The 10 best applications to listen to music in 2023

You hesitate between Spotify or Deezer ? You wonder what are the interests of Apple Music, Qobuz, YouTube Music or Tidal ? We help you choose the best streaming service according to your needs.

Spotify: music and podcasts 12+

I tried Apple Music during the 3 months of free then Deezer for free for more than a year and finally Spotify for free also for 2 years thanks to the bonus of Bouygues Telecom I therefore naturally subscribed to Spotify Family which gives access to Spotify Premium for the following reasons to 6 members of the Max family at the same address. There are of course Spotify Premium for 1 person. Here is why I preferred Spotify: – Apple Music’s maximum quality is strangely lower than the other 2 and the presentation did not suit me because I found it difficult to find the artists I wanted – the Max audio qualities of Deezer and Spotify are excellent and identical Although infection to those of Qobuz or Tidal I hope a Spotify Lossless in a close future. – I have dismissed Deezer because its apps on iPhone and Apple Watch are less practical and finally because I listen to little French variety – finally, Spotify Connect works easily and effectively with my unique Devialet Phantom speaker, I love the principle of streaming which allows you to listen almost everything and anywhere thank you Spotify, which is also available in the Waze application that I love or by default in the Tesla. Sorry for the others: you still have progress to make and the delay to catch up.

Alexxyrllie, 04/16/2023

Update

Hello, I have been a premium user of your platform for over 8 years, and I regret having to think about you today. The reason? The new version of the app: I find it disappointing that we have no choice regarding the menu in the form of a video. In my opinion and for having talked about it with several users around me, this new video format does not make sense of a purely musical point of view for several reasons: unlike the discoveries of the week which after several years are a real value , what is proposed there is the extreme opposite of my listening, by suggesting only mainstream music. Then, we sometimes just want to listen to our shoots, rather than discovering others. In addition, nobody wants the Tiktok spirit overflows on absolutely all the applications of everyday life.
In short, I find it really a shame that an app intended for music thus turns into a failed video platform.
It’s really a shame because if I’ve like it for so many years it’s because from my point of view there is nothing better with my musical tastes but there… I only have one Word for this maj: it’s a ordeal.

The 10 best applications to listen to music in 2023

Do you like music ? Focus on the best applications to listen to music in 2023.
This is not new, the way we listen to music has changed radically in recent years. AND YES ! A few years ago, we had to download (legally? ) our favorite music and then store them in our mobile phones or MP3 readers.

Welcom ’ You have selected the best applications to listen to music in 2023:

Today streaming is gaining more and more ground in our lives and becomes the main mode of consumption of music.

There are many advantages of streaming, The ease of having access to millions of songs without taking up space is one of the main.

Who does not know Spotify ? He is the leader in the musical streaming market. Released in 2008, it now has 40 million users in the premium service, including 650,000 in France.

With a free offer, you can only listen to your music at a rate of 160 kbits/s, with the subscription Premium at € 9.99/month, you can reach a rate of 320 kbits/s as much as possible.

Price :

• Free: Listen in random mode to the playlist or the artist of your choice / with advertising / 160 kbits / s.
• Premium at 9.99 €/month: Unlimited listening without advertising at 320 kbits / s and with the possibility of listening to offline music on smartphone and tablet / import mp3
• For student, at € 4.99/month: unlimited listening and same options as premium
• Family at € 14.99/month : unlimited listening for 5 family members.

Very similar in its functioning and its prices to the rest of the market, Amazon Music will be especially interesting for people who already benefit from a Amazon Prime subscription. From a point of the interface, if you already use Spotify or another streaming service, you should acclimatize quickly. As on Spotify, Amazon offers a pleasant system of recommendations and playlists.

With a subscription to Amazon Music, you can listen to your music in high quality on any device. On this side too, Amazon Apple copy and Spotify with a maximum listening quality of 320 kbits/s.

Price :

Amazon offers rates identical to those of competition. Amazon Music is an interesting choice if you have already subscribed to Amazon Prime. It is possible to test the service for free for 30 days.

• Individual offer: € 9.99/month or 99 €/year if you are already a member of Amazon Prime. By choosing to pay the year, you will save up to 2 months. With this offer, you are entitled to listening offline and without advertising.
• Family offer: € 14.99/month or 149 €/year for 6 members of the same family.

Apple version of streaming services. Known for their selection of artists who, in many cases, release their albums exclusively with Apple Music.

Advantages, its users can follow their favorite artists and have access to exclusive content. On your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, this is an application installed by default. You can also control this one with Siri.

Apple Music can be tested for free for three months, although it is then paid, like its competitors.

Price :

• Individual at € 9.99/month: Access to a more limited catalog than on the paid version / advertisements / import of the library
• Studentat € 4.99/month: For a standard subscription
• Family at € 14.99/month: unlimited access for 6 family members

Qobuz is undoubtedly the musical streaming service for audiophiles. While most other services are far from reaching an optimal quality, Qobuz has chosen to differentiate themselves on this point. Its offer is varied, there are again there for all tastes. I will detail the rates below. The Qobuz interface is rather intuitive.

Again, on Qobuz it is the quality that prevails. You will have the choice between several offers, one of which offers download in hi-res, the best audio quality available to date.

A basic offer will allow you to enjoy the streaming in mp3 quality but the best quality that is for MP3 or 320 kbits/s. Other offers offer Listening in 16 -bit Flac, What no streaming offer offers to date.

Price :

Qobuz has chosen a varied offer. And if the quality has a price, do not necessarily have to ruin yourself to access it. Prices vary from € 9.99/month to € 349.99/year, anyway. At this price it will also be necessary to have suitable equipment, obviously. Note that all cases, you can opt for an annual offer, which saves you money. Before having to get your hands on the wallet, you will be entitled to a short free trial period of 15 days.

Before being a full -fledged musical streaming service, SoundCloud was the favorite platform for artists and talent unearthes. Quickly became a reference with no less than 250 million users in 2013, SoundCloud had to face the complaints of the majors who believed that the service broadcast music without holding the copyright. Soundcloud finally managed to find a solution.

Like Spotify and Deezer, Soundcloud offers several qualities of its. The € 5.99/month formula offers standard quality while the GO+ offer improves all that.

Price :

Originally free, Soundcloud had to follow the trend not to sink.

• Soundcloud Go for € 5.99/month: 120 million titles in standard quality
• Soundcloud Go+ for € 9.99/month: 150 million titles and better audio quality

Google Play Music It is also very simple, with a fairly complete free version and a paid version offering additional features in web and mobile version. The interface is worthy of Google’s services: simple and refined. You can import your own music library, take advantage of it on all your devices, with or without advertising depending on the offer chosen.

A very interesting point of the application: Google Play Music will offer you musical titles according to your geolocation as well as the time of day. The catalog is among the most complete on the market, whether you are a fan of the great classics or you prefer new features.

Google has not yet taken the step of high definition music. We can nevertheless enjoy a MP3 quality at 320 kbits/s.

Price :

• Free: Access to a more limited catalog than on the paid version / advertisements / import of the library
• All Access to € 9.99/month: Complete catalog on all your devices / import from the library / without advertising / personalized recommendations
• Family offer at € 14.99/month: unlimited access for 6 family members (Gmail address in support)

Like Spotify, Deezer offers several formulas. Launched a year earlier, in 2007, Deezer was first completely free. It offers a very complete catalog with 43 million titles.
Today you will have the choice among the various offers to take advantage of the catalog almost as complete as that of Spotify.

Like Spotify, Deezer offers several qualities of his. Free of charge you will be entitled to 160 kbits/s while on the Version at € 9.99/month you will benefit from 320 kbits/s.

Price :

Deezer offers several formulas including one free. Here are the details:

• Free : Unlimited listening on tablet and computer / playlist and unlimited radios on mobile / advertising / 128 kbits / s
• Premium+ at € 9.99/month: Unlimited listening on all supports / out-of-the-road / no advertising / import of mp3 / 320 kbits / s
• Family at € 14.99/month: Unlimited listening for 6 family members.

The free formula offers roughly the same features as the normal YouTube, but with a better thought of music for music. By paying 9.99 euros By month, we have the right to abolish advertising, listening in the background, off-connections and audio mode. A free 3 -month trial at YouTube Music is offered under certain conditions.

Price :

Regarding the prices, we have three possibilities here:

• Free: The Youtube Music interface but with many limitations and the presence of advertisements
• € 9.99/month: Complete catalog (with concerts and lives) / Listening in the background / off-line / audio mode (without clip or video) / No advertising
• Family at € 14.99/month: Unlimited access for 6 family members

Like Deezer and Spotify it is available in web version. The platform offers 40 million titles, and also gives access to clips. The difference compared to its competitors is that on Tidal, you must subscribe to be able to have access to the service, even if you can first test it for a month. His interface is very close to that of Spotify, we would almost get rid of it.

Tidal’s distinctive point is sound quality. We can listen to all the sounds in flac But the subscription then reaches heights. And to listen to music in flac, you need the headphones (or headphones) and the speakers that go with. Small originality, Tidal also offers video streaming to watch the clips and again we are entitled to HD.

Price :

Unlike its Tidal competitors does not therefore offer a free version. Nevertheless, you can do a free trial for 30 days. As you will realize, Tidal is expensive that its competitors, only if you subscribe to a Hifi offer. Moreover, the prices are substantially the same.

• Premium at $ 9.99/month: Standard quality / HD videos
• Premium family at $ 14.99/month : for a premium subscription for 5 members
• Premium Student at $ 4.99/month : for a premium subscription

Napster has made a comeback in Europe after years of disappearance. What was originally an illegal download service has become a legal musical streaming offer. Like Tidal, Napster is only available in a paid version. The difference is that it only offers a standard listening quality.

Napster only offers a formula with The best mp3 quality, 320 kbits/s.

Price :

Only one offer available to € 9.95/month. As with other musical streaming services, you will be entitled to a free 30 -day trial period.

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Spotify vs Deezer vs Apple Music…: What music streaming service to choose in 2023 ?

You hesitate between Spotify or Deezer ? You wonder what are the interests of Apple Music, Qobuz, YouTube Music or Tidal ? We help you choose the best streaming service according to your needs.

For nearly fifteen years, music has been having been running out of streaming. If French users have known Deezer and Spotify since 2007 and 2010, other services have emerged since, whether those of web giants, such as Apple Music, YouTube Music or Amazon Music, or resolutely oriented platforms to audiophiles like Tidal or Qobuz.

But among these many Streaming music services, which is the most interesting ? What are the catalogs of each platform, the price of the subscription, the quality of the audio files offered, the presence of spatial audio files, compatible devices or simply the price of each offer ? This is what we will see together, in order to determine what is the best offer of musical streaming, but above all the most suitable for your needs.

The catalog of streaming platforms

The various music streaming services understood this: the catalog is the nerve of war. Logic, therefore, that everyone communicates on the number of millions of titles available with their subscription. And to this little game there, the different services play the big muscles.

Platform	Catalog size
Amazon Music	Over 100 million titles
Apple Music	Over 100 million titles
Deezer	More than 90 million titles
Qobuz	More than 90 million titles
Spotify	Over 80 million titles
Tidal	More than 90 million titles
YouTube Music	Over 80 million titles

On paper, all the main music streaming platforms pride between 80 and more than 100 million titles in their catalog. If Apple Music announces ” Over 100 million »Titles, against “More than 80 million” For Spotify, this number is not necessarily representative.

It must be said that the quality of the catalog is not limited to the only number of titles offered and the number of artists signed, but indeed to the presence – or the absence – of the titles you want to listen to. To assess this more subjective criterion, we have tried an exercise. Seven editorial members proposed a list of ten songs. If the title was present – on the right album – with a platform, we granted him a point. If he is absent, it’s zero point. If it is present, but only on a compilation, a single or one best of, But not the album requested-or without album in the case of Youtube Music-we grant him half a point.

With this protocol, as representative as possible, we come to this result:

Platform	Number of title found	Percentage of relevance
Amazon Music	65/70	92.86 %
Apple Music	63.5 / 70	90.71 %
Deezer	61.5 / 70	87.86 %
Qobuz	56.5 / 70	80.71 %
Spotify	65/70	92.86 %
Tidal	61/70	87.14 %
YouTube Music	65.5 / 70	93.57 %

The detailed results, dated 15/12/2020, can be found here.

As we can see, all platforms arrive roughly with similar results, close to 90 % relevance. It is rather logical, since labels generally sign with all platforms, or go through automated services to do it in their place. This is why when a group like Ghinzu is absent from one or more platforms, there is a good chance that he will be absent from all.

YouTube Music clearly stands out

Qobuz is however very late compared to its competitors

, When Amazon Music and Spotify are ex aequo in second place. The first, YouTube Music clearly stands out in that with the exception of a single title, all the others are available in one way or another, even if they are not necessarily associated with their album.

However, as we have seen, YouTube Music does not announce any catalog figure, and it is rather logical. Unlike Spotify, Deezer or Apple Music, YouTube Music relies on the contents already put online on its platform. We will therefore find titles from the official pages of artists signed by YouTube Music, but also songs captured by Internet users in concert or put online by themselves. Therefore, YouTube Music does not need to announce a number of titles in its catalog: virtually, all the pieces of the world can be found there, provided they have been put online by Internet users.

On this point, the comparison is therefore without appeal and It is very largely YouTube Music who wins the Channel.

What is the price of musical streaming platform subscriptions ?

In terms of price, paid subscriptions can go from a single to double from one platform to another. It is not always easy either to know the advantages of the premium subscriptions of each or to know what is the advantage of the paid model in front of the free model.

Trial offers and free offers

Again, on this point, paintings are therefore better than a thousand words:

Platform	Test offer and free offer
Amazon Music	1 month of trial, free offer with advertising limited to the best playlists
Apple Music	1 month of trial, no free offer
Deezer	2 months of trial, free offer with advertising, random reading and without connection out of connection
Qobuz	1 month of trial, no free offer
Spotify	1 month of trial, free offer with advertisements and without offline mode
Tidal	1 month of trial, free offer with advertisements and without offline mode
YouTube Music	1 month of trial, free offer with advertising, without offline mode and without reading in the background

The seven selected services therefore offer a test offer, ranging from one to three months. Practical to give a precise idea of ​​the offer and the features offered on each platform before starting to pay the slightest euro.

In addition to these time limited test offers, some services also offer free, unlimited offers. This is the case of Amazon, Deezer, Spotify, Tidal and YouTube Music, but neither Apple Music, nor Qobuz. In any case, these free offers are funded by advertising. They generally do not allow to download offline titles and can be limited in use, like that of Youtube Music, which does not allow you to listen to the titles in the background on its smartphone.

Amazon, Deezer, Spotify, Tidal and YouTube Music stand out from the Lot

Overall, on trial or free uses, it is above all Amazon, Deezer, Spotify, Tidal and Youtube Music stand out from the Lot. The last thanks to the four months of testing, the other two because they allow you to enjoy music on your smartphone, even launched in the background.

Premium, HD, hi-fi, first studio…

When we look at the paid offers from the various services, this can be dizzy. It must be said that certain platforms are not satisfied with one, but of two, even three subscription offers. In addition to payment differences – monthly or annual, with or without commitment – these different offers may have implications on available functionalities or on the quality of the securities offered:

• Amazon Music: integrated into Amazon Prime (Music Prime) or 9.99 euros per month (Unlimited HD)
• Apple Music: 10.99 euros per month
• Deezer: 10.99 euros per month
• Qobuz: 14.99 euros per month or 200 euros per year
• Spotify: 10.99 euros per month
• Tidal: 9.99 euros or 19.99 euros per month
• Youtube Music: 9.99 euros per month

We have chosen here, for reasons of understanding, not to select that personal subscriptions with a monthly subscription, non -binding of one year. Note, however, that Spotify, Apple Music or Deezer also offer family offers or for a couple, sometimes with additional functions such as family playlists or parental control. It is often possible to subscribe to a student offer at a lower price, generally at 4.99 euros per month. On the Spotify side, the Swedish streaming platform increased in July 2023 the price of all its subscriptions. The individual subscription went from 9.99 to 10.99 euros (+10 %), the duo subscription from 12.99 to 14.99 euros (+15 %), the family subscription from 15.99 to 17 , 99 euros (+ 13 %) and the student subscription from 4.99 to 5.99 euros (+ 20 %). If you have subscribed via iPhone, you will have to enter a new payment method. Deezer has increased the price of its individual offer from one euro in order to integrate Hi-Fi content.

However, with the exception of Qobuz, Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer, all platforms offer a first price at 9.99 euros per month.

At Amazon, these are three offers that coexist: Amazon Music Free, Amazon Music Prime and Amazon Music Unlimited.

Amazon Music Prime	Amazon Music Unlimited
Price	Integrated into the Amazon Prime subscription	9.99 euros per month
Catalog	Over 100 million titles	Over 100 million titles
Quality	SD	Hd

At first glance, the catalog being now identical, there is only the HD offer that changes between the Amazon Music Prime offer, included in the Amazon Prime subscription, and the Amazon Music Unlimited subscription. Nevertheless, if the number of title is similar, the functions are different. On Amazon Music Prime, it is impossible to select a playlist or a particular title. These are in fact random played music. In addition, the Unlimited offer also allows you to take advantage of high definition titles as well as space audio.

On the Qobuz side, this time these are two offers that coexist: Qobuz Studio and Sublime Qobuz:

Qobuz Studio	Sublime qobuz
Price	14.99 euros per month	200 euros per year
Catalog	Over 80 million titles	Over 80 million titles
Quality	Studio quality (24 -bit flac until 192 kHz)	Studio quality (24 -bit flac until 192 kHz)
Reduced prices for purchases	No	Yes

Here, the catalog and the quality are both identical. Logical, since sound quality is the main point put forward by Qobuz compared to the competition. The distinction between the two offers is therefore played on the preferential rates offered thanks to the subscription ” gorgeous “ When buying music in hi-res.

At Tidal, this time we will find two distinct paid offers, Tidal Hifi and Tidal Hifi Plus:

Tidal Hifi	Tidal Hifi Plus
Price	9.99 euros per month	19.99 euros per month
Catalog	Over 80 million titles	Over 80 million titles
Quality	16 -bit quality at 44.1 kHz	24 -bit quality at 192 kHz

The distinction between the two offers is made in particular on the sound quality offered, with a sound in CD quality at 10 euros per month and a masters sound for the version at 20 euros. In addition, the offer at 20 euros allows you to enjoy space audio and better pay the artists with each listening.

Finally, Deezer has long offered two paid offers – not to mention the family package – Deezer Premium, at 9.99 euros, and Deezer Hifi, at 14.99 euros. They are now melted in a single individual offer, at 10.99 euros per month.

Apple is not to be outdone, and if there is no need for table to explain the different offers, it is that the Apple Music service offers a single subscription, at 10.99 euros per month, also offering the HD quality titles.

Overall, to take advantage of a streaming service without paying attention to sound quality, all are worth. For loss -free versions of songs, Amazon and Tidal have the advantage of offering a HIFI or HD version at 9.99 euros per month, Against 10.99 euros per month for Deezer and Apple Music and 14.99 euros per month for Qobuz.

Note also that Spotify does not intend to be ahead of Hi-Fi audio field with an option launched this year. The Swedish streaming service announced in February 2021 its desire to launch a music service in “CD quality”. We can therefore expect files encoded in 16 bits at 44.1 kHz, as on Deezer. This formula was initially to be offered at a higher price, but Spotify has not yet revealed its prices. Above all, the advance taken by Apple Music – followed by Tidal, Amazon and Deezer, may have changed the projects of the Swedish firm. Expected initially for 2021, the HD offer of Spotify is still long.

Platforms, connected speakers and number of connected devices

This is good, you subscribed to the offer that seemed the most interesting on paper, therefore comes the time to install your streaming software to use it on your Android or iPhone smartphone or iPhone. No problem. And then why not take the opportunity to listen to music on your Amazon Echo or Google Home speaker ? Ah, it’s starting to block. And if you also plan to take advantage of your music on the PlayStation 5, it’s immediately more limiting.

Not all streaming platforms are compatible with all supports. If we can sometimes get out with third-party applications or hacks, the easiest way is to take advantage of the application offered by the streaming service itself. And in this little game, not all are lodged in the same brand:

On this criterion, It is Deezer and Spotify who win the Channel, with Apple Music not far behind. The first is compatible with near all platforms, including Apple HomePod speakers, with the exception of the PlayStation. At the Swedish service, we are well offered on the Sony platform, but the only missing compatibility is that of Apple Homekit, since Spotify cannot yet be used on HomePod speakers. Nevertheless, the American manufacturer has announced in recent months an opening of the HomePod and, after Pandora across the Atlantic and Deezer, we would not be surprised to see Spotify land on Apple speakers. Finally, Apple Music has been accessible on Sony PlayStation consoles since October 2021, just like Spotify.

Note also that if most services can be used on Apple Watch, they are rare to offer a Wear OS application.

The only points in common with all platforms are iOS, Web and Android versions, since all offer a website or an application to listen to its music. On the side of Youtube Music, on the other hand, we are widely arriving at the last position on this criterion. It must be said that the Google service does not even offer applications for PC or Mac, favoring the web version.

Social functions and collaborative playlists

Listening to music is good. To make your friends enjoy it, it’s better. In addition to the couple or family offers offered in some, several platforms also offer social features. If some platforms offer compatibility with Last.FM, others go further.

Activity sharing

On Spotify, we can for example link your Facebook account to see what our friends listen to and possibly listen to the same titles as them at the same time. This function also allows you to discover playlists from your friends, or see the albums they are listening. Deezer offers a function that gets closer to a social network aspect that will allow you to discover the albums, artists or playlists most listened to by its followers. The function is however a little more buried, since it asks to go to the “favorite” menu of the service, then go see the followers, where a side panel is available directly on Spotify.

Apple Music also allows you to take advantage of social functions, but they are limited to mobile versions, on iOS, iPados or Android. This function will find out who, in your contacts, uses Apple Music and if people can follow you automatically, or only after your approval.

For their part, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal and Qobuz do not offer any social function of this type.

Third -party applications

Note that these social functions are only of interest if your loved ones use the same music streaming application. If this is not the case, you may allow this function, it will have little interest. It is therefore the Spotify, Deezer or Apple Music premium, to a lesser extent and that explains why the other four did not launch equivalent services.

Many services use Spotify Api

The same goes for third -party services that can use your listening data to offer certain functions. The more popular the music applications, the more third -party developers have an interest in offering such services. This is the reason why many services, such as Spotify Pie – use Spotify Api to take stock of your musical tastes, to create collaborative playlist systems or to make quizs according to the popularity of such or such artist in the world. In this game, it is very largely the Swedish platform that does the best and If you want to try all these applications, better will be worth to Spotify.

Collaborative playlists

Finally, the last social aspect, particularly interesting in particular to organize an evening, is the collaborative playlist. An increasingly widespread function which allows you to create read lists with several so as not to have to juggle between several titles. And, as usual, this game the platforms are not all housed in the same brand:

Collaborative playlists
Amazon Music	No
Apple Music	No
Deezer	Yes
Qobuz	Yes
Spotify	Yes
Tidal	No
YouTube Music	Yes

We therefore have four platforms that allow you to create collaborative playlists: Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify and YouTube Music. Note, however, that all the others allow you to share the playlist via a link or a sharing on Twitter or Facebook.

On social functions, it is therefore largely Spotify who wins the Channel, Whether for the sharing of activity, third -party applications or collaborative playlists.

Automatic or editorial recommendations and playlists

In the field of playlists, it is not just collaboration or those that you can create manually that counts. It’s good to listen to music, but one of the interests of streaming platforms, so as not to listen to the same loop artists, comes from recommendations.

Algorithmic recommendations

In this area, it is the algorithms of the different platforms that will come in line of play. Depending on the titles you have listened to in the past, they will recommend playlists or albums supposed to match your musical tastes. Some even go further by offering playlists depending on the time of day, your activity or where you are.

These recommendations are generally offered from the service home page with selections of new titles, albums, mixes or playlists. Note however that Qobuz is the only platform to offer only editorialized playlists, not according to user listening. Even Apple Music, which does not offer algorithmic playlists on its home page, will at least display albums that will interest to listen more such or such artist.

Editorialized playlists

Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music, Tidal, YouTube Music and Qobuz, all also offer editorialized playlists, created by real people. It can be the choices of the editorial service team – as in the case of Qobuz, Apple Music, Amazon Music or Spotify – or celebrities like Barack Obama and Nick Minaj (Tidal) or U2 or Brian Eno (Deezer).

In the game of suggestions and playlists, most platforms therefore play on equal arms, even if Tidal and Deezer have the advantage of also offering certain playlists developed by artists or recognized personalities.

The sound quality of the songs

As we have seen, the audio quality offered by each platform is one of the main criteria put forward by the services, in particular to justify premium offers or higher prices of some.

It must be said that all services do not use the same file formats, the same encoding or the same bandwidth. Some, like Spotify, even allow audio quality to be changed on smartphone if users want to consume more or less data.

As indicated earlier, Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, Tidal and Deezer offer offers with better quality files. For its part, Qobuz offers, even with the basic subscription at 14.99 euros per month, files up to 24 -bit FLAC at 192 kHz. For other platforms, it is therefore necessary to modify the listening settings to enjoy the best possible audio quality, whether it is ” very high “ On Spotify or “Always high” On YouTube Music for example.

Maximum basic quality	Maximum paid quality
Amazon Music	24 -bit flac 192 kHz	–
Apple Music	ALAC 24 bits 192 kHz	–
Deezer	FLAC 16 bits 44.1 kHz	–
Qobuz	24 -bit flac 192 kHz	–
Spotify	Ogg Vorbis, 320 kbps	–
Tidal	FLAC 16 bits 44.1 kHz	24 -bit flac 192 kHz
YouTube Music	AAC, 256 kbps	–

If Qobuz has long been the best in terms of audio quality for its basic package, higher than its competitors, it is now attacked by Amazon, Apple, Deezer and Tidal. The four services now offer a basic package at 9.99 or 10.99 euros per month, without additional cost, up to 16 bits 44.1 kHz or 24 bits 192 kHz.

On the side of maximum quality, all prices combined, four actors are equal to: Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, Qobuz and Tidal Hifi Plus. The three services indeed offer titles up to FLAC – or ALAC at Apple – 24 -bit encoded at 192 kHz. For its part, Deezer, which has a similar offer, is limited to the FLAC in CD quality, from 16 bits to 44.1 kHz. Spotify will launch a subscription in CD quality, like Deezer, but the offer is not yet available more than two years after its announcement, even if it is still planned.

Not all pieces are available with maximum quality

Note, however, that not all pieces are available with maximum quality. Even on Qobuz, not all titles are available in 24 bits at 192 kHz and the platforms generally indicate what is the quality of each title. Reading these very high definition files will also depend on your device, all computers and smartphones are not able to decode such files. At Apple Music for example, the 24 -bit 192 kHz quality is only offered if you have a DAC. Without this, the maximum quality offered is 24 bits at 48 kHz.

Finally, a point should be emphasized: the listening quality depends above all on the original file. All the titles in FLAC are not equal and, in principle, you could quite end up with a 16 -bit title at 44.1 kHz which was re -ecoed by a 24 -bit platform at 192 kHz. This does not necessarily mean that the quality will be better, since if the information was not there at the origin, no chance that it was added during re -entry.

This point is all the more valid for YouTube Music. The service offers files up to AAC at 256 kbps, inherited from Google Play Music, but also videos put online by Internet users. And on this point, the quality will depend only on the file which was initially proposed on the video platform. Note, however, that when the title is available in the platform catalog, YouTube Music will always favor the official version to a video posted by Internet users.

Space audio

In addition to CD quality, even hi-res files, more and more of music streaming services offer a form of space audio listening. These are, for the most part, files encoded in Dolby Atmos or Sony 360 Reality Audio, in order to offer greater immersion in its music.

Concretely, these titles will allow you to enjoy an even more important surround effect than the original mix. In most cases, these files are compatible with all headphones and headphones. They can also take all their meaning on a more complete musical installation, such as a home cinema system in Dolby Atmos. Note, however, that Sony files are only available on PC or smartphones, but not with an amplifier or a home cinema.

As we have seen, it is Dolby and Sony that provide all the market audio files on the market. The streaming services are therefore provided with one of these suppliers, in both, or at any if the function is not supported:

Dolby Atmos for Music	Sony 360 Reality Audio	Price to take advantage of it	Necessary application
Amazon Music	Yes	Yes	9.99 euros per month	Basic app
Apple Music	Yes	No	10.99 euros per month	Basic app
Deezer	No	No	–	–
Qobuz	No	No	–	–
Spotify	No	No	–	–
Tidal	Yes	Yes	19.99 euros per month	Basic app
YouTube Music	No	No	–	–

Of the seven main music streaming services, three therefore offer space audio: Amazon Music, Apple Music and Tidal. In addition, Amazon Music and Tidal are compatible both with the solution of Sony and that of Dolby, while Apple Music only takes care of Dolby Atmos. On the side of Qobuz, Spotify and YouTube Music, the space audio is still waiting. Spotify could also embark on this field in the future as one of its leaders suggested. Deezer, finally, supported Sony 360 Reality Audio for several years before finally throwing in the towel on October 31, 2022.

In addition, two points should be noted as to the compatible services. On the one hand, Amazon and Apple have chosen to offer space audio without additional cost – such as CD quality files – while Tidal requires a specific subscription.

On the other hand, it is necessary to salute the initiative of Apple Music which goes so far as to offer space audio with follow -up of the head movements. Provided you use a device and Apple headphones – for example an iPhone 13 and airpods 3 – you may feel like you have the recording in front of you and hear it move if you turn your head. Not all files are equal and some, more worked, will only move the singer’s voice while the instruments will not move even if you turn your head. However, this function is limited only to submerged users in the Apple ecosystem. Note, however, that the classic space audio remains available for users of Android smartphones or owners of helmets or not stamped headphones for the logo of the apple logo.

Offline download, add files and download outside catalog

If the catalog of a streaming service is limited, it may be interesting to use the application all the same to listen to your own songs. Two lanes then open:

• Adding titles in the catalog: to enjoy it from all devices
• Local title reading: to use the streaming application to listen to titles stored on the same device

Adding local files or in the cloud

The first option is still rather rare. However, it is notably thanks to this that Google Play Music had been able to stand out from the competition. The service made it possible to put all its songs online to be able to find them freely on your smartphone or another computer.

Adding titles in the catalog	Reading local titles
Amazon Music	Yes	Yes
Apple Music	Yes	Yes
Deezer	Yes	Yes
Qobuz	No	Yes
Spotify	No	Yes
Tidal	No	No
YouTube Music	Yes	Yes

Five platforms now offer to put your own files online to find them anywhere: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer and YouTube Music. Nevertheless, the task is not always easy, far from it. For Apple Music, you will necessarily have to be subscribed to an iCloud account. For Amazon Music, it is a separate utility, to install on your PC, which will allow you to upload your titles. For Deezer, the option is well hidden, in the favorites then in “My MP3”. Finally, Spotify encourages you to create a particular playlist on computer that you can then download on your smartphone, being connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

YouTube Music is very good student, Since it is possible to drag and drop the pieces on the web version of the site, to find them directly on the mobile application, with ease.

Off-line download

On smartphone, it can be practical, when you arrive in an area without network coverage and plan to fly, download the pieces locally on your device.

No problem on this side, since The seven music streaming services allow you to download offline songs to listen to them offline.

Lyrics, clips, podcasts, etc.

In addition to all features, which can be considered essential to a good music listening experience, the different platforms are full of additional functions to enrich the experience with more content than the only musical titles.

Clips	Booklets	Words	Podcasts	Radio
Amazon Music	No	No	Yes	No	No
Apple Music	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Deezer	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Qobuz	No	Yes	No	No	No
Spotify	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Tidal	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
YouTube Music	Yes	No	Yes	No	No

On this side, everyone plays their own cards. The most widespread function is clearly the display of words, since only Qobuz does not offer it. This is the only function offered by Amazon Music. On the clip side, they are available on Apple Music and Tidal, as well as, necessarily, on YouTube Music thanks to the chains of artists. For its part, Spotify would also seek to set up clips.

Deezer is also the service offering the most additional features Since apart from the display of words, the French platform also offers podcasts – just like Spotify – as well as access to French radios. For radios, Apple is betting on its own homemade stations. Finally, Regarding podcasts, Spotify has put the package for a few years, by offering many original productions, Available only from the Swedish platform.

What is the best musical platform ?

Once all these criteria are taken into account, it is time to take stock of each platform to determine which is the best music streaming service.

Note that All these services offer a month of free trial : you can even compare them for free before you start.

Spotify: the best service to join your friends

On paper, Spotify offers a fairly classic formula with a unique price of 10.99 euros per month, a catalog in the average competitors with 80 million titles and a quality limited to 320 kbps. Nevertheless, its strength actually lies in its number of users. Thanks to this, the platform offers many social functions, many musical recommendations, a large number of compatible devices – all are except, for the moment, the homepod – and even third -party applications designed by developers on the basis Service API. The greatest force of Spotify is undoubtedly that your friends are already present on it.

• Catalog: more than 80 million titles (including 4.7 million podcasts)
• Price: 10.99 euros per month (individual), 17.99 euros per month (family)
• Quality: Ogg Vorbis up to 320 kbps
• Space audio: no
• Number of compatible platforms: 11