The 5 best music streaming services in 2023
YouTube Music isn’t perfect, but Google has been working on making it better. The app doesn’t really integrate with other voice assistants like Alexa, so if you have an Echo you’ll be stuck with playing music through the Bluetooth connection on your phone. With that said, the service does now support Siri.
What’s the Cheapest Music Streaming Service in 2023?
Looking for a streaming music service that meets your budget? Then you’ve come to the right place! We can understand that sometimes, paying for expensive music streaming services can hurt your wallet. However, in order to get the best services, a premium music service is better. That’s why we’ve done research to find the cheapest music streaming service available.
Before subscribing to a music app, you have to know what you’re paying for, i.e. what kind of music will you get and what kind of services it will offer. You have to make sure that it allows you to access millions of songs on demand, without having to buy each individual album.
To save you time, simply choose one of these cheap music apps. These players are proven to be top-rated and are worth to subscribe.
- Recommendation: Best Free Android Music Player
- The 5 Cheapest Music Streaming Services
- Spotify
- Apple Music
- YouTube Music
- Amazon Music
- Tidal
Recommendation: Best Free Android Music Player for Offline Listening
Our best Android music player on the list is Lark Player. With this player, you do not even have to pay any subscription but could enjoy all of its features for free. Lark Player offers a wide range of features to enhance your music listening experience. Not only that, but it could also work as a video player. Therefore, it is a music and video player that offers a series of features, for instance:
- Support various sources, like local device storage or stream music from YouTube, SoundCloud, etc.
- Easy-to-use interface, because it has a clean design
- Supports a wide range of audio and video formats, including MP3, MP4, AAC, FLAC, etc.
- Built-in equalizer and sound effects, to customize your audio settings to your preferences.
- Sleep timer, to mute the music after a certain period of time.
In short, you can enjoy music or video from both local or online storage with Lark Player for free, which is a perfect choice for anyone who loves to listen to music on their Android device.
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The 5 Cheapest Music Streaming Services
1. Spotify
With millions of monthly users, Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming platforms. Some even said that it is the world’s leading music streaming service as it provides over 70 million songs, podcasts, and audiobooks, making it a favorite among music lovers.
At its core, Spotify has numerous features and tools that make it stand out from its competitors, some of which are:
- Extensive music library, with continuous new music adding.
- Podcasts and audiobooks, making it a one-stop-shop for all audio content.
- Personalized playlists and recommendations, e.g. Discover Weekly and Daily Mix are made based on your listening habits.
- Cross-Platform compatibility, including Windows, iOS, Android, and Mac, as well as voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, making it even more accessible.
- User-friendly Interface, making it easy to discover new music, create playlists, and find new artists to follow.
- Social features, to share your favorite songs, albums, and playlists with friends and family.
- Individual: $9.99/month
- Duo: $12.99/month (2 accounts)
- Family: $14.99/month (up to 6 accounts)
- Student: $4.99/month
2. Apple Music
Another cheap music streaming that provides millions of songs and albums, curated playlists, and live radio stations are Apple Music. This music platform not only has a unique interface, making it easy for users to navigate and find their favorite songs or discover new music but also has a search function that allows users to find specific songs or artists easily. Specifically, here are some of its most notable features:
- Music Library, consisting of millions of songs and albums from any artists or genres.
- Radio Stations, that play music 24/7.
- Playlists, that are updated daily based on your mood or genre preference.
- Personalized Recommendations, to suggest songs or albums for you.
- Social Features, that allows users to connect with their friends and share their favorite songs or playlists.
- Individual: $10.99/month
- Family: $16.99/month
- Student: $5.99/month
3. YouTube Music
As a replacement for Google Play Music, YouTube Music has most of its features, including music from official songs, albums, playlists, live performances, covers, and music videos. It boasts to have over 30 million songs as well as exclusive content. Some of its key features include:
- Simple and user-friendly interface, to search for your favorite artists, songs, or albums easily.
- Personalized playlists, such as “Discover Mix” and “New Release Mix” are based on your listening habits.
- Offline playback, to ensures that you can listen to music even without connecting to the internet.
- Ad-free experience, to have an uninterrupted music listening experience.
- Compatibility with multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers.
- Audio Quality, including low, normal, high, and always high options.
- Individual: $9.99/month
- Family: $14.99/month (up to 5 family members)
- Student: $4.99/month
4. Amazon Music
Available for both Prime and non-Prime members, Amazon is a music streaming service that offers a vast library of songs, podcasts, and playlists, with over 75 million songs available to stream. Moreover, it offers various features and benefits as well, that set it apart from other streaming services, for example:
- Unlimited access to millions of songs.
- HD and Ultra HD streaming, for the best possible sound quality.
- Offline playback for downloading and listening to songs without an internet connection.
- Personalized playlists, that are curated based on your tastes.
- Podcasts with a variety of topics, including news, entertainment, and sports.
- Alexa integration, to use voice commands to play songs, skip tracks, and control playback.
- Unlimited skips to skip as many songs as you like on Amazon Music.
- Individual: $8.99/month
- Family: $15.99/month (up to 6 devices)
- Student: $5.99/month
5. Tidal
Now owned by rapper and music mogul Jay-Z, Tidal provides a high-fidelity music streaming service for the best possible sound. The mainstay of this player is its high-quality audio cause, unlike other streaming platforms that compress audio files, Tidal streams music in lossless, CD-quality audio (FLAC format). Additionally, Tidal offers other key features like:
- Exclusive content, e.g. live performances and music videos.
- Curated playlists, with a variety of genres and moods.
- Artist radio, to discover new music that’s similar to the artists you already love.
- Music videos, that can be streamed in high-quality video and audio.
- Offline playback to download music.
- Social features, to share your favorite songs and playlists with others.
- Integration with other devices, e.g. smart speakers, headphones, and car stereos.
- HIFI:
- Individual: $9.99/month
- Family: $14.99/month (up to 6 accounts)
- Student: $4.99/month
- Individual: $19.99/month
- Family: $29.99/month (up to 6 accounts)
- Student: $9.99/month
FAQs
1. What is the most affordable music streaming service?Choosing a music streaming service should depend on individual preferences and the features that you need. However, some of the popular options that offer affordable subscription plans are Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music.
2. What is the cheapest family music plan?Some of the cheapest family music plans are offered by Spotify and Tidal HIFI. Both plans allow up to six users to share the plan which cost $14.99/month.
3. What’s the cheapest streaming music service for students?The answer may be Spotify, Tidal HIFI and YouTube Music. The student plan costs $4.99 per month and offers all the premium plans features.
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The 5 best music streaming services in 2023
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- Amazon Music Unlimited
- Apple Music
- Spotify
- Tidal
- YouTube Music
- Music streaming service FAQs
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The best music streaming services offer on-demand access to millions of songs right on your smartphone or computer. There are a few competing platforms out there, all with different features, plans, and price points. With multiple options to choose from, it can be tricky to figure out which one is the right fit for your specific needs.
When deciding which music service to go with, it’s worth considering a few things. You’ll want to make sure that there’s an app available on all the devices you use the most. You’ll also want to consider audio quality and support for extra features, like Dolby Atmos, digital assistants, music videos, lyrics, playlist sharing, and more.
To help you find the right subscription for your needs, we rounded up the best music streaming services you can sign up for right now. Our picks include several platforms with free ad-supported plans and some that even have lossless audio for the best listening experience. If you need new audio gear to pair with your music subscription, check out our guides to the best soundbars, best noise-cancelling headphones and best wireless earbuds. And for more streaming coverage, check out our guides to the best streaming devices and best streaming services.
Here are the best music streaming services
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon Music Unlimited integrates perfectly with Alexa and and it’s available at a discount for Prime members.Spotify
Spotify has a huge library of songs, a free plan with ads, and compatibility with a ton of devices.Apple Music
Apple Music works especially well on Apple products, but the service has apps across a range of platforms, including Android.Tidal
Tidal is available on many devices, plus it offers music videos and plans with advanced audio formats like MQA for high-quality playback.YouTube Music
YouTube Music has a good library of songs, plus it integrates well with Google’s other apps and services, including Google Assistant.Amazon Music Unlimited
- Amazon Music Unlimited: $11/month ($9 with Prime) for ad-free streaming
- Amazon Music Unlimited (Single Device): $5/month for playback on one Echo or Fire TV device
- Amazon Music Unlimited Family: $16/month with support for six family members
- Amazon Music Unlimited Student: $6/month for ad-free streaming
- Read ourAmazon Music Unlimited review
Pros: Discounts for Amazon Prime members, large selection, Alexa integration, HD, Ultra HD, and spatial music included for no extra cost
Cons: No free version of the Unlimited library
If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, then Amazon Music Unlimited is easily one of the best music streaming services you can sign up. Prime members get a nice discount, and the platform is also a good option for non-Prime subscribers thanks to its excellent features and high-quality music streaming options.
Prime subscribers already get access to Prime Music as part of their membership, but that service limits most albums to shuffle play so you can’t just pick any song you want to listen to on-demand. If you upgrade to Music Unlimited, you unlock full on-demand access to the service’s library of 100 million songs.
Music Unlimited even includes HD, Ultra HD, and spatial audio streaming for no extra cost. HD and Ultra HD tracks use lossless audio formats in CD-quality or higher, while spatial audio uses the Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality formats to create a surround sound effect.
Music Unlimited is available on a range of platforms, including iOS, Android, and the web. The service is tightly integrated with Amazon’s Alexa, so if you have an Echo or other Alexa-enabled products, it’ll work perfectly.
Regular trials for new members last one month. After the trial, your subscription will automatically continue for the regular monthly price unless you decide to cancel.
Amazon Music Unlimited does not offer a free tier, but you can stream a small selection of curated playlists without paying using the ad-supported Amazon Music service.
Apple Music
- Apple Music Individual: $11/month for ad-free streaming
- Apple Music Family: $17/month with support for six family members
- Apple Music Student: $6/month for ad-free streaming
- Apple Music Voice: $5/month for Siri-enabled, ad-free streaming
- Apple One Bundle: $17/month for Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, and iCloud
Pros: live radio, integration with Apple devices, curated playlists, six-month trial with Best Buy, discounted bundle with other Apple services, lossless and spatial audio
Cons: No free version
If you use an iPhone and other Apple products, then it’s worth considering Apple Music. Apple Music integrates perfectly with Apple’s hardware and software, plus it works with your existing iTunes library.
Apple Music has over 100 million songs available to stream on-demand. The service also offers the Apple Music 1 radio station and some exclusive tracks. If you want to tap into what your friends are listening to, Apple Music has curated playlists for that, as well as other playlists for new music, personal favorites, and more.
Apple added lossless and spatial audio (Dolby Atmos) options to Apple Music in June 2021. Like Amazon Music Unlimited ‘s similar feature, this free upgrade gives listeners access to CD-quality versions of Apple’s entire catalog, plus an enhanced surround sound listening experience on select songs.
New members can receive a free one-month trial and Best Buy customers can take advantage of a four-month trial. Unlike Spotify, however, Apple Music does not offer a free version with ads.
Apple Music also has a budget-friendly plan, called Apple Music Voice, for $5 a month. This plan gives users ad-free access to Apple Music’s entire library, but only on Apple devices with Siri enabled. Apple Music Voice does not give you access to premium features like lossless and spatial audio.
Spotify
- Spotify: Free ad-supported streaming
- Spotify Premium: $11/month for streaming without ads
- Spotify Premium Duo: $15/month with support for two family members
- Spotify Premium Family: $17/month with support for six family members and Spotify Kids access
- Spotify Premium Student: $6/month with ad-supported Hulu
Pros: Huge library of songs, podcasts, supports many devices, free plan, collaborative playlists, group listening, live audio platform
Cons: No lossless audio option yet
Looking for a music streaming service that has a huge range of songs, a free ad-supported plan, and is compatible with all your devices? Spotify is the way to go. Spotify has apps for all major platforms and its entry-level plan doesn’t cost a penny.
Spotify’s free plan allows users to access the service’s entire music library, but you’re only given a limited number of skips per hour and some playlists and albums must be played on shuffle. If you want to stream without ads or limitations, you can opt for a Premium plan, which starts at $11 a month.
One of the perks of Spotify is its focus on discovery and playlist curation. This includes the service’s “enhance” button that lets you add similar songs to existing playlists. You can also filter your saved songs by mood and genre, so it’s easy to find exactly what you want.
Spotify has podcasts and video content as well, plus it streams music in up to 320Kbps. That streaming bitrate should be good enough for most listeners, but it isn’t on par with the lossless-quality options that Amazon, Apple, and Tidal offer. Spotify did announce plans to introduce a lossless CD-quality plan, called Spotify HiFi, sometime in the near future, but this tier was delayed from its original 2021 launch window and it’s still not clear when it will be available.
All Spotify Premium subscribers get a one-month trial regardless of the plan they choose.
Tidal
- Free: Ad-supported access to songs at up to 160Kbps
- HiFi: $10/month for ad-free streaming at 1411Kbps
- HiFi Plus: $20/month for ad-free Master Quality, 360 Reality Audio, and Dolby Atmos music
- Family HiFi: $15/month with support for six family members
- Family HiFi Plus: $30/month with support for six family members
- Read ourTidal review
Pros: Lossless playback and MQA tracks, Dolby Atmos audio, available on a range of platforms, exclusive content, includes music videos, free option
Cons: Missing some features found on other services, HiFi Plus plan is expensive
Tidal is a little different from other music streaming services in that it’s targeted toward those who want a high-resolution audio experience — and as such, it’s one of the best music streaming services for people who prioritize sound quality.
Tidal’s base HiFI subscription includes ad-free streaming at up to 1411Kbps bitrate in the lossless format. This means that you get to listen to music in full CD-quality exactly as it was meant to be heard.
In addition to lossless audio, the more expensive HiFi Plus plan adds support for an even higher bitrate of up to 9216Kbps and support for the Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) format, along with Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality tracks.
Tidal is also known for streaming some notable exclusive content. Albums like Jay-Z’s “4:44” and Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo” were first launched on Tidal. There are also music videos and other behind-the-scenes content, too.
New subscribers to Tidal receive a free 30-day trial. Students get 50% off Tidal subscriptions, while active duty military, veterans, and first responders can claim a 40% discount.
When it comes to other lossless music options, Tidal now faces tough competition from popular services like Amazon Music Unlimited and Apple Music. Those services offer similar audio quality for a competitive price. They both lack MQA support, however, which could be a drawback for fans of that advanced audio format.
YouTube Music
- YouTube Music: Free ad-supported streaming
- YouTube Music Premium: $11/month for ad-free streaming
- YouTube Music Premium Family: $17/month with support for six people
- YouTube Music Premium Student: $5.49/month for ad-free streaming
- YouTube Premium Bundle: $14/month for ad-free YouTube and YouTube Music
Pros: Interesting playlists, good integration with Google services, free version available, discounted bundle with YouTube Premium
Cons: Doesn’t integrate with Alexa, no lossless audio option
YouTube Music is a good fit if you’re really plugged into Google’s ecosystem of products. In other words, if you have an Android phone and want the best music streaming service to integrate well with Google Assistant, then YouTube Music is a convenient option.
It’s also available on iOS and on the web, so you should be able to access the service wherever you are. The platform even offers location-based playlists and the ability to search for songs based on lyrics.
Users on any of YouTube Music’s Premium plans can listen to their saved music offline and with their screen off, something the YouTube app doesn’t support unless you pay for a subscription. On the downside, YouTube Music does not offer lossless audio, so if you want the best sound quality for your streams, you’re better off with Tidal, Amazon Music Unlimited, or Apple Music.
YouTube Music isn’t perfect, but Google has been working on making it better. The app doesn’t really integrate with other voice assistants like Alexa, so if you have an Echo you’ll be stuck with playing music through the Bluetooth connection on your phone. With that said, the service does now support Siri.
Like Spotify, YouTube Music offers a free, ad-supported version. New subscribers also get a one-month trial to test out the ad-free Premium plan.
If you’re interested in bundling ad-free YouTube Music and YouTube video streaming, you can even package the two services together under a YouTube Premium plan for $14 a month. Since this option is only $3 more than Music Premium is on its own, it’s a better value for music fans who also like to watch YouTube videos. Check out our YouTube Premium review for more details.
Music streaming service FAQs
What is lossless audio?
Lossless audio formats enable listeners to hear the full range of an original music recording without any drop in quality due to compression.
Some music streaming services, like Spotify and YouTube Music, only offer plans that let you listen to songs in “lossy” audio formats. This means that some of the original audio recording’s quality is being sacrificed to compress the track in order to make the file smaller and easier to stream. Though this makes listening to music on a slow internet connection possible, lossy digital audio isn’t equal to the quality you’d hear on a CD.
Though this loss in quality can be hard to notice for the average listener, most audiophiles demand “lossless” music that preserves the full range of the original track. Different platforms brand their lossless audio plans under different names, including HiFi and HD Music. Though there are some differences between them, they all generally refer to streaming audio tracks that are presented in CD-quality. Some services even offer formats that deliver high-resolution lossless audio that exceeds CD quality.
Tidal, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Apple Music are some of the best music streaming services with lossless audio options, making them a better fit for listeners who want the very best quality. Spotify also announced plans to launch a lossless audio plan, but a release date has not been revealed.
On the downside, lossless audio streaming requires more bandwidth so you’ll need a fast internet connection and bigger data plan. To take full advantage of the audio quality benefits you’ll also need a nice pair of headphones and a dedicated digital-to-analog converter, or a high-end set of speakers.
You can learn more about lossless audio formats in our guide to HD audio.
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