pandora radio free music streaming services

Even the highest-quality audio setting cannot compensate for low-quality headphones. Your audio experience depends on your equipment. So, if sound quality is essential to you, Spotify is the better option. But Spotify’s 320 kbps enhances clarity and depth, especially on high-end headphones. It’s unclear if this is due to the app or Pandora’s servers.Īs for audio quality, Pandora’s 192 kbps offers a decent listening experience. However, despite using less data, I kept experiencing a 2-3 second delay on Pandora before each new song. On a 78 Mbps connection, Spotify quickly preloaded songs. Spotify comes out on top with higher overall audio quality, faster song loading, and five audio quality settings compared to Pandora’s three.įor easy reference, here’s a quick breakdown of both apps’ audio quality settings: Audio quality settingġ28 kbps / 192 kbps(depending on the platform)Īt 320 kbps, Spotify uses about 150 MB/hour, while Pandora uses about 60-65 MB/hour at 193 kbps.

On the other hand, Spotify’s Premium Duo and Mini plans provide full access to all features, making it the better choice. Pandora’s plans don’t provide extras like these.īoth services also have other paid options like Premium Duo, Premium Mini, and Pandora Plus.īut while Pandora Plus offers ad-free listening, it limits offline stations to three and doesn’t allow playlist creation. Premium Family includes child-friendly content through Spotify Kids, while Premium Student bundles Hulu at a discounted rate. Spotify also offers more value despite being pricier.įor instance, Spotify Premium users get access to a vast library of songs, podcasts, audiobooks, and better audio quality at 320 kbps (compared to Pandora’s 192 kbps). Number of audio quality settings for mobile app Number of audio quality settings for web player Number of audio quality settings for desktop app Yes (Maximum of 2 on mobile and 3 on desktop) Grants access to the entire content library Here’s a more detailed look into what each free plan comes with: Features

Higher max audio quality at 160 kbps versus 128 kbps on ad-supported Pandora.On-demand playback on the web player and desktop app.While both services have free, ad-supported plans, Spotify Free outperforms by offering the following: Spotify’s Plan Inclusions Provide a Better Deal Music Genome Project, Pandora Modes, Thumbprint Radio, Artist Takeoversįriend Activity, Social profiles, Spotify Jam, Collaborative playlists Spotify Wrapped, Time-synced lyrics, Smart Shuffle, AI DJ Spotify Leads With Fun, Interactive Social Features.Pandora’s Music Genome Algorithm Is Impressive.Spotify’s Interface Is More User-Friendly.Spotify Has More Content and Variety Than Pandora.Spotify’s Plan Inclusions Provide a Better Deal.

Pandora radio free music streaming services