# Alternatives to Spotify

The streaming default with unmatched playlists.

Spotify ranks #2 of 10 in Music streaming, with an Alt Score of 78. It is proprietary, freemium from $12.99/month and available on Web, iOS and Android. 9 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/spotify/
Category: Music streaming

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Anyone who wants on-demand access to music, podcasts, and audiobooks — from casual listeners on the free ad-supported tier to those who want offline, ad-free listening on Premium.
- **What you get**: A catalog of tens of millions of songs plus podcasts and audiobooks, streamable on demand or through algorithmic playlists like Discover Weekly and Daily Mix. The free tier is ad-supported with some playback limits (e.g., shuffle-only on mobile for some content); Premium adds ad-free listening, offline downloads, and unlimited skips. Users can create and share their own playlists or follow ones made by Spotify and other users.
- **How it works**: Sign up with an email, Google, Facebook, or Apple account, then search or browse for artists, tracks, podcasts, or audiobooks to play instantly. The app builds recommendations from listening history and lets users save tracks, build playlists, and sync playback across phone, desktop, web, and connected devices like speakers or game consoles.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: $12.99/month (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Deezer](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/deezer.md) | 86 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 2 | [YouTube Music](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/youtube-music.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 3 | [Amazon Music](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/amazon-music.md) | 73 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 4 | [Apple Music](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apple-music.md) | 73 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 5 | [Pandora](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pandora.md) | 64 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 6 | [SoundCloud](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/soundcloud.md) | 64 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 7 | [Qobuz](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/qobuz.md) | 60 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 8 | [Bandcamp](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bandcamp.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 9 | [Tidal](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/tidal.md) | 37 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Music streaming checklist | Spotify | Deezer | YouTube Music | Amazon Music | Apple Music | Pandora |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starts at | $12.99/month | $11.99/month | ? | $13.99/month | $10.99/month | $4.99/month |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Lossless / hi-res tier | Partial | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Free tier with ads | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Offline downloads | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Family plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Artist payout reputation | ? | Partial | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Podcasts included | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Music videos | Partial | Partial | Yes | ? | Yes | ? |
| Lyrics | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes |
| Import playlists from competitors | Partial | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Web player | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Spotify. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://www.spotify.com/us/free/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Play millions of songs and podcasts for free”
- **Starts at**: $12.99/month — <https://www.spotify.com/us/premium/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “$12.99 / month after”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/end-user-agreement/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The Spotify software applications and the Content are licensed, not sold or transferred to you, and Spotify and its licensors retain ownership of all copies of the Spotify software applications and Co”
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android — <https://support.spotify.com/us/article/download-the-spotify-player/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Spotify is available on desktop, mobile, tablet, TVs, cars, watches and more!”
- **Status**: active — <https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-12-09/music-videos-beta-premium-us-canada/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Now, music videos in beta are rolling out to Premium users in the U.S. and Canada, bringing fans even closer to the music they love.”
- **Lossless / hi-res tier**: Partial — <https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-09-10/lossless-listening-arrives-on-spotify-premium-with-a-richer-more-detailed-listening-experience/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “stream tracks in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC”
- **Free tier with ads**: Yes — <https://support.spotify.com/us/article/premium-individual/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Ad-free music listening”
- **Offline downloads**: Yes — <https://support.spotify.com/us/article/listen-offline/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “On Premium, you can download albums, playlists, and podcasts.”
- **Family plan**: Yes — <https://support.spotify.com/us/article/family-plan/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Premium Family is a discounted plan for up to 6 family members who live together, including the plan manager.”
- **Podcasts included**: Yes — <https://www.spotify.com/us/free/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Play millions of songs and podcasts for free”
- **Music videos**: Partial — <https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-12-09/music-videos-beta-premium-us-canada/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Now, music videos in beta are rolling out to Premium users in the U.S. and Canada, bringing fans even closer to the music they love.”
- **Lyrics**: Yes — <https://support.spotify.com/us/article/lyrics/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “See the lyrics of many of your favorite tracks as they're sung.”
- **Import playlists from competitors**: Partial — <https://support.spotify.com/pw/article/importing-your-playlists-to-spotify/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “We've partnered with Tune My Music to help you move your music right within the Spotify app.”
- **Web player**: Yes — <https://support.spotify.com/us/article/web-player-help/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Play Spotify from the comfort of your browser on our web player.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/