10+ Best Spotify Alternatives and Competitors

Arguably the most popular music streaming platform today, Spotify ticks all the major boxes that a consumer craves for a harmonious listening time. Boasting a user base that is leaps and bounds beyond its competitors, Spotify, without a doubt, is the most used music streaming platform.

Year Founded: 2006
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden

Spotify is popular because of a lot of factors. However, what separates it from the crowd is the recommendations it provides. Spotify recommends new artists, genres, and albums based on our likes, listening activity, and playlists.

The ‘Daily Mixes’ that Spotify offers are cherries on the cake. They are custom-made playlists that are updated every day based on the listening activity of the user, the genre, and even the language.

Spotify has a free version that comes with ads. One can enjoy an ad-free experience by subscribing to their premium plans.

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List of Spotify Competitors And Alternatives

Even though a rarity, it might be that some users are rendered dissatisfied with Spotify’s overall experience and are looking for an alternative. Well, here are some great Spotify alternatives one can opt for!

Apple Music

Year Founded: 2015
Headquarters: Cupertino, California, United States

Without Apple, how can a list associated with productivity or entertainment providers exhaust itself? One of the major competitors of Spotify, Apple Music, serves as a great alternative.

Apple Music offers over 60 million songs on its platform. With Apple Music, one can also upload their own music on the platform.

The biggest advantage that Apple Music has over Spotify is its subscription cost which is cheaper when compared. Also, Apple’s mammoth brand value gives it an edge over Spotify.

Have a look at the top Apple Competitors And Alternatives.

Amazon Music

Year Founded: 2005
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States

Amazon, once selling music online, to streaming it now has come a long way with Amazon Music. With over 70 million songs to select from in any language, Amazon Music is one of the best alternatives to Spotify.

There are two things that give Amazon Music a competitive edge over Spotify. The first one is Amazon at the helm of things and the second one is Alexa’s integration which makes it a lot easier to use the app.

Have a look at the Top Amazon Competitors And Alternatives.

Pandora

Year Founded: 2005
Headquarters: Oakland, California, United States

One of the oldest existing streaming platforms, Pandora boasts a user base exceeding 80 million figure. A pioneer, Pandora’s music is mostly available in the form of radio stations. The music library, though, that Pandora is in possession of, is huge.

Pandora’s biggest advantage, and what makes it a good alternative to Spotify, is its pricing. The premium subscription to Pandora is quite cheap and affordable.

Tidal Music

Year Founded: 2014
Headquarters: New York, United States

Owned by renowned artist Jay-Z, Tidal Music is a streaming service platform that has the potential to be one of the great alternatives to Spotify. Tidal Music provides users with extremely high-quality audio and a user interface that looks straight out of science fiction.

It also boasts of paying the highest royalties to music artists and songwriters. Moreover, Tidal’s paid plans are pretty affordable compared to Spotify, giving it an edge.

YouTube Music

Year Founded: 2015
Headquarters: San Bruno, California, United States

You can never rule Google out when it comes to productivity. YouTube Music’s biggest advantage is Google being the helm of affairs. With a humongous collection of music, YouTube music is probably Spotify’s biggest nemesis.

Even YouTube Music’s recommendations are at par with Spotify’s, if not better. Moreover, YouTube Music offers a hotlist to keep a user updated with new hits. The pricing is good and serves as the icing on the cake.

Deezer

Year Founded: 2007
Headquarters: Paris, France, Europe

France-based streaming platform Deezer has over 50 million songs to offer. It has a user base of just over 15 million, which, in comparison to Spotify, is comparatively less. However, that doesn’t rule out Deezer’s prospects of becoming a great music alternative.

The feature ‘flow’ gives Deezer a slight edge. With flow, the user can listen to a non-stop playlist that features music from their liked songs as well as introduces them to artists and music of the same genre.

Soundcloud

Year Founded: 2007
Headquarters: Berlin, Germany

One of Spotify’s biggest competitors if numbers were the ultimate factor, Soundcloud boasts a collection of over 200 million tracks. A heaven for indie and hip-hop lovers, Soundcloud excels in these genres.

Recently, it added an upload feature that notifies the user whenever their liked or followed genre or artist comes up with a new music or album. Moreover, Soundcloud’s premium plan, which renders it ad-free, is extremely cheap.

Iheartradio

Year Founded: 2008
Headquarters: New York, United States

Focused mainly on radio, iHeartRadio has one of the most envious radio collections to offer. iHeartRadio also offers music in the form of charts consisting of hit songs from specific genres and also from various parts of the world.

As a result of over 1000 live radio stations that iHeartRadio has to offer to its users, in terms of radio listening, Spotify stands defeated. It can also create specially curated lists based on the user’s fancied artists and songs.

Soundhound

Year Founded: 2008
Headquarters: New York, United States

If adventure is your calling, even when it concerns something as soothing and as harmless as music, Soundhound is the way to go. It also has a built-in music player that showcases lyrics too.

The sound recognition feature is a dream come true for a melophile. With the feature, they can hum a song, and Soundhound recognizes the track and plays it. Not always effective, but the majority of the time!

Jiosaavn

Year Founded: 2007
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharastra, India

Owned by the billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Jio, collaborating with music streaming platform Saavn, came out with one of the best Spotify alternatives, Jio Saavn.

A fresh UI, a good set of recommendations, and a vast library of tracks are all infused into Jio Saavn. It also features radio stations, podcasts, and much more.

With pricing that is very minimal, Jio Saavn does have the edge over Spotify and has the resources to be a good alternative to it.

Wynk Music

Year Founded: 2015
Headquarters: Gurgaon, Haryana, India

Telecom giants Bharti Airtel helmed Wynk Music is another great alternative to Spotify. Wynk comes with a great collection of tracks ranging from regional to western. It also has a curated set of radio stations that can be customized as per the user’s listening activity.

One can also create a set of playlists from the 50 million plus track base available. Considering the premium it charges for providing an ad-free experience, Wynk is a great alternative to Spotify.

FAQs for Spotify Competitors And Alternatives

What Is the Best Alternative to Spotify?

Based on their feature sets, Apple Music and YouTube Music are the closest when it comes to battling Spotify out.

What Are Some Free Alternatives to Spotify?

All the above-mentioned apps have their free versions. None of them, though, are completely free. However, keeping in mind what they offer in their free versions, YouTube Music and Amazon Music easily top the list.

Which App Provides the Best Sound Quality?

Of All the Above-Mentioned Apps, Deezer Has the Best Audio Quality and Enhancement Features. However, Considering Every Other Feature That It Comes With, in Comparison, Spotify Stands Out.

Do We Need an Account to Use Spotify?

Yes. One needs an account to use Spotify. They can use their Google and Apple account or create a new one separately.