4 Best Spotify Alternatives to Make the Switch

Although Spotify is available almost all over the globe, you can still find yourself in a country where it is blocked or come across many grayed-out songs. It really irritates to find a great track that you later can’t listen to due to licensing, request of the artist, or something else. That’s why to save their time and nerves, many users leave Spotify in search of a platform that offers broader access possibilities.

Another reason that caused an outflow of listeners from Spotify is the recent scandal that involved Joe Rogan. Joe Rogan, a podcast host with around 11 million listeners to each episode, faced criticism for promoting misinformation about Covid-19 and allegations of racism. Singers, podcasters, and content creators started leaving the streaming service because they were not satisfied with Spotify’s “do nothing” policy regarding this issue. Artists leaving the platform also made some users abandon Spotify and look for similar solutions.

Fortunately, Spotify is not the only audio streaming platform in the world and you can find a good alternative to serve your needs.

The most popular streaming services to choose from

At first glance, all streaming services look similar to each other. They offer the same features and promise similar benefits, such as impressive sound quality, millions of songs available, ad-free experiences, and more. However, there are specific reasons that make people choose one or another platform.

Let’s quickly analyze why users like Spotify. It supports a great number of devices (if not all of them), including TVs, gaming consoles, smart watches, and smart speakers. It seamlessly connects with browsers and voice assistants, so you can easily switch between all your gadgets without missing a beat. Wherever you go, Spotify goes with you.

One more thing that attracts users to Spotify is that it’s not only about music. The platform also offers interesting podcasts for any taste and provides recommendations based on the music you listen to. The main page includes themed playlists, like top world hits, latest tracks, music for sports, instrumental music, and more.

Despite the numerous benefits described, some users decide to abandon the platform and switch to something different. If you are one of them, let’s look at the most trendy streaming services and help you pick a decent alternative to Spotify.

Apple Music

Apple Music is an ad-free streaming service that offers around 90 million songs and 30 thousand playlists. Just like Spotify, it recommends tracks based on your preferences and offers themed playlists, but doesn’t have podcasts.

If sound quality is your priority, Apple Music is a great option to consider. With the spatial audio feature, users can listen to three-dimensional music and enjoy a cinema-like experience. People can also download music for offline listening, as well as stream audio content to Apple Watch.

Still, note that to enjoy the super sound, you need AirPods and Apple devices. Although Apple Music is also available for Android and PC users, Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos is available only for Apple users.

Apple Music offers the following subscription plans and has a 1-month free trial period for each of them:

1. Voice Plan is developed for use with Siri. You can request any song or album with your voice at $4.99/month.
2. Student Plan is available for college students at $4.99 per month. 
3. Individual Plan offers access to all media content at $9.99/month.
4. Family Plan allows up to 6 family members to access the platform at $14.99 per month.

Amazon Music

According to the MIDiA research company, Amazon Music has the third-highest share (after Spotify and Apple Music) in the global music subscription market. Amazon offers three types of subscriptions ‒ Amazon Music Free, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Amazon Music Prime. 

With a free subscription plan, you get access to the most popular albums, playlists, and podcasts. However, your listening experience might be interrupted by ads.

Amazon Music Unlimited includes 90 million songs and millions of podcast episodes which you can listen to offline with unlimited skips and ad-free. Additionally, the subscription offers a spatial audio experience and high-quality streaming audio. Users enjoy the impressive sound with their favorite headphones. There are four plans for Amazon Music Unlimited:

1. Individual Plan: $8.99/month for Prime members and $9.99/month for non-Prime customers.
2. Family Plan: $14.99/month (only for Prime members, up to 6 users).
3. Single Device Plan: $4.99/month for a single Echo or FireTV device.
4. Student Plan: $0.99/month.

Users with the Prime membership automatically get access to Amazon Music Prime. It offers more than 2 million compositions, around a thousand playlists, and the possibility to download songs for offline listening. Amazon Prime is available for $14.99 per month.

Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime have a 30-day free trial period.

YouTube Music

YouTube Music is an audio streaming service that offers access to official albums, live performances, covers, and remixes. Users can create personalized playlists while the platform generates recommendations based on their preferences, location, and more.

YouTube Music is a free service with a premium subscription. Premium allows downloading favorite compositions and listening to them without an internet connection. What’s more, you won’t be interrupted by annoying ads.

YouTube Music Premium provides the following subscription plans for its users:

1. Individual Plan is available for $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
2. Family Plan costs $14.99 a month for up to 5 family members.
3. Student Plan allows you to get premium features at $4.99 a month.

In 2021, YouTube Music and Premium exceeded the number of 50 million subscribers globally.

Deezer

Deezer’s catalog includes 90 million music tracks, 160,000 podcast titles, and over 32,000+ radio stations. The feature that distinguishes Deezer from other platforms on the list is the Flow. It is a personal compilation that includes songs from your Favorites and music you listen to from the catalog. Apart from that, you get personalized recommendations based on the content you’ve liked on the platform. The feature also includes moods, which allows organizing your playlist into one of the six moods: You & Me (Romantic), Motivation, Chill, Melancholy, Focus, and Party.

Apart from free membership, the streaming platform has 2 subscription plans ‒  Deezer Premium and Deezer Family, and discounts for annual subscriptions and students.

1. Deezer Premium will cost you $10.99 a month. The premium plan includes listening to your favorite artists without ad interruptions and downloading music for offline listening.
2. Deezer Family is available for $14.99 per month. It provides Premium benefits for up to 6 family members. 

With the annual subscription, you get a 25% discount, while students get a 50% reduction for Premium features. You can try Deezer Premium and Deezer Family for 3 months free of charge, while students get a 30-day trial.

How to move Spotify playlists to other streaming platforms

Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, and similar ‒ these are definitely great options for you to choose from. However, if you decide to test an alternative to Spotify, it will take years for you to create new playlists and add all the songs you listen to. And that is something no one will be eager to go through, right?

Unfortunately, Spotify doesn’t have special tools to move playlists to other platforms, but you can use third-party solutions to do that. The most popular ones are Soundliz, FreeYourMusic, SongShift, TuneMyMusic, and more.

Some services offer free plans while others are available only via paid subscription. Let’s look at TuneMyMusic. It has 2 subscription options ‒ Free and Premium.

Another example is FreeYourMusic. Although the service doesn’t have a free plan, it offers a discount for an annual subscription.

Secure a private way to use streaming services from anywhere

All streaming services we discussed have their pros and cons and it’s up to you to make a final choice. However, is it really necessary to change the platform you like only because some content is restricted in your region? If you face restrictions when listening to your favorite artists or want to get access to specific content, the easiest way to do that is VeePN.

Why use VeePN when streaming content

VeePN is a secure and private way to access any content without restrictions. The service has more than 2,500 servers in 89 locations and can seamlessly route your traffic via any of them. VeePN bypasses geo-restrictions and unblocks content in any country by changing your location. Thanks to secure encryption, your personal data and online activities are protected from hackers and any malicious online snoopers.

If you want to listen to music in any corner of the world without worrying about privacy issues, you can install VeePN in a matter of seconds. The service has three subscription plans for its users ‒ Monthly Plan ($10.99/month), Annual Plan ($5.83/month), and 5-year Plan ($1.67/month). Install VeePN right now and test its features for free during a 30-day money-back guarantee period.