With a lot of pain, I have tried to find a cheaper alternative that offers me the same (or very similar) to what Spotify offers me. In other words, I need a service that has a very extensive catalog of songs, an app for mobile and PC, allows me to listen to music in high quality, and, if possible, has discovery lists and recommendations based on my tastes (since , without exaggeration, I listen to more than 10 new bands a month, all of them metal, of course).
Spotify does a lot of things wrong: it trails behind in high-definition music, it has too many social features (for my taste), the new interface is horrible… but all the good things it has in terms of its catalogue, recommendations, and functionality make up for everything. the above.
But what about the alternatives?
Amazon Music, a “I want and I can’t”
The first service that comes to mind to replace Spotify is none other than Amazon Music. This service is somewhat cheaper and probably the best alternative to Spotify that we can find right now. According to the platform, it has more than 100 million songs, allows you to listen to podcasts, and both the individual and family plans are somewhat cheaper than those of Spotify. Also, unlike the green giant, Amazon’s service has spatial sound and Ultra HD audiosomething that Spotify does not finish implementing.
On the surface it looks like he could win. And indeed, if it didn’t rely so heavily on Spotify for discovery charts it might. However, it is still at the bottom in terms of the devices where it can be listened to, since outside of Alexa, and mobile devices, its compatibility is very limited. It is a service that needs a boost, but has not yet received it.
Apple Music, ecosystem too closed
Of all the ones I’ve tried, this has been the one I liked the most, at least in terms of catalog and sound quality. And it is that Apple has bet very strongly on music, and the experience acquired in the iTunes era has helped it a lot.
It has lossless audiospecial sound, Dolby Atmos, and the music in standard quality is very good. These are its main qualities. The price used to be something positive, but it has become more expensive recently, costing only one euro less than its rival (at least, in the family plan).
But this service has problems. And VERY serious too. The first of these is that the app’s interface leaves a lot to be desired in terms of organization of groups and lists. This is something really chaotic, that with time you end up getting used to, but it will take a lot. And the second is the total dependence on the Apple ecosystem. On Windows, for example, it is impossible to use (since the web version is also infamous). Two unforgivable failures that leave him out of the game.
YouTube Music, incomplete (and expensive)
Another option that comes to mind to replace Spotify is Youtube music, Google’s music streaming service. So why don’t we use it? The first thing is that this service has 10 million fewer songs in the catalog (70 million vs. 60 million), and in certain rare groups this difference is noticeable.
The quality is also lower, reaching only 256 Kbps in high quality, compared to 320 Kbps for Spotify. It doesn’t have podcasts like its rival, either, and the lists and recommendations also leave a bit to be desired. If we take into account that the price of this service is the same as that of Spotify, it is clearly at a disadvantage.
If I had to choose one, I would choose…
Obviously we have not covered all the alternatives. We could also take into account tidal, with 80 million songs, although we have left it aside because its main strong point is music in ultra-high definition, and the price of this service already far exceeds that of Spotify. We also have Qobuz, but have the same problem.
As we’ve already said, YouTube Music feels neglected, and Google has it there just because it’s part of the YouTube Premium subscription. But, clearly, it is not a priority. Apple Music has a lot of potential, but it sins in the same way that Apple services always sin: that you are either with them, or they are against you.
The best alternative, at this point, would be “Amazon Music”. Despite its limitations in terms of compatibility, and that the lists have not convinced me, it is the one that offers the best service and the best quality. An option that can be a little cheaper and that, in a short time, will make you forget about Spotify completely.
