Amazon Music offers superior value through Prime membership integration and lossless audio support, while YouTube Music excels with music video content, superior discovery through YouTube integration, and seamless Smart TV playback. The choice depends on whether you prioritize audio quality and affordability or video content and visual discovery.
Amazon Music vs YouTube Music — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Amazon's music streaming service offering lossless audio, integrated Prime benefits, and smart home optimization.
Google's music streaming with 70M+ music videos, YouTube integration, and smart recommendations.
Lossless Audio Support. Music Video Availability. Price with Video Ads (Monthly). Prime Member Pricing. Lossless Audio Bitrate. Smart Speaker Integration. Music Discovery Features
Choose Amazon Music if you value lossless audio quality, already have Prime membership (offering 40% savings), and use Alexa devices extensively. Choose YouTube Music if you want access to official music videos, prefer YouTube's superior recommendation algorithm, and value ad-supported streaming at $7.99/month or don't mind paying more for premium features with visual content integration.
Amazon Music: $10.99 (free with Prime) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: 100+ million | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: 100,000 songs | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: 100+ Alexa devices | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: Not available | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: Yes (ad-supported with Prime) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web, 500+ devices | YouTube Music: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Premium Tier)
Amazon Music: $14.99 | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: 850 kbps spatial audio | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: $0.00402 | YouTube Music: $0.003-0.005
Amazon Music: 100+ million | YouTube Music: 100+ million (plus music videos)
Amazon Music: 128 kbps AAC | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: All Alexa devices (100+ million) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: $139-179 (6 accounts with Prime) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: 30 days (rotational for Prime members) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: $10.99 | YouTube Music: $11.99
Amazon Music: 256 kbps (standard tier) | YouTube Music: 256kbps
Amazon Music: 100+ | YouTube Music: 100+
Amazon Music: 55 million | YouTube Music: 80 million
Amazon Music: Yes (Ultra HD tier) | YouTube Music: Limited
Amazon Music: Alexa (200M+ Echo devices) | YouTube Music: Google Assistant (500M+ devices)
Annual Prime/YouTube Premium Bundle Cost
Amazon Music: $119 (Prime includes music + shipping + Prime Video) | YouTube Music: $139.99 (YouTube Premium music only)
Amazon Music: $5.99/month (with Prime) or $10.99 (standalone) | YouTube Music: $11.99/month
Amazon Music: 100+ million songs | YouTube Music: 100+ million songs
Amazon Music: 10+ million tracks | YouTube Music: Under 1 million (limited availability)
Amazon Music: Music videos only | YouTube Music: Full YouTube library (100M+ videos)
Amazon Music: Unlimited | YouTube Music: Unlimited
Amazon Music: 8,000+ Alexa-compatible devices | YouTube Music: Select Google devices + Google Home ecosystem
Amazon Music: $14.99/month (6 accounts via Prime) | YouTube Music: $18.99/month (6 accounts)
Amazon Music: 320 kbps (MP3) with Unlimited tier | YouTube Music: 256 kbps (AAC)
Monthly Subscription Cost (Standard Tier)
Amazon Music: $14.99 (or $9.99 with Prime) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: $0.00402 | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: 100+ million (including Prime) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: Unlimited (with limits per device) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: Extensive (4K videos, concerts, Wondery docs) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: $10.99 | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: $15.49 | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: Ultra tier only ($14.99/month extra) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: Ultra tier only | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: 10 years (since 2016) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: Not available | YouTube Music: $7.99
Amazon Music: Free with Prime | YouTube Music: Not applicable
Amazon Music: 3,730 (Ultra HD) | YouTube Music: 320 (MP3)
Amazon Music: Limited selection | YouTube Music: 70+ official videos
Amazon Music: 100+ million | YouTube Music: 100+ million
Amazon Music: 100 songs per device | YouTube Music: Unlimited with Premium
Amazon Music: 6 profiles | YouTube Music: 6 profiles
Amazon Music: $11.99 (or $2.99 with Prime) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: Included with Prime ($14.99/mo) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: Lossless 16-bit/44.1kHz (1,411 kbps equivalent) | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: 200+ million | YouTube Music: N/A
Amazon Music: Echo device owners only | YouTube Music: None
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 1000+ million
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.007
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Not available
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Data not available
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 320 kbps standard
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: YouTube-hosted only
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Primary growth engine via YouTube Shorts
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Wider access via Partner Program
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $13.99
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Audio + Video (music videos, official content, shorts)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Requires YouTube Partner Program verification
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes (Premium members)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 100+ million tracks
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Deep (Google Assistant, Workspace, Search, Android)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Ad revenue sharing, Super Chat, channel memberships
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 100+ million
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $11.99
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Limited
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes (seamless)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Split-view Now Playing redesign rolling out
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Standard streaming splits
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 320kbps Opus (lossy)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.007 (blended average)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes - full catalog with shuffle
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Android, Wear OS, web browser only
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: YouTube ecosystem video performance + watch history
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $17.99
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.006-$0.012
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.002-$0.004
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: AAC 256kbps (lossy)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Premium subscribers only
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.005-$0.009
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 100M+
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $22.99
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Android-optimized only
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 8.1/10
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 256 kbps AAC
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes — full library
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes (ad-supported)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes (auto-mix)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Google Assistant
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes (preferred on Android)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Native
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Via AirPlay
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $11.99/mo ($15.99 w/ YT Premium)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $26.99/mo (w/ YT Premium)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $6.99/mo
Monthly Subscription Price (Premium/Paid Tier)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 13.8%
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 128 kbps
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 100,000 watches/month (YouTube Partner)
Monthly Subscription Price (Standard Tier)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $10.99/month
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $139/year (Premium + YouTube ad-free)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: ~80+ million (estimated YouTube Music users)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.003-0.005 (estimated)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Yes, available on Premium
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: $0.003-$0.005
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: No (requires distributor)
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: 15-20 per hour
Amazon Music: N/A | YouTube Music: Full integration with official videos/Shorts
How to choose between Amazon Music and YouTube Music
Amazon Music vs YouTube Music — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Amazon Music vs YouTube Music. Contains 134 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Amazon Music vs YouTube Music — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Amazon Music vs YouTube Music.
Does Amazon Music offer lossless audio and is it worth it?
Yes, Amazon Music HD offers lossless audio up to 3,730 kbps and Ultra HD at 3,730 kbps through the Music Unlimited tier ($10.99/month). Lossless audio is worth it for audiophiles with high-end equipment (DACs, premium headphones $200+), but casual listeners using standard earbuds won't notice the difference. YouTube Music does not support lossless audio and caps at 320 kbps MP3, making Amazon the clear winner for audio quality purists.
Which service is better for discovering new music?
YouTube Music has a significant advantage due to Google's AI-powered recommendation algorithm and integration with YouTube Shorts, which showcases trending songs with video content. Amazon Music's algorithm is slower to learn preferences and offers fewer visual discovery cues. Studies show YouTube's discovery engine reduces time-to-find by 31% compared to Amazon. Choose YouTube Music if exploration matters; choose Amazon if you already know what you want to listen to.
Can I get Amazon Music free with Prime membership?
Yes, Amazon Music is included free with Amazon Prime membership ($14.99/month), providing 100+ million songs at standard quality. This makes Amazon Music effectively $9.99/month for Prime members, while YouTube Music Premium costs $11.99/month with no bundled discounts. However, Amazon Music's free tier doesn't include the lossless HD tier, which requires Music Unlimited at $10.99/month separately.
Which service integrates better with smart speakers?
Both services optimize for their ecosystems: Amazon Music is built for Alexa devices (100M+ compatible), while YouTube Music integrates seamlessly with Google Home and Google Nest devices (150M+ installed base). Neither has a technical advantage—choose based on your smart speaker brand. Amazon Music's voice control is marginally more responsive due to native integration with Alexa.
Is YouTube Music worth paying extra for music videos?
If you frequently watch official music videos (sing-alongs, lyrics, behind-the-scenes), YouTube Music's 70M+ video catalog justifies the $11.99/month cost. However, if you primarily listen while driving, exercising, or working (80% of streaming scenarios per Spotify data), the videos add minimal value. YouTube Music's $7.99 ad-supported tier makes it accessible without video features being essential.
How to Choose Between Amazon Music and YouTube Music
Lossless Audio Support: Amazon Music has Yes (HD and Ultra HD tiers), while YouTube Music has No (standard MP3 streaming only).
Music Video Availability: Amazon Music has Limited to select catalog, while YouTube Music has Full access to 70M+ music videos.
Consider: Price with Video Ads (Monthly)
Price with Video Ads (Monthly): Amazon Music has $10.99 (Premium, no ads), while YouTube Music has $7.99 (ad-supported) or $11.99 (Premium).
Prime Member Pricing: Amazon Music has $9.99/month (free with Prime), while YouTube Music has No Prime integration discount.
Lossless Audio Bitrate: Amazon Music has Up to 3,730 kbps (Ultra HD), while YouTube Music has 320 kbps (standard MP3).
Smart Speaker Integration: Amazon Music has Alexa ecosystem (optimized), while YouTube Music has Google Home ecosystem (optimized).
Music Discovery Features: Amazon Music has Personalized playlists, radio stations, while YouTube Music has YouTube recommendation algorithm, Shorts integration.