YouTube Music excels with superior audio quality (up to 320kbps) and seamless YouTube integration, while Amazon Music offers better value through Prime membership bundling and offline downloads at all tiers. YouTube Music is best for casual listeners who watch music videos, while Amazon Music suits Prime subscribers wanting comprehensive streaming.
YouTube Music vs Amazon Music — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Google's music streaming service integrated with YouTube and YouTube Premium.
Amazon's streaming service bundled with Prime membership with offline download support.
Maximum Audio Quality. YouTube Video Integration. Ad-Free Offline Downloads. Free Tier Ad Experience. Prime Member Bundling. Music Library Size. Family Plan Cost
Choose YouTube Music if you want the best audio quality, integrated music video content, and prefer a standalone music service with deep YouTube ecosystem integration. Choose Amazon Music if you're already a Prime member seeking maximum value, need offline downloads on the free tier, or want a slightly cheaper family plan without the premium tier requirement.
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: Full integration (2.7B videos) | 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: $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: None | Amazon Music: Echo device owners only
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
YouTube Music: $12.99 | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: No skipping allowed | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: Unlimited downloads | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: ~0.3-0.4 cents per stream | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: $22.88 saved (buy yearly) | 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: 320 kbps MP3 | Amazon Music: 256 kbps (standard 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: ~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: Unlimited | Amazon Music: Unlimited
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: 100+ million | Amazon Music: 100+ million
YouTube Music: 100,000 songs maximum | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: Full official videos | Amazon Music: Not available
YouTube Music: Yes—ad-supported with limitations | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: $7.99 | Amazon Music: Not available
YouTube Music: Not applicable | Amazon Music: Free with Prime
YouTube Music: 320 (MP3) | Amazon Music: 3,730 (Ultra HD)
YouTube Music: 70+ official videos | Amazon Music: Limited selection
YouTube Music: Unlimited with Premium | Amazon Music: 100 songs per device
YouTube Music: 6 profiles | Amazon Music: 6 profiles
YouTube Music: $11.99 | Amazon Music: $11.99
YouTube Music: 320 kbps | Amazon Music: 256 kbps
YouTube Music: $22.99 | Amazon Music: $19.99
YouTube Music: Separate subscription | Amazon Music: Included in Prime
YouTube Music: No (Premium required) | Amazon Music: Yes (all free tier)
YouTube Music: 256 kbps | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: Via distributor only | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: $167.88/year | Amazon Music: N/A
YouTube Music: N/A | Amazon Music: $10.99 (free with Prime)
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)
Monthly Subscription Cost (Standard Tier)
YouTube Music: N/A | 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: $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
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 156 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.
Is YouTube Music or Amazon Music better for offline listening?
Amazon Music is significantly better for offline use. It offers offline downloads on all subscription tiers, including the free tier, while YouTube Music only allows offline downloads with a Premium subscription ($11.99/month). If offline access is important, Amazon Music provides better value.
Can I watch music videos on Amazon Music?
No, Amazon Music does not provide music videos. YouTube Music integrates full access to official music videos, lyric videos, and music Shorts, making it the clear choice if video content is important to you. Amazon Music is audio-only.
Amazon Music is substantially better for Prime members because it's included free with your Prime membership ($139/year or $14.99/month), eliminating the need for a separate music subscription. This saves approximately $144/year versus YouTube Music Premium, plus you get offline downloads on all tiers.
What's the audio quality difference between YouTube Music and Amazon Music?
YouTube Music Premium streams at up to 320 kbps (CD-quality equivalent), while Amazon Music streams at up to 256 kbps. The difference is audible on high-end headphones, with YouTube Music providing marginally better audio fidelity. However, most casual listeners won't notice the 20% quality difference.
Amazon Music has a superior free tier with unlimited skips, minimal ads, and offline download capabilities. YouTube Music's free tier includes ads, skip limitations, and requires YouTube Premium for background play. Amazon's free tier is one of the most generous in streaming music.
How to Choose Between YouTube Music and Amazon Music
Maximum Audio Quality: YouTube Music has 320 kbps (Premium Tier), while Amazon Music has 256 kbps (Music HD limited availability).
YouTube Video Integration: YouTube Music has Full access to music videos and lyric videos, while Amazon Music has No music video access.
Ad-Free Offline Downloads: YouTube Music has Premium only ($11.99/month), while Amazon Music has All tiers including Free.
Free Tier Ad Experience: YouTube Music has 30-second ads, skip limitations, while Amazon Music has Unlimited skips, fewer ads.
Prime Member Bundling: YouTube Music has Separate subscription required, while Amazon Music has Included in Prime ($139/year).
Music Library Size: YouTube Music has 100+ million songs, while Amazon Music has 100+ million songs.
Family Plan Cost: YouTube Music has $22.99/month (6 users), while Amazon Music has $19.99/month (6 users).