Compared to Apple Music, Spotify is obviously the superior option for streaming music.
Spotify is more accessible overall, first because there is a free version for people who cannot afford a monthly subscription, while Apple Music is only free for a three-month trial. Spotify is also available on more devices, including Amazon Echo, Google Home, and gaming consoles.
The free version of Spotify does restrict the number of skips on the mobile version, but on Spotify Web Player there are unlimited skips and the ability to choose any song. Spotify Premium offers the same unlimited skips, song choice, and ad-free listening that an Apple Music subscription offers.
Since anyone can get free Spotify, it makes it easier to share music and playlists with others. On free or premium, Spotify Web Player users can see which songs the people they follow are currently listening to, which is not an option with Apple Music.
Spotify also provides free and premium listeners with more in-depth, personal playlists. They provide their frequent listeners with six different “daily mixes” each day along with weekly playlists of new releases. This opens the opportunity for listeners to discover new artists they would not usually find on their own.
For Apple Music, subscribers choose their favorite artists and genres, and the playlists are built from those selections, rather than their actual listening habits. This makes the playlists less specific, and it makes it more difficult for listeners to be exposed to new music.
Spotify does have a limit to the number of songs users can have in their music library, while Apple Music does not. But the limit for songs in a music library or a playlist is 10,000, which for most people is usually not an issue.
Although there are positives and negatives to both services, Spotify is overall the more efficient and accessible choice.