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

Amazon Music vs Apple Music

Amazon Music 4.7★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner Apple Music
Apple Music 4.9★ · Free to download 75

Apple Music generally offers a more reliable and higher-quality user experience, despite some persistent auto-play issues, while Amazon Music struggles with frequent bugs, poor recommendations, and confusing subscription tiers.

Full reviews: Amazon Music · Apple Music

Apple Music holds an edge with better sound quality and a more stable app experience, though users are frustrated by its aggressive auto-play feature. Amazon Music, while offering a vast library, is plagued by performance issues, confusing subscription benefits, and poor recommendations, making it a less consistent choice.

Head to head

Features & Content Library edge: Apple MusicR3R59R14R47
Amazon Music Amazon Music offers a lot of songs and a vast selection, with some users loving the K-pop variety and the ability to download songs for offline listening R3R59R14R47. However, many users report that the app doesn't have every song they look for, with some tracks disappearing from playlists or being unavailable even after purchase R4. The recommendation engine is also criticized for playing irrelevant music R13.
Apple Music Apple Music is praised for its diverse and extensive library, with users highlighting its 'phenomenal' quality and the ability to find music quickly . Some users appreciate features like the 'karaoke' option . However, some find the recommendations and auto-play features to be broken, playing random genres or languages . There are also reports of missing songs or tracks being removed .
Ease of Use & User Interface tieR48R28R37R6
Amazon Music Amazon Music's interface is described as confusing and not user-friendly, with users struggling to navigate it R48R28R37. Recent app updates have been criticized for making the layout worse and causing purchased music to disappear R6R15. Some users also find the text in the app too small with no option to enlarge it .
Apple Music Apple Music's interface receives mixed reviews. While some find it easy to use and appreciate improvements in navigation , others criticize the GUI for being less functional after updates, with volume controls buried and difficulty disabling shuffle . Users also complain about difficulties managing playlists, such as deleting them or sorting tracks .
Reliability & Performance edge: Apple MusicR1R10R16R27
Amazon Music Amazon Music is frequently criticized for being buggy, unstable, and unreliable. Users report constant app crashes, songs restarting unexpectedly, lagging playlists, and issues with downloading or playing music R1R10R16R27. The app also shuts off on its own, especially with CarPlay, and casting issues are common .
Apple Music Apple Music generally performs better, with users praising its service quality improvements . However, it's not without issues. Some users experience the app hanging up, needing force closes, or failing to load on computers . There are also reports of syncing issues with iTunes on Windows and bugs after recent updates, particularly with downloaded music .
Price & Value edge: Apple MusicR4R21R22R55
Amazon Music Amazon Music's pricing model is a major point of contention. Many Prime subscribers are frustrated that they still encounter ads and don't have full access to all features without an additional 'Unlimited' subscription R4R21R22R55. The free tier is criticized for having too many ads and forced shuffle mode R12R13R31. Some users feel it's not worth the cost due to technical issues .
Apple Music Apple Music is a paid-only service, which some users acknowledge as a downside R116. However, those who pay for premium enjoy an ad-free experience with unlimited skips . New users often receive a free trial R114R116. A significant complaint is the app's aggressive auto-play feature, which forces music even when not subscribed or desired, leading to frustration R61R69R73R82.
Customer Support & Feedback tieR15R36R82
Amazon Music Amazon Music users express frustration over the lack of a clear way to provide feedback to developers, feeling that their reviews are not read R15. Customer service was also unable to resolve issues with the app R36.
Apple Music Reviews for Apple Music do not directly mention customer support or feedback mechanisms. However, the persistence of issues like the auto-play bug, despite being reported for over a year, suggests a lack of responsiveness to user feedback R82.
Pick Amazon Music if

Pick Amazon Music if you are already a Prime subscriber and are willing to pay extra for Amazon Music Unlimited to get an ad-free experience and full library access, or if you primarily listen to K-pop R14.

Pick Apple Music if

Pick Apple Music if you prioritize high-quality audio, a generally stable app experience, and a vast music library, and are comfortable with a paid subscription .

Evidence note: The free vs. paid asymmetry is notable. Amazon Music's free tier and Prime-included tier generate significant negative feedback due to ads and limited features, while Apple Music's negative reviews often stem from UI frustrations or persistent bugs rather than core service limitations.

Frequently asked

Does Amazon Music offer a free tier?
Yes, Amazon Music offers a free tier, but users report it includes many ads and often forces shuffle play R12R13R31.
Is Apple Music included with other Apple subscriptions?
The reviews do not specify if Apple Music is included with other Apple subscriptions, but it is noted that new users often receive a free trial R114R116.
Why does Apple Music automatically play music?
Apple Music has a persistent issue where it automatically starts playing music, often when connecting to a car via USB, even when the app is not open or desired, which frustrates many users R61R69R73R82.
Are there ads on Amazon Music if I have Prime?
Many Amazon Prime subscribers report still encountering ads and not having 100% access to all features unless they pay for an additional 'Unlimited' subscription R4R21R22R55.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 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. [R3] Amazon Music 3/5 · US Ok music app: Offers a lot of songs but opens significantly slower than other music apps on an iPhone 17 Pro Max
  2. [R59] Amazon Music 5/5 · US Delightful selection: Best music app I really enjoy listening
  3. [R14] Amazon Music 5/5 · US D: I like the K-pop
  4. [R47] Amazon Music 5/5 · US Best music app: Clear, concise, and excellent layout, making it easy to use. Songs downloadable, so available without WiFi.
  5. [R48] Amazon Music 3/5 · GB Not user friendly: I find it a lot harder to navigate than Spotify
  6. [R28] Amazon Music 1/5 · US Too Complicared: Needs to be slimmed down, stop forcing unwanted playlists from being crammed down your throat, and correct the issue of personal playlists disappearing when a new device is added.
  7. [R37] Amazon Music 1/5 · US No shuffle: Platform is confusing. If i hit shuffle i get an error code everytime. Added albums and it says i have no songs. Going back to apple music.
  8. [R6] Amazon Music 3/5 · US Changed everything: App layout totally changed amd rose yet, music I purchased totally disappeared.
  9. [R1] Amazon Music 1/5 · US So bad: App crashes constantly, I’ve hit pause, closed out the app and it continues to play for a good 10-15 seconds. People pay way too much for Amazon for this app to be so bad
  10. [R10] Amazon Music 2/5 · US pick any other streaming service: This is the most buggy and unreliable streaming service out of them all. so inconsistent. sometimes songs just won’t download when u want them to, sometimes songs refuse to play more then 30 secs, sometimes the app crashes when trying to change the queue.
  11. [R16] Amazon Music 2/5 · US Unstable: App crashes frequently
  12. [R27] Amazon Music 3/5 · US It will not stop lagging: I’ve been using Amazon Music Premium for several years, and usually it’s ran fine, but lately I’ve never had so many problems with it. Opening it to my library works just fine, but anytime I tap on one of my playlists to open it, it suddenly starts lagging really badly. Like, five plus seconds to register I tapped on anything. And I tried deleting a playlist, but it was l
  13. [R4] Amazon Music 1/5 · US Songs disappear from playlist: I hate that songs I have on my playlist get moved to Unlimited. I also hate that I paid for unlimited and still got ads when I Logged in. I don’t think I should have to pay for music when I already pay for Prime. It should be part of the subscription
  14. [R21] Amazon Music 3/5 · US Not 100% included w prime subscription: I pay a ganillion dollars prime subscription and still don’t have 100% access to all features.
  15. [R22] Amazon Music 1/5 · US Not included in Prime: Why would I be asked to spend an additional $12/month on top of my $139/year Prime membership? What the heck is that about…
  16. [R55] Amazon Music 2/5 · US Ads: Literally said add free when I get ads after TWO SONGS. Stop false advertising.
  17. [R15] Amazon Music 3/5 · US Love Amazon music..app developers need to get feedback: I love Amazon music but they keep changing the app for the worse.. seems like the developers have no idea what is wrong with the app and no way to get feedback from their actual users. Update 06/2026 - developers apparently never read the reviews and there is no way for any type of feedback. This app is by far the worst of every music app th
  18. [R36] Amazon Music 3/5 · US Needs improvement: I bought the latest fire tablet just to use for the Amazon Music app. It would spin and hang up, not update or delete play lists etc. customer service didn’t know what the problem was.I would have to reset it and start over. I got tired of it and don’t use it anymore. My iPhone and iPad work better but still does crazy things sometimes like the app will just close in the middle
  19. [R82] Apple Music 1/5 · US Tim Cook needs to fix this glitch immediately.: The app starts when I get in my car, even though I DON’T have the app OPEN. So then I activated “require Face ID” to start. Even with my phone wallet cover closed this stupid app still starts playing. Search online and this has been an issue for over a year. Steve Jobs would have fired whoever was this careless. and FYI, Podcast app needs this
  20. [R12] Amazon Music 3/5 · US Addsssss: So many adds and it wants me to pay money to get no adds 😭 do not recommend!!!
  21. [R13] Amazon Music 1/5 · US If I could give it no stars, I would: I try to listen to an album and every single time it shuffles the music with no way to turn shuffle off. It also seems to think that I would like it to add random music into the mix that I neither want nor care for.
  22. [R31] Amazon Music 1/5 · US Worst music app ever: Horrible app doesn’t play the music or album you want it just shuffle to what ever
  23. [R114] Apple Music 3/5 · GB Great until it wasn’t: When I got my new phone I received 3 free months of apple music, which I loved but I had to temporarily cancel my plan afterwards and I was planning on getting apple music again later but once I cancelled my free trial, I lost all my playlists and songs, I thought that was very petty, I was trying to switch from Spotify to Apple music but now that I don’t have any songs on t
  24. [R116] Apple Music 5/5 · US Buena: La app es demasiado buena pero lo único malo es que tienes que pagar pero te dan tres meses gratis
  25. [R61] Apple Music 1/5 · US Useless app: I’m taking a minute to review bomb Apple Music for taking over my auto play when I start my car. It’s incredibly frustrating, and it’s not clear how to make it stop
  26. [R69] Apple Music 3/5 · US Works okay but there’s an issue with controls: I removed the app from my iPhone 17 Pro Max because when I first connect USB to my car, even if Spotify is playing a song, the iPhone stops Spotify and plays a track from Apple Music. It plays the same Music track unless I delete it from my library. I’ve found a few issues with this app. First, when I deleted the Music track, it was one that I purchas
  27. [R73] Apple Music 1/5 · US It won’t stop automatically playing: No matter what I try, it won’t stop automatically playing when I plug my USB into my car. It’s very annoying! How do I stop it? I’ve tried requiring Face ID, I’ve tried going into Apple Music to turn off auto play, but nothing works.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store