When it comes to the world’s biggest rivalries, Spotify and Apple Music have always fought for the title of best music streaming service. However, there’s only one right answer. With 220 million premium subscribers worldwide as of July 2023, Spotify remains the leader of all digital music platforms. 

Although leading the race subscriber-wise, it’s not the number of members that shows which platform is best. Spotify has a different, and ultimately superior, vibe than Apple Music. 

Keeping it fresh with its user-curated playlists, such as “Discover Weekly,” “Daylist” and its well-known annual “Wrapped,” Spotify brings its A-game on the user-curated playlist department that Apple Music cannot surpass. 

Although Apple Music offers a wide variety of personalized playlists, Spotify has distinct features that elevate its curating methods. For instance, its new “Daylist,” which is designed to undergo multiple updates throughout the day, adjusts to any user’s changing moods and listening preferences. From “missing your unrequited love late night” to “scream writer monday evening,” it constantly changes its name to stay in sync with your mood, making it innovative and fun. 

Who wouldn’t want a fun, silly little name describing their mood? Personally, I love it. 

Additionally, Spotify has an incredible library of collaborative playlists, which Apple Music didn’t have until recently. Copycat much?

With the new iOS 17.2 update, Apple Music has introduced this “new” collaborative playlist feature, allowing every collaborator of that playlist to add songs, rearrange the order in which the songs will play and remove songs. Too bad Apple Music is 15 years late, because Spotify has had this since its launch in 2008. 

Speaking of new features, earlier this year Spotify introduced its DJ, elevating its ability to deliver the right piece of music even more with the help of artificial intelligence. The purpose of the DJ is to provide a personalized AI guide that will deliver a curated lineup made of recent and old favorites, proving that it knows you and your music taste so well it can choose what to play for you. 

Maybe we’ll see this feature being implemented in Apple Music in the next 15 years. Who knows? 

Now, let’s talk about pricing. If you don’t want to commit to a membership, Spotify offers a free option, which Apple Music doesn’t. Of course, not paying has its cons, as you’ll have to listen to music with ads and won’t be able to download anything. However, when it comes to plan options as students, we receive more benefits from Spotify than from Apple Music. 

While students enrolled in degree-granting universities and colleges can join Apple Music at a discounted monthly rate for up to 48 months, Spotify offers Premium Student with Hulu, which is a great, affordable option that includes music, movies and television at $5.99 per month.

If you’ve already spent hundreds of dollars to buy an Apple phone, why should you have to pay more to listen to its embedded music feature?

Another area of dispute is each streaming service’s music catalog, since it seems Apple Music provides a more extensive selection. However, Spotify’s music catalog is still extensive with over 80 million songs, with around 40,000 added daily. Not only that, but Spotify also offers podcasts and audiobooks on a single platform, which Apple Music doesn’t.

So, if you are an avid podcast listener or just want to have everything in one place, Spotify is the place for you. 

Finally, Spotify is just simpler to navigate. While Apple Music might have more content, its homepage is unorganized, or at least it has more wasted space. When I open Spotify, I immediately see my eight most recent playlists, albums and/or podcasts at the top, alongside new and personalized playlists.

When I open Apple Music, new releases and top picks are at the top, which is not inherently a bad thing. However, it’s the huge blocks that throw me off, and it makes it unnecessarily hard to actually find what I’m looking for. 

Although the decision ultimately falls on the user, Spotify offers more personalization, simplicity in navigation and audio content, remaining at the top of the music streaming service pyramid. After all, who’s Apple Music anyway? I hardly know her.