Spotify leads in audio quality options and discovery features with 320kbps Ogg Vorbis streaming, while Amazon Music offers better value for Prime members with lossless audio (up to 16-bit/44.1kHz) and includes free tier access. The choice depends on your priorities: music discovery and interface polish favor Spotify, while integrated shopping and family plans favor Amazon Music.
Spotify vs Amazon Music — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Swedish music streaming platform with 600+ million users and advanced discovery algorithms.
Amazon's music streaming service offering lossless audio, integrated Prime benefits, and smart home optimization.
Maximum Audio Quality. Free Tier Availability. Monthly Subscription Price (Individual). Music Library Size. Discover Weekly Feature. Family Plan (up to 6 members). Global Subscribers (2025)
Choose Spotify if you prioritize music discovery, personalized playlists (Discover Weekly), superior user interface, and don't need lossless audio. Choose Amazon Music if you're an Amazon Prime member seeking better value, want lossless streaming quality, and appreciate integrated smart home and shopping features—it's exceptional value at $2.99/month for Prime members versus $11.99 standalone.
Spotify: 320 kbps OGG | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 320 (Standard) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: $0.003-0.005 | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Limited/None | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Excellent (Discover Weekly) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Advanced (Blend, Collaborative playlists) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Premium only | Amazon Music: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Premium Tier)
Spotify: Ad-Supported | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: No (Spatial Audio instead) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Universal compatibility | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Lossless (HiFi tier) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Full platform integration with exclusives | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Secondary feature, available but limited | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Strict verification required | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 281 (Q3 2025) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: $0.003-$0.005 | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 320 kbps AAC (standard) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 4.3 (Q3 2025) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Full ad-supported tier | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Spotify Individual | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Spotify Free | Amazon Music: N/A
Artist Growth Multiplier (focused strategy)
Spotify: 3-5x faster monthly listener growth | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: $0.003-0.005 per stream | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Requires distribution service | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Algorithm-driven, slower direct feedback | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Limited exclusive release functionality | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Lower density | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 626 million | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 3M+ podcasts | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 100M+ tracks | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: HiFi Tier (additional cost) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 180+ countries | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Discover Weekly, Release Radar, Song/Artist Radio, Song Credits expansion | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: $11.99/month (Premium) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 100,000,000+ | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 320 kbps (Premium) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 10,000 songs | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 6+ major platforms | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Limited | Amazon Music: Music videos only
Spotify: All platforms equally | Amazon Music: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Individual Plan)
Spotify: $11.99/month | Amazon Music: N/A
Annual Subscription Cost (Individual Plan)
Spotify: 150+ million | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Ogg Vorbis, MP3, AAC | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 10,000 per device | Amazon Music: N/A
Discover Weekly Playlists Generated Weekly
Spotify: 45+ million | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 100 million songs | Amazon Music: 100+
Spotify: 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Yes — included, no extra charge | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Limited catalog | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Yes — largest catalog | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Yes (limited per plan) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Yes (ad-supported, shuffle-limited) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Yes (Blend, Friend Activity) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Yes (DJ, Smart Shuffle) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Via Spotify Connect | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Via AirPlay | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 320 kbps (compressed) | Amazon Music: 256 kbps (standard tier)
Spotify: 9+ (iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Web, PlayStation, Xbox, Alexa, Smart TVs) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 6 skips/hour on ad-supported tier | Amazon Music: N/A
User Satisfaction with Discovery (2024 survey)
Spotify: 73% satisfied with personalization | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 600+ million | Amazon Music: 200+ million
Spotify: 100+ million | Amazon Music: 100+ million
Spotify: 628 million | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 256 kbps AAC lossy | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 10,000 songs | Amazon Music: Unlimited (with limits per device)
Spotify: 500+ (Android, iOS, web, consoles, smart TVs) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 6 users at $16.99/month | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 100+ million | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: Required (strict verification) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: 6 hours (with ads) | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: ~626 million | Amazon Music: N/A
Spotify: ~100+ million | Amazon Music: 100+ million
Spotify: $11.99 | Amazon Music: $11.99 (or $2.99 with Prime)
Spotify: $16.99 | Amazon Music: Included with Prime ($14.99/mo)
Spotify: 320kbps Ogg Vorbis | Amazon Music: Lossless 16-bit/44.1kHz (1,411 kbps equivalent)
Spotify: 10,000 (5 devices max) | Amazon Music: Unlimited
Spotify: Full free tier with ads (shuffle-only on mobile) | Amazon Music: Echo device owners only
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: $10.99 (free with Prime)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 100,000 songs
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 100+ Alexa devices
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: Not available
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: Yes (ad-supported with Prime)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web, 500+ devices
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 850 kbps spatial audio
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 128 kbps AAC
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: All Alexa devices (100+ million)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: $139-179 (6 accounts with Prime)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 30 days (rotational for Prime members)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: Yes (Ultra HD tier)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: Alexa (200M+ Echo devices)
Annual Prime/YouTube Premium Bundle Cost
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: $119 (Prime includes music + shipping + Prime Video)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: $5.99/month (with Prime) or $10.99 (standalone)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 100+ million songs
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 10+ million tracks
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 8,000+ Alexa-compatible devices
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: $14.99/month (6 accounts via Prime)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 320 kbps (MP3) with Unlimited tier
Monthly Subscription Cost (Standard Tier)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: $14.99 (or $9.99 with Prime)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 100+ million (including Prime)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: Extensive (4K videos, concerts, Wondery docs)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: Ultra tier only ($14.99/month extra)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: Ultra tier only
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 10 years (since 2016)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: Free with Prime
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 3,730 (Ultra HD)
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: Limited selection
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 100+ million
Spotify: N/A | Amazon Music: 100 songs per device
How to choose between Spotify and Amazon Music
Spotify vs Amazon Music — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Spotify vs Amazon Music. Contains 174 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Spotify vs Amazon Music — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Spotify vs Amazon Music.
Is Spotify or Amazon Music better for audio quality?
Amazon Music is superior for audio quality. It offers lossless streaming (16-bit/44.1kHz) and Hi-Res audio (up to 192kHz) with its Ultra HD tier at no additional cost. Spotify maxes out at 320kbps Ogg Vorbis compression, which is lossy. However, most casual listeners cannot distinguish the difference without high-end audio equipment.
Amazon Music is significantly cheaper for families. If you're an Amazon Prime member, family members get unlimited access to Amazon Music at no extra cost (Prime is $139/year or $14.99/month). Spotify's family plan costs $16.99/month for 6 members. Non-Prime members pay $11.99/month on both services.
Does Spotify or Amazon Music have better music discovery?
Spotify excels at music discovery. Its Discover Weekly feature is industry-leading, with 56% of users reporting they've discovered new favorite artists through it. Amazon Music's algorithmic curation is notably weaker. However, Amazon Music includes thousands of hand-curated expert playlists that some users prefer.
Can I download music offline with both services?
Both offer offline downloads, but with different limits. Spotify allows 10,000 songs per device across up to 5 devices. Amazon Music Unlimited members can download unlimited songs. Amazon's unlimited downloads are a significant advantage for frequent travelers or those with limited data plans.
Which service integrates better with smart homes?
Amazon Music integrates seamlessly with Alexa and Amazon's smart home ecosystem—you can voice-control playback across multiple Echo devices for whole-home audio. Spotify has limited smart home integration and primarily works as a single-room service. This makes Amazon Music the clear winner for Alexa users.
How to Choose Between Spotify and Amazon Music
Maximum Audio Quality: Spotify has 320kbps Ogg Vorbis (Premium), while Amazon Music has Lossless 16-bit/44.1kHz (Ultra HD).
Free Tier Availability: Spotify has Ad-supported with shuffle-only playlists, while Amazon Music has Free tier only for Echo device owners; Prime members get unlimited access.
Consider: Monthly Subscription Price (Individual)
Monthly Subscription Price (Individual): Spotify has $11.99 USD, while Amazon Music has $11.99 USD (standalone); $2.99 for Prime members.
Music Library Size: Spotify has 100+ million songs, while Amazon Music has 100+ million songs.
Discover Weekly Feature: Spotify has AI-powered personalized playlist (weekly), while Amazon Music has Amazon Music Rotation (limited curation).
Family Plan (up to 6 members): Spotify has $16.99 USD/month, while Amazon Music has Included with Prime ($14.99/month or $139/year).
Global Subscribers (2025): Spotify has 600+ million (including free tier), while Amazon Music has 200+ million (estimated).