When Spotify burst on the scene in the mid-late 2000’s, the idea of streaming unlimited music each month for absolutely nothing blew the minds of everyone around the world.
They were ahead of the game and they’ve reaped the rewards for that, maintaining their status as the number one music streaming site on the planet as the years have ticked over.
However, that doesn’t mean to say that competitors haven’t emerged or that they aren’t catching up.
Over the past decade or so, more and more music streaming services have launched as they bid to wrestle the crown off Spotify, all of which have different unique selling points and price points.
And it’s led some people to ask the question; is Spotify worth it? For those that don’t think so, there’s a few different similar apps to choose from.
In this article, we are going to examine the best Spotify alternatives on the market today and look at each of their best features. Let’s get started.
Apps similar to Spotify – The top 3 alternatives
Amazon Music
It’s 2022 and at this point there really aren’t many pies left that Amazon don’t have their fingers in. Amazon Music is their answer to music streaming which they currently offer for £9.99 a month, or £7.99 a month of you are an Amazon Prime member.
At the time of writing, they are also offering users the ability to try the app for completely free of charge for three months to see whether it is for them or not.
When you first open up the app and subscribe to the service you are given the option to pick your favourite artists.
This is something that is definitely worth doing because the app will then offer you recommendations in the future based on your music interests.
Once you’ve done this, it’s time to enter the full version of the app and enjoy the various music, playlists, and podcasts available to you.
The app’s main homepage will look completely different to each user depending on what preference you select when you first sign up to the app and your listening patterns over time.
You are likely to see various personalised features on the homepage including suggested radio stations, playlists and new music.
While more generally speaking, Amazon Music will display lists of what’s currently proving to be popular on the platform.
A cool feature on Amazon Music is the Alexa tab. Alexa is Amazon’s cloud based voice service which allows users to essentially use the Amazon Music completely hands free.
Simply set up your voice with Alexa via the Alexa tab within the app, allow the app access to your microphone and listen to your favourite music without ever having to click on the app again.
Apple Music
From one tech giant to another now, as we take a closer look at Apple Music.
Apple has always had a keen interest in music, going huge on iPod’s in the mid-late 2000s with various different models before phone’s were powerful enough to handle large catalogue’s of music.
And where did all the music on iPod’s come from? iTunes – Apple’s first online music platform which allowed users to pay for individuals songs and albums.
While iTunes does still exist, it has in recent years been side lined for Apple Music simply because people would rather consume music in this way now-a-days rather than owning the media like they could via iTunes.
Apple Music is currently offering four different subscription packages ranging from £4.99 a month to £14.99 a month, giving users various options to find the right package for them and despite it being an Apple product, it is available on Android devices.
Apple Music’s homepage is fairly similar to Amazon Music in the sense that it will personalise its recommendations based on what you listen to while also offering generic recommendations such as local radio stations and new music suggestions.
To search for a specific song/album or to browse certain genres all you need to do is hit the search button on the bottom menu bar and to click from one of the many different categories.
Each category page is then broken down into further segments to enable you to really hone in on the type of media you’re looking for whether it be playlists, podcasts or songs.
YouTube Music
YouTube is a truly mammoth social media platform which focuses on video content. It has seemingly been around since the internet begun and has left many of us down rabbit holes at 3am after going on to watch one video four hours earlier.
While you can listen to music on ‘normal’ YouTube, they launched a specific YouTube Music platform in 2015 to act as an alternative/competitor to the likes of Spotify.
YouTube’s main selling point is essentially the rabbit hole we spoke about above. In other words, a super personalised platform that will get provide users with top quality recommendation after top quality recommendation, leaving them stuck on the app for hours on end.
The service can be used for free with ads or for £4.99 a month/£9.99 a month without them depending on whether you sign up for an individual or family account.
One of the best things about YouTube Music is the fact that it incorporates music videos into its service. While this is irrelevant if you just want to use it as music listening platform via headphones while working out or on a walk somewhere, it is relevant if you like to consume media visually.
Another cool feature is the fact that it chooses to categorise its music by ‘moods’ rather than your standardised genres.
These moods include ‘chill’, ‘feel good’ and ‘party’, allowing users to find the perfect playlist for how they’re feeling if they aren’t sure on a specific genre that they’re in the mood for.
To access these mood categories, all users have to do is navigate to the ‘explore’ on the bottom menu bar.
Deezer
Another solid platform you may want to check out if you’re looking for a free music streaming service is Deezer. Though it’s not quite as popular, the free version is pretty good and it offers the ability to download music at will.
The main reasons why users opt for Deezer is the high fidelity sound feature. This gives you higher quality audio than the standard premium version, and is a must have for audiophiles that spend their whole day wearing headphones.
Whilst Deezer has access to the big artists, it can also be good to discover underground artists too. It’s the smallest of the music streaming platforms mentioned, but it still might be worth checking out if you want a Spotify alternative.
Conclusion
To conclude, there are plenty of apps out there that are similar to Spotify and with a lot of them all having rights to exactly the same music, a lot of it simply comes down to personal preference or what an individual is used to.
We would have no problem recommending each of the platforms listed above if you are starting your music streaming journey and are looking for a top notch service.
