Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Apple Music vs Spotify

Apple Music 4.9★ · Free to download 75
Winner Spotify
Spotify 4.8★ · Free to download 80

Spotify has a slight edge due to its superior music discovery and more reliable shuffle functionality, despite its free tier being heavily ad-supported.

Full reviews: Apple Music · Spotify

Apple Music offers a good selection and high-quality audio, but users frequently complain about its shuffle feature and recommendation algorithm. Spotify, while having a less enjoyable free tier due to ads, is praised for its music discovery and personalized playlists, though some users report performance issues and a poor shuffle experience.

Head to head

Music Library & Content tieR29R34R24R12
Apple Music Apple Music users generally find the app has a vast selection, with many stating it has "every song you could ever want" and a wide variety of genres R29R34. Some appreciate the ability to listen to music videos R24 and discover new artists R12.
Spotify Spotify is also praised for its extensive music library and the ability to find desired songs R79. Users highlight its diverse content and the availability of podcasts R71.
Music Discovery & Recommendations edge: SpotifyR5R7R79R65
Apple Music Apple Music's recommendation algorithm receives significant criticism, with users stating that suggestions and recommendations are "terrible" even after trying to refine them R5. Some explicitly compare it unfavorably to Spotify, noting that Apple's weekly recommendations are "not even close" in quality R7.
Spotify Spotify is widely praised for its music discovery features, with users loving how it recommends new songs and artists based on listening habits R79. Many consider it "amazing for finding new music" R65 and appreciate the personalized playlists R79. However, some recent reviews indicate a decline in recommendation quality, suggesting it now only recommends songs similar to what's already listened to R65R78.
Shuffle Functionality tieR1R13R45R66
Apple Music Apple Music's shuffle feature is a major point of frustration for users, who report that it's "horrible" and plays the "same songs from the same albums" repeatedly R1R13. Users desire a more random or "smart shuffle" option R45.
Spotify Spotify's shuffle also faces criticism for playing the same songs frequently, even with large libraries R66. Some users feel it "fails to cycle through" their extensive collections R66.
Ease of Use & Interface edge: Apple MusicR33R8R3R18
Apple Music Apple Music is generally considered to have a "smooth UX" R33. Users appreciate features like making playlists R8 and downloading music easily R33. However, some wish for a "most played" sort feature R3 and a search engine within an artist's page R18.
Spotify Spotify is often described as "easy to navigate" R79. However, some users criticize its interface, calling it "very basic" and desiring better translations and romanization of lyrics .
Reliability & Performance tieR9R17R62R99
Apple Music Apple Music users report issues such as the app forcing itself to autoplay random songs when connecting to cars or headphones R9. There are also severe complaints about downloads being wiped and the app logging out, requiring phone restarts R17.
Spotify Spotify users frequently report performance issues, including slow loading times R62R99, unexpected crashes R71R99, and the app failing to load or play music . Some also mention bugs and issues that make using the app a "chore" .
Price & Value (Free vs. Paid) edge: Apple MusicR21R1R23R46
Apple Music Apple Music is a paid-only service, with users considering it "overpriced" and complaining that they cannot listen to music without paying R21. Some feel it's not worth the money, especially with issues like poor shuffle R1. However, others find paying for it "pretty worth it" due to no ads and good quality R23R46.
Spotify Spotify offers a free tier, but it is heavily criticized for "many ads every two songs" R53R54. Users state the app is "terrible without premium" R59 and that the number of ads makes it unusable for free listeners. Premium is considered "wayyyy to expensive" by some .
Pick Apple Music if

You prioritize an ad-free experience and good audio quality, and are willing to pay for a subscription R23R46. You are deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem and prefer a smooth user experience within it R33.

Pick Spotify if

You value superior music discovery and personalized recommendations, and are willing to tolerate ads on the free tier or pay for premium R79R65. You want a vast library and cross-device listening without hassle R79.

Evidence note: Many positive reviews for both apps are generic and lack specific details, making it challenging to extract nuanced insights beyond general satisfaction. The free vs. paid asymmetry is notable, with Spotify's negative reviews often stemming from the limitations of its free tier.

Frequently asked

Which app has better music recommendations?
Spotify generally has better music recommendations and discovery, with users praising its ability to suggest new artists and create personalized playlists, though some recent reviews indicate a decline in this quality R79R65R78. Apple Music's recommendation algorithm receives significant criticism for being ineffective R5R7.
Is Apple Music's shuffle feature reliable?
No, Apple Music's shuffle feature is frequently criticized by users for being unreliable and playing the same songs repeatedly, even from large queues R1R13.
How do the free tiers compare?
Apple Music does not offer a free listening tier; it is a paid-only service R21. Spotify has a free tier, but it is heavily ad-supported, with users reporting "many ads every two songs" and finding it "terrible without premium" R53R54R59.
Are there performance issues with either app?
Both apps have reported performance issues. Apple Music users complain about forced autoplay and wiped downloads R9R17. Spotify users frequently report slow loading, crashes, and general bugs R62R71.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 110 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R29] Apple Music 5/5 · US Love: They have every song you could ever want. Feminine and masculine
  2. [R34] Apple Music 5/5 · US Apple Music review: yeah Apple Music has millions of tunes like metal country classical rap Christian funk humour do you think there’s any possible way? I could live without this But there’s also the iPad kid songs My personal favourite categories are metal and classical tell me what you like
  3. [R24] Apple Music 5/5 · US So great: This app is so great it lets me listen to all sorts of music and music videos!
  4. [R12] Apple Music 5/5 · US To Nettspend From Cohen Fowler: Nettspend is the best artist and he inspires me so much and I’m happy I get to listen to his art on Apple Music
  5. [R5] Apple Music 1/5 · US What are the engineers at Apple Music doing?: Update: it’s still terrible worse somehow I’m not one to write a review however after recently switching from their verrrry popular competitor, I knew my music taste would be not complete however I am shocked how terrible the suggestions and even recommendations are when searching EVEN AFTER REQUESTING CERTAIN SONGS AND ARTIST TO NOT BE PLAYED. It se
  6. [R7] Apple Music 1/5 · US aLGoRiThM: Because it’s a streaming service - nary a difference between them all but for one. Weekly recommends on ApPLe is like not even close as compared to Spotify which actually does give a bounty. So, bye-bye, I will gladly pay the extra $2 for something which gives quality versus bargain bin finds.
  7. [R79] Spotify 5/5 · US Good job: I’ve had a great experience using Spotify! The app is easy to navigate, the music quality is excellent, and I love how it recommends new songs and artists based on what I listen to. The playlists are amazing, whether I’m looking to relax, work out, or discover new music. I also appreciate how I can listen across all of my devices without any hassle. Overall, Spotify has become my favorit
  8. [R65] Spotify 3/5 · GB New music recommendations: What i used to love about Spotify is that it was amazing for finding new music that you may not have found on your own. I’m not sure what’s changed in the back end but Spotify now only seems to recommend songs that are already very similar to what you listen to. I could get that anywhere, may be time to switch to YouTube music.
  9. [R1] Apple Music 1/5 · US Horrible shuffle: Whenever I select shuffle on the albums in my queue the same songs from the same albums are being played. It makes the idea of being random quite predictable. The code needs to be fixed especially since the price went up monthly.
  10. [R13] Apple Music 2/5 · US MIX THE SHUFFLE MORE: mix the shuffle more i always get the same shuffle and it annoying make it more random so its not playing the same songs everytime.
  11. [R45] Apple Music 4/5 · US Pretty Good: Would like to see a smart shuffle option added. Other than that pretty good app. Tropical genre library could be better.
  12. [R66] Spotify 1/5 · US No proper rotation of songs: I have over 7,000 songs and it fails to cycle through , I hear the same 40 songs all the time
  13. [R33] Apple Music 4/5 · US Thoughts on Apple Music and finding the platform you want to use for music and or media: It is ok I use YouTube mostly for music but I used this traveling and it was nice being able to download stuff easily and fast when you are budgeting data. it’s pretty good and is more smooth of a UX then some other platforms I have used but I think you need to use it for awhile to know if you like it. it is e
  14. [R8] Apple Music 5/5 · US Love it so much: This app is amazing for the music of all sorts. Top hits of the year, making your own playlist, mixing songs into other songs at the end and beginning and so much more.
  15. [R3] Apple Music 1/5 · US Pls add sort by “most played” feature!: Please add the function to sort music library by “most played”. The app already has it on a Mac, why omit it from the iPhone??
  16. [R18] Apple Music 5/5 · US My Opinion Of Apple Music: I mostly always have a good time with Apple Music. I just wish that it would have a search engine when you go to a music artist to search for specific song. In case if there is multiple songs with that title. So over all it’s a pretty good music app I would it a 4 to 5 rating.
  17. [R9] Apple Music 1/5 · US Stop auto play: It's a fine app, but whenever i turn on my car or power on my headphones apple music decides to play a random song. Not what I was last listening to in the app. And not even the audio app i was last using. Apple music is forcing itself into my ears and there's no way to stop auto play other than deleting the app.
  18. [R17] Apple Music 2/5 · US All downloads wiped: Opened app today looked at one song whole app went black had to restart phone to even get it to work it had logged out completely wiped all music downloads off the phone had to use 100+ gigs of data and support only response was glitch glitch sorry deal with it more or less so warning that this can happen and
  19. [R62] Spotify 3/5 · GB Good but now it’s slow: Suddenly it takes ages to load. What’s up ?
  20. [R99] Spotify 1/5 · GB Lost the sparkle: It used to be fast. Nowdays it loads the music really slow. Too many videos. Too many crashes. Please come back to the original speed goal that made Spotify great.
  21. [R21] Apple Music 1/5 · US Overpriced: This app is too overpriced, wasting this much money sucks per month. And not only that but you can’t even listen to music without paying at least just make it so we can listen to music without paying a couple ads without having to pay so much money
  22. [R23] Apple Music 5/5 · US Good app no ads: Personally better than Spotify
  23. [R46] Apple Music 5/5 · US 🎶Actually very good🎶: Many people just decide that Spotify or Amazon Music is better because it’s free, but honestly paying for Apple Music is pretty worth it. I highly recommend getting this app. One downside is uploading songs to Apple Music is a bit tricky. Peace ☺️🫶
  24. [R78] Spotify 2/5 · GB No longer personalised: I used to adore Spotify so much but recently whenever I find a mix that I think I’ll like when I actually click on it all of the songs are just ones I’d never want to listen to
  25. [R53] Spotify 3/5 · US Anuncios: Muchos anuncios cada dos canciones
  26. [R54] Spotify 1/5 · US Sucks.: Around 4-5 advertisements after each song, and refuses to play any of the playlists I choose.
  27. [R59] Spotify 3/5 · US Be nicer to free listeners: Without premium it’s trash so it’s bad for children or people without money.
  28. [R71] Spotify 3/5 · GB Was good, now not.: App has gotten significantly worse. Crashes unexpectedly/randomly especially when selecting the audio version of a video podcast. Needs to be fixed asap.

Synthesized from 110 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store