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YouTube Music vs Spotify

Which one is right for you?
By
November 6, 2022

It may not seem like it at first glance, but YouTube was always perfectly positioned to take over music streaming. You might already know that Google is the most popular search engine in the world, but not many people know that the second most popular search bar that people type things into is YouTube. Now that Google Play Music (RIP) has officially transformed into YouTube Music, it’s worth asking how it stacks up against some of the other most popular music streaming services. In this article we’re going to be comparing it specifically to Spotify to see which one is worth your money.

Editor’s note: this versus article was updated on November 6, 2023 to include a new section on availability, updated pricing comparisons, new features, and answers to frequently asked questions. 

What platforms are Spotify and YouTube Music available on?

You can listen to Spotify and Youtube Music on pretty much any device.

You can use both Spotify and Youtube Music from pretty much any device that you have. The Spotify app is available for iOS, Android, Mac, or Windows. You can also download the Spotify app in some cars, TVs, game consoles, smart watches, and more, just check the application store on your device to see if Spotify is available for download. You can also stream Spotify to other devices via Bluetooth, AirPlay, Chromecast, Alexa, Google Assistant, Spotify Connect, and more. If all else fails, you can access Spotify from any device with an internet browser via the Spotify web player.

Similarly, Youtube Music is available on a plethora of devices. You can download the Youtube Music app for iOS, Android, WearOS, smart TVs, and more. Youtube Music Premium unlocks support for more devices including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Sonos wireless speakers, and more. There is also a web player for Youtube Music, so you shouldn’t run into any problems trying to play your music on any connected device.

Spotify and Youtube Music are both available in over 100 countries, with some differences. You can see the full list of available regions for Spotify here, and the list of Youtube Music supported regions here. Device and location support for both of these platforms are constantly growing, so we’re going to call this category a tie.

What are the differences between the free version of Spotify and YouTube Music?

While both Spotify and YouTube Music offer premium subscription plans, it isn’t required. Both services offer decent tiers that let you access the service for free. Of course, prepare to be blasted with ads if you go this route. It isn’t just ads that get in the way, both services cap streaming quality: the free YouTube Music option tops out at 128kbps and free Spotify maxes out at 160kbps on mobile. It’s true that neither of these services are known for their superior sound quality, but Spotify announced Spotify HiFi, an upcoming premium tier of its service which will rival Tidal HiFi and Amazon Music HD—There’s been no news on the feature since a message of “we’re working on it” in February 2022, so don’t hold your breath.

Pictured is an iPhone 11 Pro running YouTube Music next to a Pixel 3 running Spotify.
Spotify and YouTube Music both have their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to UI design.

Aside from the streaming quality, there are also limitations on functionality. Free Spotify and Youtube Music limits your search ability. You can’t select individual songs and must instead choose songs from select playlists. On Spotify, you can’t skip more than six times if you’re on a mobile. You can’t  download music for offline listening on either platform. Until you pay you are essentially just stuck with a radio service with either platform.

What content do they offer?

A picture of the Google Pixel 3 held by a hand with the Spotify app open.
Spotify offers both music and podcasts side by side.

If you’re torn between Spotify and YouTube Music, this is the section that will most likely be the deciding factor for most. Both are primarily music streaming services but that isn’t all they offer. Let’s start with Spotify. The company is one of the most popular music streaming services in the world, and offers tons of music. The music library numbers in the hundreds of millions for both Spotify Music and Youtube Music.

The company has also been making a huge push to dominate podcasts. It has your popular podcasts and exclusives from people like Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Michelle Obama. True, you might not really care about what any of those people have to say, but you have to admit those are some big names. If Spotify is willing to spend that amount of cash just on a few podcasts, it clearly has big plans for this part of its business down the line.

Pictured is Spotify podcasts screen on iPhone 11 Pro on top of books
Spotify is making a huge push into podcasts.

While there are certainly plenty of podcasts that are uploaded to YouTube in video form, it’s by no means a priority of the service. Meanwhile, Spotify added video support to supplement their podcasts. You can, of course, use a separate app also owned by Google, Google Podcasts, to listen to your favorite shows but it would be nice if they were accessible in the same place. Where Spotify falls short is where YouTube Music excels: songs that are off the beaten track. This includes covers, remixes, and any kind of live jam that a user might upload.

I also found some songs I had never even heard before.

While poking around YouTube Music, I not only found mixtapes from some of my favorite artists that aren’t available on Spotify but I also found some songs I had never even heard before. For example: Blue Room by Chet Baker is one of my favorite jazz pieces, and I had no idea that there was a gorgeous a capella version until coming across it on YouTube Music. The same thing happened with this Frank Sinatra song that I was unable to find on Spotify or Apple Music.

Pictured is close-up of "song" toggle on YouTube Music in iOS
In YouTube Music you can toggle between the full video or just the audio.

These random finds that slip through the cracks of the major publishing deals Spotify signs makes YouTube Music worth it. As long as someone, somewhere uploads it the chances are you can listen to it. And if you can’t find a song anywhere on the platform, you can plug the gaps by uploading your own library. If you were a Google Play Music subscriber that already did this, YouTube Music also has a handy tool to transfer it all over automatically so you don’t have to go through the entire process again.

YouTube Music also takes advantage of its huge music video library. When you conduct a search for a song you can either let the video play or, if you want to save some data, hit the “song” toggle up top which will just serve you the audio. If all you really care about is song availability then it’s hard to beat what YouTube Music has to offer.

Is Spotify or YouTube Music better for music discovery?

Close-up shot of the recommended playlists on Spotify and YouTube Music on two phones on a magazine
Both services do a good job at recommending new music once they get to know your listening habits.

Listening to your own music library is all well and good, but eventually, you’ll run out of things to listen to. That’s why music discovery is very important. Both of these services use a mixture of algorithms and curated playlists to show you new artists and songs you might like. While YouTube Music isn’t bad at this, Spotify is the master of algorithm-based music discovery.

Spotify has been putting on a masterclass in algorithm-based music discovery for years.

YouTube Music has a handful of music discovery options, but there are two main mixes for algorithm-based finds. For starters, there’s Discover Mix, playlist that updates every Wednesday with new picks based on your ongoing listening—just like Spotify’s Discover playlist. There’s also My Supermix, which has a similar premise to the Discover Mix, but it’s a constantly updating rolling list of 100 songs. No need to wait till next Wednesday for new picks, just check back whenever.

Man holding iPhone 11 Pro with YouTube Music playing.
Just like regular YouTube, the strength in YouTube Music lies in its user-generated content.

Then there are the editorial playlists offered by both services. Spotify started out in the lead here, but YouTube Music has certainly gained a lot of ground. Both services offer playlists (called mixes on YouTube) catering to different moods and activities—sometimes more than one.

Since Youtube Music is directly connected to your Google account, it pulls in data from all your Google services to make music recommendations. Any music videos you’ve searched in the past or artists that you’ve looked up could provide insight into the algorithm.

YouTube Music vs. Spotify: Pricing and plans

Data usage on smartphone next to cash.
Depending on how much you pay for data, it might be a good idea to save your favorite tunes for offline listening.

Pricing between the two services is almost identical. A subscription for an individual will run you $10.99 USD/month on both platforms, while a family plan is $16.99 USD/month. Spotify has a Duo membership for two people to share that’s priced at $14.99 USD/month which works for couples. Youtube Music also offers an annual plan for $109.99 USD/year. Spotify’s student plan is a tiny bit more expensive but includes access to Hulu (with ads).

PlatformFree VersionIndividual PlanDuo PlanStudentFamily
Platform
Youtube Music
Free Version
Yes
Individual Plan
$10.99
Duo Plan
$14.99
Student
$5.49
Family
$16.99
Platform
Spotify
Free Version
Yes
Individual Plan
$10.99
Duo Plan
N/a
Student
$5.99
Family
$16.99

Spotify occasionally has random promotions where you can also get Hulu added on for an extra $3 USD so it might be worth checking that out too if you want to bundle your music and video services together. YouTube Music also has its own version of a bundle, and I bet you can guess what video service gets bundled here. If you sign up for YouTube Premium ($13.99 USD/month), which lets you watch YouTube videos ad-free, you get access to YouTube Music thrown in. In that instance, YouTube Premium is a great value.

Which has better sound quality, YouTube Music or Spotify?

Close-up of the YouTube Music interface,
The YouTube Music interface is a weird mashup of YouTube and Spotify.

As these are both music streaming services, it’s only right that we talk about the sound quality. For the best streaming quality, you need to look at Tidal, Amazon Music HD, or Deezer. That’s not to say that either of these services sound bad, they’re fine.

Streaming ServiceMax streaming qualitySupported FormatsSpatial audio option
Streaming Service
Qobuz
Max streaming quality
24bit / 192kHz
Supported Formats
AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, WMA Lossless
Spatial audio option
No
Streaming Service
Amazon Music Unlimited
Max streaming quality
24bit / 192kHz
Supported Formats
FLAC, MP3
Spatial audio option
Yes
Streaming Service
Tidal HiFi Plus
Max streaming quality
24bit / 192kHz
Supported Formats
AAC, ALAC, FLAC, MQA
Spatial audio option
Yes
Streaming Service
Deezer HiFi
Max streaming quality
16bit / 44.1kHz
Supported Formats
FLAC
Spatial audio option
No
Streaming Service
Spotify Premium
Max streaming quality
320kbps
Supported Formats
AAC, Ogg Vorbis
Spatial audio option
No
Streaming Service
Apple Music
Max streaming quality
24bit / 192kHz
Supported Formats
AAC, ALAC
Spatial audio option
Yes
Streaming Service
YouTube Music Premium
Max streaming quality
256kbps
Supported Formats
AAC, OPUS
Spatial audio option
No
Streaming Service
SoundCloud Go+
Max streaming quality
256kbps
Supported Formats
AAC
Spatial audio option
No
Streaming Service
Slacker Radio
Max streaming quality
320kbps
Supported Formats
MP3
Spatial audio option
No
Streaming Service
Pandora
Max streaming quality
192kbps
Supported Formats
AAC
Spatial audio option
No
Streaming Service
Spotify Free
Max streaming quality
160kbps
Supported Formats
AAC
Spatial audio option
No
Streaming Service
Deezer Free
Max streaming quality
128kbps
Supported Formats
MP3
Spatial audio option
No

Choosing the highest quality on Spotify will get you a stream of 320kbps using AAC, while YouTube Music maxes out at 256kbps and also uses AAC. Technically Spotify wins out here, but the actual number fluctuates depending on your connection. You might be kicked down to a lower streaming rate if you have a poor connection. Plus, unless you have some seriously good equipment to A/B test on you likely won’t be able to hear the minute differences here. Once Spotify HiFi is released, it will offer CD-quality lossless audio playback, which is 1411kbps.

Other features you should pay attention to

There are a few odds and ends to pay attention to that differentiate Spotify from YouTube Music. They might be enough to draw you to one or the other but that’s something you’re going to have to try out for yourself. Neither service feels intuitive: Spotify rarely shows me what I want without a few extra clicks and while the filters on the YouTube Music search is cool, I’m sure there is a better way to display the results than a just a list.

Shot of man holding Spotify with available devices listed to play music from
Spotify and YouTube Music both have the option to cast, but they’re not compatible with everything.

Each service also has its own Cast functionality, which is great if you want to play your music on a smart speaker. I prefer Spotify Connect as it doesn’t forget that it’s connected to a speaker halfway through a song like Google Cast constantly does. But again, which one is best for you really depends on your particular setup. Some receivers and speakers might be compatible with just one or the other (or neither). So make sure to check whether the service you choose plays nice with your existing hardware.

So which one is right for you?

Between YouTube Music and Spotify, Spotify is the safer bet for most people, due to its helpful music discovery features. That said, if you frequently use Youtube anyways, then it might be worth it to get Youtube Premium (which includes Youtube Music Premium). For only an extra $2 a month compared to Spotify, you’ll remove ads from all the Youtube videos you watch, download videos, and play videos in the background.

Close-up shot of the YouTube Music and Spotify appi icons on iPhone
Both apps are available on desktop and mobile.

Even still, the choice between Spotify and YouTube Music really depends on what you’re looking for in a streaming service. If you value podcasts then you’re better off with Spotify, but YouTube Music excels at surfacing random music and providing the option to watch music videos.

They’re also both priced similarly so you’re not missing out on much there, and while Spotify technically has a higher bitrate you likely won’t be able to tell the difference unless you find a particularly bad upload of a song on YouTube Music.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, if you open the media player in Spotify you can click on the heart symbol. This will save the song to your “Liked Songs” playlist for easy access later.

No, Youtube Music Premium only includes music playback. To remove ads from all Youtube videos, you will need to pay slightly more money to get Youtube Premium.

Spotify has a lot of functionality for listening with friends. Check out our article on how to start a remote group session on Spotify.