We explain the difference between Spotify and YouTube Music with table. With the onset of the digital age, online media streaming services have seen a huge increase in online usage and streaming. Whether it’s songs, online radio, or podcasts, online music streaming services deliver comprehensive content from all corners of the world via the Internet. Two such popular streaming services are Spotify and YouTube Music. YouTube Music vs Spotify
Both YouTube Music and Spotify are two of the most popular and widely available online music streaming services. Both services are available for the web, Android, and iOS. Both offer music streaming with the highest quality music available and dynamic recommendations to enhance the user’s listening experience. But, there are many factors that differentiate these two services.
What is Spotify?
Spotify is a very popular online audio streaming service. It was released on October 7, 2008 and is owned by Spotify AB. It is available in most of Europe and America, Oceania, and parts of Asia and Africa. It offers streaming music and podcasts from various record labels, independent artists, and media companies.
Spotify has premium and free services. The free service provides online streaming with a maximum audio streaming quality of 160 kbit / s along with advertisements, and the premium service provides additional features such as offline listening, downloads, and ad-free music with the highest audio quality available. Premium service is available as Family, Duo and Student Plan. YouTube Music vs Spotify
Spotify also provides the experience of listening to various types of podcasts ranging from true crime audio documentaries to comedy shows. Spotify also has a feature called “Spotify for Artists” that helps artists publish their music on the platform with or without a media distribution company. YouTube Music vs Spotify
What is YouTube Music?
YouTube Music is an online music streaming service developed by YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. It was released on November 12, 2015 and later became a replacement for the Google Play Music app as the main Google music streaming app for future devices. It is available in 95 countries (mainly in Europe and America and parts of Asia and Africa). YouTube Music vs Spotify
YouTube Music also has free and premium services, where the premium service offers only offline downloads and background playback, in addition to the feature that is already available in the free service. The free service provides music with a maximum transmission quality of 128 kbit / s and the premium service offers a maximum transmission quality of 256 kbit / s.
However, YouTube Music does not include the function of listening to podcasts. To listen to podcasts, you need to install the Google Podcasts application. YouTube Music vs Spotify
Difference between Spotify and YouTube Music
The difference between Spotify and YouTube Music is that YouTube Music is a YouTube extension and a recent replacement for the already available Google Play Music, while Spotify, which is an audio and music streaming service provider, is available to users. for over 12 years and has more users than YouTube Music.
Comparison table between Spotify and YouTube Music
| Comparison parameters | Spotify | Youtube Music |
| Release date | Released October 7, 2008 | Released November 25, 2015 |
| Characteristics | Music is available through various parameters, such as genre, album, and artist. Users also have access to create, edit, or delete their playlists. | Music is available as releases by various top artists and music from music videos already available on YouTube. |
| Active user count | 320 million monthly active users | 2 billion monthly active users |
| Audio quality | The free service provides a maximum audio quality of 160 kbit / s, while the premium service provides a maximum audio quality of 320 kbit / s. | The free service provides a maximum audio quality of 128 kbit / s and the premium service provides a maximum audio quality of 256 kbit / s. |
| Amount of content available | There are more than 60 million tracks available. | There are 50 million tracks available. |
| Podcast Streaming | Besides music, Spotify also has hundreds of podcasts divided into various genres such as comedy, music, and education. | YouTube Music does not have separate features for podcasts. Podcasts are available through the Google Podcasts application. |
| Platform | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS smartphones and tablets and some smart speakers like Amazon Alexa. | Android, Android TV, Android Auto, iOS, Web, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. |
Main differences between Spotify and YouTube Music
- Spotify was released on October 7, 2008, while YouTube Music was released on November 12, 2015.
- Music on Spotify is categorized through various parameters, such as genre, album, and artist. Users also have access to create, edit, or delete their playlists. Whereas, on YouTube Music, music is available as releases from various mainstream artists and music from music videos already available on YouTube. YouTube Music vs Spotify
- Spotify has 320 million monthly active users, while YouTube Music has 2 billion monthly active users.
- Spotify’s free service provides a maximum audio quality of 160 kbit / s, while the premium service provides a maximum audio quality of 320 kbit / s. The free service on YouTube Music provides a maximum audio quality of 128 kbit / s and the premium service provides a maximum audio quality of 256 kbit / s.
- On Spotify, there are more than 60 million tracks available to listeners. However, on YouTube Music, there are 50 million tracks available. YouTube Music vs Spotify
- Besides music, Spotify also has hundreds of podcasts divided into various genres such as comedy, music, and educational. Unfortunately, YouTube Music does not have any standalone podcast capabilities. Podcasts are available through the Google Podcasts application.
- Spotify is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS smartphones and tablets and some smart speakers like Amazon Alexa. Android, Android TV, Android Auto, iOS, Web, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. YouTube Music does not have any software for Windows or Mac.
Final Thought
Online media streaming services are dominant and widely available music streaming sources in the digital age. Spotify and YouTube Music are widely available around the world and have many unique features that distinguish them from each other. Based on a person’s listening experiences and content availability, a person should choose their preferable music streaming service. YouTube Music vs Spotify
