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When did the battle of Apple Music versus Spotify begin? I remember the argument of which is the better music app being a hot topic since I was in high school, however, I never really could form an opinion on the issue myself. Then, as a music lover, I needed an app that would maximize my listening experience as well as how I organize my music. Also, as a broke college student, an affordable streaming service is highly favored. So, this is where Apple and Spotify come in as the most popular music streaming services (in my opinion). And, since I have had experience with using both – I feel that I can offer some great insight.
Apple Music
Let’s start with Apple Music, the go-to app for most iPhone and Apple product users. Well, what’s so special about it? I can say that I subscribed to it mainly for the student discount, making me a loyal subscriber since high school. Since Apple is such a mainstream company, and I was an easily influenced teen – I just had to use it. To me, Apple had a pretty nice interface; It was fun to create my own playlists, see what my friends were listening to, and just flex that I used Apple Music to anyone who asked. So, what other benefits came with Apple Music? Well, I liked being able to search up the lyrics of a song to find what the song was called, telling Siri to play something specific (i.e. a playlist, artist, specific song), and curated playlists of mixes or songs that the app would think I may like based on my listening history. So, Apple Music has some nice quirks.
Spotify
Now, let’s move on to Spotify, one of the most impressive streaming services provided. It has an aesthetically pleasing interface, provides so many customizable features… Oh, and the student plan ($4.99/month) comes with a free Hulu and Showtime subscription. So, I’d say it’s already off to a great start. Then, its components are very similar to Apple’s: you can make your own playlists, see your friends’ accounts to check out what they’re listening to, listen to podcasts, and it creates personalized and recommended playlists for you, as well as so much more.
Final Thoughts
But, let’s really compare the two – which one is better overall. For me, as of now, I recently made the switch from Apple to Spotify and I still don’t really have a preferred app. But, I can say, Spotify, I wish I had subscribed to you sooner. Yes, Apple Music is great and personable, but Spotify is so much better socially. Lastly, Spotify Wrapped is such a cool feature where you get a year’s summary of your music listening activity. Apple, unfortunately, doesn’t have this unique feature and as a former subscriber, I’d feel FOMO seeing everyone else’s Spotify Wrappeds. So, to answer the big question: is Apple Music or Spotify better? My answer is that it depends on preference (but I gotta say Spotify has made quite the impression).