Smart Listening: Spotify vs. Apple Music (Updated – June 2025)

 

As music streaming continues to dominate the way people consume audio, Spotify and Apple Music remain two of the most widely used platforms. With recent updates and feature rollouts in 2025, here's how the two services compare today.

Audio Quality and Fidelity

Apple Music continues to lead in sound quality, offering Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos as standard features. Over 100 million tracks are available in CD-quality or Hi-Res Lossless, and the service supports up to 24-bit/192 kHz playback. AirPods Max and other Apple hardware now support wired lossless audio over USB-C, enhancing fidelity for audiophiles.

Spotify, after years of delays, is preparing to launch its own lossless tier. Internally referred to as "Music Pro," the new plan will include CD-quality streaming using the FLAC codec and introduce advanced EQ features to optimize headphone performance. While a release date hasn't been officially announced, backend code and recent leaks suggest the rollout is imminent, likely as a paid add-on.

Music Discovery & Personalization

Spotify has long set the standard for music discovery. Its algorithm-driven playlists like Discover Weekly and Release Radar are complemented by its AI DJ feature, which uses voice commentary to guide users through personalized mixes. Voice-based song requests are also expanding to more markets, further enhancing interactivity.

Apple Music relies more on editorial curation, with genre-based playlists and human-created content across its Listen Now and Radio tabs. Replay and Favorites mixes provide some personalization, but discovery remains more human-guided compared to Spotify's algorithm-heavy approach.

Ecosystem Integration

Apple Music is deeply integrated across the Apple ecosystem, offering seamless experiences on iPhone, Mac, HomePod, CarPlay, and Apple Watch. It performs best for users invested in Apple devices, where features like Siri voice control and offline lossless downloads work out of the box.

Spotify remains platform-agnostic, functioning across iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and even in-car systems. Spotify Connect enables easy playback switching between devices and will soon support lossless audio where available.

Pricing and Plans

PlanApple MusicSpotify
Individual$10.99/month$11.99/month
Family$16.99/month$17.99/month
Student$5.99/month$5.99/month
HiFi / LosslessIncludedExpected +$5–6
Free TierNot offeredAd-supported

Spotify retains its free, ad-supported tier, while Apple Music is available only via paid subscription. Apple also bundles Music with Apple One, which includes iCloud+, Apple TV+, and more.

Final Verdict

Apple Music is the top pick for users who prioritize high-resolution audio and own Apple hardware. Its inclusion of spatial and lossless audio at no extra cost makes it attractive to audiophiles.

Spotify, however, still leads in music discovery, AI-powered features, and cross-platform compatibility. With its HiFi rollout on the horizon, it may finally close the fidelity gap—though likely at an added cost.

Choosing between the two depends on what you value most: deep integration and superior sound, or smarter recommendations and broader flexibility.

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