Everyone has heard of Spotify as it has become a popular brand for its features and music quality over the years. However, there are many other audio streaming platforms to compete and prove that they are the best in their aspects. SoundCloud has also become a good audio streaming platform.
Spotify vs SoundCloud
If you are confused between Spotify and SoundCloud, then you need to see a comparison between these two. So pay attention: in this post, we’ll look at Spotify vs SoundCloud from every possible perspective.
Independent users primarily use SoundCloud, a great way to build a fan base. You’re sure to find new artists and new types of music on SoundCloud. However, there are many other features to compare.
The main aim of the post is to help you choose either of these two platforms.
Plans and prices
Before signing up for a subscription, you and I always consider pricing and plans. You can refer to the table below to understand the plans of both platforms.
| platform | Free Plan | Individual Plan | Family Plan | Student Plan |
| Spotify | Yes | $9.99/month | $15.99/month | $4.99/month |
| SoundCloud | Yes | SoundCloud Go – $4.99/month SoundCloud Go+ – $9.99/month | At the | At the |
SoundCloud has two premium plans; one is called Go and the other is Go+. The Go plan costs $4.99/month, while the Go+ costs $9.99/month.
Spotify has three plans – the Individual plan costs $9.99/month, the Family plan costs $15.99/month, and the Student plan costs $4.99/month.
The good thing is that they both have a free plan, but for that you have to listen to a lot of ads.
Content
As others have said, content is king, so who has the best content?
Let’s take a look at this.
Spotify has more than 85 million songs on its platform; on the other hand, SoundCloud has over 200 million songs as independent artists use it more.
Spotify has collaborated with many record labels to offer quality music on its platform. Still, if you like listening to independent artists and exploring them more, SoundCloud is the best option.
Spotify has tons of podcasts listened to on its platform. You can find your favorite podcast just by searching. However, the disadvantage of SoundCloud is that it does not have podcasts available on its platform.
So, if you want to listen to quality music and podcasts, Spotify is the best option for you, and if you want to explore new artists, go for SoundCloud.
Discovery
Artificial Intelligence has taken a step forward and can now suggest a song based on your listening activities. AI is used to improve music discovery. But who has the better discovery between the two? Let’s see:
Spotify automatically creates playlists for its users. You will see a playlist based on your listening habits as “My Mix”. You can also create and customize any playlist.
Users always applaud the weekly playlist and yearly summary. Spotify also suggests new artists and helps you find a new type of music.
SoundCloud has categorized songs into genres and tags. You will find a trending music playlist that lists all the recent popular songs. It allows you to follow other users and see what they are currently listening to.
Without a doubt, Spotify has better discoverability than SoundCloud. If you want to get good recommendations, Spotify is the best option. SoundCloud has the advantage of promoting independent artists.
Audio quality
If you pay for an audio streaming platform subscription, you will definitely have quality in mind. Let’s compare the audio quality that both platforms offer.
Spotify offers a streaming experience of up to 160 kbps with its free version and up to 320 kbps with the premium version. You will definitely get good audio quality with Spotify.
On the other hand, SoundCloud offers 320 kbps of audio streaming with a premium version and 128 kbps with the free version.
Both may seem similar, but Spotify has a slight edge in terms of quality. If you want to listen to good quality music, you should use Spotify.
User Interface
If a platform wants to make it attractive, the user interface must be of high quality.
Spotify has an easy-to-use interface. You can browse different options with one click. The homepage is well organized and you can access other features using a sidebar. Spotify has an app and a website, which are practically the same.
SoundCloud is also easy to use as everything is well organized. But, if you are a desktop user, you can only access SoundCloud using the website. However, it has a good app that helps users to use all the features smoothly.
If you mainly use desktops and want an audio streaming platform, you should go for Spotify. You can choose either platform if you use mobile devices; the user interface will not bother you.
Additional Resources
You can take your music offline on Spotify and SoundCloud. The offline feature is a must for users who want to listen to their favorite music without interruptions.
You can import your local audio files on Spotify, but you can’t do that on SoundCloud. This can be said to be a disadvantage of SoundCloud.
If artists provide lyrics, Spotify will show them during song playback. On the other hand, SoundCloud does not have the feature to show lyrics.
You can directly share your favorite songs on social media from Spotify, but to share songs on SoundCloud, you need to manually copy the song link.
Both have a free version with ads and limited features. You can also try the free version and see which one is best for you.
Another good feature of both platforms is that you can transfer your SoundCloud playlists to Spotify. You won’t lose your playlists if you start using SoundCloud and then decide to switch to Spotify.
Conclusion
Now, I believe you will be able to choose the most suitable platform for you after reading this Spotify vs SoundCloud post. If you still have any questions, let me know in the comments; I will try to help you. Thanks!