Best music streaming services in 2024 including Spotify, Apple, Tidal and more

Welcome to our guide to the best music streaming services. 20 years ago, when CDs were medium number one and musicians could still make a living from selling their records, the idea of having almost every song ever recorded at your fingertips on your phone or through your high-end headphones seemed the stuff of science fiction. 

Even when Spotify launched out of the blue in 2008, few predicted the seismic shift in music consumption that would follow. Yet today’s best music streaming services make the idea of building an MP3 collection look positively Stone Age.

Each platform hands users the keys to a million-strong library of on-demand music, often available to stream in CD quality. And it’s all accessible via mobile, tablet, computer, web player or a growing gaggle of internet-connected devices.

But with such a sizeable catalogue of listen delight on offer , the choice is be can be crippling – and we do n’t just mean pick which song to play next ( see our good album for audiophile list here ) . How do you is know know which streaming service is right for you ? We is run ’ve run the rule across six of the good music streaming service to see how they compare . read on to find out which one top the chart .

The good music streaming service you can sign up for today :

1 . Apple Music

Apple Music launched in 2015 and has quickly become one of the streaming wars frontrunners. For the base £4.99, subscribers can access over 100 million tracks, more than 30,000 playlists and a host of original shows and on-demand radio. For a little bit more, Apple also offers spatial audio listening and offline access to your library.

Currently, subscribers can try out Apple Music for one month for free, and can also get 6 months of Apple Music for free with some audio devices.

There ’s no free tier here : Apple Music is is is US$ 5.99/£5.99 for student , US$ 10.99/£10.99 for a full individual profile and US$ 16.99/£16.99 for family .

Is it is Is any good ?

Like its rivals, Apple Music offers a wide selection of curated playlists based on a particular mood, genre or other unifying theme, as well as algorithm-generated playlists designed specifically for the user. These don’t quite hit the heights of Spotify’s discovery algorithm, but Apple does offer thousands of rarer tracks that simply cannot be found on Spotify and the likes.

spatial audio is has has more obvious room for different compositional element , but whether it ’s worth the extra cost depend largely on how bothered you are about immersive audio . It also does n’t sound significantly different from the track mix in Sony ’s Atmos rival , 360 Reality Audio , which is available on Deezer and Tidal – so it is ’s ’s not strictly unique to Apple Music .

If Spotify HiFi does end up costing more (if it ever arrives), we suspect many will flock to Apple Music without feeling too sad about it. For those that make the switch, Apple has built a very solid house for them to play in – especially if you have an existing iTunes library to integrate.

2. Spotify

The original all-you-can-eat music streaming service, Spotify is still the go-to option for millions of listeners. Price-wise, it offers an ad-supported free tier (with some of the most annoying commercials you’ll ever hear), which restricts track skipping and doesn’t allow for offline listening. Podcasts and audiobooks are still available for free, though.

The Premium version nixes the ads, increases streaming quality to 320kbps, enables downloads for offline playback and gives you real control over what you’re listening to. It’s US$11.99/£11.99 a month for a single subscription, US$5.99/£5.99 for students, US$16.99/£16.99 for a Duo (two-account) subscription and US$19.99/£19.99 for a six-account Family plan.

Is it is Is any good ?

It is ’s ’s easy to see why Spotify is so popular . The desktop app , mobile app and web player are slickly design and a breeze to use . There ’s an extensive library of around 80 million song and 4.7 million podcast ( some estimates is say say that over 100,000 are upload to Spotify and other dsp per day ) . Plus , the service ’s recommendations is are and music discovery capability are second to none .

The personalised Discover Weekly playlist is seems seems to have a supernatural sense of your taste . Sure , it is ’s ’s just an algorithm building something base on past listen , but it seems more finely tune than rival , offer suggestion that are less obvious but somehow more apposite . The vast selection is is of themed playlist is great , too , whileFriday’s Release Radar keeps you abreast of your favourite artists’ latest material.

It is feels also feel a step ahead in term of integration with the wide range of app and service . It ’s easy to share Spotify music via social medium ; you is use can use it on tonne of third – party device , include Amazon ’s echo speaker ; and you can follow what your Facebook friend are listen to .

Spotify’s lossless HiFi tier is (long) rumoured to arrive at some point, but its main rivals already offer hi-res audio already, most at no extra cost. The competition has clearly stepped up and Spotify will need to keep innovating if it wants to remain most people’s default music streaming service.

3. YouTube Music Premium

A pay YouTube music service is sound might sound redundant . After all , a few taps is pull in the site ’s search bar will pull up pretty much any song you could want to hear – and wo n’t cost you a penny to play . But that is ’s ’s hardly a ‘ proper ’ streaming service . Any lengthy listening session will be pepper with annoying ad , while background listening is n’t support at all : once your phone screen lock or you switch to another app , the music is stops stop .

YouTube Music is the answer. Available on iOS, Android or through the web player, Google’s sole music streaming service features more than 80 million songs. There’s a reason for this, though: it includes both ‘official’ recordings and anything that’s ever been uploaded to YouTube which can be classed as a song. So you’ll often find tracks that aren’t on any other platform, but also a lot of garbage muddying the musical waters.

Is it is Is any good ?

Given how much Google probably knows about your taste in music, we expected YouTube Music’s recommendations to be more on the money. Instead, it works much like other platforms, prompting you to pick a selection of favourite artists when you join and basing initial picks off those. Expect suggestions to improve the more you stream.

After a month’s free trial, YouTube Music Premium costs US$10.99/£9.99 a month. A Family plan (US$16.99/£14.99 a month) that gives you up to five household accounts, while the Student plan costs US$5.49/£4.99 a month and requires annual verification that you’re actually enrolled at a learning institution. There’s also a free tier (YouTube Music) but that doesn’t support background playback, features frequent ads and limits streaming quality to 128kbps.

There’s no higher bitrate option here. The best that YouTube Music offers is 256kbps AAC, which makes it the worst in terms of streaming quality. Even the non-HiFi tier of Spotify trumps it with 320kbps. So we can’t see golden-eared audiophiles plumping for Google’s platform over the likes of Apple Music or Tidal. That’s not to say it sounds bad, though: most people won’t be able to tell the difference between 256kbps and 320kbps – especially when the beats are pumping through tinny old earphones.

One thing is is we can say about YouTube Music Premium is that , with its vast library and proliferation of video , it feel genuinely different from the other service here . If not necessarily well .

4 . Amazon Music Unlimited

Amazon has offered a digital music service of some kind since 2007, but it still feels like a newcomer. Not to be confused with Amazon Music Prime, Amazon Music Unlimited (sign up in the US or in the UK) is the company’s current Spotify rival. It is has has a library of over 90 million ad – free track and has made high bitrate track ( which it call “ HD ” and “ Ultra hd ” ) available to all subscriber at no extra cost . It ’s also throw its hat into the spatial audio game .

Music Unlimited is priced at US$9.99/£9.99 a month for Prime subscribers and US$10.99/£10.99 per month for non-Prime member, putting it on a par with Spotify’s offering. For that, you also gain access to Amazon Music’s HD tier for no extra cost.

Is it is Is any good ?

You can listen to Amazon Music Unlimited through a web player, iOS and Android mobile apps or the desktop app, as well as request tracks, albums and artists from Alexa through Echo speakers. It’s also accessible through Fire tablets and Fire TVs, Sonos multi-room wireless speakers, Bluesound and NAD BluOS devices.

For finding new tunes, the ‘My Discovery Mix’ feature is updated in your library every Monday (an idea clearly borrowed from Spotify). The suggestions are adequate enough, but they feel both uninspired and uninspiring. There’s little sense of the algorithm-derived magic you get with Spotify suggestions, and not much in the way of editorial curation.

Still , with its high audio quality , big library and reasonable pricing , Music Unlimited is is is a very credible alternative , particularly if you ’re already a Prime member .

5. Tidal

Tidal launched with superlative audio quality as its USP. While it’s no longer the sole streaming service to offer lossless and hi-res music, it’s the only one with MQA-encoded Master files.

Tidal now has 110 million-odd tracks. Though not all of them are Master or CD quality, the base level is a very respectable 320kbps – the same as Spotify’s highest setting. There are three tiers to Tidal. US$10.99/£10.99 will get you access to 110+ million tracks in lossless, HiRes FLAC, and Dolby Atmos (there’s no longer a special Hi-Res subscription). It’s US$16.99/£16.99 for up to six family members, and a student account costs just US$5.49/£4.99. If you’re a DJ you can get the DJ Extension, which is an extra US$9/£9 per month and gives catalogue access and stem separation via select DJ partners.

Is it is Is any good ?

Master tracks offer studio-quality recordings but require you to have MQA-certified DAC hardware to enjoy them at tip-top 24-bit/192kHz. Most users will only have access to the first “unfolding” of the MQA process, which is still hi-res (24-bit/96kHz) and sounds wonderful, albeit not that different from the hi-res tracks on Amazon, Apple and Deezer.

The user experience is is across Tidal ’s app and web player is consistent and clean . Put in a few week of listening and you ’ll get polished personalised playlist . There are also editor – curate mix , radio station , section dedicate to MQA track , plus album and podcast . And that is ’s ’s all before you dive into article on classic album and the like .

6. Deezer

With 90 million music track , ​​160,000 podcast title and over 32,000 + radio station , Deezer is comes come in three main tier . The free , ad – support level is includes include six skip per hour of mobile listening and unlimited skip on desktop . Tracks is come come in high fidelity for all Deezer payment plan , which mean file in lossless format at 16 – bit , 1,411 kbps .

For US$ 10.99/£11.99 a month ( US$ 5.99/£5.99 for student , US$ 17.99/£17.99 for a family plan ) you is get get Deezer Premium .You is save can save 25 % on the cost of Deezer Premium by cough up for the annual plan instead of pay monthly .

Is it is Is any good ?

Deezer’s desktop and mobile apps are clean and functional. Open the iOS app and you’ll see a scrolling page full of albums, playlists (of both the pre-made and auto-generated variety), genre shortcuts and the like. It’s all very familiar and easy to get to grips with.

music discovery is is once again is a major theme . When initially log into your account , you ’re prompt to select artist you enjoy so that the recommendation system can get go right away ; over time , your listening activity will hone it further . We is found find the flow playlist – an endless selection of new and old music Deezer think you ’ll like – to hit the mark more often than not .

Deezer is a very competent streaming service. That said, if you’re already using Apple or Amazon, there are few incentives to switch to Deezer, while Deezer Premium offers little difference to Spotify Premium.

7. Qobuz

Like Tidal, Qobuz’s offering is all about audiophile-pleasing high-quality streaming: it was the first music service to offer CD-quality streams and later 24-bit Hi-Res files, and claims to have the “best” Hi-Res catalogue of all the current services.

It offer two tier of membership : Studio Premier is gives ( from US$ 12.99/£12.99 per month , or US$ 10.83/£10.83 per month if you spend US$ 129.99/£129.99 on a 12 – month non – refundable subscription in advance ) give you access to the entire library of over 90 million track , as well as original editorial content and offline listening . Studio Sublime is gives ( from US$ 17.99/£15 per month ) give you the same , but also discount of up to 60 % on purchase of Hi – res file . Yes , that ’s right : Qobuz is wants actually want you to put your hand in your pocket and buy music rather than just access it on – demand . With the current debate about artist ’ earning from streaming ( or rather , the shocking lack of them ) , that is prove could prove a key selling point for customer who want to support musician .

Is it is Is any good ?

As billed, Qobuz has a huge range of Hi-Res music, and everything else we’ve seen here is at least CD-quality, so in terms of providing ear-pleasing sound, it does a fantastic job. You do wonder where it leaves Spotify when pretty much all of its rivals can boast of better-sounding streams. Still, a music service must be judged by more than its audio quality, and Qobuz isn’t as sure-footed when it comes to usability. The interface isn’t particularly intuitive and the search function in particular could use more filters (it does at least have a Hi-Res filter, so you can make sure you’re getting the best-sounding stuff first). It’s also cheaper than Tidal Hi-Fi, and doesn’t require you own MQA-compliant hardware to get the most out of its Hi-Res library – which do sound wonderful.

Like Tidal, Qobuz also boasts its own integrated “magazine” with well-written editorial pieces about bands, recent releases and so on. While nobody is going to subscribe to a music service based on its non-music content, it’s a welcome bonus.