Nowadays the two biggest streaming platforms, Spotify and Apple Music seem to be doing anything they can to one up their competitor, but which one gives you the most bang for your buck? We’ve compiled some of the key features such as music recommendations and music exclusives from both Apple Music and Spotify to try and see which one has the best value for your music needs.

1.Price

First off the most important factor: price. This category is Spotify’s first win even though both Spotify and Apple Music cost the exact same for individual plans starting at $9.99 and family plans starting at $14.99 for two people. Spotify earns the win because it also has a combo deal with Hulu for $12.99 per month for both services and a 50% discount for some college students.

2.Platform Exclusives

The next factor is exclusives. Spotify earns its second win in this category, with over 400 exclusive songs. Spotify boasts a few exclusive singles from artists like Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, and Def Leppard. Apple Music on the other hand doesn’t have many big-name permanent exclusives, with most of their exclusives only staying on the platform for a few months before going to all the other streaming platforms.

3.User Interface

The third point of contention is the user interface/app design, which is going to be another win for Spotify. Bolstering an app designed for more of a focus on a casual music fan looking to set moods for work, exercising, or studying. On the other hand Apple Music has an interface focused more on people who want to only listen to their personal playlist.

4. Recommendation

The fourth point is music recommendation. This is another overwhelming victory for Spotify. This is because each week Spotify will make two playlists catered for specifically to you based off your listening habits. Apple Music’s recommendation system is cluster of genres you might not even listen to but for those who don’t know what to listen to Apple Music does have Beats 1 radio which plays a mix of the best hits and new releases.

5.Artist Connection

Our final point is artist connection. Which gives Apple Music has its first definite victory thanks to it’s connect feature. Connect allows artists to post images, videos, and text posts to communicate with their fans. Spotify, on the other hand, only lets artists post music and playlists to their artist page.

Overall Spotify is the winner by a long shot with better app design, music selection, and recommendation systems. That doesn’t mean it’s a total loss for Apple music because it does have its advantages like Beats1 Radio and its connect feature. In the end, Spotify is the victor with a final score of four to one.