In the absence of any other big differences in Spotify's favor, we have to give this one to Apple. In any event, Apple currently supports higher-resolution streaming and Spotify doesn't. That's not to say that headphones and speakers don't make a difference at standard resolution, but remember that current Bluetooth tech simply doesn't have the bandwidth for high-resolution audio.Īs with experience the audio quality benefits of any lossless audio content without compromise, Spotify HiFi will likely require a pair of wired headphones such as one of our best audiophile headphones to hear the benefit, though Spotify (opens in new tab) notes that Spotify Connect-enabled speakers will support it.Ĭheck out our pick of the best headphones, best Bluetooth speakers, best soundbars, and best computer speakers to make sure you’re getting the best sound quality experience. This could change when Spotify's delayed HiFi tier launches, though when it comes to resolution and bit rate right now, Apple Music's library of lossless content has Spotify beat.

Spotify streams songs at three different rates (96kbps, 160kbps and 320kbps) all in the Ogg Vorbis format, though the highest caliber is limited to paid Premium subscribers. Last year Apple Music updated its entire catalogue, which is now encoded using ALAC in resolutions ranging from 16-bit/44.1kHz (CD-quality) up to 24-bit/192kHz ( hi-res audio quality). Previously, standard-quality Apple Music tracks were 256kbps AAC files, the same format as tracks purchased from iTunes. Works with Siri on the HomePod/HomePod mini Apple Music 1 Radio Cloud music locker spatial audioĪvailable on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One Spotify Studios podcastsĪpple Music and Spotify both feature massive libraries, but Apple claims the advantage with ' over 100 million' songs to Spotify's 'over 80 million.' The latter also includes around 2.6 million podcast titles, whereas there's an entirely separate Apple Podcasts (opens in new tab) service Apple Music therefore definitely has more pure music tracks in total.

Which is better itunes or spotify