Both apps want to be your one music app. We used each as our only player for a month to see which wins.
Free tier
Spotify’s free tier offers shuffle play with ads, while YouTube Music limits background play without Premium. For free listeners, Spotify is the easy pick.
Discovery and playlists
Spotify’s personalised mixes remain the best in the business. YouTube Music wins on live versions, covers and remixes thanks to the YouTube catalogue.
Offline and data use
Both offer offline downloads with Premium. YouTube Music lets you cap download quality more precisely, handy on small data plans.
What we liked
- Spotify: best recommendations
- YouTube Music: biggest catalogue
What could be better
- Spotify: limited free mobile controls
- YouTube Music: no free background play
Our verdict
Choose Spotify for discovery and the free tier, YouTube Music if you already pay for YouTube Premium.
