Apple Music review: cheaper than Spotify, with hi-res lossless included

Apple Music is the streaming service we’d pick when sound quality and price matter more than recommendation magic. Every plan includes lossless, hi-res lossless and Spatial Audio. Individual is $11.99 a month, a dollar under Spotify Premium, and Student at $6.99 still bundles Apple TV.

The catch is discovery. For most listeners, Spotify still surfaces new music and weekly habits more reliably. Apple Music is also happier inside Apple’s devices than on Android. We’d switch if you own AirPods or a HomePod and care about Atmos and hi-res. We’d stay on Spotify if playlists and “Discover Weekly” energy are the product.

Home, Browse, Radio, Library and Search cover the basics without much clutter. Now Playing with live lyrics is clear. Sing mode, collaborative playlists and SharePlay fit casual listening with friends. On iPhone, iPad and Mac the app feels native because it is.

Android and Windows clients work for playback and downloads. They trail the iOS polish. If your whole household is mixed, Spotify’s client consistency is still easier.

Apple Music includes lossless up to 24-bit/48 kHz and hi-res lossless up to 24-bit/192 kHz, plus Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, on every paid plan. There is no upcharge for better audio. That is the clearest win against Spotify’s lossless ceiling at 24-bit/44.1 kHz and against services that bury hi-res in a pricier tier.

Hi-res needs a wired path and often an external DAC; Bluetooth will not carry it. Atmos shines on AirPods, Beats, HomePod and compatible receivers. Enable Lossless in Settings → Music → Audio Quality, and watch cellular data if you stream hi-res away from Wi-Fi.

Personalized playlists, Discovery Station, mixes and editorial charts are fine. Playlist Playground can spin a list from a song or mood. Radio and Apple Music Live add human curation and exclusive sessions.

For most people we tested with, Spotify still wins the “play something I’ll love next” job. If discovery is why you open a music app every morning, that gap matters more than an extra kilohertz.

The main catalog matches the other majors at over 100 million songs. Apple Music Classical is included and is the right interface for works, conductors and movements. Sing mode covers karaoke-style lyrics with adjustable vocals. Concert listings, artist interviews and radio shows add depth beyond the play button.

Podcasts are not the center of the product the way they are on Spotify. Bring another app if podcasts are half your listening.

US prices from apple.com/apple-music as of October 2026. New subscribers often get one month free. Confirm at checkout.

• Individual1 month free for new subscribers; lossless and Spatial Audio$11.99
• StudentVerified students; includes Apple TV access; up to 4 years$6.99
• FamilyUp to 6 people via Family Sharing; each gets own library$19.99

Individual is $11.99 a month with lossless, Atmos, downloads and Classical. Student is $6.99 with the same music features plus Apple TV access for verified students, for up to four years. Family is $19.99 for up to six people through Family Sharing, each with a separate library and recommendations. Apple One bundles can make sense if you already want TV, Arcade or iCloud+ on one bill.

There is no full free listening tier with on-demand catalog playback. Radio and trials are the unpaid entry points. Against Spotify at $12.99 Individual and $21.99 Family, Apple Music’s list prices are the better raw deal, especially for students.

Apple markets privacy hard, and Music inherits that brand. Listening history still drives recommendations, and the service needs an Apple Account. You can limit personalization and clear history in settings. Family Sharing keeps libraries separate per member.

It is ordinary streaming privacy, not a local-only locker. If you want the least account-graph exposure among big streamers, combine settings hygiene with whatever payment and ID options you already trust. Check Restriction and Screen Time controls if kids share a Family plan.

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  Spotify

  Still the discovery and podcast default for most people. Premium Individual is $12.99/mo with lossless up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz.

• 

  YouTube Music

  Best if you already pay for YouTube Premium, and unmatched for live sets, covers and uploads that never hit other services.

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  TIDAL

  Hi-res FLAC and Atmos with a stronger artist-payout pitch. Smaller social layer and fewer mainstream playlists than Apple or Spotify.

If you are on iPhone and care about Atmos or hi-res, start the trial and keep Apple Music at $11.99, or $6.99 as a student. Turn on Lossless on Wi-Fi and use Atmos on headphones that support it. If weekly discovery and podcasts are the product, stay on Spotify. If you already pay for YouTube Premium, try YouTube Music before you add another bill.