Spotify vs Pandora – Which one is best?
You must have heard of Spotify whenever there is a discussion about audio streaming platforms. Spotify, one of the best music platforms, continuously gains new followers. The app has been providing the best services for a long time globally.
Recently, many new audio streaming platforms have been booming competing with Spotify. Spotify vs Pandora is a hot debate among music lovers. The users have their specific preferences and choose the app according to their tastes. Let’s talk about these apps and how they compare with each other.
What Is Spotify?
Spotify is the top-ranked music streaming platform. The app has millions of users and is rising constantly. Spotify Premium has more than 140 million subscribers, while the free users are more than 300 million. Spotify’s free version allows several benefits to its users.
What Is Pandora?
Surprisingly, Pandora is older than Spotify and has around 100 million users. The music platform was built in 2000 and helps users to create playlists based on their interests. Pandora has been popular recently among the young age group because of its interesting features.
Spotify Vs Pandora: Comparison
Both of these audio streaming platforms have unique features that attract users. The users mainly look at the streaming quality and collection of songs. The app offering these features has a better chance of gaining more followers. Here, let’s compare Spotify and Pandora, two of the best streaming platforms, based on different features.
Streaming quality
The first thing users notice in a streaming platform is the streaming quality. Spotify offers 1660kbps audio streaming quality with its free version. The paid version provides 310kbps audio quality. The numbers are suitable for every user on the platform. The main reason why Spotify is at the top of all streaming platforms.
On the other hand, Pandora offers 64kbps audio quality for free users and 190kbps for paid version. The quality difference is what attracts more users to Spotify.
Pandora Vs Spotify: Discovery
Music discovery is what helps you find new music based on your taste and also supports contemporary artists. Spotify allows you to find new music in the My Mix and Weekly Mix options on the home page. You can find new music and make a list according to your liking.
Pandora also has categories based on different music suggestions and make-your-playlists, but there is a limit of a maximum of 100 playlists. With unlimited music discovery options, Spotify is best for you if you like to listen to new music. Also, the new Hifi features of Spotify make it much better.
Podcasts
When it comes to podcasts, both platforms are equally good at offering the latest podcasts. Most streaming platforms focus on music only, but these apps have made a good mark in the small podcast industry.
Spotify, with its user-friendly features and large user base, has attracted podcast listeners to the platform. Spotify has an edge in providing the latest podcasts to its listeners. Moreover, Spotify allows audiobooks for free for more fun.
User interface and experience
Better UI experience attracts most users, and obviously, you will use a platform where you can easily find all the options. Spotify, with its dark theme, has an attractive UI, and you can find Home, library, and search options directly on the screen. For more options, you can click on your Profile. Meanwhile, Pandora has a blue and dark theme, which is attractive. You can find most options on the front screen, like For you, Profile, and My Collection options. So, if you want a better UI experience, both apps are equally good.
Plans & Pricing
Both platforms have paid and free services for their users. Spotify users can listen to music for free with the free version, but it is limited, and users can create and listen to only 15 playlists. Spotify offers a 30-day free trial for its $10 monthly premium services. Users can try all the paid versions before buying a subscription.
Pandora’s free version allows users to listen to the radio by connecting to a particular station. Also, it offers a 30-day free trial for its $5/month premium services. Both platforms provide discounts for annual membership.
Content
Content availability is one of the main things users look for in a streaming platform. Spotify has 100+ million songs on the platform currently. There is a high chance you will find your favorite artist on the forum.
In comparison, Pandora has only 15 million songs, and you might not find your favorite artist on the platform. In terms of content richness, Spotify is way ahead of Pandora, which helps it attract more users.
Availability
Before subscribing to any subscription, make sure it is available in your country and is compatible with your device. Spotify has a huge user base because of its availability all over the world and compatibility with PC and mobile.
Meanwhile, Pandora is also available for PC, but only the paid version and restricted only to USA, Australia, and New Zealand. Subscribe to Pandora only if you are living in these countries.
Spotify vs Pandora – Additional Features
Let’s look at some of the additional features of Spotify vs Pandora.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
The Spotify vs Pandora debate has been heating up for a long time. I tried to settle it in this blog post, and surely you will be clear now. Moreover, you can try both apps before buying their paid subscriptions.
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