Best Audio Streaming Service in 2026: 9 Music Apps Compared

Spotify is still the safest default. Its recommendations, shared playlists, Jam sessions and Blend are hard to beat if you listen with friends, and it runs on more than 2,000 devices, including cars through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Premium Individual is $12.99 per month, and when we checked new subscribers could try it free for 2 months (offer ending November 1, 2026). Spotify also offers Duo, Family and Student plans. Premium now includes lossless sound up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz and access to an audiobooks catalog of more than 700,000 titles, which adds real value. The catch is price: it is now among the more expensive individual plans.

If you live in Apple's world, Apple Music is the natural pick. Its page lists the Individual plan at $11.99 per month after the free trial, Family at $19.99 for up to six people, and Student at $6.99. It is also bundled in Apple One, which starts at $21.95 per month.

Lossless audio and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos come at no extra cost, plus features such as AutoMix transitions and Apple Music Sing for karaoke-style vocals. Apple Music focuses on music only, so there are no podcasts or audiobooks mixed in. That is a plus if you find Spotify cluttered and a minus if you want everything in one app.

YouTube Music has an advantage nobody else can copy: the huge pile of live performances, covers and remixes on YouTube. If your favorite version of a song is a concert clip from 2009, it is probably here.

There is a free tier with ads, while Music Premium removes ads and allows background play and downloads. YouTube Premium also includes Music Premium, which makes it good value if you already pay to skip YouTube ads. We could not load US prices directly from YouTube's pricing page, so check it before you subscribe. The trade-off is a library where official tracks and user uploads sit side by side.

Amazon Music Unlimited makes most sense if you already pay for Prime. Amazon's page lists it at $11.99 per month for Prime members and $12.99 per month for everyone else, after a 30-day free trial for new subscribers.

The big change is that Audible is now included: subscribers can listen to one audiobook each month. Add 100 million songs ad-free, HD audio and Alexa voice control, and it is a strong bundle for Echo owners. Do not confuse it with the smaller music selection included with Prime itself, which is more limited.

Tidal used to charge extra for top-quality sound. Now its support page lists Tidal Individual at $11.99 per month, Family at $19.99 for up to six members, and Student at $6.99, with hi-res audio included. There are also DJ plans at $19.99 per month.

It is a good fit for listeners with decent headphones or a home hi-fi who want better sound without paying audiophile prices. Tidal also has a Cash App offer for eligible US customers (25% off for 12 months), but new customers who choose it skip the free trial. Its playlists and social features are thinner than Spotify's.

Qobuz is built for people who care about sound and liner notes. Its offers page lists the Studio plan from $10.83 per month and Sublime from $14.99 per month, both with FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz and offline listening. Family covers up to six accounts at $17.99 per month after a free month.

Qobuz pays more attention to albums than playlists, with weekly editorial pieces and expert picks. Sublime adds discounts of up to 60% on Hi-Res album purchases if you also like to own music. If you mainly listen through cheap earbuds, though, you will not hear much benefit, and Spotify's discovery features will serve you better.

Deezer is a French service that gets less attention in the US but deserves a look. Premium is $11.99 per month, and paying annually drops it to $9.00 per month ($107.99 a year), which is one of the lowest prices for a full on-demand service. Family is $19.99 per month or $218.99 a year.

Its Flow feature plays an endless mix of songs you like with new ones you might like, which is great for background listening. We liked that it promises a reminder 7 days before your trial ends. The downside is a smaller US community, so collaborative playlists are less useful.

Pandora is for people who want to type in one artist and let the music flow. Its station-based radio is simple, and the thumbs up and down system learns your taste quickly.

There is a free tier with ads and limited skips, plus paid Plus and Premium tiers that add more skips, offline listening and on-demand play. Pandora is US only, and its plans page blocks visitors from other countries, so we could not confirm current prices. Check them on Pandora's site. It is less useful if you want full albums on demand.

SoundCloud is where many artists post music before they are anywhere else, along with DJ sets, bootleg remixes and bedroom producers. If you like finding things first, it is a great second app.

You can listen free with ads, and paid Go and Go+ tiers remove ads and add offline listening and more of the major-label catalog. We could not load SoundCloud's US prices from its checkout page, so check there. As a main service it falls short: upload quality varies and mainstream albums are not as complete.