There are many audio streaming platforms, but everyone has heard of Spotify. Recently, many other platforms have started offering quality services and competing with Spotify. One of these platforms is Pandora, which has quality music. Are you confused between these two platforms? So you are in the right place; In this post, we will discuss Spotify vs Pandora; Let’s see who wins the battle.
Spotify vs Pandora
Without a doubt, both platforms perform very well in their own way. But it gets difficult when we have to choose between the two. Read the detailed review below to choose the platform you think is best.
Plans and prices
| platform | Free Plan | Individual Plan | Family Plan | Student Plan |
| Spotify | Yes | $9.99/month | $15.99/month | $4.99/month |
| Pandora | Yes | $4.99/month | AT | AT |
Spotify offers three premium plans; If you only want to use it for yourself, you can purchase the Individual plan, which costs $9.99/month. The Family Plan lets you use the same Spotify accounts on six devices, which costs $15.99/month. If you are a student, you can opt for the Student plan, which costs $0.99/month.
But Pandora only has one plan, which is much lower than Spotify. If you want to subscribe to Pandora, the cost will be $4.99/month, equivalent to Spotify’s Student plan.
Both have a free version that you can use with ads.
Content
Content is one of the main aspects that users must consider before subscribing to any platform.
Spotify has almost 85 million songs, and that number is increasing every day. There’s a good chance you’ll find your favorite artists on Spotify.
Additionally, Spotify also offers many podcasts.
On the other hand, Pandora only has 10 million songs on its platform, which is much lower than Spotify. If you are a fan of an artist, there is a possibility that that artist may not be available.
We can say that Spotify is rich in content, and if you want to get more content, Pandora cannot match Spotify’s level.
Audio quality
Another important aspect that you should consider in an audio streaming platform is the audio quality.
Spotify offers 1660 kbps of audio streaming in its free version and 320 kbps in the premium version.
Pandora offers users an audio streaming quality of 64 kbps for free users and 192 kbps for premium users.
Spotify is better in both the free and premium versions. If you want to listen to quality music, you should subscribe to Spotify.
Discovery
Music discovery is something that helps you find your favorite songs in one place and also promotes new artists.
Spotify automatically creates multiple playlists based on your music listening habits. You will find My Mix and Weekly Mix on the home page. You can find music from different genres and languages. Spotify’s annual shutdown always makes you experience old music in a new way.
Pandora also has music categorized based on genres. It also has a For You section at the bottom that suggests songs based on your interest.
You can’t create your own playlist on Pandora, but there is a limit of 100 playlists.
Spotify uses Artificial Intelligence well; its music discovery is far superior to that of Pandora. If you want to receive a good song suggestion, Spotify is the best option for you.
Availability
Before subscribing to any platform, check if it is compatible with your device and available in your country.
Spotify offers its service worldwide, but Pandora’s service area is limited to the US, Australia and New Zealand. Only subscribe to Pandora if you live in these countries.
Both platforms have a mobile app and a web app. You can also use them on your desktop, but in the case of Pandora, you need to get the premium version.
If you belong to any other country than those mentioned above, you must opt for Spotify.
User Interface
The user interface makes users more interactive with the platform. You always look for a platform with a good user interface to do things easily.
Spotify has a dark theme that looks quite attractive. The options are easily navigable. You’ll find Home, Search, and Library options directly on the bottom bar. You can click on your profile photo to access other settings.
On the other hand, Pandora also has a light blue and a dark blue theme, which doesn’t look bad. It has four options at the bottom: For You , My Collection , Find , and Profile . You can easily navigate to other options.
Both Spotify and Pandora have a great user interface; you can use any platform if you want to experience great user interface.
Additional Resources
Now, let’s see what else both have to offer their users.
- Spotify allows its users to download music with a premium subscription. However, this feature is not available in the premium version of Pandora.
- You can create custom playlists on Spotify, but you can’t do that on Pandora.
- If you want to listen to your local music, you can import these songs on Spotify, but there is no such option on Pandora.
- Pandora has a parental control feature while Spotify does not offer this feature.
- You can use both platforms with navigation apps and integrate them with in-car playback as well.
- Pandora has a voice assistance feature that you can use to give commands, which will work accordingly.
Conclusion
If you were confused about choosing a platform, this Spotify vs. Pandora must have clarified your doubt. If you live outside the US, Australia and New Zealand, you have no other option than Spotify. Both are very good from different perspectives; select the one that meets your needs. Share the post with your friends to help them choose between these two platforms.