Hey there musical friend! Join me as we dive into a full-blown feature face-off between two audio streaming heavyweights—Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited.
As streaming eats into digital music sales and overtakes radio and CDs as the top way we listen, services like Spotify and Amazon Music battle to win over listeners. With so many overlapping features between them, it can get confusing trying to determine which is better suited for your personal needs.
That‘s why we‘ll analyze all the nitty gritty details side-by-side around price, song selection, sound quality, device availability and more. My goal is to equip you with everything required to make the most informed decision between Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited! Let‘s get rocking…
Brief Histories – How We Arrived at Today‘s Top Streaming Rivals
Before diving into features, a quick historical overview helps provide context on both Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited:
Spotify – Founded in 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon in Stockholm, Spotify revolutionized music listening by introducing a freemium streaming model to Europe in 2008. After adding millions of European users in just a couple years, Spotify embarked on an ambitious U.S. expansion in 2011. Since then, Spotify has outpaced competitors through constant innovation, amassing over 422 million monthly active users as of 2022.
Amazon Music Unlimited – Amazon joined the unlimited on-demand music streaming wars in October 2016 with their Amazon Music Unlimited service. Initially available exclusively for Amazon Echo and Amazon Prime members, it expanded to all Amazon customers the following year. As of 2022, Amazon Music and Music Unlimited boast over 90 million subscribers globally according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
Now let‘s see how they stack up head-to-head today…
Plan Breakdown: Pricing and Supported Devices
As you‘d expect from any streaming music subscription, Spotify and Amazon come equipped with multiple plans tailored to individuals, families, students and more. Here‘s an at-a-glance view of what‘s offered:
| Plan | Spotify Pricing | Amazon Music Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | $9.99/month 1 account Stream on 1 device at a time |
$9.99/month ($7.99/month for Prime members) 1 account Stream on 1 device at a time |
| Duo | $12.99/month 2 accounts Stream on 2 devices at a time |
Not offered |
| Family | $15.99/month Up to 6 accounts Stream on up to 6 devices at a time |
$14.99/month Up to 6 accounts Stream on up to 6 devices at a time |
| Student | $4.99/month 1 account |
$4.99/month 1 account |
Both platforms come standard with 1-month free trials to test drive before committing.
As we can see, the pricing is nearly identical, with Amazon Music Unlimited technically cheaper for Amazon Prime members opting for an Individual plan. One unique offering from Spotify is the Duo plan for two which Amazon lacks.
Now let‘s explore where each music service is available for streaming:
| Device/Platform | Spotify Availability | Amazon Music Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Apps | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
| Desktop Apps | Windows, MacOS | Windows, MacOS |
| Web Browser | All major browsers | All major browsers |
| Smart Speakers & Displays | Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Nest, Apple Homepod & more | Amazon Alexa devices only |
| Gaming Consoles | PlayStation, Xbox | Not available |
| TV Platforms | Android TV, Samsung Tizen, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, LG, Vizio SmartCast and more | Amazon Fire TV only |
| Vehicles | CarPlay, Android Auto, Tesla, Polestar… | Access via Alexa Auto + mobile app streaming |
Here we can observe Spotify‘s main advantage over Amazon lies in its essentially universal device compatibility. Thanks to Spotify Connect which lets you stream across products, you‘ll have an easier time listening throughout your entire home on speakers, TVs and game consoles with a Spotify subscription.
Amazon Music Unlimited conversely locks you into the Amazon and Alexa ecosystem. Unless you only use Echo speakers with Fire TVs, Spotify provides worry-free multi-device streaming.
Now let‘s explore audio quality…
Sound Showdown: Streaming and Audio Quality
Audio fidelity makes a big difference, especially for passionate music lovers and audiophiles. Let‘s examine the streaming quality differences offered by Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited.
| Audio Quality | Spotify | Amazon Music |
|---|---|---|
| Bitrate |
|
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| Audio Codec Support |
|
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| Number of Songs Available in High-Fidelity | Over 80 million songs | Over 90 million songs |
Sources: Spotify, Amazon Music
When comparing streaming bitrates, which directly impacts overall fidelity and listening quality, Amazon Music Unlimited objectively supports superior HD and Ultra HD quality.
With 3,730 Kbps Ultra HD tracks, audiophiles get full lossless quality similar to CDs or studio masters. Dolby Atmos for spatial audio also gives Amazon a leg up (music permitting of course).
That said, Spotify still impresses with over 80 million HiFi songs at 1,411 kbps. But serious music buffs hungry for top notch fidelity will want Amazon Music Unlimited instead. Casual listeners however may not even notice anything amiss with Spotify‘s 320 Kbps on Premium.
Feature Face-Off: Discovery, Playlists and Unique Offerings
In addition to technical factors like audio quality and device support, the extra features offered by Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited also weigh on which streaming provider reigns supreme for different users.
Music Discovery
Both Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited offer:
- Personalized playlists like Discover Weekly (Spotify) and My Soundtrack (Amazon)
- Artist and genre radio stations
- New music radar playlists
- An expansive music search catalog
However, Spotify bests Amazon again regarding social sharing integration with friends. By networking with Facebook friends and artists, Spotify unearths more listening suggestions. Amazon Music alternatively only scans your private listening data making recommendations potentially less adventurous.
Playlists
Curated playlists give each service personality. Spotify famously pioneered sharable, collaborative playlists like RapCaviar attracting millions of followers. Amazon later responded with similar (although not publicly shareable) thematic playlists.
User-created playlists sit front and center on Spotify while Amazon Music Unlimited focuses more on individual suggestions. If you crave both music discovery through iconic playlists and a personalized touch, Spotify still provides the most flexible, social listening experience today.
Unique Offerings
Both platforms provide typical streaming fare like offline listening. Here are some special features that set them apart:
| Spotify | Amazon Music Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|
| Standout Features |
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Here we uncover more daylight between the services. Based on your personality and listening preferences, you may gravitate to Spotify for gaming, lyrics access or audiobooks. Or Amazon‘s offline Alexa control and Dolby soundscapes might entice your ears.
Both respectable in the core essentials, the special touches cater to different users. Hopefully matching unique features to your lifestyle needs helps determine the ideal choice.
Closing Recommendations: Who Wins in the Battle Between Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited?
We‘ve now covered multiple viewing angles analyzing Spotify vs Amazon Music Unlimited—from audio fidelity and bitrates to pricing tiers and supported devices. Both bring lots of firepower vying to score streaming subscribers.
In determining an overall winner, it depends most on your listening priorities:
Amazon Music Unlimited emerges supreme if:
- You want the absolute highest audio quality – with CD-besting Ultra HD tracks at nearly 8,000 kbps bitrate, audiophiles require AMU over Spotify
- Your ecosystem lives entirely within Amazon including Alexa devices and Fire TV
- You enjoy futuristic Dolby Atmos spatial audio
Spotify delivers the most complete overall package if:
- You prefer nearly universal multi-platform compatibility spanning countless brands of speakers, TVs and consoles
- Music discovery via collaborative playlists and social listening integration appeals more
- Specialized offerings like Spotify Connect, podcasts, kids content and audiobooks match your lifestyle
- You want the service with the most global users and social reach
As you can see, both Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited stoop ready to battle for your ears and dollars. I hope mapping core features against your personal wishlist for a streaming service helps determine the best fit.
For most well-rounded users not solely focused on wringing out every last bit of HiFi audio quality, Spotify takes the crown. But Amazon Music Unlimited makes perfect sense for Alexa households wanting Dolby sound within Amazon‘s walled garden.
Please let me know if this guide served you well in deciding between Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited! I‘m also happy to clarify or expand any portions above. Just drop a comment below indicating what more you‘d like covered. Thanks so much for reading!
