The variety of streaming music services is constantly growing as more and more people want to enjoy their favorite songs at home, in the office or any other place with a stable Internet connection. Such services offer nice features, e.g. the possibility to create adjustable channels.
The smart algorithms used on such platforms are meant for the automatic suggestion of artists and albums based on your favorite genres and listening habits.
Top 9 Music Streaming Services
- Spotify - Hi-res tracks
- Tidal - High-fidelity music streams
- Apple Music - The best for iPhone users
- YouTube Music - Lots of live recordings
- Amazon Music Unlimited - Wide platform support
- Deezer - CD-quality HiFi tier
- Pandora - Comedy and podcasts too
- Primephonic - Great for classical music
- Idagio - Exclusive recording content
While compiling the list of the top music streaming services, I paid attention to the size and the variety of the catalog components, as well as the quality of audio files. I also considered how well the interface is designed, whether the service offers any additional features, such as gapless playback, parental control, offline listening and the possibility to watch clips and sing along to lyrics.
1. Spotify - Our Choice
- Quick arranging of playlists
- Allows listing favorite songs offline
- You can follow artists
- None found
Verdict: First of all, Spotify can be used on devices running all modern OS and works smoothly in any web browser. Besides, the service attracts with an impressive collection of popular songs and well-organized playlists. The latter are related to a specific activity, be it training in the gym, jogging, long car trips, relaxation, and whatnot.
Here you can also find cool podcasts and other interesting programs. Though the service is paid, you can take full advantage of a free version if you don’t mind dealing with ads and listening to songs on demand.
2. Tidal
- Guarantees lossless playback
- Top audio quality
- Profiles and record reviews on every page
- It takes long to find some Masters tracks
Verdict: Among diverse music streaming services, Tidal occupies a solid position and is a go-to platform for many users. It is favored by lots of people because of lossless audio streaming with top sound quality that is identical or even better than CD. The catalog comprises over 60mln audio files and if you are all about music, especially the urban genre, you are unlikely to find a better streaming service.
Tidal is designed to cater to the needs of a broad range of users, so it is perfectly optimized for iOS and Android devices, and desktop computers. You can also access it from Sonos and similar platforms, as well as use a browser-based player.
3. Apple Music
- Smart suggestions
- Very large collection of music files
- Allows listening to music without an Internet connection
- Android app functions worse than the iOS one
Verdict: Being one of the most popular music streaming services, Apple Music can satisfy people with absolutely different preferences, because it contains 60 million songs in the catalog accessible from devices running Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.
Human curators are in charge of constant expending of themed playlists that allows instantly finding the desired track. For today, this is the only service, which streams right from a HomePod (Apple-native smart speaker) without the need to connect a phone.
The new feature that has won the hearts and souls of many users is the possibility to search for songs using lyrics. This is really helpful if you tend to forget a title. The service smoothly integrates with Apple’s hardware such as iPad, and works with your active iTunes music library without any trouble.
4. YouTube Music
- Very efficient search
- Adds clips from YouTube
- Google Play Music locker system
- Highly compressed streams
Verdict: YouTube is frequently referred to as one of the best video hosting sites. What differentiates YouTube Music from similar music streaming services is that it allows users to upload up to 100,000 of their own soundtracks to stream from the cloud without spending a cent.
Choosing this service, you can look through a huge collection of audio files and clips, create adjustable playlists both on computers and mobile devices. The location-based playlists recommend songs that you may like to listen to at that particular place. Being also treated as a top-notch video streaming service, it pleases with some handy extras - the possibility to download videos and watch them offline.
5. Amazon Music Unlimited
- HD and Ultra HD audio quality
- Cool scrolling lyrics
- Tight integration with Amazon-family devices
- Only paid version
Verdict: While googling “Which music streaming service is best?”, you are likely to see Amazon Music Unlimited in most reviews. Such popularity can be explained by a library of 60+ million songs, thousands of precisely arranged playlists and personalized stations. If you have an Amazon speaker, you can navigate through the catalog using Alexa, and get some additional content (commentary from favorite artists).
Based on the songs you typically listen to the service suggests related playlists and radio stations. In most cases, the recommendations are relevant. The UI is designed to eliminate possible confusion that may appear while browsing the Amazon catalogs.
6. Deezer
- A huge catalog & rich device support
- Lots of podcasts
- Uncluttered, user-friendly interface
- No hi-res streaming as for today
Verdict: Searching for the best music streaming service, you should have a closer look at Deezer, which is initially aimed at streaming high-fidelity audio. The collection of soundtracks has reached the 56mln point, with most of them being available in a lossless format. You can stream or download them to your devices with ease. Deezer is available in 180 countries and is favored by many because of remarkable audio quality, straightforward UI, and the possibility to choose the EQ settings.
7. Pandora
- Provides info on artist tours and available tickets
- One of the largest user bases
- Great Pandora's Music Genome Project
- Occasional performance drops
Verdict: Pandora is called the best free Spotify alternative and is also regarded as one of the most popular streaming radio services in America. It can brag about better flexibility if compared to similar websites and even the Premium plan is praised by many users regardless of the cost.
Pandora Premium was created with the aim to compete with album-focused streaming music services that allow subscribers to select separate tracks. The music player shows an album cover in the middle of the screen and provides access to lyrics, favorite/ban icons, playback controls, artist info, etc.
8. Primephonic
- Special focus on classical music
- Numerous playlists
- Smart searching mechanism
- Catalog calls for upgrading
Verdict: If you are looking for a straightforward music streaming service without bells and whistles, here is the best variant you can find. The collection of albums is regularly extended, and some playlists are curated by famed artists. Primephonic pays special attention to the latest releases and new artists, which can’t but please users, who want to “feel the pulse” of the modern music community.
Generally, Primephonic can be the best music streaming service for families fond of classical music. It has a clear UI, the online playback feature and amazing sound quality, which is quite sufficient for average subscribers.
9. Idagio
- Handy categorization and search instruments
- CD-quality streaming
- Top-notch classical music catalog
- Some gaps in the catalog
Verdict: This is one of the most popular music streaming services in the world among people, who like classical music. Here you can search for the needed audio file by a composer, performers, recording date, etc. Other helpful options are curated playlists and numerous sorting tools. Using Idagio, you can stream high-fidelity audio without paying extra fees.
The service offers 2mln tracks, some of which are also available on similar platforms. However, the special focus here is on classical titles. You can use a free ad-supported plan, or spend money on paid plans with some goodies - lossless audio and the possibility to connect dedicated audio devices.
