YouTube Music excels with superior integration to YouTube's 100+ million songs and music videos, while Amazon Music undercuts it at $5.99/month with exclusive access to spatial audio on over 10 million tracks and deeper Alexa integration for smart home users.
YouTube Music vs Amazon Music — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Google's music streaming service with integrated YouTube video library and personalized playlists.
Amazon's dual-tier streaming service offering standard music on Prime or ad-free with spatial audio via Music Unlimited.
Monthly Subscription Price. Catalog Size. Spatial Audio Tracks Available. Music Video Integration. Smart Speaker Integration. Offline Download Limit. Family Plan Price
Choose YouTube Music if you want seamless music video integration, unlimited offline downloads, and deep YouTube ecosystem connectivity. Choose Amazon Music if you're a Prime member seeking better value, prefer spatial audio, use Alexa devices, or want the most affordable premium option at $5.99/month.
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 | Amazon Music: N/A
Monthly Subscription Price (Premium/Paid Tier)
YouTube Music: 13.8% | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: 128 kbps | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: $0.003-0.005 | Amazon Music: $0.00402
YouTube Music: 100,000 watches/month (YouTube Partner) | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: $11.99 | Amazon Music: $10.99
YouTube Music: 256kbps | Amazon Music: 320 kbps MP3 (standard); Lossless (Ultra HD tier)
YouTube Music: 100+ | Amazon Music: 100+
YouTube Music: 80 million | Amazon Music: 55 million
YouTube Music: Limited | Amazon Music: Yes (Ultra HD tier)
YouTube Music: Google Assistant (500M+ devices) | Amazon Music: Alexa (200M+ Echo devices)
Annual Prime/YouTube Premium Bundle Cost
YouTube Music: $139.99 (YouTube Premium music only) | Amazon Music: $119 (Prime includes music + shipping + Prime Video)
Monthly Subscription Price (Standard Tier)
YouTube Music: $10.99/month | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: $139/year (Premium + YouTube ad-free) | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: 100+ million (plus music videos) | Amazon Music: 100+ million
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 | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: $11.99/month | Amazon Music: $5.99/month (with Prime) or $10.99 (standalone)
YouTube Music: 100+ million songs | Amazon Music: 100+ million songs
YouTube Music: Under 1 million (limited availability) | Amazon Music: 10+ million tracks
YouTube Music: Full YouTube library (100M+ videos) | Amazon Music: Music videos only
YouTube Music: Unlimited | Amazon Music: 100 songs max
YouTube Music: Select Google devices + Google Home ecosystem | Amazon Music: 8,000+ Alexa-compatible devices
YouTube Music: $18.99/month (6 accounts) | Amazon Music: $14.99/month (6 accounts via Prime)
YouTube Music: 256 kbps (AAC) | Amazon Music: 320 kbps (MP3) with Unlimited tier
YouTube Music: N/A | 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
Monthly Subscription Cost (Premium Tier)
YouTube Music: N/A | Amazon Music: $14.99
YouTube Music: N/A | Amazon Music: 850 kbps spatial audio
YouTube Music: N/A | 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)
How to choose between YouTube Music and Amazon Music
YouTube Music vs Amazon Music — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for YouTube Music vs Amazon Music. Contains 109 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
YouTube Music vs Amazon Music — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for YouTube Music vs Amazon Music.
Yes, Amazon Music with ads is included free with Prime Video ($14.99/month). However, this tier has limited skips and includes ads. For ad-free listening and spatial audio, you need Music Unlimited at $10.99/month standalone or $7.99/month if bundled with Prime.
Amazon Music Unlimited offers superior quality with 320 kbps MP3 bitrate and 10+ million songs in spatial audio (Dolby Atmos). YouTube Music maxes out at 256 kbps AAC. However, most listeners cannot distinguish bitrate differences above 256 kbps in real-world conditions.
Can I watch music videos on both services?
YouTube Music includes the entire YouTube video library (100+ million music videos) in your subscription at no extra cost. Amazon Music has music videos but not access to full YouTube content. If music videos are important, YouTube Music is the clear winner.
Amazon Music is significantly better for smart homes—Alexa works with 8,000+ compatible devices (Echo, Fire TV, smart displays, thermostats, etc.). YouTube Music works with Google Home devices and Nest products, which is a smaller ecosystem. If you use Alexa, Amazon Music is the only practical choice.
How much cheaper is Amazon Music with Prime?
If you already have Prime Video ($14.99/month), Amazon Music is effectively $5.99/month since the music service is included. YouTube Music standalone is $11.99/month, making Amazon Music $6 cheaper per month ($72/year) for Prime members. Non-Prime users pay $10.99/month for Music Unlimited, still $1 cheaper than YouTube Music.
How to Choose Between YouTube Music and Amazon Music
Monthly Subscription Price: YouTube Music has $11.99, while Amazon Music has $5.99 (with Prime) / $10.99 (standalone).
Catalog Size: YouTube Music has 100+ million songs, while Amazon Music has 100+ million songs.
Consider: Spatial Audio Tracks Available
Spatial Audio Tracks Available: YouTube Music has Limited catalog (under 1 million), while Amazon Music has 10+ million tracks with spatial audio.
Music Video Integration: YouTube Music has Full YouTube video library access included, while Amazon Music has Music videos only (no full YouTube integration).
Smart Speaker Integration: YouTube Music has Google Assistant (select devices), while Amazon Music has Alexa (8,000+ compatible devices).
Offline Download Limit: YouTube Music has Unlimited downloads on premium, while Amazon Music has 100 songs per device (up to 4 devices).
Family Plan Price: YouTube Music has $18.99/month (6 accounts), while Amazon Music has $14.99/month (6 accounts via Prime).