With such a variety of music streaming platforms, it can be difficult to find the best one. What platform is right for creating playlists, listening to the radio and enjoying the tens of millions of songs available? Find out below which one is right for you. 

Apple Music

Apple Music is one of the top music service platforms. It gives users access to 45 million songs and premium sound if you are an Apple user. The service does come with a free three-month trial and an annual cost of $9.99 individually or family plans for $14.99. This platform does not provide a free service, unlike its competitor Spotify. If you are an iPhone user, Apple Music pairs well with Apple software and integrates amazingly with Siri. Another pro is that Apple Music has a huge selection of content, live radio and more, but there is no web app, which may be a downside for some. Overall, Apple Music is a great choice if you have an Apple product, but there are better options for universal listening and finding new music. 

Spotify

Spotify is the most well-known of all streaming music platforms with a user base of 170 million. There are two options for listening: listen for free with ads or listen ad-free with Spotify Premium which is $9.99 a month or a family plan of $14.99, much like Apple Music’s pricing. There is a desktop web app available to use on your computer and you can use your phone as a remote to control the music.  Listeners can select artist radios for new music recommendations, and the user can explore the latest music with Discover Weekly that is curated just for them based on average listening. Overall Spotify is the best choice for finding new music and having a universal music program. 

Amazon Music

Amazon Music is the curated music platform for Amazon Prime members and Echo users. The service has tens of millions of songs according to Amazon. The service is available for $7.99 in addition to the cost of the Prime membership; with Amazon Echo Dot (around $50) users pay an additional $3.99 a month. You can get the Music Unlimited option which is a step up from the Amazon Prime Music with Prime and that is available on IOS and Android. The service is integrated strictly with Echo or Dot users. The service is nice for Amazon Prime users and is curated for that. The service is nice for Echo, Dot or Prime members, but it holds no other content but music, meaning that this is not a great option for avid podcast-listeners. Amazon Prime is the best option for Amazon Prime users but there are better options if you are not a Prime user, or if you would like to listen to podcasts.