Apple Music, Spotify, and Deezer are three of the biggest names in music streaming. As someone who has paid for all three of these services, I've liked them all and figured out what makes each of them unique by looking at features like prices, audio format, and how each app treats casual listeners.
The decision of which music streaming app is best isn't about catalog size, since all three carry deep libraries with millions of titles. It comes down to ecosystem, interface, and how much you're willing to pay for a polished app. Apple Music leads on price and audio quality, Spotify leads on app interface and podcasts, and Deezer's biggest strength is how easy it makes leaving Spotify for a cheaper plan.
After spending more than a decade as a Spotify Premium listener, I switched to Apple Music two years ago and haven't looked back. The only things I still miss are Spotify's user-friendly interface and having podcasts built into the same app. That said, I can still find everything I want to listen to, and I'd rather keep the extra money in my pocket.
We recommend: Apple Music, because of its price and audio quality
Choose Apple Music if a lower monthly bill and better sound matter more to you than a polished app interface. It ties with Deezer as the least expensive paid plan and includes lossless and Dolby Atmos audio without an upsell.
Spotify is worth it if podcasts and a smoother app experience outweigh price for you. It also has the best free plan and has excellent family plans and student offers to help cut down on the cost of its premium tier.
Deezer is worth a look if you're leaving Spotify and want a similar experience at a lower cost. That said, if you're starting fresh with no music streaming app history, I'd still recommend Apple Music over Deezer despite it having the same cost thanks to Apple Music's sound quality.
Quick comparison: Which music streaming app is best?
Apple Music:
- Ties Deezer for the lowest-priced paid plan
- Lossless and Dolby Atmos audio included standard
- Tight CarPlay and Siri integration
- Works on iOS, Android, and Windows
- No personalized free tier of any kind
- Podcasts live in a separate Apple Podcasts app
- Clunkiest navigation of the three
Spotify:
- Deepest podcast catalog by a wide margin
- Cleanest, easiest-to-navigate app of the three
- Free tier now allows on-demand song picks
- Duo and Family plans help offset the price
- Most expensive paid tier of the three
- Free tier still runs ads with a skip cap
Deezer:
- Matches Apple Music's price, undercuts Spotify
- App interface that's intuitive and easy to use
- Shaker feature lets friends combine playlists and compare taste
- Free tier doesn't include on-demand song picks
- Repeat is disabled and skips are capped on free
- Smallest brand recognition, so difficult to connect playlists with friends
Catalog and audio quality: Apple Music wins on sound, without the price bump
Image: Max McCaskill
Apple Music, Spotify, and Deezer carry a library deep enough that you'll rarely hit a wall. Apple Music and Spotify each advertise more than 100 million tracks, and Deezer's own site puts its catalog north of 120 million. I tested all three across a JBL speaker, AirPods, and CarPlay in my Ford Bronco, and I never ran into a real catalog gap. The one exception is niche titles from smaller or less popular bands, where one app occasionally had something the others didn't, but that's something most people will never need to worry about.
Apple Music includes lossless audio and Dolby Atmos spatial sound in every paid plan, with no add-on required. While Spotify was once considered to have a lower-quality audio experience, it closed part of that gap by rolling lossless into its Premium tiers. However, it still hasn't shipped a Dolby Atmos equivalent, so everything is in standard stereo format. Deezer offers lossless audio through its premium tier too, though it doesn't include spatial audio
One area where Spotify still pulls ahead is with podcasts, where it boasts the largest catalog of the three by a wide margin with over 5 million podcasts. The podcast selection is a major part of why my fellow WhistleOut expert Jessica Santero has stayed a Spotify Premium customer.
Deezer has a smaller podcast catalog of around 160,000, but many of the most popular options are still available. Oddly, Apple Music doesn't include podcasts at all on its app. Instead, they're hosted on the Apple Podcasts app, which is confusing if you're used to streaming music and podcasts in the same place.
"I switched from Spotify to Apple Music after almost a decade, and it came down to price and audio quality. Everything is crisp, and I've never had a bad experience with any track while streaming music. While Apple Music's app is less refined than Spotify's, that trade was worth it for me to save overall."
Max McCaskill, Senior Staff Writer
App experience and integration: Spotify's interface still leads the pack
Image: Max McCaskill
Spotify has the best interface of any major music streaming app. Everything is easy to find, it loads quickly, and virtually all the features are intuitive. Its ease of use is a large part of why Spotify built such a loyal base in the first place.
Deezer also has an interface that's fairly easy to understand. It's pretty similar to Spotify, with plenty of different options for your personal lists, recommended music, and explore features.
Apple Music is noticeably slower to load than Spotify, and the way it organizes content takes some getting used to. Everything you've created gets filed under "Library," while suggested selections sit under "Home," and the two don't always feel connected. That said, Apple Music's CarPlay and Siri integration is the tightest of the three apps, which matters if you're like me, and CarPlay is how you listen to music most often. Podcasts are also split off into a separate Apple Podcasts app rather than living inside Apple Music, which also has a confusing interface.
"Spotify has the best app interface of any music streaming app, hands down. It's fast, intuitive, and all your playlists and favorite songs are easy to find. It's one of the only features I miss after switching to Apple Music."
Max McCaskill, Senior Staff Writer
Free tier and ads: Spotify's free plan is the strongest, Apple Music doesn't have one
Image: Max McCaskill
Apple Music does not have a free tier. While you can access Apple Music's radio stations for free, there is no personalized song selections or playlist building features. Every Apple Music plan requires a subscription to access the rest of the app, so there's no free version to fall back on if you're not ready to commit.
While Spotify's free tier was originally pretty restrictive, it got a major upgrade in late 2025. Free mobile users can now pick and play specific songs instead of being stuck on shuffle-only playback, which was my main reason for upgrading to Spotify Premium in the first place. Spotify's free tier does still have a limit of six skips per hour and ads.
Deezer's free tier is much more restrictive than Spotify, and it's where things fell apart for me for that app. Playlists have a limit of six skips per hour, and once you've used them up, you're stuck. More than once, the same song came back around within two or three tracks on app-built playlists, and with no skips left, I just had to sit through it again. You also can't select specific songs, and there are frequent ads. Unfortunately, all this makes the free version a hard sell. I would only consider using Deezer as my music streaming app if I was paying for the Premium Plan.
"With the paid version, I'd absolutely pick Deezer over Spotify—it's cheaper and just as good. The free tier, though, is borderline unusable if you actually want to pick your own songs. Plus, the fact that some playlists repeated songs after I ran out of skips was extremely frustrating and felt designed to force me to upgrade."
Max McCaskill, Senior Staff Writer
Price and plans: Apple Music and Deezer are tied at the entry level
| App | Individual | Family | Student |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Music | $11.99/mo | $19.99/mo (up to 6) | $6.99/mo (includes Apple TV+) |
| Spotify | $12.99/mo | $21.99/mo (up to 6) | $6.99/mo (includes Hulu) |
| Deezer | $11.99/mo | $19.99/mo (up to 6) | $5.99/mo |
Apple Music and Deezer land at the same $11.99/month price for an individual plan, and both undercut Spotify's $12.99/month. Apple Music and Deezer also beat Spotify's pricing with family plans, where their $19.99/month price beats Spotify's $21.99/month price for the same headcount. Spotify's Student plan closes some of that gap by throwing in a Hulu subscription at no extra cost, and Apple Music's Student plan does the same with Apple TV+. Deezer offers the cheapest student plan, but it doesn't include any extras.
Truthfully, these services' streaming prices shift often enough that the exact numbers aren't the point. I've been through multiple pricing changes on both Spotify and Apple Music. What mattered to me when I switched was simple: I was getting the same listening experience for less money, and that overall math hasn't changed even as the actual prices for all of them have steadily gone up.
Apple Music vs. Spotify vs. Deezer: Which one should you download?
If price and audio quality top your list, Apple Music is the better app. It's tied for the cheapest paid plan, includes lossless and spatial audio at no extra cost, and works well if you're already tied into Apple's ecosystem.
If a polished interface and easy podcast access matter more to you than saving a few dollars per year, stick with Spotify. It's the most expensive of the three, but it's also the easiest to use.
If you're already looking to leave Spotify, Deezer makes the move easy. The price matches Apple Music, and its interface is close enough to Spotify that you won't have a difficult time figuring out the app. Just make sure you're picking the Premium plan, because the free version is a pretty terrible experience.
How I tested Apple Music, Spotify, and Deezer
Spotify and Apple Music aren't just apps I picked up just for this piece. I was a Spotify Premium user for over a decade and have been on Apple Music for two years since switching. I also spent several weeks using Deezer specifically for this comparison, alongside revisiting the other two with fresh eyes. Testing included:
- Listening to all services across a JBL speaker, AirPods, and CarPlay in my Ford Bronco
- Testing each app's interface and personal playlist building features
- Comparing catalog depth across genres, including less mainstream artists and podcasts
- Using Spotify's and Deezer's free tiers for extended periods to gauge real listening limitations
- Comparing plan pricing across Individual, Family, and Student tiers
Pricing, features, and availability may have changed since I wrote this, but I'll try my best to keep it updated.
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Apple Music, Spotify, and Deezer: FAQ
Is Apple Music or Spotify cheaper?
Spotify's free streaming tier is the cheapest, since Apple Music does not offer a true free streaming option. For premium plans, Apple Music is currently cheaper at $11.99/month for its entry paid tier, while Spotify is $12.99/month for its individual premium plan.
Does Apple Music have better sound quality than Spotify?
Yes, Apple Music has a better sound quality than Spotify. While both now offer lossless audio, Apple Music also includes Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and its lossless and spatial support is more consistently applied across the app. That said, the difference is really only noticeable with quality speakers or headphones.
Is Spotify's free plan better than Deezer's?
Yes. Spotify's free plan now allows on-demand song selection on mobile, while Deezer's free plan restricts track selection, disables repeat, and limits skips per hour.
Can I use Apple Music on Android or Windows?
Yes, Apple Music has native apps for both Android and Windows, in addition to Apple devices.
Is it easy to switch from Spotify to Deezer or Apple Music?
Yes, both Deezer and Apple Music offer tools to import your existing playlists and library from Spotify, so you don't have to rebuild everything by hand.
Max McCaskill
Sr. Staff Writer
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