The Android world is brimming with music streaming services. While a handful of them provides free music, a few others have paid plans and the rest have a combination of paid+free services. So it’s a tad difficult to choose the right music service which will suit both the ears and the pocket.
Google Play Music (formerly known as Google Play Music All Access) and Spotify Music are among the top contenders for the best Android music app, so it seems only fair that we pit both the apps against each other and see which app's subscription service is worth the penny. Audio apps that can integrate with spotify reddit.
Also See: How to Set Up Your Apple Music Profile and Share Playlists in iOS 11
Whether you’re a diehard music fan or just like to listen to an occasional song on the way to work, Spotify brings together an impressive collection of music for every interest and person. At first sight and use, the flagship app is exactly what any consumer expects for selecting and playing music songs.
Audio Quality
Both, Spotify and Google Play Music boasts of libraries having songs over 30 million. To be more precise, Google Play Music has 35 million songs while Spotify has just over 30 million songs.
That’s pretty huge, so it’s a tad tough or rather infeasible to find the difference in the quality of each song. However, if we talk numbers, both Spotify and Google Music stream at maximum 320 kb/s.
If we talk numbers, both the music apps stream at maximum 320 kb/s.
But when it comes to the data usage — both over Wi-Fi and Cellular network — Google Music has few more options. For instance, it lets you choose your streaming quality over Wi-Fi and Mobile network — Low, Normal, High or Always High. These music streaming qualities are also available in the free version.
If we compare the same in Spotify, it does have a toggle for cellular data. But when it comes to choosing the quality over both the networks, unfortunately, that is missing.
Though, it offers four different audio qualities — Automatic, Normal, High, Extreme high — the extreme quality is locked away for premium users.
In a nutshell, you get all the sound quality features for free in Google Play Music, however, in Spotify, you’ll have to upgrade to the premium version (for the extreme high-quality songs). https://cotree542.weebly.com/blog/spotify-to-mp3-mac-os-x.
That said, human ears can’t exactly detect the difference between the high and extreme high, so unless you’re one who can, both the players seem to be at par with each other.
See More: Exploring Google Music, the Amazing Cloud-based Music Player
Interface
On the very first glance, Google Play Music is bright and flashy while Spotify is mostly dark. But as you explore deeper into both the apps, you’ll find subtle differences along the way.
Play Music employs the in-house Google material design The bird and the bee spotify sessions mp3 download.
Google Play Music employs the in-house Google material design which gives its colorful interface. When the app is first launched, you’ll be greeted with the home page containing the songs that have been picked up for you.
A left swipe reveals the panel which has tabs for New releases, Top charts, Settings, etc. There’s not much of swiping in Play music, as you’ll find what you are looking for in the designated pages.
On the other hand, Spotify has a dark interface — completely opposite of the colorful Play Music.
While it also follows Google’s Material design, it’s a mellowed down version. Launching the app initially, lands you in the home page containing playlists based on your music taste and a few more inspired by the recently played songs.
Settings, Library, and Radio can all be found in the lower panel of the app, which is quite easy to navigate around. But then, if you are looking for anything specific like your own playlists or playlists of your friends, it involves a lot of swiping. In both the apps, a truncated version of the music player is at the bottom of the app.
And if you are a new user, it’ll take quite some time to get the hang of Spotify, unlike Google Music, which is definitely easier to navigate.
Recommendations
This is one place (apart from features) which truly decides whether a music streaming app will stay on your device or otherwise. Google Play Music does note down your choices when you sign-in initially, asking about your personal favorites. And it makes the recommendations based on them.
Plus, there’s an option in settings where you can wipe everything off and start afresh. However, that's only on pen and paper. As much as I cleaned and refreshed the app, Google Play Music didn’t seem to take note of my musical taste. It continues to ‘recommend’ songs which I have no interest to listen, in a thousand years.
This scenario is a completely opposite in Spotify. It takes note of your musical taste and displays songs accordingly. Plus there’s the Discover weekly playlist which lands on your app every Monday with the best 30 songs to match your taste.
Taking a look at the music genres, Spotify has the genres neatly laid out in the Browse section, which sadly (again) wasn’t there in Play Music, which is a tad disappointing for me.
All in all, if I have to pick a winner here, Spotify nails it when it comes to presenting the best songs out there.
Features
Features are the second best thing to look for in a music app. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if I say that both the apps are feature rich. If Google Play Music allows you to choose the sound quality over both Wi-Fi and mobile network, Spotify goes ahead and lets you lower the gap between two songs (crossfade).
If Play Music lets you manage the device location, Spotify allows you to track your songs using Last.fm
On the other hand, if Play Music lets you manage the device location, Spotify allows you to track your songs using Last.fm. Aforesaid, Spotify you can easily discover new music through the Discover Weekly playlist feature and what makes it even better is that these songs are based on your listening habits .
If you ask me, Spotify is the main reason which lessens my Monday morning blues. But when it comes to the main differences, there are a few that should help you decide.
For instance, Google Music has the Google advantage and lets you watch YouTube videos of most of the songs. All you need to do is tap on the three dot menu and select Watch video. Spotify doesn’t have this feature, though it contains a handful of videos under the Videos Genre.
Another notable difference is Playlist — rather the creation of playlists. Spotify has a boatload of features when it comes to playlist — collaborative playlist, secret playlist, organize and arrange them or import playlist even in the free version.
On the contrary, Play Music doesn’t let you create playlists on the free version, but it does let you save an already built playlist to the library.
So, here I think, it’s a better option to side with Spotify, for it allows you to handpick the songs that you would listen.
Also See: 21 Spotify Tips and Tricks for Power Users
Offline Listening
When it comes to enjoying music when you're off the grid, Spotify will let you enjoy that luxury only when you upgrade to the Spotify Premium version. It lets you download upto 3000+ songs per device on 3 different devices.
Similarly, Google Music will let you enjoy the benefits of offline listening only when you have subscribed to the music streaming app.
Desktop App
Yes, I understand that our smartphones have become our outboard brains these days. But then, let's not forget the dependence on desktop/laptops. So, if you'd rather spend your time listening to music while workin, the good news is that Spotify has a desktop app both for Mac OS and Windows.
Other than that, Google Music doesn't have an app of its own — it's browser-based for desktop users. However, there are a couple of third-party apps which support Google Play Music. One such example is the Google Play Music Desktop Player.
At the end of day, it's the ease of use which matters Spotify premium can download song.
Both these desktop apps rescues you from the fringes of the web player. At the end of day, it's the ease of use which matters. You wouldn't want to hunt for the right tab on your browser to stop/play a song, right?
Syncing Local Music CollectionFree Spotify App
If you have a huge collection of local songs, worry not, Play Music has you covered. It allows adding up to a whopping 50,000 songs to your account. That’s pretty impressive, right? But the catch is, it has to be done through the web version.
Similarly, Spotify lets you only sync your personal music files only through the web version.
Pricing
Price is an important factor when it comes to making the leap for the Premium version. Spotify Premium version is priced at $9.99, with a family account costing as much as $14.99. The family plan can have as many as six members. What’s more, there is even a student discount amounting to 50%.
On the other hand, Google Play Music lets you have a free 30 days free trial after which you can upgrade to the premium version at $9.99 and the family plan (six members) is also same at $14.99. Plus, Presently, Google Play Music is running a deal where the music streaming app is available for a free trial of up to 90 days.
On the free trial, you can still listen to songs on Google Music, but it'll be limited to the radio stations and the locally saved music. Please note that radio station music come with ads. On the bright side, radio stations aid in music discovery, as it plays similar songs from a particular playlist or artist.
So, as you can see there’s not much difference in the price, but in Google Play Music you get YouTube Red bundled with the music app.
Also See: Netflix vs YouTube Red: Should You Subscribe to One or Both?
That’s a Wrap!
So, that was pretty much the difference between the top music streaming services— Google Play Music and Spotify. If you ask me, considering that both the app prices are same, I would rather side with Spotify for its features and songs recommendations. Because at the end of the day, searching manually through a huge database of songs isn’t really my cup of tea.
See Next: 13 Google Play Music Tips and Tricks for Best Music ExperienceThe above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Also See#Android apps Did You Know
Play Music lets you upload around 50,000 tracks into the app.
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Spotify continues to be the go-to music listening platform for many around the world. No surprise there, really. With its easy-to-access download for all platforms, you can finally jam out to your favorite songs at home, in the office, or on the go.
Press play and dance to the beatWhether you’re a diehard music fan or just like to listen to an occasional song on the way to work, Spotify brings together an impressive collection of music for every interest and person.
At first sight and use, the flagship app is exactly what any consumer expects for selecting and playing music songs. It is clean and simple, and rather simple to use. You have a wide array of music choices, from the rhythmic blues of Ella Fitzgerald to the hottest release of Jennifer Lopez. Regardless of what headphones you’re wearing and the state of your Android, count on the fact that this app will stream a minimal level of quality music. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what everyone wants? Quality music.
For those new to the platform, Spotify offers its vast music selection for free. There are the typical commercials that pop up between some songs, but that’s all right. The many choices for songs outweigh whatever 30-second ad. Although, if you’re interested in only listening to music, ad-free, Spotify Premium is an attractive offer. You simply subscribe to the package and pay a monthly fee, and voilà- Goodbye commercials and hello ongoing playlists. As a whole, the Premium deal makes for a more enjoyable user experience: you can download music (ideal if you’re travelling by plane or in an area with no wifi), skip songs that you’re not feeling, and take advantage of recommended songs made by the music listening brand.
In any case, whether you go for Premium or not, take advantage of the many perks that Spotify boasts. When you open the app, the platform starts you off with what you have listened to most recently. Want to discover new music that captures your music tendencies? Don’t worry. With Spotify’s recommended playlists, you get music personalized to your interests. You have customized playlists that are daily mixes of older songs and even sing-alongs. The easy-to-use interface allows you to scroll down and right to find the music for the occasion. And if you are having trouble looking for that one particular song, just head down to the bottom and click on search. Simply browse different genres or listen to podcasts or radio with one quick tap. The radio feature is great, because you can unveil the music most related to your interests and keep it playing into the night.
Still not 100% sold on this platform? One of the cooler features of Spotify is that you can find music for studying or exercise. Just got out of a relationship? That’s okay, because there’s even a breakup list to help you through those tough days. In layman’s term, Spotify matches the perfect song for any situation in question.
If there are some drawbacks about the app, it’s that Spotify’s settings are a bit simplified. You can definitely make some minor modifications like hiding unplayable songs or deactivating explicit content, but there is not much more than that. Spotify does not do as well to give users more insight about Settings and how some changes can enhance music listening experience. However, it’s worth mentioning that the company makes up for the latter with fast responses to queries or doubts. There is also a good amount of online advice for troubleshooting for the app; although, you will most likely not need it at all.
Where can you run this program?
Spotify is available on different devices, including Android and iPhone, as well as Mac and Windows.
Is there a better alternative?
No. You will find that Google Play Music and Apple Music are competitors, yet Spotify leads the music listening market. Google Play Music is doable if you have a wide selection of your own music, but why use that when you can easily find and store it all in playlists on Spotify. Similarly, there are other options, such as Deezer and Wave, but if you haven’t already heard of them, it’s for a reason. Spotify acts as a one-stop platform to discover, listen, store, and share music from all genres, from around the world.
Our take
The digital music service offers a great selection of music, podcasts, and radio. Because of all these positive features, Spotify encompasses much of what music lovers are looking for. It is hard to find a competitor that can face the stronghold that this company has in the music streaming business.
Should you download it?Android Music App Vs Spotify App
Yes. You will be surprised by the music that you can find on this platform. Its daily and weekly recommendations of songs will have your ears pricked up, as you look forward to discovering perhaps, your next favorite jam. Of course though, if you have already curated your own music or feel as though, you’d like more control over playback, then Spotify may not be your first choice.
Android Music App Vs Spotify Playlist
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