It is the most popular streaming provider: More than 60 million people use the music service Spotify. But is the hype justified or are there better alternatives? The test clears up.
60 million. That is approximately the distance in kilometres between Earth and Mars at its closest approximation, also the number of inhabitants of Great Britain – or the number of people who use the Swedish music service Spotify.
Almost a quarter of them pay around ten euros a month for a premium account, the rest are satisfied with the free version. So a service that so many people use can’t be wrong – can it?
The editors have taken a close look at the music flat rate and reveal whether the selection is really suspicious, whether the range of functions and customer friendliness are suitable and whether there are better alternatives.
Free or Premium?
Spotify offers either a free, limited access or a premium access for 9.99 Euro per month. For free you get access to the complete music library, but you have to accept advertising and a lower quality of the streams.
If you have an ad-free premium subscription, there is also an offline mode – with this you can download created music lists and listen to them on your smartphone and tablet without an Internet connection.
Too bad: albums or individual tracks do not exist in offline mode. With the Family tariff, Spotify also grants group discounts if users want to share an account. Students also pay only half, at least for one year.
If you are not sure whether the premium offer is worth a tenner to you, you can test Spotify Premium for 30 days free of charge.
The Spotify offer
Spotify promises millions of songs on demand at any time, and indeed: The offer is very balanced overall, almost all genres are widely represented. Of the current top 20 singles and albums, an average of 75 percent are represented, with a broad range of rock, pop, electro, independent, pop and classical music.
There are weaknesses in the jazz sector (just under half of the top 10 hits), and the selection of top 10 audio books could also be larger. The search and filter function is extensive and quickly leads to the desired result.
The simple user interface of Spotify hardly lets you guess: The music service is a real functional miracle. For example, you can display song lyrics at the touch of a button, change the music quality or check directly whether your favourite artist will be performing live near you in the near future.
The editors have compiled the best and most important functions, tips and tricks for you. Just click through the overview here.
App and compatible devices
On PC and laptop you have access to all songs with the free account, but the same does not apply to the smartphone app. Spotify only offers the so-called shuffle mode for mobile non-payers, with which you can play albums and music lists in random order. It is not possible to select individual tracks.
Only with a premium account are most functions available to you on the go. There are also numerous other devices such as smart TVs or consoles such as Playstation 4, from which you can access your favourite music. With a premium account, you can log in to an unlimited number of devices.
Another way to bring your music lists into your living room: Spotify Connect. If you have a Connect compatible device at home, such as a speaker or AV receiver, you can send your favorite songs from your smartphone.
The only prerequisites: Both devices are in the same Wlan network and you have a premium account. You can see which devices support Spotify Connect in the following device overview.
Security and customer friendliness
With Spotify, you pay for the premium subscription either by direct debit, credit card, PayPal, payment on account (Klarna) or credit card. If you would like to cancel your premium subscription, this can only be done via the subscription page. This works quickly and smoothly.
Important: If you do not cancel until the last day before the subscription expires, it will automatically be extended by another month. Annoying: In Spotifys AGBs there are many unclear regulations for the use of the personal data. Also the portal is not completely protected from attackers, whereby the access is however difficult.
Conclusion: Spotify is the most popular streaming provider – and rightly so! The free account is fine, the music selection is large, the functions numerous and the operation very comfortable.
But the service only really gets going with the premium subscription: The streaming quality is better, and you can also listen to your favourite songs on the go, on the TV or via the Wlan speaker. There are devaluations for opaque regulations for data retrieval.
Strengths: Good music selection, many compatible devices, easy operation
Weaknesses: offline mode, opaque data regulations
Test grade: good