Is Spotify or YouTube Music free?

Both can be used for free. Spotify: Free plan, paid from $11 a month. YouTube Music: Free plan, paid upgrades.

Do I need to install Spotify or YouTube Music?

No. Both run in a web browser, so you can open either one and start. Spotify can also be installed to a home screen or dock if you like.

Price, ratings and what each one does, side by side. Every fact here comes from their listings on Linkstore.

Stream music and podcasts in the web player.

Songs, albums and music videos from YouTube.

Spotify: free plan, paid from $11 a month. YouTube Music: free plan, paid upgrades.
Only Spotify can be installed to a home screen or dock.

Spotify

YouTube Music

The full Spotify library in a tab: playlists, podcasts and your library, with no app to install.

YouTube Music mixes official releases with live versions and covers, free with ads.

Apps that do a similar job, closest matches first.

Suno
Make a full song, vocals included, from a short prompt.
Music & AudioNewFreemium
Open
Apple Music
Stream songs, albums and playlists in the browser.
Music & AudioNewPaid
Open
Udio
Describe a song and get a finished track with vocals.
Music & AudioNewFreemium
Open
TIDAL
Music streaming with a higher-quality tier.
Music & AudioNewPaid
Open
Bandcamp
Buy music and merch straight from the artists.
Music & AudioNewFree
Open
Learning Music
Learn the basics of making music right in the browser.
Music & AudioNewFree
Open