CD quality at 16-bit and 44.1 KHz. If you're interested in learning morewe have a great explainer about Hi-Fi and lossless audio.
That sounds great on paperbut the reality is that most people probably won't notice the differenceparticularly if you listen on earbuds or Bluetooth speakers. The A/V Experts at WIRED can't really tell unless they listen closelyand NPR has a quiz where you can test your ear to see if you can detect any compression.
You're more likely to hear the difference if you listen on high-end hardwareand it becomes more apparent in classical music and jazzwhere pristine recording technology and light production touch can make certain high and low tones stand out more.
The downside is that these files are often four to five times the size of their compressed audio counterparts. That means they'll take up more storage space on your phone or device and use up more of your data when you download or stream them. There may be other hardware limitationslike needing Apple-specific audio chips for lossless audio on Apple Musicso make sure to check compatibility before you make this a key decision point.
You may also see the term “spatial audio,” which is a feature Apple Music added not long agoand is also found on some Tidal tracks. Spatial audio uses Dolby Atmos technology to allow artists to mix music so that you hear the sound from around you and above for a much more immersive qualitybut you'll need compatible headphones or speakers to hear the difference.
Friends-and-Family Plans
Almost all of the streaming services on this list offer some kind of discount for multiple usersusually in the form of a “family plan” even if there's no actual familial requirements. You can often save quite a bit of cash splitting up these monthly paymentsand everyone gets their own account with their own playlistsmusic librariesand recommendations. Just make sure you trust the people in your family plan to pay up on the first of the month.
Some services also offer discounts for studentswhich can save you some bucks if you're just trying to put on some tunes for studying or partying.
You may enjoy music more when you can share the experience with friends. If all those friends use Spotifysharing the same platform will make it much easier. Tyler Hayes has tips for each service in How to Make Your Music Streaming More Social.
Best Overall
Spotify has the best music discovery algorithms and the slickestsnappiest user interface. It leads me down rabbit holes to find new artists and old favoritesbased on what I’ve already liked and listened to on the app.
The free tierwith advertisementsdefaults to a low-quality 96-Kbps streaming bit ratebut you can bump that up to 160 Kbps. For $12 a month (a $1 increase from the last time we updated this story in January 2024)the Premium tier ditches ads entirely and streams up to 320 Kbpswhich is the standard streaming quality these days. These are bit rates for the app; the web player sticks you with 128 Kbps and 256 Kbpsrespectively.
Spotify's lossless libraryannounced in February of 2021finally started rolling out in September of 2025and it supports music up to 24-bit at 44.1KHz—although as I write thismost lossless songs are 16-bit at 44.1KHz. Not every user has access yetbut the mobile and desktop app will notify you with a splash screen when you're invitedor you can check your audio quality settings to see if you have the option to opt in. On the desktop appyou can click the “Lossless” tag under a track while it's playing to see the details.
Spotify lets you add an unlimited number of songs to your personal library. As a long-requested featurethe 10,000-song limit is goneand you can now add unlimited songs to each playlist. If you turn on social sharingyou can see what your friends have been listening to and create sessions wherein a group simultaneously streams a playlist. There’s an option on each Artist page to listen to only the songs of theirs you’ve likedwhich is a very welcome change from previous years.
The way Spotify groups albumscompilationsand singles in one location—with an option to separate them—is much smoother and more convenient than the old setupwhich forced you to view them all separatelyall of the time. Playlists and albums get their own shuffle buttonswhich is a nice touch that lets you know when you’re on shuffle and when you’re listening to everything in order.
The Audiophile Pick
Tidal and Apple Music have been trading places in our guide to best audiophile pick for a while now. As both have introducedon certain tracks for their highest tiers24-bit192-kHz bit rate qualitythe differences remain razor thin. While Tidal continues to streamline its subscription model and featuresit still has better support for different platforms and hardware than Apple Music.
Tidal HiFi offers 16-bit44.1-kHz (CD-quality) sound at $11 a monthwith support for Dolby Atmos Music and 360 Reality Audioand there are even tracks you can play at “Max" quality (24-bit192 kHz). There used to be a free tierbut now your only option if you don't want to pay is a one-time 30-day free trial for new users.
Tidal's “Direct Artist Payouts” schemein which “up to” 10 percent of your subscription fee is delivered to the artists you listen to mostis dead. It was a very thoughtful additionand if you cared about the state of the music industry and the effect streaming has had on itthe knowledge that you’re supporting your favorite bands and artists was a factor in our awarding Tidal this high recommendation. Now there's even less separating Tidal from its neck-and-neck challengerApple Music.
Tidal’s catalog includes more than 100 million songs. The selection draws from the same broad swath of genres as its competitionand it no longer leans primarily on hip-hop tracksas it once did. All of its songs are currently available in lossless format.
For Apple Aficionados
Apple Music was our audiophile pick until Tidal knocked it off the pedestalbut it’s still a very solid choice for lossless quality at $11 a month if you’re an Apple user. For select songsaudio streams at 16-bit44.1-kHz or 24-bit192-kHz quality. The latter matches Tidal's best efforts. The biggest catch here is that Apple Music works best on iPhonesMacBooksand other first-party Apple Devices. If you're on Android and Windowsit's best to look elsewhere.
Apple's song catalog numbers over 100 million songsall of which are available in lossless format. Some tracks are also available in Dolby Atmos. Apple Music’s regularlossy format streams songs at up to 256 Kbpswhich isn’t noticeably different from Spotify’s 320 Kbps.
Apple’s human-curated discovery options aren’t as fun as Spotify’s. As on Spotifyyou can see what your friends are listening to if they’ve turned on social sharing. You’re limited to 100,000 songs in your librarybut there are no limits to how many you can put in each playlist. Spotify is one of the few services to offer unlimited likesif that's a deciding factor.
I like the iPhone appand the Android version is OKbut the desktop app is dreadful. Songs occasionally refuse to playclicking “Add to Library” rarely worksand the Back button is a dysfunctional mess. Adding music to your library is tedious. If you navigate away from the browsing tabthe Back button takes you to the home screenso you have to navigate all the way back to the album or artist you were looking at—except for when it nonsensically disappears. If you’re considering making the movecheck out our guide to switching from Spotify to Apple Music.
If you’re planning to splurge on an Apple Music subscription with Dolby Atmos and lossless audioyou will need a pair of Apple-made headphones (to go with your iPhone and HomePod Mini). Ifhoweveryou favor Alexa-enabled speakersyou might want to consider Amazon Musiceven if it’s not one of our top personal picks.
Surprisingly Good on Desktop
YouTube Music’s interface is slick and well laid out. It doesn’t try to copy Spotify’s lookand I like how the song queue and lyrics pop up in a vertical window within the appwhich makes navigating faster and more convenient. You can also easily switch from listening to a song to watching the music videoif one is available.
YouTube used to offer music recommendations based on your precise locationwhich could be creepy. That’s gone in the current YouTube Musicalthough you can still choose to see popular song recommendations based on your approximate location.
The service has more than 100 million songs in its catalogand I liked its band suggestions. You can keep 100,000 songs saved in your libraryand you can create and share playlists with your buddies. YouTube Music combines Apple Music’s and Spotify’s best artist-tracking features. You can see your “liked” songs by artistand you can subscribe to an artist to see their entire catalog and new releases.
The free tier has a major downside—on the smartphone appthe music stops playing when you turn your screen off or jump to another app. That means you’ll probably need to pony up $11 a month for YouTube Music Premiumwhich also cuts out the ads and lets you download songs for offline playback. The desktop app doesn’t have the same critical weakness.
Note: If you watch a lot of YouTubeconsider YouTube Premium instead for $14 a month. It gets rid of ads on YouTube and offers unlimited access to YouTube Music Premium.
The Rising Star
This international audio streaming service has been around for a long timeand has slowly added features that have turned it into a legitimate competitor. While there were low limits before on liked songsthat cap is now 10,000 on all deviceswhich is lower than our other picks. It boasts both Hi-Fi FLAC and 320 kb/s audio quality for all premium plans (depending on your country)plus excellent support for desktop and mobile platforms. It has simple pricingwith single user plans starting at $12or $6 for studentsas well as duo and family plans that can reduce the price even further.
I also found the artist and song discovery have improved a lot since the last time we wrote about Deezer. It had me choose 15 of my favorite artists as I set up my accountand as a result did an impressive job of finding my and recommending new songs and relevant playlists right out of the box. I didn't have any issues finding artists I listen to on other platformsincluding more obscure offeringsand I didn't run into any issues with region-locked songs.
Deezer is also a great pick if you care about musicians and the economics of streaming. The company is constantly iterating on features like artist-centric payments and AI detection that help support independent and smaller artistsas well as protecting you from hearing AI slop if you don't want to. Overall I'm surprisingly impressed with Deezera service I'd only heard of recently after the surge in AI music across platformsand it was the service that came the closest to getting me to switch off Spotify. - Brad Bourque
Honorable Mentions
Amazon Music: The best thing about Amazon Music is that you get a basicad-free version included with Primebut there are a lot of catchesand the capabilities offered between the four available plans are so intricate they require a sizable chart to decipher. There are differences between which playlists you can accesswhether you can shuffle or notaudio quality levelsand even supported devices. OverallAmazon Music's clunky interfaceso-so music discoveryand overly complicated subscription model hold it back from being a top pick.
Pandora: Once the king of music streamingPandora is still very popularbut it has steadily lost listeners over the past decade. The free tier is full of ads. There’s a visual ad in the app windowads periodically interrupt your listening on the curated radio stationsyou need to watch ads to skip tracksand you need to watch ads to search for and play specific songs. Paying $5 a month gets rid of themexcept you still have to watch ads to search for your own tracks. The $10-a-month Premium tier lets you search for songs without adsbut like the other tiers it promises unlimited skips but has fine print saying that “skips (are) limited by certain licensing restrictions.” The maximum bit rate of 192 Kbps is too low to be worth paying for. It’s a bad deal all around. Pandora is simply falling further and further behind.
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