Which streaming music service is best

Pros: Interesting playlists, good integration with Google services, free version available. YouTube Music is the way to go if you're really plugged into Google's ecosystem of products. In other words, if you have an Android phone and want your music streaming service to integrate well with Google Assistant , then YouTube Music is a convenient option.

It's also available on iOS and on the web, so you should be able to access the service wherever you are. The platform even offers location-based playlists and the ability to search for songs based on lyrics. YouTube Music isn't perfect, but Google has been working on making it better. The app doesn't really integrate with other voice assistants like Alexa, so if you have an Echo you'll be stuck with playing music through the Bluetooth connection on your phone.

With that said, the service does now support Siri. Like Spotify, YouTube Music offers a free, ad-supported version. New subscribers also get a one-month trial to test out the ad-free Premium plan. YouTube Premium also includes exclusive video content.

Most music streaming services offer base plans that feature songs presented with "lossy" compression. This means that some of the original audio recording's quality is being sacrificed to make the file smaller and easier to stream.

In other words, standard streaming audio isn't equal to the quality you'd hear on an actual CD. Though this loss in quality is hard to notice for the average listener, most audiophiles demand "lossless" music that preserves the full range of the original track. This is where "HiFi" music streaming comes in. Though there are some differences between them, they all generally refer to streaming audio tracks that are presented in at least CD-quality.

Tidal, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Apple Music are some of the most popular services with lossless audio options, making them a better fit for listeners who want the very best quality.

Spotify will also add a CD-quality plan later this year. On the downside, lossless audio streaming requires more bandwidth so you'll need a fast internet connection and big data plan. To take full advantage of the audio quality benefits you'll also need a nice pair of headphones and a dedicated digital-to-analog converter , or a high-end set of speakers.

You can learn more about lossless audio formats in our guide to HD audio. If you're signing up for a music streaming service, chances are you'll need a reliable media player or smartphone to access the app, along with a nice pair of speakers or headphones to actually listen to your favorite tracks on. With that in mind, we've highlighted some of our other buying guides for streaming players, mobile devices, headphones, and speakers that are sure to come in handy for anyone who wants to stream music.

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A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. Spotify has the best music discovery algorithms and the slickest, snappiest user interface. It led me down rabbit holes to find new artists and old favorites, based on what I've already liked and listened to on the app.

The free tier, with advertisements, defaults to a low-quality Kbps streaming bit rate, but you can bump it up to Kbps. Considering it's free, that's passable. Better yet, a Spotify Hi-Fi tier is coming later this year if you want lossless audio quality.

Spotify's previous 10,song library limit is gone. You now can add an unlimited number of songs to your personal library, and you can put up to 10, in each playlist. If you turn on social sharing, you can see what your friends have been listening to and create sessions where a group simultaneously streams a playlist. The Artists sidebar takes you to an artist's page where all the songs you like and don't like are commingled.

Most of the time, I want to put a single artist on shuffle and hear only the songs I like, and I can't do that. It's a weakness shared with most other apps. About 20 million tracks are now available in lossless format, but Apple says its entire catalog of 70 million-plus will be available in lossless by the end of the year.

Some tracks will also be available in Dolby Atmos. Apple Music's regular, lossy format streams songs at up to Kbps, which isn't noticeably different from Spotify's Kbps. Apple's more human-curated discovery options aren't as fun as Spotify's. Like on Spotify, you can see what your friends are listening to if they've turned on social sharing. You're limited to , songs in your library, but there are no limits to how many you can put in each playlist.

I like the iPhone app, and the Android version is OK , but the desktop app is dreadful. Songs occasionally refuse to play, clicking "Add to Library" rarely works, and the Back button is a dysfunctional mess.

Adding music to your library is tedious. If you navigate away from the browsing tab, the Back button takes you to the home screen, so you have to navigate all the way back to the album or artist you were looking at—except for when it nonsensically disappears.

Tidal's catalog of more than 70 million songs draws from the same broad swathe of genres as its competition, and it no longer leans primarily on hip hop tracks, as it once did. All its songs are available currently in lossless format, unlike Apple Music, which is phasing its entire library in gradually over So if you can't wait—or if the price on the AirPods Max makes your neck itch—Tidal still has its place. Not surprisingly, Apple Music is the best choice if you've invested heavily in the Apple ecosystem.

If you own an Apple HomePod or Mini , it is the default subscription service to summon music with your voice. Apple Music also makes the ideal companion for an iPod Touch , which, after 20 years, is still a thing. There's also a ton of curated playlists, many handcrafted by musicians and tastemakers, but it lacks the robust sharing options built into Spotify. Apple Music is the only one of our top three with a digital locker to store your own library of songs -- YouTube Music, below, is the other music locker option.

Best for: Those who are wrapped up in the Apple world, or who simply want excellent bang for buck. Read our Apple Music review. Qobuz offers hi-res audio streams too and unlike Tidal you don't need a specialized MQA decoder to listen to them. They can sound great on an Android phone or a high-end music system.

It may not offer Dolby Atmos music, but the current catalog of songs on other services isn't that impressive anyway. Uniquely, the service offers its own hi-res download store and if you sign up for that second plan you get a discount on purchases. At 70 million tracks, Qobuz's streaming catalog rivals Tidal's and Spotify's in number, though it may not have the most obscure artists.

Qobuz generally steers towards hi-res recordings so is especially suited to jazz and classical fans, though its rock selection is fairly robust. Best for: Audiophiles who want hi-res music for a decent price plus the ability to buy and download albums. Tidal which offers a wide selection of music beyond its seemingly urban focus.

Its higher-priced options are aimed at people seeking the best audio quality, even if competitors now offer similar quality for half the price. Qobuz is catching up to it now, too, as it promises arguably better sound quality no MQA decoder required , a cheaper price and recent improvements in its catalog. Of course, Tidal's main hook has always been that its higher subscription price translates to better payouts to artists.

Especially musicians who aren't at the top of the pop charts. Now partly owned by Jack Dorsey's Square , Tidal offers lossless audio and Dolby Atmos streaming with sound quality that is virtually identical to -- or better than -- CD. Tidal says its catalog exceeds 70 million tracks, and now includes longtime holdouts Metallica as well. If you're an audiophile, a fan of urban music, or a mix of both, then Tidal should appeal to you. Best for: Musically inclined purists who care deeply about sound quality and discovering new, up-and-coming artists.

Amazon Prime Music comes "free" as part of a Prime membership but users can choose to upgrade to Music Unlimited is the "grownup" a. In terms of usability, the Music Unlimited interface is also more expanded than ever with playlists, genres and podcasts all accessible from the main page. Best for: Amazon Prime members who want to save a few bucks on a decent music catalog. However, Spotify is more than just a sizable catalogue of tracks and podcasts.

It has an intuitive interface, a fantastic recommendation engine powering its customized playlists, new features added all the time, social tools that make sharing easy, plus you can use it almost anywhere through almost any device. For example, in November Spotify has added a simple way to block other users — a great idea for stopping online harassment or allowing people to cut ties with old friends and exes they'd rather not have looking at their playlists or activity.

The one biggest drawback is that, at the time of writing, it lacks the high-quality audio experience on offer from some of its competitors — like Tidal and Amazon Music HD. Read more: Spotify review. Tidal first launched in , but most of us first heard about it a year later when it was relaunched by Jay-Z at a celeb-studded event in March But there are two key things that make it stand out.

This means it gets a better deal although not necessarily a great deal for musicians, paying them higher than many services per stream. That means if you take your listening more seriously, this could be a match made in heaven.

You might notice a slight difference between Spotify Premium and Tidal Premium, but they do offer the same bitrate.

This could all change when Spotify HiFi launches — this is rumored to be later on in But, until then, Tidal is the best option for those who are serious about sound. Apple Music is the tech giant's streaming service. You can also add all the music you currently own in iTunes to the service, so everything is in one place.