10 Best Music Streaming Services for 2024
Music streaming services have truly transformed the way we listen to our favorite music. Whether it’s during the daily commute, in the office, or at home, streaming is the most convenient way to enjoy albums, playlists, radio, and podcasts.
But with so many streaming platforms to choose from, how can you know which one is right for you? It’s important to think about the features you need most. For example, how important is sound quality? Do you need ad-free or offline listening? Do you prefer a service that pays artists more for their work?
In this article, we’ll help you find the best music streaming service for your specific needs. We cover the pertinent pricing details, information about audio quality, playlist features, and more. We also note the services that offer audiophile formats or compatibility with spatial audio, the technology behind Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format.
1. Bandcamp
While Bandcamp’s platform centers on helping artists and labels sell physical merchandise, that’s only one part of how it works. Bandcamp also provides unlimited streaming for releases you purchase and offers a favorable split to artists, taking only a 10% revenue share of sales. You can also pay for releases upfront or subscribe to an artist, which keeps you up to date on all their material.
Plus, Bandcamp is only getting better for listeners. In February 2021, Bandcamp announced a new queuing feature that allows you to build your own playlists. You can load up entire albums or just individual tracks, and you can reorder where tracks appear in your queue.
Key features:
- Price: Artists and labels set prices
- Audio quality: Offers audiophile formats
- Mobile support: Available in the App Store or Google Play
- Playlisting features: Yes
2. Tidal
Tidal has done a lot since its founding in 2014 to distinguish itself, including becoming one of the best music streaming services for audiophiles. With a $19.99 per month HiFi Plus subscription, you can take advantage of both Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio as you stream at up to 9216 kbps.
Tidal’s free version and HiFi subscription tier ($9.99 per month) don’t offer the same lofty benchmarks for audio quality, but they still provide access to a huge catalog at a better than average playback standard. Tidal is also doubling down on music videos, with a growing catalog of exclusive visual content.
Key features:
- Price: Free; HiFi for $9.99 per month; HiFi Plus for $19.99 per month
- Audio Quality: Offers high-fidelity streaming
- Mobile support: Available in the App Store or Google Play
- Playlisting features: Yes
3. Apple Music
Another strong contender for audiophiles, Apple Music boasts a catalog of more than 90 million songs with support for Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio on almost all plan types. Plus, you can download some of those higher-tier audiophile formats.
Apple Music is also perfect for pairing with Apple’s virtual assistant Siri, available for all subscription levels. And if you’re not sure about signing up, you can use the 1-month free trial to sample its offerings.
Apple users can access a 6-month free trial period. Check the Apple Music site to see if your device qualifies.
Key features:
- Price: Individual for $9.99 per month; Family for $14.99 per month
- Audio Quality: Offers high-fidelity streaming and audiophile formats
- Mobile support: Available in the App Store or Google Play
- Playlisting features: Yes
4. Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon Music Unlimited emphasizes its large catalog and support for Hi-Fi features like Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio (at least for portions of its catalog). As of this writing, you can also access a 3-month trial to see if it's right for you. It’s an obvious candidate for heavy Amazon users, but stands out for any user with its low cost point.
You can also buy music directly from the main site or check out Amazon Music Prime. This service acts as an addition to your existing Prime account and includes music and other audio content. However, it’s not as thorough as Amazon Music Unlimited and only hosts 2 million songs compared to Unlimited’s 75 million.
Key features:
- Price: $7.99 per month
- Audio Quality: Offers high-fidelity streaming
- Mobile support: Available in the App Store or Google Play
- Playlisting features: Yes
5. Spotify
Spotify is one of the most popular streaming platforms, with an enormous library and 180 million subscribers. That’s a huge global footprint, which is why many would consider it among the top music streaming services available today. It’s also become well-known for its highly curated playlists, such as Discover Weekly, which delivers newly released music based on your listening habits.
Spotify doesn’t offer as many premium audio options as other services, but it does have a large content library and generous free tier. You can also pay $9.99 monthly for features like ad-free listening, downloadable music and podcasts, and a better mobile experience.
Key features:
- Price: Free; Premium account $9.99 per month
- Audio Quality: No audiophile options
- Mobile support: Available in the App Store or Google Play
- Playlisting features: Yes
6. YouTube Music
YouTube Music will definitely appeal to fans of the core brand. The service provides a simplified streaming interface for free users, designed for easy navigation and cool perks like mixes and recommendations.
YouTube’s Music service shines as a music discovery platform with tons of content, but you also get fantastic search functionality, loads of variety, and live recordings. You can even download content and queue it up for offline play.
Key features:
- Price: Free; Premium for $9.99 per month
- Audio Quality: No audiophile options
- Mobile support: Available in the App Store or Google Play
- Playlisting features: Yes
7. Deezer
Deezer is a French streaming service that’s been around since 2007 but became a global offering in 2012. At that time, it expanded into new countries and developed a strong reputation for high-fidelity audio.
Deezer offers CD-quality/FLAC streaming and supports 360 Reality Audio at the HiFi level for $14.99 monthly. Otherwise, you can access an ad-supported free tier or pay $9.99 for the premium subscription. Curious how it works with your device? Deezer hosts a convenient guide to HiFi users for syncing with other devices, so you can get FLAC-quality audio wherever you want.
Key features:
- Price: Free; Premium for $9.99 per month; HiFi for $14.99 per month
- Audio Quality: Offers audiophile formats
- Mobile support: Available in the App Store or Google Play
- Playlisting features: Yes
8. Qobuz
Qobuz may sound a little like their competitor Deezer: based in France and launched in 2007. However, Qobuz expanded to a global market later (2019), building its own dedicated user base since then.
Qobuz earned a stronger reputation for high-fidelity streaming, thanks to 24-bit hi-res output on both standalone plans. The plans also provide access to offline listening and dedicated album purchasing. Those purchases grant permanent access to high-quality sound files, whether or not you’re a Qobuz subscriber.
Key features:
- Price: $12.99 per month (you can save with annual payments)
- Audio Quality: Offers high-fidelity streaming and audiophile formats
- Mobile support: Available in the App Store or Google Play
- Playlisting features: Yes
9. Pandora
Pandora has been around since 2000 and maintains a large user base compared to its competitors. Back then, it was known as a streaming radio platform dedicated to music discovery and organic recommendations based on listener taste. Since then, Pandora has adapted to compete with other music streaming apps.
Compared to the competition, Pandora does a good job of keeping things affordable. You can enjoy the classic free experience or subscribe to Plus for $4.99 per month or Premium for $9.99. In exchange, you get a fairly complete streaming experience with ad-free skips and stations, offline listening, and even playlist features. It may lack high-fidelity audio, but it’s still a great platform for discovery and radio-like listening.
Key features:
- Price: Free; Plus for $4.99 per month; Premium for $9.99 per month
- Audio Quality: No audiophile options
- Mobile support: Available in the App Store or Google Play
- Playlisting features: Yes
10. SiriusXM Internet Radio
SiriusXM may be more strongly associated with vehicle and home audio, but it ranks highly among those looking for the best music app. It also has one of the best-rated mobile apps on our list with a 4.8/5 in both the App Store and Google Play. That makes it an ideal option for heavy mobile users.
SiriusXM’s streaming options come in two categories: Platinum and Music & Entertainment. Both tiers offer a good variety of content for the price with no ads, hundreds of curated channels and shows, integration with Pandora to create custom stations, and a built-in video library.
Where they differ is that Platinum offers streaming on all your devices, while Music & Entertainment is for vehicle users. There’s also a Platinum VIP option that adds extras like offline listening, but you have to contact Sirius for details.
Key features:
- Price: Platinum for $10.99 per month; Music & Entertainment for $17.99
- Audio Quality: No audiophile options
- Mobile support: Available in the App Store or Google Play
- Playlisting features: No, but includes customizable Pandora stations
Summary: what features best suit your listening?
Audio is a big business and the best music streaming services focus on more than just content. They must also offer top-tier accessibility, mobile use, and sound quality. With that in mind, you may lean toward Tidal’s audiophile sound quality compared to the sheer scale of Spotify’s catalog. Or you may want Qobuz, which offers high-quality mobile audio.
Pandora or SiriusXM are great set-it-and-forget-it options if you don’t enjoy navigating or creating playlists. And if you want something associated with a brand you already enjoy, consider Amazon Music Unlimited, YouTube Music, and Apple Music.
The good news is that whichever service you pick, it will have at least several million tracks available. You’re sure to find at least a few of your favorite songs – if not all of them.
About the Author: Dwight Pavlovic is a contributing writer for HP Tech Takes. Dwight is a music and technology writer based out of West Virginia.
