A few of you suggested I check out Spotify vs SoundCloud. There is no doubt that both popular brands provide high-quality music, podcasts, and features. I’m going to compare Spotify and SoundCloud in a variety of different sections and see which platform is better for you.
Spotify vs SoundCloud
Therefore, I will divide this guide into different sections. Music, music discovery, features, and pricing.
Spotify vs SoundCloud – Music Catalog
The number of songs on Soundcloud is higher than that on Spotify. The number of songs on SoundCloud is approximately 125 million, as opposed to 80 million on Spotify. It’s an incredible number of songs you will never be able to listen to in your lifetime. Spotify has fewer songs because it concentrates primarily on mainstream and popular music. Whereas SoundCloud focuses on independent music. It is true that more songs mean a greater variety, but it does not mean a higher quality standard.
A major drawback of SoundCloud is the lack of podcasts. Using Soundcloud will give you access to more content and allow you to discover new artists. But for High-Quality music, Spotify is a far better option than SoundCloud.
Music Discovery
My favorite thing about Spotify is the algorithm that recommends new songs based on what you’re interested in, and they have a playlist like the discover weekly playlist and taste breaker playlists, which are great for finding music you haven’t heard before.
The algorithm isn’t quite as strong when it comes to SoundCloud. According to my preferences and likes, they recommend new artists to check out in your feeds, but these recommendations aren’t as strong.
Features
There are major differences in the core business models of Spotify and SoundCloud. Both Spotify and SoundCloud promote mainstream music, but SoundCloud promotes independent artists. Spotify requires a distributor to upload music, unlike SoundCloud, which allows anyone to upload music directly. That’s the main difference.
There are many interesting features provided by Spotify, such as collaborative playlists, listening to songs with your friends, following artists, liking their playlists, Connecting Spotify with Alexa, and many more. Similarly, SoundCloud offers these features as well, but they are a bit less common. Soundcloud is more beneficial for creators. Therefore, both are winners in this category, as they have the same interesting features worth checking out.
Pricing
Spotify offers a free version. Using the service, you can listen to as much music as you want, but you cannot download any music, and there is a limit on skips. To get rid of all this stuff, you have to pay $9.99/per month.
| Platform | Free Plans | Individual Plan | Student Plan | Family Plan | DUO Plan |
| Spotify | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SoundCloud | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Similarly, on Soundcloud. By signing up with your email address, you can stream music and listen to songs on SoundCloud, but there are limitations like ads and this type of stuff. To eliminate that, you can sign up for a starter plan at $5.99/month, which is cheaper than Spotify, but there are a few restrictions, such as not being able to access the full catalog of SoundCloud.
To get full access to SoundCloud, you should upgrade to SoundCloud Go+, which is around $9.99/month. This plan will give you ads-free listening, unlimited tracks, full catalog access, and high-quality audio.
Audio Quality
Streaming platforms are built on the foundation of good audio quality. Any streaming platform that charges a monthly subscription should provide good audio quality. The following section compares both platforms in terms of audio streaming.
Spotify’s free version provides 160 kbps audio quality, while its premium plan offers 320 kbps. Both cases will result in good audio quality when using Spotify. SoundCloud offers 128 kbps quality for free users and 320 kbps for premium users.
As a result, Spotify offers better than SoundCloud in terms of audio quality.
User Interface
It is important to have a good interface so you can easily navigate the app or website. So in this section, we will examine the user interfaces of both streaming platforms.
| Platforms | Music Catalogue | Timestamp Sharing | Personal Playlists | Smart Algorithm |
| Spotify | 80 Million | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SoundCloud | 125 Million | No | Yes | Yes |
Spotify has a very smooth UI which is well worth checking out. Almost all features are accessible from the home page. Using the sidebar, you can do anything with just a single click. Therefore, Spotify’s homepage is top-notch, and the app and website have almost the same features.
Moreover, SoundCloud offers a well-organized collection of features. All features work smoothly without any issues.
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use interface, Spotify is for you. Compared to SoundCloud, Spotify has a better interface.
My Personal Opinion
When it comes to music streaming, Spotify is a better option than SoundCloud because it has many interesting features. I love listening to songs on Spotify, so let’s get Spotify Mod APK and start listening. Do not forget to read my Spotify comparison with Pandora and comparison with apple music.
Conclusion
After reading Spotify vs SoundCloud, I think you’re ready to decide which platform is right for you. In this article, you will find a list of all the main features. If you want more information about this topic, leave a comment, and I will write more about it.