Top music streaming services compared

About Top music streaming services compared

Music streaming plans differ most in three places: what a subscription costs, what it delivers in sound, and where it can be used. This ranking of 15 brands weighs those together with what each plan includes and how it carries into renewal. Further down, nugs asks $12.99 a month, Deezer €11.99 in euros and Qobuz £10.83 in pounds, so each of those is read in its own currency rather than against the dollar figures. Not every entry is a plain subscription: Bitrefill sells prepaid top-ups rather than a music plan, which is why it ranks third. The trade-off for readers is simple. Sound quality and market reach push a price up, while free tiers and long trials soften the cost of finding out. Renewal is where the gap shows, since the monthly figure quoted here is the entry point and the number a subscriber carries forward.

How we picked

Price comes first, and it is split into two questions: what a subscription costs at entry and what it costs when it renews. Figures are only compared within the same currency and the same kind of charge, so dollar plans are read against dollar plans, euros with euros and pounds with pounds, and a monthly fee is never set beside a per-album purchase. Sound quality counts next, taken from the audio formats each service publishes, with spatial and hi-res above standard and lossless. Reach follows, drawn from the markets a service lists and the country where it is registered. Then come the things that shape day to day use: offline downloads, whether a free tier exists, how long a trial runs and whether a student discount is offered. Support closes the list, judged on the channels a service actually provides. Facts are drawn from the subscription pages, support centres, terms and legal notices each brand publishes, and every figure keeps the reference it was published under. Partners would be listed ahead of everyone else, though no brand in this ranking carries a partner label. A missing fact is never held against a brand; what a service does not publish only narrows what can be claimed for it.

Our top picks

1. 1. Deezer

   Deezer is here in this ranking because the free tier and 30 trial days let anyone browse before paying, and the monthly plan of €11.99 is quoted in euros rather than dollars, so it has to be read against euro listings. Offline downloads work, a student discount is available, and the company is Deezer S.A., registered in France. Its sound is the weaker half of the offer: standard and lossless covers standard and lossless, with no hi-res or spatial tier. Qobuz, the member below, publishes standard, lossless and hi res for a price in pounds and gives a longer trial.

   • Plan price per month: €11.99
   • Free trial length: 30 days
   • Free tier: Yes

   Pros

   • A free tier streams with advertising, so you can listen before paying anything.
   • Premium opens with 30 days free, so a look at the paid plan costs nothing to start.
   • Audio reaches hi-fi quality, which gives listeners with the right gear something to aim for.
   • Offline downloads keep music playing without a WiFi or network connection.
   • A student discount gives students a cheaper route into the paid plan.

   Cons

   • The free tier carries advertising, so free listening is not uninterrupted.
   • The free stretch runs 30 days before Premium starts billing at €11.99, so your decision window is brief.
   • Support runs on help centre and community only, so getting help means going through a help centre or the community.

2. BF2. Brain.fm: best for Brain.fm

   Brain.fm is a music app with modes for different activities, including deep work, creativity, learning, motivation and relaxation.

   • Markets: US

3. AM3. Apple Music: best for Apple Music

   Apple Music is a music streaming service with millions of songs, music videos and live performances, available on web, in the app and on Android with a subscription.

4. 4. Tidal: best for top-pick

   Tidal holds the top-pick slot in this ranking because it pairs a monthly plan of $11.99 with the broadest sound on the page, publishing standard, lossless, hi res and more so lossless, hi-res and spatial all sit under one plan. That monthly figure is the entry price and the renewal price, so nothing shifts after the first payment. A student discount applies, and music can be downloaded for offline listening. The company behind it is TIDAL Music AS. The main limit is how you reach it: support runs on help centre, email, chat and more, with no direct line published. Spotify, ranked below, lists standard, lossless and hi res, one format lighter than Tidal here, but adds a free tier and a trial that let a newcomer sample the catalogue before paying.

   • Plan price per month: $11.99
   • Offline downloads: Yes
   • Student discount: Yes

   Pros

   • Sound quality reaches the top tiers Tidal publishes on the subscription a reader already pays for, so fidelity is not a reason to buy a second plan.
   • Offline downloads are listed for the Android app and the iOS app, which covers the phone platforms most listeners carry.
   • Eligible students can take a reduced rate, which is the only discount Tidal describes.
   • Billing details come from TIDAL Music AS, the same company that runs the service, so subscription questions stay in one place.

   Cons

   • Entry cost is $11.99 a month for Tidal Individual, and the reduced student rate is the only saving Tidal sets out.
   • The lower rate is limited to eligible students, so everyone else stays on $11.99 a month.
   • Support runs through help centre, email, chat and more, with no phone line listed for readers who would rather speak to someone.

5. 5. Spotify

   Offline downloads work on the paid plans, a student discount is offered, and the company is registered as Spotify USA Inc. out of Sweden. Its entry and renewal figures are the same dollar amount each month. The drawback is contact: support runs on help centre and community, so there is no email or chat line listed, and its published formats stop short of spatial, which Tidal above does offer.

   • Plan price per month: $12.99
   • Free trial length: 30 days
   • Free tier: Yes

   Pros

   • One plan carries several audio quality settings, so moving up does not mean buying a second subscription
   • Offline downloads save thousands of songs to the device, or let Offline Backup do it automatically
   • Audiobooks are part of the plan rather than sold as a separate subscription
   • Eligible students pay less than the $12.99 a month Premium Individual price
   • The trial runs 30 days at no charge before the first payment

   Cons

   • Support runs on help centre and community, so there is no phone line or live chat route to a person
   • The trial lasts 30 days, so a long listen is needed before you judge whether $12.99 a month earns its place
   • The $12.99 price on Premium Individual is what everyone pays, apart from eligible students who get a discount

6. 6. nugs

   nugs earns its place in this ranking on sound, publishing standard, lossless, hi res and more for the same money as Spotify while carrying a smaller catalogue, and adding a trial of 7 days and offline downloads. It is the oldest company here, founded in 1993 and run as Nugs.net Enterprises, Inc. out of the United States. Entry and renewal both come to $12.99 a month. The catch is entry in a different sense: nugs keeps no free tier, so listening starts on the trial or on a paid plan, and support runs on chat and help centre. Deezer, ranked next, opens a free tier instead.

   • Plan price per month: $12.99
   • Free trial length: 7 days
   • Free tier: No

   Pros

   • The 7-day trial is long enough to browse the archive and judge the stream before you pay anything.
   • The monthly nugs plan costs $12.99 and covers standard streaming across the catalogue.
   • Subscribers can build custom playlists and save audio for offline streaming on the mobile device.
   • The service has run since 1993 on concert shows and livestreams, with agents on hand in chat while a show is live.

   Cons

   • There is no free tier, so free listening stops when the 7-day trial ends.
   • Offline downloads are offered on the mobile device, so desktop listeners get nothing to save for later.
   • Past the trial the full stream costs $12.99 a month, and hi-res subscriptions cost more.

7. 7. Bitrefill

   Bitrefill takes third place in this ranking for a different reason from the streaming services around it. It works as a prepaid top-up and gift card shop rather than a music subscription, sits under the entity Airfill Prepaid AB, was founded in 2014 and is based in Sweden. For support it is hard to beat: email, chat, help centre and more covers email, chat, a help centre and community. Buying that way means the cost sits with the top-up you choose rather than a plan that renews each month, so entry and renewal are not the question here. nugs, ranked just below, works the other way round, charging $12.99 a month for standard, lossless, hi res and more.

   • Buyer protection: Yes
   • Instant delivery: Yes
   • Region lock shown: Yes

   Pros

   • Delivery is described as almost instant, so a code reaches you quickly once payment clears.
   • Gift card orders are marked buyer protected and come with a fair refund policy.
   • You can settle in crypto or by card, including the wallet routes your own device offers.
   • A cashback programme rewards customers for their loyalty on repeat purchases.

   Cons

   • A service fee may be charged, and the terms say it is disclosed during checkout and before payment.
   • Codes are tied to the region shown on the product page, so the market your account sits in has to match.
   • The cashback programme rewards customers for their loyalty, so the saving arrives on repeat buys rather than at the till.

8. 8. Qobuz

   Qobuz takes this slot in this ranking as the audiophile counterweight to the free-tier services. It publishes standard, lossless and hi-res formats, offers a trial of 30 days, applies a student discount and works offline, with support across email, chat, a help centre and community. Reach is narrower than Tidal: 26 countries including Argentina, Australia and Austria names the countries it covers, and its monthly plan of £10.83 is priced in pounds, so it should not be read against the dollar or euro figures elsewhere. There is no free tier here. Anghami, ranked below, sits in the middle of the table with its own price and format details to weigh against these.

   • Plan price per month: £10.83
   • Free trial length: 30 days
   • Free tier: No

   Pros

   • Playback spans standard, lossless and hi-res, so the higher quality files are included rather than held back for an upgrade.
   • A 30-day free trial gives you proper time with the service before any payment.
   • Downloads work offline, so your library travels with you beyond a connection.
   • A student discount is available, which trims the cost while you are studying.

   Cons

   • There is no free tier, so the trial is the only way to hear the service before you pay.
   • The Studio rate of £10.83 a month comes with an annual, non-refundable commitment paid as a single upfront payment, so a short stay leaves you paying for time you will not use.
   • Support runs on email, chat, help centre and more, so every question is answered in writing rather than by phone.

9. 9. Anghami

   Anghami holds the middle seat in this ranking, between Qobuz above and Audiomack below, and it is placed there on the same terms as every other entry: what a plan costs at entry and after renewal, what the plan carries, and where the service can be used. Readers who put Anghami on a shortlist should set its own pricing and audio formats next to those two neighbours before deciding. For scale, Qobuz above states a monthly price of £10.83, a 30 day trial and a student discount, while Audiomack below keeps a free tier and is registered as Audiomack Inc. out of the United States. Those figures belong to those brands, and they mark the bar the middle of this ranking is measured against.

   Pros

   • A music-streaming service listed among comparable plans, so monthly price, audio formats and free trial length can be read next to each other.
   • The comparison puts plan price and audio formats in the same view, which is what music listeners weigh when choosing a service.

   Cons

   • The comparison centres on monthly price, audio formats and free trial length, so deeper plan details are left to your own check.
   • You will still need to open the service to confirm what each plan tier includes before you pay.

10. 10. Audiomack

    Audiomack sits here in this ranking as a free-entry option with a paid step above it. It keeps a free tier, supports offline downloads, and publishes standard and lossless for its lossless offering, which puts it beside Deezer on formats and behind Qobuz, whose list runs to hi-res. The company is Audiomack Inc., based in the United States. What it does not publish is a market list, which is worth checking if you travel. Support runs on email and help centre, so there is no chat or community forum listed. Bandcamp, the member below, also allows offline downloads and reaches its buyers by email and help centre instead.

    • Free tier: Yes
    • Offline downloads: Yes
    • Legal entity: Audiomack Inc.

    Pros

    • A free tier is included, so subscribing is a choice rather than a condition for listening.
    • Paid subscribers can save any song, album or playlist for offline listening, which covers flights, commutes and patchy mobile data.
    • A subscription runs to the end of the payment cycle already paid for, after which the account returns to the free tier.
    • Audiomack Inc. is named in both the terms and the privacy policy, so the operator behind the service is identifiable.

    Cons

    • Audiomack Inc. applies the data storage and privacy laws of the United States, so readers elsewhere see no local regime described in its documents.
    • Offline downloads sit with the paid suite, so a free-tier listener who travels has nothing saved for the journey.
    • Help arrives by email and through a self-serve help centre, so answers take written time rather than arriving in a spoken conversation.

What to look for

Sound beyond standard

Lossless, hi-res and spatial playback separate this field more than any other feature. Qobuz publishes standard, lossless and hi res alongside a trial of 30 days, while nugs and Tidal carry spatial audio as well. If the gap between compressed and lossless matters to you, check the format list before you check the price.

What the plan costs at renewal

The monthly figure is both the entry point and the number carried into renewal, so read the two together. Tidal at $11.99 and Spotify at $12.99 are both in dollars and can sit side by side, while Deezer at €11.99 and Qobuz at £10.83 sit in different currencies and need separate treatment.

A free tier or a long trial

Spotify pairs a free tier with 30 days of trial, and Deezer offers the same pairing, while nugs hands out 7 days with no free tier attached.

Where the service can be used

Market lists decide whether a plan works where you live. Tidal covers 61 countries including Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda, which spans Europe, the Americas and parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa, while Qobuz publishes a shorter country list. Check your own country against the list before you subscribe.

Downloading for offline listening

Every brand here lets you take music off the app, including Tidal, Spotify and nugs on their paid plans. Treat it as a baseline expectation rather than a reason to pick one service, and weigh it against what you gain in sound quality and price.

Support when a payment fails

Renewal problems are common enough that the channel matters. Qobuz and Bitrefill both run email and chat as well as a help centre and community, while Deezer goes through help centre and community.

Frequently asked questions

Top music streaming services compared by country

• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Mexico
• Poland
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV