Spotify is the biggest music streaming service in the world. According to one report, the platform has over 80 million songs, around 456 million monthly active listeners, and around 195 million premium subscribers as of 2023.
For those finally deciding to hop on the bandwagon, Spotify does have a more diverse offering compared to rival music streaming services with a free plan (with ads, 160 kbps quality, and 6 skips an hour), a Mini Plan that costs ₱7 /day or ₱ 26 /week, and a Duo Plan for ₱185 /month (2 Premium accounts for a couple under one roof).
Here are the Spotify premium plans as of 2023.
| Plan | Details | Price |
| Mini | > Ad-free music listening on mobile > Group Session > Download 30 songs on 1 mobile device | ₱7 /day or ₱ 26 /week |
| Premium Individual | > Ad-free music listening > Play anywhere > Offline playback > Play songs in any order > One-time or subscription plans | ₱149 /month |
| Premium Duo | > 2 Premium accounts for a couple under one roof > Play songs in any order | ₱185 /month |
| Premium Family | > 6 Premium accounts for family members living under one roof > Block explicit music > Play songs in any order | ₱214 /month |
| Student | > Available only to students at an accredited higher education institution | ₱75 /month |
Spotify or Apple Music?
Spotify and Apple Music each have their own strengths. Spotify, for instance, has a better interface. Meanwhile, if you’re heavily into the Apple ecosystem (iPhone, iPad, Macbook, etc.), then Apple Music makes more sense.
In terms of music, Apple Music claims it has “over 100 million” songs on its platform, compared to Spotify’s “over 80 million.” The latter also has around 2.6 million podcast titles in the mix. Apple has a separate app for podcasts. Also, Spotify has integrated audiobooks into their platform, but it’s only available in the US at the moment.
Here are some key differences between Spotify and Apple Music.
| Spotify | Apple Music | |
| Plans | More diverse with Mini, Individual, Duo, Family, Student, and a free option | Only has three – Student, Individual, Family |
| Audio Quality | > Up to 160kbits/s on free > Up to 320kbits/s on Premium | > Up To Lossless Audio 24-bit/48 kHz > Up to Hi-Res Lossless Audio 24-bit/192 kHz > Spatial Audio |
| App Availability | Android, iOS | Android, iOS |
| Playback | App, browser, gaming consoles, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay | App, browser, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay |
| Others | Also available on gaming consoles | Apple ecosystem |
In terms of audio quality, Spotify goes all the way up to 320 kbps on very high. But Apple Music has the upper hand with lossless audio and Spatial Audio, available in their standard plans.
See also Apple raises the price of Apple One, Apple Music, and Apple TV+ in the Philippines
The difference in prices of the Premium Plans for both services are close to each other, and pretty much negligible in my opinion. Take a look at the comparison table below.
| Plans | Spotify | Apple Music |
| Mini | ₱7 /day | NA |
| Duo | ₱185 | NA |
| Student | ₱75 | ₱75 |
| Individual | ₱149 | ₱139 |
| Family | ₱214 | ₱219 |
Spotify and Apple Music’s offerings have their own pros and cons. Whichever is best for you will entirely depend on what you’re more comfortable with and what you’re looking for.
