YouTube Musicvs
Spotify
Spotify: Market-leading music streaming service with superior music discovery algorithms and artist tools.
YouTube Music
A new music streaming service from YouTube
As of 30 August 2026, YouTube Music has a free plan and paid plans start at $11.99/month. YouTube Music is a music streaming service that provides personalized recommendations, official albums, music videos, live performances, and remixes. Softwr lists it under Music. YouTube Music is made by Google LLC, launched in 2015, available on Web, iOS, Android.
Overview
What YouTube Music does
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about YouTube Music.
- Free tier includes unskippable ads which interrupts music listening
- User-uploaded content creates inconsistent audio quality and metadata compared to official releases
- Limited music discovery and recommendation features compared to Spotify's AI-powered algorithms
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of YouTube Music
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- YouTube MusicvsApple Music
Apple Music: Premium music streaming integrated with Apple ecosystem offering lossless audio and exclusive content.
- YouTube MusicvsAmazon Music
Amazon Music: Music streaming service bundled with Amazon Prime membership offering competitive value.
Pricing
What YouTube Music costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free
Free
- Ad-supported listening
- Music videos
Premium
$11.99 /mo
- Ad-free
- Offline downloads
- Background playback
Family
$18.99 /mo
- Up to 6 accounts
- Parental controls
Student
$5.99 /mo
- Ad-free
- YouTube Premium included
Capabilities
Features
Music streaming
Music videos
Live performances
Personalization
Google services
Integration with Google services
Smart speakers
Integration with Smart speakers
Android Auto
Integration with Android Auto
Google account security
Google account security security feature
Family controls
Family controls security feature
Web support
Available on web
Ios support
Available on ios
Android support
Available on android
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
How much does YouTube Music Premium cost?
YouTube Music Premium costs $11.99 per month for individual subscriptions, $18.99 per month for family plans (up to 6 accounts), and $5.99 per month for students.
SourceDoes YouTube Music have a free tier?
Yes, YouTube Music offers a free version with access to music and music videos but includes occasional unskippable ads. Free users can create playlists and discover music but lack premium features like offline downloads.
SourceWhat makes YouTube Music different from other streaming services?
YouTube Music uniquely provides access to official songs, music videos, live performances, remixes, and user-uploaded content not available on other platforms. Users can seamlessly switch between audio and official music videos.
SourceBehind it
Who makes YouTube Music
- Company
- Google LLC
- Based in
- San Bruno, CA
- Founders
- Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim
Timeline
YouTube Music over time
Keep looking
Where to go from YouTube Music
- YouTube Music alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- YouTube Music pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- YouTube Music badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Music softwareThe full category
- Best Music softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Music software for
Compare YouTube Music with
- Amazon Music
- Deezer
- iHeartRadio
- Pandora
- Tidal
- Bandcamp
- DistroKid
- TuneCore
- CD Baby
- Mixcloud
- Ableton Live
- rekordbox
- Pro Tools
- Serato DJ
- Traktor Pro
- Amazon Music
- rekordbox
- Sibelius
Other Music software
Flat annual subscription music distribution where artists keep 100% of streaming royalties
10 researched notesMusic distribution owned by Believe, offering both a 0%-royalty annual subscription and an older pay-per-release model side by side
10 researched notesMusic distribution charging an upfront per-release fee plus a permanent 9% commission on royalties, now owned by Universal Music Group
10 researched notesDigital audio workstation built around a Session View for arranging ideas live
From $99/one-time11 researched notesPioneer DJ’s library management and performance software, sold on annual subscription tiers gated by connected hardware
Free plan10 researched notesAvid digital audio workstation with four tiers gated by track count and simultaneous I/O rather than by feature
Free plan10 researched notesDJ mixing software sold as Pro and Suite tiers, with a free Lite edition and hardware unlocking on supported controllers
Free plan10 researched notesNative Instruments DJ software sold as a straightforward one-time purchase, with a free entry edition called Traktor Play
Free plan10 researched notesPioneer DJ’s library management and performance software, sold on annual subscription tiers gated by connected hardware
Free plan10 researched notesAvid’s music notation software, now sold primarily on subscription with perpetual licences still available at higher upfront cost
10 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for YouTube Music, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on YouTube Music
YouTube Music alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
YouTube Music pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare YouTube Music
Put it head to head with anything we hold
YouTube Music badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best Music software alternatives
Free digital audio workstation bundled with macOS and iOS, with no paid tier or upgrade path of its own
Open source, no licence fee
Free, browser and mobile-based collaborative DAW, with optional Pro and Max membership tiers for sample libraries and extras
Per user per year
AI mastering and music distribution, sold as separate mastering, distribution and bundled Studio subscriptions
Per user per month, separate mastering and distribution subscriptionsAvid digital audio workstation with four tiers gated by track count and simultaneous I/O rather than by feature
Per user per yearFlat annual subscription music distribution where artists keep 100% of streaming royalties
One-time purchase
Free, open source notation software under the GPL, distinct from the separate paid MuseScore.com and MuseSounds subscriptions
Open source, no licence fee
Steinberg’s notation software, still sold as a perpetual licence on desktop with subscription only offered on iPad
One-time purchaseMusic distribution charging an upfront per-release fee plus a permanent 9% commission on royalties, now owned by Universal Music Group
One-time purchase plus ongoing commission