Do you’re gonna wanna pay for Spotify Premium, or is the free version okay?
Overall Findings
Access to Spotifys full song library.
Limit of six track skips per hour.
Full access to over 2.6 million podcasts.
Ads while listening to songs, podcasts, and audiobooks.
Lower 160kbit/s sound quality limit.
Full song library access with early access for some albums.
Unlimited track skips and download option.
15 hours of audiobook listening per month.
Ads while listening to audiobooks and podcasts.
Higher 320kbit/s sound quality option.
The 160kbit/s sound quality is totally fine for the everyday person.
it’s crucial that you pay for a Spotify Premium account to remove ads while listening to music.
Headphone listeners will also appreciate Premium due to its improved sound quality.
Song and Podcast Availability: Premium Gets Some Content First
Access to over 80 million songs.
More than 2.6 million podcasts on Spotify.
Some new albums are exclusive to Premium users for a limited time.
Limit of 6 track skips per hour.
Exclusive early access to select new releases.
Access to main library of over 80 million songs.
More than 2.6 million podcasts.
Spotify boasts an absolutely massive song library which is almost entirely available to listen to for free.
New releases are Premium-exclusive because those memberships earn artists a higher per-listen rate than free ones.
Over 2.6 million podcasts are available on Spotify, and they don’t have skip limits.
Audiobooks: Free Users Need to Pay Separately
Over 370,000 audiobooks available for purchase.
New titles and classics available.
Audio ads while listening to audiobooks.
Combination of classic and new titles.
15 hours of listening time for 200,000 audiobooks per month.
Ads still play while listening to audiobooks.
Once purchased, the audiobook is unlocked in the web player and all official Spotify apps on all devices.
Ads: Premium Offers Ad-Free Music, but Podcasts Still Have Advertising
Ads in Spotify apps.
Ads before, during, and after podcast episodes.
100% ad-free music experience.
Zero visual ads in Spotify apps.
Podcasts still have ads before, during, and after episodes.
Audiobooks still have ads.
The removal of audio and visual ads while listening to music is arguably the biggest appeal of Spotify Premium.
Signing up for Spotify Premium will completely remove all audio ads while listening to music.
Itll remove visual image ads within the apps as well.
What Spotify Premium doesnt do, however, is remove advertising from and during podcasts and audiobooks.
Unfortunately, theres no way to have a completely ad-free audiobook and podcast experience on Spotify.
Sound Quality: Premium Offers a Better Experience
Music plays at AAC 128kbit/s on the web player.
24, 96, and 160kbit/s sound options for music in apps.
Podcasts play at 128kbit/s on the web player and 96kbit/s in apps.
Music plays at AAC 256kbit/s on the web player.
Additional 320kbit/s option for music in Spotify apps.
Podcasts play at 128kbit/s on web player and 96kbit/s in apps.
These configs let you listen to music at 24, 96, and 160kbit/s, respectively.
Its worth noting that music sound quality for Premium is capped at 256kbit/s in the web player.
Thats still better than the Free option, which is limited to 128kbit/s.
Podcast audio quality is the same for both Spotify Premium and Free users.
Spotifys Various Premium Plans
Spotify actually offers several different types of Premium plans.
All Premium plans offer the same overall benefits mentioned above but are tailored for specific individuals or households.
If you need todownload music and podcasts for offline listening, youll need to upgrade to Premium.
The same goes for removing ads between songs or listening to audiobooks without having to buy each one outright.
If you want anything but a barebones, ad-filled audio experience, Spotify Premium is clearly the superior choice.
