Best Music Streaming · alternatives
Best Spotify alternatives (2026)
7 alternatives to Spotify in music streaming, ranked by entry price. Spotify starts at $6.99/mo. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it.
Key takeaways
- Cheaper than Spotify: Pandora, TIDAL, Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, Deezer.
- Free alternatives: Pandora, Amazon Music Unlimited, Deezer, YouTube Music.
- Closest by price: Pandora ($4.99/mo), TIDAL ($5.49/mo), Amazon Music Unlimited ($5.99/mo).
Spotify alternatives compared
| # | Alternative | Entry price | Free | HIPAA | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pandora | $4.99/mo | Yes | — | US listeners who prefer algorithmic radio over curated playlists | help.pandora.com |
| 2 | TIDAL | $5.49/mo | No | — | Audiophiles wanting HiRes FLAC at competitive price | support.tidal.com |
| 3 | Amazon Music Unlimited | $5.99/mo | Yes | — | Amazon Prime members wanting a discounted music add-on | dealnews.com |
| 4 | Apple Music | $5.99/mo | No | — | Apple ecosystem users (iPhone, Mac, HomePod, Watch) | apple.com |
| 5 | Deezer | $5.99/mo | Yes | — | HiFi FLAC listeners who want lossless at a lower price than Qobuz/TIDAL | evertry.co |
| 6 | YouTube Music | $11.99/mo | Yes | — | Users who want music videos alongside audio tracks | musicbusinessworldwide.com |
| 7 | Qobuz | $12.99/mo | No | — | Audiophiles and hi-fi enthusiasts wanting the highest available streaming resolution | qobuz.com |
Data current through 2026-06-13. Compare any two directly on the Music Streaming index.