The inability to use Spotify’s mobile apps without paying for a subscription can be irritating, though if you don’t listen to music on the go very much, it might not be a big deal. It also lets you manage your music collection on your computer, meaning it can serve as a replacement for iTunes. Spotify offers both the radio-station-like listening that Pandora made its name with as well as playlist and full album streaming, making it a very versatile platform. You can also download music for offline access on your computer or your mobile device, which is very convenient for when you don’t have service but still need your tunes. With this subscription comes unlimited skips, ad-free listening, and access to Spotify’s mobile apps. The business model is similar users are given a limited number of skips and have to listen to ads unless they sign up for the $9.99/month premium option. Like Pandora, Spotify can be used for free with ads, though it’s run through a desktop app instead of a browser. Its 30 million songs absolutely blow Pandora out of the water, and their exclusives and wide range of celebrity-curated playlists make it a popular choice for listeners both young and old. Spotify has made a huge name for itself very quickly with great branding and a phenomenal music selection. However, Pandora’s connection to the Music Genome Project does make it an intriguing option, as there are thousands of potential traits for each song, meaning the radio stations can be customized to very specific types of music. Pandora’s emphasis on radio-style playing may appeal to many users, but others may prefer the ability to listen through entire albums with the ease that’s offered by other services.

Both the free and paid plans include the use of mobile apps on iPhone, Android, and other operating systems.Īlthough Pandora presents the best price for music streaming, it falls short on music selection: with only 1.5 million songs, it’s far beyond Spotify and Apple Music. Benefits included in the premium plan include ad-free playing and more skips. Pandora offers 40 hours of free music a month compared to 10 hours that Spotify will eventually limit free users to (Spotify said Thursday that users would have unlimited music for the first six months).Pandora can be used for free through their Flash-based web interface (the inherent insecurities in Flash and its use as a malware transmission vector may dissuade some security-conscious users away from it), or users can choose to sign up for the $4.99 / month Pandora One plan. When it comes to free offerings Pandora does have a few advantages over Spotify. Both have huge archives of music available for you to stream, and artist biographies to let you learn more about what you listen to. Spotify’s secret sauce is good audio quality (360kbs), playlists that can be shared with and added to by friends, a fast search engine for finding your favorite tracks, and a slick easy-to-use interface.īoth offer free ad-supported versions of their services along with ad-free versions for a monthly fee. Spotify is similarly popularity in Europe where it’s the hottest streaming service with 10 million users.

The Music Genome Project helps Pandora customize a continuous music stream to your personal tastes based on one song’s musical attributes. Right now Pandora owns 60 percent of Internet radio market, according to Pandora’s own estimates, and has won legions of loyal listeners with its Music Genome Project technology.

Listen to music on pandora