One of the world's largest music streaming services, Spotify, finally launched in South Africa on Tuesday – what managing director Michael Krause described as "the home of music". Music lovers are now spoilt for choice when it comes to music-streaming apps.
From Spotify to Apple Music, Deezer to Google Play Music, listeners can find the music they love with ease in the digital environment .
If you're curious about the differences between these streaming platforms, it really all comes down to details and personal preference – from interface to user-friendliness, and the general presentation of the app.
Whether you're considering switching to a new platform or signing up for the first time, here is a brief comparison between Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and Google Music, to help you find the app best suited to you.
Price
Price is often the dealbreaker when it comes to subscriptions, but these four apps all cost exactly the same if it's just you – although some have family or student plans.
Spotify costsR59.99 per month, with a trial period of 30 days, although there is a free version at the expense of sitting through ads. There's no family-plan deal.
Apple Music costs R59.99 per month. There is no free version, but it has a three-month trial period. The family plan costs R89.99 a month, with a student plan at R29.99 a month.
Deezer costs R59.99 per month, with a trial period of 30 days. The family plan costs R89.99 a month, and there is also a free version.
Google Music costs R59.99 per month, with a trial period of 30 days, as well as a free version. The family plan costs R89.99 a month.
Song variety
The question everyone asks: Who has the most songs?
Spotify: 30-million
Apple Music: 45-million
Deezer: 53-million
Google Music: 40-million
Data usage
It's simple: more data means better sound quality. If a music app focuses on limiting data usage, then it cannot maximise the sound quality of a song, because of its bitrate. If a song has a higher bitrate, it means it maximises data, so that users get the ultimate experience in sound quality.
Spotify: 160 kilobits per second (kbps)
Apple Music: 256kbps
Deezer: 128kbps
Google Music: 320kbps
Deezer's "basic" option reduces a song's bitrate to 64kbps and Spotify's "data saver" option uses a bitrate of 24kbps.
Spotify uses 10.8MB of data per hour to stream music, compared to 43.2MB per hour for other services. This was the lowest reported data-consumption rate on any music streaming service, according to Android Central.
