Spotify vs SoundCloud: Which is the Best and Why?

Choosing between SoundCloud and Spotify is not an easy task. SoundCloud is good for new users who want to listen to independent artists and allow users to upload their songs. Spotify is suitable for professional artists and experienced music lovers. But which one is the best?

SoundCloud competes well with Spotify but the latter is the best due to high music quality, rich musical library, availability of lyrics, and regular notifications. SoundCloud is exceptionally good for new artists. Let us find out more about the two apps and reach a conclusion easily.

About Spotify

Spotify has become the leading choice for millions of music lovers. It has a cool interface, a lot of customization options, and affordable premium prices. Whether you want to use it on your Android Smartphone, iPhone, PC, or laptop, it works smoothly and effectively.

The app allows you to find latest music and tracks and even view your listening history as well. You can download music and watch it later when you’re offline. It also allows a lot of personalization options like changing the profile picture etc.

About SoundCloud

SoundCloud offers free listening to the music. It also allows users to easily upload their personally recorded musical tracks to the app. So, people have become aware of new singers and artists. Apart from providing access to millions of songs, it helps people become celebrities by assisting in easy and quick media uploading.

Key Differences Between the SoundCloud and the Spotify

Price and Subscriptions

Spotify offers different prices for people of different ages and classes. Students have a special discount of $5.99 per month. A group of six can use the services for $16.99, and the individuals spend $10.99 for a complete month.

SoundCloud Go costs $4.99, and GO+ activates at $9.99. Pro Unlimited, the most complete package, charges $24 per month. Here is the complete chart of prices for both apps:

Quality of the Sound

Sound quality varies a lot between the two apps. Spotify easily maintains a quality of 3320 kbps, whereas Soundcloud maintains up to 128 kbps. The quality of the sound is degraded for free users using both apps. Spotify is a clear winner due to its amazing and high-quality sound.

Music Inventory

SoundCloud has a huge music library that roughly maintains a record of 200 million songs and tracks. On the other hand, Spotify has around 100 million songs from famous artists. Spotify is the best choice if you want to listen to the most famous artists. However, if you want to listen to new stars and artists that do not have a wide fan following, SoundCloud is a good choice.

Subscribers and Active Listeners

Spotify undoubtedly has a rich audience and fan base. It has 226 million active subscribers and 573 million users every month. Around 76 million people listen to SoundCloud every month, with 130 million users in total. New users can try SoundCloud without any hesitation. However, for people who are in search of professional singers, then Spotify has no match.

Review Submission

SoundCloud has an impressive review or feedback system. Whether you are an artist or a listener, you can read reviews of others or post your reviews easily. Spotify has no easy comment submission system, which is suitable for experienced users.

Notifications and Updates

Spotify has an inherent mechanism of displaying 30 new songs to the users weekly. It also notifies you about the latest releases and updates to the playlists. Though SoundCloud is behind in music discoveries, it still keeps its users updated with the latest releases and trending songs and tracks.

Offline Listening to Music

Both apps allow their users to download and listen to tracks when they are offline. So, it is a draw or a tie between them.

Lyrics

Spotify has another advantage over SoundCloud, which displays the lyrics, whereas its competitor does not.

Conclusion

Spotify and SoundCloud have certain advantages and limitations in providing the music solution to their users. Spotify has a rich set of songs, a visually appealing interface, and a mechanism to recommend relevant songs to its users. On the other hand, SoundCloud is mainly suitable for artists who desire a huge audience.