Amazon Prime Music vs. Other Streaming Services: How Do They Compare?

One of the nicest Amazon Prime benefits is access to Prime Music. With the wide variety of artists, playlists, and genres, you're bound to find something to rock out to.

Peruse our Prime Music guide to see what you can expect from the service, as well as other streaming options for music enthusiasts.

What Is Amazon Prime Music?

Amazon Prime Music is a free service that's included with your Prime membership, whether you're an annual or monthly subscriber. It offers over 2 million songs for streaming online or via your Alexa device.

The selection varies, but Prime Music does include recent and popular albums — think Taylor Swift's Lover and Lady Gaga's Chromatica.

It also has playlists featuring a variety of genres, such as classic rock hits or modern country. There are even curated lists designed to add ambiance to a dinner party or help you sleep better.

Prime Music vs. Amazon Music Unlimited

Amazon Music Unlimited goes beyond the Prime Music selection. It offers unlimited access to 50 million songs — in fact, it boasts about "unlimited access to any song."

The Unlimited service gives you a 30-day free trial, and it doesn't require a Prime membership either. However, Prime members can get discounts on some Music Unlimited plans.

SEE ALSO: Your Complete Guide to Amazon Prime Video

Both Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited provide on-demand, ad-free listening, as well as the ability to listen offline (unless you have the Single Device Plan). They both work with Alexa-enabled devices, too.

Types of Amazon Unlimited Plans

You can choose from four different Amazon Music Unlimited plans to fit your needs.

The Individual Plan is the most popular one, according to Amazon, and lets subscribers stream tens of millions of songs from any device.

The Family Plan offers streaming on up to six devices for six family members at once. You can also block songs with explicit lyrics, and each family member receives personalized recommendations.

The Single Device Plan is the most affordable, but it restricts members to only playing music on one Amazon device, including the Amazon Tap, Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Plus, Echo Spot, Echo Look, Echo Input, or Fire TV.

The Student Plan offers the extensive Unlimited library at a discounted price for college students. Members must prove their eligibility by verifying enrollment in a degree-granting college or university.

Amazon Music Unlimited Plan Prices

Amazon Streaming Music Services vs. the Competition

Amazon is far from the the only game in town when it comes to music streaming. Several services offer comparable plans and prices; below, we give you a rundown of the offerings.

Note that some of these services also have a free tier, but we're focusing on the paid plans that offer comparable perks.

Apple Music: This popular service offers a free trial of unknown length, as well as a few different plans to choose from, including Student, Individual, and Family.

It gives you access to 50 million songs, plus your iTunes library, and you can listen both on- and offline. Plus, receive access to original shows, concerts, and exclusive content.

Deezer: This streaming service matches other industry offerings with cheaper student plans, plus family plans and a HiFi plan with lossless quality.

There's also a free tier that has "occasional ads" and is only available on mobile. For the paid versions, there's a 30-day free trial.

Google Play Music: This service is on its way out, to be replaced by YouTube Music Premium. Check out details on that below.

iHeartRadio: You can choose from a few different plans with iHeartRadio. They include Plus, which offers unlimited music and thousands of live radio stations in the app. The All Access plan lets you listen offline, plus you can create unlimited playlists and access millions of songs.

The iHeartRadio Family plan is similar to others in the industry, offering up to five additional family members an All Access membership for $14.99 per month.

LiveXLive: Formerly known as Slacker Radio, this is another streaming service that offers a free tier, but the real perks come with the paid subscriptions. Plus provides handcrafted and custom stations ad-free, as well as maximum audio quality and unlimited skips. Premium offers all the perks of Plus, as well as the ability to listen offline and play on demand. There's also an annual plan available for $29.99 if you don't mind committing to a year of the service.

Pandora: Most everyone seems to be familiar with Pandora. It offers a free plan with ad-supported radio, or you can opt for Plus or Premium plans. These upgrades provide personalized radio without ads, or personalized radio with on-demand listening, respectively.

Additionally, the Premium Family plan gives up to six family members on-demand music. Test the options out with a 30-day trial for Plus or a 60-day trial for the Premium plans.

Premium offers the same perks, as well as the ability to listen offline and play on demand. Student and Military Premium plans also exist with 60-day trials, and are $4.99 and $7.99 per month, respectively.

SEE ALSO: 30 Amazon Prime Benefits You Should Be Using

Spotify Premium: Download music to listen to anywhere, enjoy no ad interruptions, play any song, and take advantage of unlimited skips. Students can enjoy a 3-month trial and that plan also comes with Hulu and Showtime.

TIDAL: You can choose from the highest amount of plans we've seen with TIDAL.

The Premium, Student Premium, and Family Premium plans match competitors' offerings and prices, but TIDAL goes a step further and provides discounts to military members and first responders, as well as HiFi plans. The latter offer lossless sound quality.

YouTube Music Premium: This is the service replacing Google Play Music. Try it free for at least a month, and afterwards choose from a student, individual, or family plan. Prices are comparable to others in the industry, and you get ad-free and offline listening. The service is available on mobile and desktop.