Spotify Free vs. Spotify Premium. If you just care about the music and those annoying ads don’t bother you or the audio quality doesn’t mean much, you can for the Spotify Free plan. That will do just fine. Unless you don’t want to compromise on the sound quality, go for the premium plan. Before we dive into the details, let’s talk about Spotify Premium. Like the free version, it’s home to millions of songs available on any device, but with the Premium version, they’re.
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Spotify vs. Pandora
Launched in 2008, Spotify has grown into one of the most popular music streaming companies in the entire world. Its sleek interface and remarkable music discovery features have given it the success it enjoys today. Pandora started with the idea of creating a personalized radio station for each of its subscribers and powered its platform with what’s known as the Music Genome Project. Pandora’s subscribers enjoy creating multiple radio stations and finding new music through its Music Genome Project. Pandora is only available in the U.S. and in 2019 Sirius Radio acquired the service.
Spotify Premium vs. Pandora Premium Overview
Spotify and Pandora offer free service tiers ideal for the casual listener seeking a radio-like experience. The difference between these two choices lies mostly in features like discovery and social sharing.
Spotify Premium
Pandora Premium
Monthly price
$9.99/mo.
$9.99/mo.
Student plan
$4.99/mo.
$4.99/mo.
Family plan
$14.99/mo.
$14.99/mo.
Military discount
No
$7.99/mo.
Number of songs
60 million
30 million
Free trial length
3 months
60 days
Interface and usability
Pandora has a user-friendly interface designed for simple access that’s easily traversable. Its mobile app is similar to the desktop design’s sleek appearance. Simply access your library, profile, and music discovery features sprawled across the bottom of your screen. Pandora takes into account your song and playlist choices by identifying your patterns of use and presenting future tracks based on your clicks. It’s also compatible with numerous devices, including your smartphone, TV, wearables, and more. And when it comes to offline mode, simply download your favorite stations to listen whenever you’re away from WiFi or in an out-of-service area.
In Spotify’s mobile app, the settings tab is located at the top right corner of your screen. From there you’re able to view your profile, alter your music quality, crossfade between songs, among many more features. Its menu is positioned across the bottom of the screen where you can access your library, search songs, or navigate to your home screen. It pairs with several devices including your smartphone, PlayStation 4, smart speakers, and so much more. You can also download up to 10,000 songs for offline mode.
Music discovery
Spotify’s world-renown discovery playlists, including “Discover Weekly” and “Daily Mix,” help listeners find new songs and artists. Spotify’s algorithm introduces tracks based on your previous likes, skips, and dislikes and exposes you to songs and artists you’ve never experienced before. While Spotify’s playlists are essential for many subscribers, it’s Pandora’s Music Genome Project that shines in this category. Using more than 450 attributes to describe songs, along with a complex mathematical algorithm to organize them, the Music Genome Project stimulates Pandora’s discovery with surgical precision. Choose a few songs, and Pandora will effortlessly fill the rest of your station with music you’re sure to like.
Social sharing
Due to the accessibility of Spotify’s free version, you can freely recommend artists, or share your favorite songs and playlists with your friends. With Pandora, you can share your favorite stations on Facebook and Twitter, but not to the same effect. Since its stations are locked behind its subscription service, you must be a member to enjoy — not the most conducive method for social sharing. With Spotify, you can share individual songs across Facebook, Reddit, Skype, Twitter, and other social platforms. And sharing is simple, just click on the three dots located to the right and choose your sharing options.
The best value
Spotify’s free tier is an incredible value that provides access to its vast music library, discovery features, and social sharing tools. When using Spotify’s desktop application as a free user, you also enjoy access to any of your favorite songs without shuffling like the mobile app. By comparison, Pandora offers two ad-free, subscription tiers — Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium — with Plus costing just $5 per month. So, if you don’t want to shell out $9.99 per month, you can choose either Pandora’s or Spotify’s cheaper alternative and still avoid ads altogether.
The Bottom Line
Spotify Premium Vs Regular
Pandora and its Music Genome Project provide an impressive approach to music discovery. With its complex algorithm, Pandora may enhance your scope of songs and artists based on your current selection of tracks making its service a good option for music discovery. If you want the best free music option, listen to music on a wide range of devices, or appreciate connectivity with friends, you can’t go wrong with Spotify.
Recently Added
Spotify announced a new Premium Duo plan on Wednesday that lets two people have their own accounts under the same plan for $12.99/month.
Spotify Premium Duo also comes with an exclusive Duo Mix playlist that combines your favorite music with the top tunes of your partner or roommate.
In order to sign up for Premium Duo, you have to live at the same address as the other user.
Attempting to co-manage a single subscription service with a significant other can be fraught with peril. Plenty of us have been victims of algorithms that seem to favor the other member of the household, which is why having separate profiles is often a necessity. Unfortunately, not every service has individual profiles, but paying for two subscriptions in one household isn’t a great alternative either. That’s why Spotify’s new Premium Duo plan is the perfect compromise for couples who want to preserve their algorithms without wasting any extra money.
Spotify Individual Vs Family
Free Vs Premium Spotify
Designed for pairs living at the same address, Premium Duo gives each individual their own Premium account under one plan for $12.99, which is just $3 more expensive than a standard Premium plan. Although the plan was available in select markets prior to today, it’s rolling out wide to 55 new countries on Wednesday.
In addition to saving you and your partner, roommate, or stowaway some money while continuing to offer both of you all of the perks of Spotify Premium (ad-free streaming, offline listening, unlimited skips), Premium Duo also introduces an exclusive Duo Mix playlist which is regularly updated with music that both of you enjoy. You can choose to filter the playlist to reach the chill tunes or the upbeat songs, and if you aren’t interested, you can leave.
“Today we are proud to launch Spotify Premium Duo, a first-of-its-kind audio offering for just two people in the same household,” says Alex Norström, the Spotify Chief Freemium Business Officer. “Premium Duo includes our extensive music and podcast catalog and everything users love about Spotify Premium. With two individual Premium accounts, you can both listen independently, uninterrupted, and get all of your personalized playlists and features tailored just for you. We are thrilled to bring this unique Spotify Premium plan to even more markets around the world.”
If you already pay for Spotify Premium, you can switch to Premium Duo by visiting the Account page on Spotify.com, and hitting “Change Plan.” If you choose to upgrade this way, you’ll keep your existing account and all of the playlists, likes, and every saved song you’ve accumulated up to that point. Also, if you haven’t tried Spotify Premium, you might be eligible for a free month of Premium Duo when you sign up. Just keep in mind that you have to live at the same address as the other user if you decide to sign up for Premium Duo.