Apple Music vs Amazon Music: Pros and Cons

By | Published On: December 23, 2025 | 8.1 min read |

A split-screen image of Apple Music vs Amazon Music

Choosing a music streaming service is no longer simple, with fierce competition between giants like Apple and Amazon. Both offer over 100 million songs, high-resolution audio, smart home integration, and features for audiophiles and casual listeners.

The key differences lie in sound quality, cost, and device compatibility. For your next corporate event, let the best DJ, Will Gill, curate the perfect playlist and elevate the experience! His 1500 Plus 5 Star Reviews back his remarkable standing. Visit his Instagram to enjoy clips featuring AT&T Business, CDW, Team USA, Virgin Galactic, and many more!

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This guide breaks down the pros and cons to help you decide which subscription is worth your money.

Pricing and Plans: Which Offers Better Value?

Both services are priced competitively, but Amazon may be cheaper with certain subscriptions.

Amazon Music Pricing

Amazon Music offers a tiered structure that can be a bit confusing but offers flexibility.

  • Amazon Music Free: Ad-supported, limited access. Additionally, you can listen to playlists and stations, but you can’t pick specific songs on demand.
  • Amazon Music Prime: Included with a standard Prime membership. It offers ad-free listening and a large catalog, but it operates mostly in shuffle mode.
  • Amazon Music Unlimited: This is the direct competitor to Apple Music. It costs around $10.99/month for non-Prime members and $9.99/month for Prime members. Moreover, a Single Device Plan is available for $5.99/month.

Pros:

  • Discounted rate for Prime members.
  • Budget-friendly Single Device Plan.
  • Free tier available (though limited).

Cons:

  • The tiered system can be confusing.
  • Prime Music (the middle tier) feels restrictive for on-demand listening.

Apple Music Pricing

Apple keeps things simpler but lacks a free, ad-supported tier.

  • Individual Plan: Priced at $10.99/month.
  • Student Plan: $5.99/month, which includes Apple TV+ for a limited time.
  • Family Plan: $16.99/month for up to six people.
  • Apple One: A bundle that includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud storage, starting around $19.95/month.

Pros:

  • Simple, straightforward pricing.
  • Great value for students (includes TV+).
  • Apple One bundle is excellent for users deep in the Apple ecosystem.

Cons:

  • No free ad-supported tier.
  • No discount for existing Apple device owners, similar to the Prime discount.

Winner: Amazon Music is more cost-effective for Prime members or single smart speaker users. Ultimately, Apple Music wins if you want a simple premium experience or use other Apple services.

Music Library and Content Discovery

Both platforms boast libraries exceeding 100 million songs. You’ll find what you need on either service unless you’re searching for rare bootlegs or underground bands. However, the real difference is how they help you discover that music.

Apple Music Discovery

Apple relies heavily on human curation. Their editorial playlists are often crafted by music experts rather than just algorithms. “Apple Music 1,” their live global radio station, features shows hosted by famous artists and DJs. Additionally, the “Listen Now” tab learns your tastes quickly and suggests albums and mixes that feel personalized.

Pros:

  • Human-curated playlists feel organic and high-quality.
  • Live radio shows add a unique, communal listening experience.
  • Exclusive interviews and content from major artists.

Cons:

  • The algorithm can sometimes be slower to adapt to sudden taste changes compared to competitors like Spotify.

Amazon Music Discovery

Amazon relies more on its algorithmic strength. It’s excellent at serving up “more of this” when you finish a playlist or album. However, its editorial content and curated playlists generally feel less distinct than Apple’s. Moreover, it works closely with Alexa, making voice commands like “Alexa, play upbeat jazz”.

Pros:

  • Massive library matching Apple’s size.
  • Excellent voice-driven discovery via Alexa.
  • X-Ray feature provides trivia about songs while you listen.

Cons:

  • Playlists can feel generic or purely functional.
  • Less focus on artist-led content and culture.

Winner: Apple Music takes the crown here for its superior curation and radio features.

Sound Quality: The Battle for Audiophiles

This is where the battle gets interesting. Furthermore, both companies have transitioned from compressed MP3-style audio to offering high-resolution streaming at no additional cost.

Apple Music Sound Quality

Apple offers its entire catalog in Lossless Audio using its ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec). Specifically, this ranges from CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) up to Hi-Res Lossless (24-bit/192kHz). Additionally, Apple pushes Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.

This creates a surround-sound effect that makes music feel immersive. Similarly, with AirPods or Beats, seamless integration and head-tracking create a live-like experience.

Pros:

  • Lossless audio included at no extra cost.
  • Spatial Audio is a game-changer for immersion.
  • Seamless integration with Apple hardware for the best audio performance.

Cons:

To hear Hi-Res Lossless on an iPhone, you need a wired connection and a DAC. However, Bluetooth is unable to transmit Hi-Res lossless data.

Amazon Music Sound Quality

Amazon Music Unlimited offers “HD” (CD quality) and “Ultra HD” (better than CD quality, up to 24-bit/192kHz). Like Apple, they include this in the standard subscription price. Moreover, they also support Spatial Audio through Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio.

Pros:

  • High-resolution audio included in the standard price.
  • Support for Sony 360 Reality Audio expands compatibility.
  • Displays the bitrate and sample rate clearly on the playback screen, which audiophiles appreciate.

Cons:

  • The app can be buggy when switching between audio qualities.
  • Like Apple, you need specific hardware to fully appreciate Ultra HD.

Winner: Tie. Both offer exceptional sound quality for the price. Meanwhile, Apple wins on immersive features (Spatial Audio), while Amazon is great for purists who want clear bitrate data.

User Interface and Experience

How easy is it to find your favorite song? This is often the dealbreaker for users.

Apple Music UI

Apple Music is sleek, white (or dark mode), and minimalist. It emphasizes album art and typography. Additionally, the navigation is organized into Listen Now, Browse, Radio, Library, and Search.

It feels like a premium magazine. However, features are often tucked away in sub-menus (the “three dots” menu), which can be annoying.

Pros:

  • Beautiful, clean aesthetic.
  • Lyrics view is visually stunning and syncs perfectly (Sing feature allows for karaoke).
  • Consistent experience across Apple devices.

Cons:

  • Navigation can feel slow or “heavy” on older devices.
  • Android app is good, but doesn’t feel as native as the iOS version.

Amazon Music UI

Amazon Music’s interface is functional but cluttered. It tries to push podcasts, merchandise, and live streams alongside music. The “Alexa” button is prominent, encouraging voice interaction. It often feels more like a storefront than a music player.

Pros:

  • “Car Mode” offers big buttons for safe driving.
  • Lyrics integration is solid.
  • Easy access to podcasts within the same app.

Cons:

  • Interface can feel clunky and less polished.
  • Often pushes promotional content aggressively.
  • Can be sluggish to load compared to Apple Music.

Winner: Apple Music. The interface is cleaner, more focused on music, and simply looks better.

Device Compatibility and Ecosystem

Your choice might depend entirely on what hardware you own.

Apple Ecosystem

Apple Music is built for Apple devices. It lives on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomePod. Moreover, it offers flawless support for AirPlay 2.

There’s a good Android app and web player, but the best experience is within Apple’s ecosystem. Furthermore, Siri integration is deep and responsive.

Pros:

  • Flawless handoff between Apple devices.
  • Siri works perfectly for music requests.
  • Download music to Apple Watch for phone-free running.

Cons:

  • Limited support on non-Apple smart speakers (like Google Nest).
  • No “Connect” feature to control desktop playback from your phone (unlike Spotify).

Amazon Ecosystem

Amazon Music is platform-agnostic. It works well on iOS and Android. Its superpower is Amazon Echo integration.

If you have Alexa devices in your home, Amazon Music is the default native choice. Additionally, it seamlessly casts to Fire TV sticks and supports Google Cast (Chromecast).

Pros:

  • Works brilliantly with Alexa/Echo devices.
  • Great support for casting to various hardware (Sonos, Bose, etc.).
  • Single Device Plan makes it cheap for Echo owners.

Cons:

  • AirPlay support is there but can be buggy compared to Apple’s native integration.

Winner: Amazon Music for smart home variety; Apple Music for Apple hardware loyalists.

Exclusive Features and Perks

Sometimes it’s the little extras that count.

Apple Music Perks:

  • Apple Music Classical: A standalone app included for free, dedicated entirely to classical music with optimized search metadata (vital for classical works).
  • Apple Music Sing: An adjustable vocal slider that lets you lower the vocals of a track to sing along, beat-by-beat.
  • Music Videos: A vast library of ad-free music videos and 24-hour music video channels.

Amazon Music Perks:

  • X-Ray: As mentioned, this pulls up trivia and credits for the song you are playing.
  • Twitch Integration: Watch live streams of artists directly within the app.
  • Merch Table: Buy vinyl and t-shirts from artists directly through their profile pages.

Winner: Apple Music. The Classical app alone is a massive value add for genre fans, and the Sing feature is a fun, unique tool for parties.

Pros and Cons Summary

Apple Music Summary

Pros:

  • Superior user interface and design.
  • Apple Music Classical app included.
  • Excellent human curation and radio shows.
  • Spatial Audio adds an immersive layer to listening.
  • Apple One bundle offers great value.

Cons:

  • No free tier.
  • Poor integration with non-Apple smart speakers (Google/Alexa).
  • No “Connect” style remote control feature.

Best for: iPhone users, families already using Apple services, audiophiles, and classical music fans.

Amazon Music Summary

Pros:

  • Cheaper for Prime members.
  • Budget-friendly Single Device Plan.
  • Works on almost any smart speaker or device.
  • High-res audio included at no extra cost.
  • X-Ray feature is great for trivia buffs.

Cons:

  • Cluttered, somewhat “salesy” interface.
  • Discovery algorithms feel less personal.
  • Desktop app can be clunky.

Best for: Amazon Prime members, Echo device owners, and budget-conscious listeners who still want Hi-Res audio.