Music Streaming Services Explained
Choosing a music streaming service should start with the music you want to hear, the equipment you use and what you can afford. Most of the big names have enormous catalogues, but their apps, prices, student offers, and sound options can be quite different.
This guide covers Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, TIDAL, Qobuz and SoundCloud. It is for listeners getting started, including students and other under-25s. There is no single winner: a service that suits someone listening on a bus may not suit someone exploring albums through a home HiFi system.
Quick Reference
The figures below are UK monthly website prices, not prices converted from another country. App-store billing can cost more. Trials and discounts have eligibility rules, and the price shown before payment is the one to check. Annual offers are explained separately rather than presented as rolling monthly prices.
| Service | Individual Per Month | Student Per Month | Family Per Month |
| Spotify Premium | £12.99 | £5.99 | £21.99, up to 6 |
| Apple Music | £11.99 | £5.99 | £19.99, up to 6 |
| Amazon Music Unlimited | £12.99; £11.99 with Prime | £5.99 | £21.99, up to 6 |
| YouTube Music Premium | £10.99 | £5.49 | £16.99, up to 6 |
| Deezer Premium | £11.99 | £5.99 | £19.99, up to 6 |
| TIDAL | £12.99 | £5.99 | £21.99, up to 6 |
| Qobuz Studio | £12.99 | £4.99 | £21.90, up to 6 |
| SoundCloud Go+ | £11.99 | 50% off Go+ for eligible students | No standard family plan listed |
Family prices are the total bill, not the cost per person. Check each service’s rules about family membership, household address and country. A family plan is not automatically permission to sell spare accounts to strangers.
What You Are Paying For
Streaming means playing music supplied over the internet, rather than buying an album to keep. A paid subscription normally removes music adverts, lets you choose tracks and provides offline listening: saving music inside the app to play without a connection.
Those saved tracks are usually tied to your subscription. Cancelling does not turn them into permanent MP3 or FLAC files. Buying a download from a music shop is different: you receive a file you can keep. Qobuz has a download shop alongside its streaming service, and some SoundCloud artists also offer separate purchases or downloads.
You do not need an expensive system to start. A compatible phone, computer or streaming device, an internet connection and headphones or speakers are enough. The highest audio settings may need extra equipment, but being able to play music and being able to reproduce a service’s maximum resolution are different things. Audio abbreviations are explained as they come up, with a full glossary at the end.
Does A Bigger Catalogue Mean More Of Your Music
The seven general subscription services here cover a broad mix of pop, rock, hip-hop, electronic music, jazz, classical, folk and music from different countries. Their figures are company claims, not a count we have independently checked, and they are not directly comparable.
A catalogue can include alternate versions, remasters, compilations and duplicate releases. A bigger total does not guarantee a particular artist, remix or favourite album. Availability also varies by country and can change when licensing agreements change.
Before paying, search for a few artists you love, an obscure favourite and the exact versions of albums you want. Check live recordings, deluxe editions and explicit or clean versions too. That tells you more than a number in the hundreds of millions.
Spotify
Music and catalogue: Spotify reports more than 100 million tracks. It also carries podcasts and audiobooks. Its personalised recommendations, collaborative playlists, Jam listening sessions and Spotify Connect support make it useful for people who share music and move between devices.
Sound and formats: Premium offers compressed audio up to approximately 320kbps in its apps, plus lossless FLAC up to 24-bit/44.1kHz on supported playback routes. Lossless keeps the supplied recording’s audio data intact; FLAC is the format used to deliver it. The bit-depth and sample-rate numbers describe its digital resolution. The web player is different: Spotify lists 256kbps AAC for Premium. kbps measures data per second; AAC is a compressed audio codec. Free playback has lower quality settings. Choosing the highest setting does not make every connected speaker or pair of headphones capable of receiving it unchanged.
Prices and deals: Individual is £12.99, Student £5.99, Duo £17.99 for two people at one address, and Family £21.99 for up to six at one address. Eligible new Individual and Student subscribers are offered one month free. Student membership requires approved higher education and annual verification, for up to four years.
Benefits: Sharing playlists and finding compatible playback equipment are practical strengths. A free account lets you explore the service before paying. Premium’s lossless option now means you do not have to leave Spotify simply to obtain lossless music.
Potential pitfalls: Free listening includes ads and restrictions that vary with device and market; it does not include offline music downloads. Music, podcasts and audiobooks share the app, which may feel busy if you only want albums. Audiobook allowances are not unlimited and are not identical across plans: the UK Family and Duo allowances belong to the plan manager.
Apple Music
Music and catalogue: Apple advertises over 100 million songs, music videos, artist-led radio and curated playlists. Apple Music Classical is included with its main subscription plans and has search tools for composers, works, performers and different recordings of the same piece. Apple Music also works on Android and Windows; an iPhone is not compulsory.
Sound and formats: Compressed playback uses AAC, while lossless uses ALAC. The service supports CD-quality lossless and selected hi-res tracks up to 24-bit/192kHz, plus Dolby Atmos versions of selected music, mixed to give a sense of sound around you. These sound options are included in the main plans rather than sold as a separate higher-quality tier.
Prices and deals: Individual is £11.99, Student £5.99 and Family £19.99 for up to six. Eligible new subscribers get one month free. Some eligible new devices qualify new subscribers for three months free. Verified higher-education students can use the discount for up to 48 months, with annual checks; the current offer also includes Apple TV access at no extra cost for a limited time.
Benefits: Lossless and spatial options, the Classical app and human-presented radio are included. Family members have separate libraries and recommendations. Apple One can bundle Music with other Apple services, if you already need those services.
Potential pitfalls: There is no permanent free on-demand music tier. Hi-res playback above 48kHz can require a suitable external DAC (digital-to-analogue converter) and wired connection. Most ordinary Bluetooth listening will not preserve lossless audio. A bundle is only a saving if you would otherwise pay for its other parts, and subscription downloads remain subscription downloads, even when they appear alongside music you own.
Amazon Music
Music and catalogue: Amazon Music Unlimited offers over 100 million songs across major genres, alongside podcasts and an audiobook benefit on eligible plans. It works with Alexa devices as well as phones and computers.
Sound and formats: Unlimited supports standard compressed audio, lossless HD at CD quality, and selected Ultra HD tracks up to 24-bit/192kHz. It also offers selected Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio mixes on compatible devices. Amazon’s HD and Ultra HD names describe audio quality here, not video resolution.
Prices and deals: Unlimited Individual is £12.99, or £11.99 if you already have Prime. Student is £5.99 and Family £21.99 for up to six. A £6.99 Single Device plan is restricted to one eligible Echo or Fire TV. Eligible new customers can generally try Unlimited for 30 days; longer targeted promotions should be checked for their end date and conditions.
Benefits: Existing Prime users can try the included Music Prime service before deciding whether to add Unlimited. Alexa integration may be convenient in a household that already uses Echo speakers. Unlimited includes lossless and hi-res without a separate HD surcharge.
Potential pitfalls: Music Prime and Music Unlimited are different. Prime’s included service is largely shuffle-based, with on-demand and offline exceptions for designated playlists, and standard audio rather than Unlimited’s HD options. The Prime membership itself costs money; paying for Prime just to save £1 on Music Unlimited makes little sense. The cheaper Single Device plan is not a phone subscription and excludes HD, Ultra HD and spatial audio. Do not assume the audiobook benefit applies to every discounted plan.
YouTube Music
Music and catalogue: YouTube reports more than 100 million official songs, with an additional selection of live performances, covers, remixes, music videos and other uploads. That wider YouTube material can be useful when the version you want was never a normal album release. You can also upload your own music collection to your account.
Sound and formats: Premium’s high setting is up to 256kbps AAC or Opus. Those are compressed formats, not lossless. The normal setting is lower, so check the app rather than assuming that paying automatically selects its highest bitrate. User-uploaded recordings can have very different source quality.
Prices and deals: Music Premium is £10.99, Student £5.49 and Family £16.99 for up to six. Eligible new subscribers are commonly offered one month free. Student membership requires an approved higher-education institution and yearly verification, for up to four consecutive years.
Benefits: Audio and video versions, covers and live performances can sit in the same listening environment. Paid membership adds music playback with the screen off, background listening and offline downloads. If you already have full YouTube Premium, its Music Premium benefit may mean you need no additional music subscription.
Potential pitfalls: YouTube Music Premium and full YouTube Premium are not the same purchase. Music Premium does not remove adverts across ordinary YouTube videos. Free mobile music playback usually needs the app onscreen; podcasts and personal uploads have different rules. There is no lossless tier in the published quality options, and an unofficial upload is not necessarily the artist’s original master or an authorised release. Check the exact plan name before paying.
Deezer
Music and catalogue: Deezer advertises over 120 million tracks, plus podcasts. Flow makes a personalised stream of recommendations, while SongCatcher identifies music you hear. The service also provides lyrics and tools for transferring a music library from another platform.
Sound and formats: Paid plans include lossless FLAC at CD quality: 16-bit/44.1kHz. Lower compressed settings are available when you want to save data. Deezer’s HiFi label should not be confused with a separate 24-bit/192kHz hi-res promise.
Prices and deals: Premium is £11.99, Student £5.99, Duo £15.99 and Family £19.99 for up to six. Eligible new subscribers are offered one month free. Annual billing can reduce the equivalent monthly cost, but requires an upfront payment. Student eligibility is for verified college or university students aged 18–25; status must be kept current.
Benefits: CD-quality lossless is included in the paid plans, without needing to choose a separate audio upgrade. Flow, music recognition and lyrics give it uses beyond searching for albums. Duo can cost less than two individual subscriptions where its membership rules fit.
Potential pitfalls: Free-tier availability and controls vary by country and device. You do not get offline music or the paid tier’s lossless quality simply by having a free account. Its published HiFi offer centres on CD quality, so someone specifically seeking hi-res or Atmos mixes should compare other services. Check that your exact speaker, streamer or watch supports the features you expect.
TIDAL
Music and catalogue: TIDAL currently reports over 180 million songs. It provides personalised mixes, editorial playlists and TIDAL Connect, which lets the app control playback on supported equipment. Its catalogue is broad; it is not restricted to a particular genre or artist group.
Sound and formats: Its High setting uses CD-quality FLAC, while Max can deliver hi-res FLAC up to 24-bit/192kHz where that version exists. Lower AAC settings save data. Selected Dolby Atmos mixes are also available. Max is an upper limit, not a promise that every track is a 192kHz recording.
Prices and deals: UK Individual is £12.99, Student £5.99 and Family £21.99 for up to six. Eligible new users get a 30-day trial. Student status is checked every 12 months. Its advertised eligibility for US high-school students aged 16 or older should not be assumed to apply in the UK.
Benefits: CD-quality, hi-res and selected Atmos music are included in the normal listening plans. Connect can be useful with a compatible HiFi streamer. Lower quality options mean you can keep mobile data use under control rather than streaming every track at maximum quality.
Potential pitfalls: There is no permanent free listening tier. Device support matters for Connect, hi-res and Atmos, and the ordinary subscription does not automatically include every DJ-software feature: DJ plans are separate. Streaming an Atmos version and playing its stereo version are different listening experiences, not simply better and worse settings for the same mix.
Qobuz
Music and catalogue: Qobuz offers over 100 million tracks across major genres, with editorial articles, interviews and album documentation where supplied. Jazz and classical receive substantial editorial attention, but rock, electronic music and current pop are also part of the catalogue. There is a separate download shop for buying files to keep.
Sound and formats: Studio offers CD-quality and hi-res FLAC up to 24-bit/192kHz, with lower MP3 settings available. Its core streaming offer is stereo lossless music; it is not an Atmos-focused service. The maximum format varies with the recording and playback device.
Prices and deals: Studio Solo is £12.99 on rolling monthly billing. The advertised £10.83 equivalent requires annual payment. Duo is £17.99 monthly; Family is £21.90 monthly for up to six. Their advertised annual equivalents are £14.99 and £17.99 respectively. Student is £4.99 monthly, with a 30-day trial for eligible new users.
The student offer requires accredited higher education, accepts students up to age 24 inclusive, and lasts at most two years with renewal verification. Sublime Solo is advertised at £14.99 per month equivalent, paid annually, and adds discounts on eligible download purchases. It does not include unlimited permanent downloads.
Benefits: For an eligible under-25 student, the £4.99 offer is particularly relevant. Album notes and editorial can help when exploring unfamiliar music. The download shop gives a separate route to keeping a collection after ending a streaming subscription.
Potential pitfalls: Annual headline prices are not the monthly bill for a cancellable monthly plan. The student deal has a shorter maximum duration than several rivals. Duo and Family are for the same household. Purchasing discounted albums still costs extra, and a hi-res subscription is of limited practical benefit if your equipment or connection cannot use it.
SoundCloud
Music and catalogue: SoundCloud’s overall collection is reported at over 400 million tracks, but that includes a very different mix of artist uploads, demos, remixes, DJ sets and spoken-word material. It is not 400 million conventional, fully licensed album tracks available free to everyone. Many uploads play free; some commercial releases require Go+.
Sound and formats: Go+ offers high-quality AAC streaming at 256kbps for eligible tracks. That is still compressed audio, not a lossless or hi-res tier. A polished upload, a homemade demo and a recording copied from elsewhere can sound very different even at the same playback setting.
Prices and deals: Free access includes ads. Go is £5.99 and Go+ £11.99; Go+ adds fuller catalogue access and the higher-quality option. Eligible newcomers are offered a seven-day Go trial or 30-day Go+ trial. Verified students can get Go+ at half price directly through SoundCloud, with annual checks for up to four consecutive years. There is no standard family plan listed.
Benefits: It can complement a mainstream service if you follow independent artists, underground scenes or DJs. Artists can upload music without waiting for a conventional album release, and comments, follows and reposts make discovery more social. Some artists provide separate downloadable files or purchases.
Potential pitfalls: Go and Go+ do not unlock the same catalogue. Not every upload is available in high-quality streaming, and tracks can disappear if an uploader removes them or rights change. Paying does not make every remix official, and SoundCloud’s track total cannot fairly be compared directly with a conventional streaming catalogue. Artist subscriptions are separate from listener plans; the student discount is not available through Apple or Google app-store billing.
Sound Quality Without The Sales Pitch
A lossless service keeps the audio data in the supplied recording intact. It does not repair a poor recording, improve the original mix or guarantee you will hear a difference from a well-encoded compressed version. The mastering, headphones, speakers, room and background noise all matter.
Hi-res means more digital resolution than normal CD audio. Those larger numbers are specifications, not a score for musical enjoyment. A well-made CD-quality recording can be excellent. Spatial audio is another subject: it uses a different presentation or mix to give a sense of sound around you. You may prefer that version, or the ordinary stereo version.
Most everyday Bluetooth connections compress the audio again. Some specialised combinations offer lossless transmission, but the phone, headphones, codec and connection conditions all have to support it. A service’s lossless badge alone does not establish what reaches your ears. A compatible wired connection or supported WiFi streamer is usually the clearer route when checking lossless playback.
Use higher quality on WiFi if you want to compare it, and lower settings when data is limited. As a rough calculation, a continuous 256kbps stream uses about 115MB per hour, and 320kbps about 144MB, before connection overhead. Lossless usage varies and can be substantially higher. Downloading playlists on WiFi saves mobile data, but uses phone storage.
Deals That Save Money And Deals That Do Not
Start with a student offer if you qualify, then compare it with any family plan you are genuinely eligible to join. Being under 25 does not by itself make you eligible for every student subscription. Most require an approved institution and proof of current enrolment. Missing a verification email can mean renewal at the full individual price.
A £12.99 monthly plan costs £155.88 over twelve paid months. A £5.99 plan costs £71.88. An introductory free month lowers the first year’s total, but not the ongoing monthly bill. Set a reminder before a trial ends: most become paid subscriptions automatically. Check cancellation rules because access may end immediately with some trial offers.
Phone contracts, new headphones and bundles sometimes include music trials. Compare the total cost, not the advertised saving. Buying equipment you did not want to obtain three free months of music is not a saving. An annual payment may be cheaper overall, but ties up money and can leave you paying for a service you stop using.
How To Choose Without Paying For Everything
Use a trial to test a few things: whether your favourite music is present, how easy it is to find albums, whether downloads work on your journey, and whether the app connects to your actual equipment. If sharing playlists matters, try that too. If you want to explore classical recordings, live performances or independent releases, search those specifically.
Check the audio setting and compare at a similar volume. A louder version can seem more impressive without being better. Playlist-transfer tools can help when switching, but check the results: they may match a live version, cover or remaster instead of the recording you wanted.
Free listening is a valid choice if its limits suit you. Paying is useful when the benefits solve a problem you actually have. You can also use a free discovery service alongside one paid subscription, rather than paying for several overlapping catalogues.
What The Terms Mean
On-Demand: Choosing the exact track or album to play, rather than accepting a shuffled selection.
Catalogue: The music a service can offer. It can vary by country, subscription and licensing agreement.
Playlist And Queue: A playlist is a saved collection of tracks. The queue is the running list of what will play next.
Algorithm And Curation: An algorithm chooses recommendations using data such as listening history. Human curation means people select the music.
Offline Download: Music saved inside a streaming app for listening without internet. It normally remains dependent on a valid subscription and periodic account checks.
Lossy And Lossless: Lossy compression discards some audio information to make files smaller. Lossless compression makes files smaller without discarding the original audio data. Compressed does not automatically mean lossy.
MP3, AAC And Opus: Common lossy audio codecs. A codec is a way of encoding and decoding audio; different codecs cannot be judged purely by comparing their bitrate numbers.
FLAC And ALAC: Lossless codecs. ALAC is Apple’s format; FLAC is widely supported elsewhere. The name alone does not tell you the recording’s resolution.
Bitrate And kbps: The amount of data sent each second. kbps means kilobits per second, not kilobytes. Higher rates generally use more data; comparisons need the same codec and source.
Bit Depth And Sample Rate: Bit depth, such as 16-bit or 24-bit, describes the digital precision available. Sample rate, such as 44.1kHz, describes how often sound is sampled: 44,100 times per second. Neither is a guarantee of a better recording.
CD Quality And Hi-Res: CD audio is 16-bit/44.1kHz. Hi-res audio goes beyond that in bit depth or sample rate. Not every song on a hi-res service is available in hi-res.
Stereo And Spatial Audio: Stereo uses left and right channels. Spatial formats, including Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio, can present sound around you through compatible playback systems. Spatial and lossless describe different things.
DAC: A digital-to-analogue converter, which turns digital audio into a signal for headphones or speakers. One is already built into many devices; an external one may provide additional format support or connections.
Bluetooth, WiFi And Connect: Bluetooth commonly links a phone to nearby headphones or speakers. WiFi connects devices through a network. A compatible Connect feature can let a speaker or streamer fetch music directly while your phone acts as its controller.
Mastering And Normalisation: Mastering prepares a recording for release and can change its sound. Volume normalisation adjusts playback level to reduce loudness jumps between tracks; it does not make recordings identical.
Explicit And Clean Versions: Explicit versions may contain language or content some listeners want to avoid. Clean versions may mute, replace or omit parts. Parental filters do not guarantee that every unsuitable upload is correctly labelled.
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