Alright, let’s dive into my little adventure comparing Spotify. I wanted to figure out if it was worth sticking with, or if another service might be a better fit for my listening habits.
First things first, I listed what I actually use Spotify for. Not what I could use it for, but what I do. This included:
- Discovering new music
- Listening to curated playlists
- Offline listening (for commutes, you know?)
- Podcasts
Then, I started poking around at some alternatives. I looked at Apple Music, YouTube Music, and even gave Deezer a try for a bit. I wasn’t aiming for an exhaustive review of every single streaming service, but more like a “does this address my needs better?” kind of thing.
The biggest thing I noticed was the difference in music discovery. Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” playlist has been pretty spot-on for me for years. I tried Apple Music’s equivalent, and it just didn’t quite nail my taste. YouTube Music was okay, but felt more focused on, well, YouTube. Which makes sense, I guess.
Next, I compared the curated playlists. I’m lazy, so I like having pre-made playlists for different moods or genres. Spotify has a TON of these. The others had some good ones too, but Spotify just had more that I actually liked.
Offline listening was a must-have. All the services I tested had this feature, so it wasn’t really a differentiator. I downloaded a bunch of songs on each platform and tested them in airplane mode. All worked fine. Phew.
Podcasts were a surprising factor. I’ve been getting more into podcasts lately, and Spotify’s podcast integration is pretty seamless. Apple Podcasts is decent, but it’s a separate app. YouTube Music doesn’t really focus on podcasts. So Spotify had a leg up here.
After a week or so of playing around with each service, I made a spreadsheet. Yeah, I’m that guy. I just listed my “needs” from above and rated each service on a scale of 1 to 5. Then I looked at the pricing. They’re all pretty similar, honestly.
In the end, I stuck with Spotify. While some other services had cool features, Spotify just ticked more of my boxes, especially when it came to music discovery and podcasts. Plus, I’ve built up years of listening history on Spotify, and I didn’t really feel like starting over.
My conclusion? It really depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, Apple Music might be a better fit. If you’re always on YouTube anyway, YouTube Music could be a good option. But for me, Spotify still reigns supreme.