What Is The Best Music Streaming Service?

Can you name a single moment that wouldn’t benefit from the right soundtrack? Didn’t think so. Wherever we go, technology follows—and thankfully, that means we’ve got access to music streaming services everywhere. But with so many options, which one is actually the best in 2025?

We’ve put together a list of 8 platforms that bring millions of tracks to your ears, breaking them down by catalog size, price, and what makes each one worth considering. Spoiler: for us, the real debate is still between Spotify and Apple Music. Apple Music is the natural pick for iPhone users, but Spotify continues to dominate the streaming landscape.

And remember, switching between services is easier than ever. You can move all your playlists from Apple Music to Spotify or from Amazon Music to Spotify (or any other platform) using Free Your Music. But before you make the move, here’s how the top services stack up.

Comparison Table: Best Streaming Services in 2025

#1 Spotify — The Most Popular Streaming Service

No surprise here—Spotify remains the most popular streaming platform, and for good reason. With over 100 million tracks and 20,000 new songs added daily, it’s a music lover’s dream. Spotify is best known for discovering new music. Their algorithms are so powerful that they know what type of music you like and will suggest new songs to you. Spotify gives you a variety of custom-made playlists for you to enjoy: from Discovery Weekly, through Daily Mixes, to Best Indie Songs in January. The variety of styles, artists is endless. And the sound quality is just enough to enjoy your listening experience.

Pricing

• Premium: $11.99/month
• Student Plan: $5.99/month
• Family Plan (up to 6 people): $17.99/month
• Free Tier: Available (with ads)

Why People Love It:

• Personalized Discovery: Spotify’s algorithms are among the best, serving up weekly playlists like Discover Weekly, Daily Mixes, and genre-based collections.
• Social Features: Create collaborative playlists with friends, track your yearly listening with Spotify Wrapped, and explore Spotify Blend.
• Podcasts & More: Beyond music, Spotify is a hub for podcasts and even some video content.

Best For: Anyone who loves discovering new music and enjoys social listening.

#2 Apple Music — Best for Apple Users

You can connect your Apple Music account with iCloud Music Library. It will give you access to your personal library of tracks across all your devices. As you can assume by now, Apple Music synchronizes perfectly between Apple devices so it’s a go-to platform for iPhone and Mac users. With the right devices (for example AirPods), you can listen to 30,000 tracks in Dolby Atmos.

Dolby Atmos provides an immersive, surround sound-like experience to the listener. Spatial music is awesome, but you need to have a pair of compatible AirPods or Atmos system to really hear the difference.
Apple Music recommends you some nice playlists and all, but their live radio stations really stand out here.

Pricing

• Premium: $11.99/month
• Student Plan: $5.99/month
• No Free Tier (but offers a 1-month free trial)

Why People Love It:

• Dolby Atmos & Spatial Audio: Experience immersive sound with the right headphones.
• Apple Music 1: A live radio station with curated programming.
• Perfect for Apple Ecosystem: Syncs effortlessly across all Apple devices.

Best For: iPhone and Mac users who want premium sound quality and exclusive content.

Full comparison of Spotify vs. Apple Music.

#3 Tidal — Best for Audiophiles

Tidal is building some great community around music. With their exclusive sessions, better streaming payouts, and high-quality music, they build a movement. And I can see why for youngsters it may be a thing. Especially if you don’t feel like a mainstream Spotify’er. Audio quality is top of the tops if you go for Tidal.

Pricing

• HiFi Plan: $10.99/month
• HiFi Plus Plan: $19.99/month
• Free Tier: Limited access

Why People Love It:

• Lossless, high-fidelity audio: Better than most competitors.
• Exclusive artist content & early releases: Get access to music before it hits other platforms.
• Higher artist payouts: More revenue goes directly to musicians.

Best For: Audiophiles and those who want to support artists directly.

#4 Amazon Music Unlimited — Best for Prime Members

Amazon Music Unlimited is an excellent choice for Prime members who want seamless music streaming at a discounted rate. Amazon delivers (get it?) 90M music tracks and costs $9.99/month. However, as an Amazon Prime Subscriber, you pay $8.99 which is quite a sweet deal. If you’re an Amazon Echo user, you can enjoy a $4.99 version for your Echo device. However, if you’d like to use it on other devices too, you pay the regular price. That’s just too complicated compared to other music services, but ok Amazon.

Pricing

• Standard Plan: $10.99/month
• Prime Members: $9.99/month
• Echo-Only Plan: $5.99/month

Why People Love It:

• Discounted for Prime members: A solid perk for Amazon shoppers.
• Works seamlessly with Alexa: Voice-activated music playback.
• Dolby Atmos & Spatial Audio: High-quality immersive sound.

Best For: Amazon Prime members and Alexa users.

#5 YouTube Music — Best for Music Videos & User Uploads

YouTube Music is perfect for those who love music videos, live performances, and rare remixes. Youtube Music will help you discover new music, depending on the genre or your mood. If you love to listen to remixes, covers, and alternative song versions, Youtube Music will be a great pick. You can really find some random gems there! Youtube Music also stands out due to the ability to switch between songs and music videos. If you're a music video or live performance fanatic, give it a go.

Pricing

• Premium: $11.99/month
• Free Tier: Available (with ads)

Why People Love It:

• Music & Video Integration: Switch between songs and official music videos easily.
• User Uploads & Covers: Access fan-made remixes, alternative versions, and indie tracks.
• Seamless YouTube Integration: If you use YouTube often, this is a great choice.

Best For: Those who love music videos and live performances.

#6 Deezer — Best for Custom Playlists

Deezer is known for its personalized music curation and strong recommendation system. We covered Deezer in detail here: Exploring Deezer's Coolest Features.

Pricing

• Premium: $10.99/month
• Free Tier: Available (with ads)

Why People Love It:

• Deezer Flow: An AI-powered endless playlist tailored to your tastes.
• HiFi Option: Offers lossless audio quality for audiophiles.
• Global Music Library: Great selection of international tracks.

Best For: Listeners who want smart, curated playlists.

#7 Pandora — Best for Radio-Like Experience

Pandora has an excellent free version and Discovery features. That’s basically the core of its existence. The Music Genome Project is the engine that drives Pandora. That means you get the ability to get new songs you’ll probably like based on a vast amount of variables, down to the unique cocktail of instruments, vocals, and pacing that make the song what it is.

Pricing

• Premium: $9.99/month
• Free Tier: Available (with ads)

Why People Love It:

• Music Genome Project: Analyzes song characteristics for better recommendations.
• Personalized Stations: Create custom stations based on your favorite songs and artists.
• Car-Friendly Interface: Easy to use while driving.

Best For: Users who want a lean-back listening experience with great radio stations.

#8 SoundCloud Go+ — Best for Indie & Niche Artists

This one is more like a content streaming music service. It was made for musicians to share their music for free for the greater good of the industry. They are mostly known for their free version.

Soon it turned out to be a great promotional tool for the artists and thus the beginning of streaming/sharing listening experience. It has 200 million tracks for 5$/month. Truth be told, Soundcloud makes it very easy to submit your songs and share it with your friends.

SoundCloud is full of niche music, remixes, feats, amateur music. If you’re into that, there’s no better streaming service than SoundCloud.

Pricing

• Premium: $9.99/month
• Free Tier: Available

Why People Love It:

• Largest Track Library: Over 200M tracks, including indie and unsigned artists.
• Early Releases & Remixes: Access exclusive, unreleased, and underground music.
• Support for Independent Artists: Directly support the musicians you love.

Best For: Listeners who love discovering new and independent music.

The Best Streaming Service in 2025?

The best service is the one that fits your needs. Whether it’s Spotify’s discovery features, Tidal’s sound quality, or Apple Music’s exclusives, there’s something for everyone. And if you ever want to switch, Free Your Music makes transferring your playlists easy.

So, what’s your go-to streaming platform? If you’re thinking of switching, you know what to do.