Since its start in 2006, the Swedish-born streaming service Spotify has been a juggernaut within the music/audio streaming domain. Then in mid-2015, Apple joined the scene with their own streaming service, Apple Music. So what’s the difference?

Spotify is a streaming service available on all platforms from phones and computers to Playstations and TVs. According to Meredith Hamilton, writer for The Christian Science Monitor, Spotify “allows listeners access to a catalog of over 30 million songs, with more than 20,000 added each day” (Hamilton 1). Their basic service is free with ads, but they offer their premium service for $9.99 a month for an individual account. There are discounts for student accounts as well as family bundles so everyone can have their own music.

Apple Music’s concept is pretty similar as well. They offer a free, three-month trial of their service, then it is $9.99 a month just like Spotify. Students and families can get special offers as well. Apple Music also boasts the ability to ask personal assistance, Siri, to play a specific track with only your voice, according to Hamilton. Overall, the platform has been praised for being very user-friendly. However, Apple Music restricts users to Apple and Android interfaces only.

While everyone pretty much everyone already owns an Apple product of some type in this day and age, Spotify has the advantage of being accessible through various platforms. Alongside being able to get to all of your playlists in one spot wherever you are, Spotify offers exclusive content with the most popular being their “Spotify Singles.” Usually, an artist’s “Spotify Singles” includes one or two of their own original songs “reimagined” as well as a cover of another popular song done in that artist’s particular style. Spotify also offers bonus tracks and album commentary that you will not find anywhere else. In addition, you can get special offers from artists only through Spotify such as exclusive merchandise or special Spotify-only presale for shows and events.

If you are a die-hard Apple fan with all the latest devices, Apple Music would probably be your go-to. For everyone else who would rather have all the music and podcasts you want in one place, Spotify is clearly the better choice. Spotify is much more convenient and versatile than Apple Music with an abundance of compatibility options. Your music should be on your terms and just as fluid as you are, so why not use the streaming service that reflects exactly that?