What is Spotify? Here's everything you need to know in 2023

It has been nearly 15 years since Spotify first launched in 2008. Much has changed since then, and today the platform is among the most popular music streaming services, with a considerable lead over other options like Apple Music and TIDAL.

But what exactly is Spotify, what does it offer, and is it worth your hard-earned money? This guide serves as the place to find answers to all of your Spotify questions. Let’s get into it!

What is Spotify?

Spotify is a digital music streaming service. It gives you instant access to its vast online library of music and podcasts, allowing you to listen to any content of your choice at any time. It is both legal and easy to use.

You will find millions of songs from a variety of genres and artists, from obscure indie rock and top 40 pop to movie soundtracks and classical music. It also has a complex algorithm to recommend music based on your listening history, as well as curated playlists and internet radio stations.

Podcasts are just as plentiful, so whether you love listening to true crime stories or to tech discussions, there is something for everyone. In fact, the company is investing heavily in podcast content, purchasing podcasting networks Gimlet Media and Parcast. It even dropped over $100 million on an exclusive multi-year deal with the Joe Rogan Experience.

Best of all, you can use Spotify completely free of charge. The service has a Premium subscription plan, but you can also enjoy an ad-supported version of the platform without spending a cent. To better understand the differences, check out the Spotify Free vs Spotify Premium section of this article.

Is Spotify free?

The basic, ad-supported version of Spotify is completely free. It offers unlimited access to the full catalog of music and podcasts but comes with a few drawbacks.

The most intrusive are frequent ad breaks. These can really kill your groove if you’re listening at a party. You’re also limited to just a few song skips, and audio quality is slightly lower at 128kbp/s with the web player and 160kbit/s on desktop and mobile.

Why upgrade to Spotify Premium?

Subscribing to Spotify Premium is a great way to get rid of pesky ads, but there is more to the paid version of the service than you might expect. Here is why Spotify Premium might be worth it for you.

• No advertisements anywhere: this includes both audio and banner ads.
• Better audio quality: if you are an audiophile, Spotify Premium’s upgrade from 160kbit/s to 320kbit/s could be well worth it.
• Downloading songs (sort of): Spotify Premium allows you to download songs for offline listening. If you cancel your subscription, however, you will no longer have access to them.
• Unlimited skipping and no forced shuffling on the mobile app. The free version of Spotify shuffles all playlists and even adds single tracks to shuffled playlists, while only giving you six skips per hour. This only happens on the mobile apps, but it’s frustrating regardless. With Spotify Premium, however, you can skip to your heart’s content.
• Ad-supported Hulu access: You can have this bonus feature if you live in the US.

How does Spotify work?

If you are yet to give Spotify a try, there is no better time than now. All you really need is an internet connection and a Spotify account. Here is how to create one:

• Open the Spotify sign up page on your PC or your mobile browser. You will be asked to enter a valid email address, create a password, and choose a username. You will also be required to enter your date of birth and gender. Once you’ve done that click the green Sign up button.
• You can then choose a subscription level. If you are new to Spotify, you can test Premium for two months for free. We recommend giving it a try because it offers a ton of perks you won’t find on the free version.
• All that is left is to download and install the free Spotify app. There is a desktop program and of course an Android app. Once you have installed the Spotify app, you can start listening on the device of your choice. Your listening history and playlists will be available and synced across devices. If you don’t want to use applications, you can also listen to Spotify in a browser tab through the Spotify web player. 

Be warned that the audio quality dips a bit for both paid and subscription versions of the service when using the web player versus the Spotify app. Spotify Free will max out at 128kbit/s on the web player, with Premium only reaching 256kbit/s.

Discovering Spotify music and playlists

But what about finding music and fun podcasts? Once your Spotify account is set up, your home page is your gateway to discovery. You can browse popular playlists, including top hits from your country, and more. Scrolling down will reveal suggested mood playlists, popular albums, trending hits, podcasts to try, etc.

The more music you listen to, the more customized the experience will become. Once you’ve used Spotify for a while, you will have a Recently played section with all the songs and playlists you enjoy on a regular basis, a Based on your recent listening section with recommendations and Your heavy rotation with the songs you play the most. Daily Mix playlists will also be generated based on your listening activity. You can find them in the Made for you section of your home page.

If you don’t like the generated playlists, however, you can create your own. Doing so is incredibly easy. On desktop, simply click the Create Playlist option on the sidebar, or visit Your Library in the Spotify app to find the option there. Make sure you give your playlist an appropriate name because you will be given suggestions based on it. For example, naming a playlist 80s rock will give you Twister Sister, Guns and Roses, Bon Jovi, and other popular 80s rock artists’ tracks as recommendations.

Don’t worry about finding every single song you want to add when creating the playlist. You can add extra songs later by just tapping or clicking on the three dots menu button next to a song and selecting Add to Playlist. If you really enjoy a playlist created by someone else, on the other hand, you can heart it so it appears in your playlist section too.

You can also avoid making playlists altogether if themed collections are not your thing. Hearting songs will automatically save them to your Liked Songs where you can find them at any time. Following artists directly is an option too. Doing so will notify you when your favorites release new content.

How much is Spotify Premium?

While ad-supported Spotify is always free, the standard Spotify Premium plan costs $10.99 per month in the US, €10.99 in Europe, and £10.99/month in the UK. You can see how Spotify Premium’s price differs around the world at the link.

There are no price discounts when paying bi-yearly or yearly, but you can save some money if you choose the Spotify Premium Family plan. It costs only $16.99/month for six separate Premium accounts that can be used by family members living under the same roof. If you’re a couple, you can pay a little less for a shared Spotify Duo account for $14.99. College students also pay less, with up to 50% off.

So, how much is Spotify Premium? let’s break it down:

Individual — $10.99 per month. Includes access for one user, ad-free music listening, offline listening, and on-demand playback
Duo — $14.99 per month. Includes access for two users from one household, ad-free music listening, offline listening, and on-demand playback
Family — $16.99 per month. Includes access for up to six users from one household, ad-free music listening, offline listening, on-demand playback, explicit music blocking, and access to Spotify Kids (a separate app just for kids)
Student — $5.99 per month. Includes access for one user, ad-free music listening, offline listening, on-demand playback, and access to Showtime

Does Spotify come with Hulu?

If you’re in the United States, the Student tier of Spotify Premium includes access to ad-supported Hulu free of charge. This represents a savings of $7.99 a month. Learn more about Hulu and its pricing plans at the link below. 

Is Spotify available in my country?

Unlike some of its competitors, Spotify is available in many countries around the globe. If you live in Europe or North America, you are in luck: Spotify is available almost everywhere on these two continents. However, there still are some major gaps in Spotify’s coverage. The service is not currently available in Russia or in South Korea, for example. You can check out the full list of countries where Spotify is available here.

Spotify alternatives

While Spotify is still the leader when it comes to music streaming, it’s far from the only option available. Nowadays there are tons of great options, some of which offer additional features and larger music catalogs.

We’ve outlined a few of the best alternatives to Spotify below, along with a few reasons why they might be a better choice for you. It’s always good to have options!

Apple Music

Apple Music and Spotify are undoubtedly the leaders in music streaming, and both have a lot to offer. Although Apple Music’s free tier is significantly more limited, its premium tier is set up as a prime contender with over 50 million songs and integration with your full catalog via iCloud integration.

Pricing is also similar between the two. Both cost $10.99 a month for an individual plan, though Apple saves you a dollar at $16.99 a month for family plans. However, Apple Music’s inclusion in the Apple One program bundles that subscription with Apple TV Plus, iCloud, Apple Arcade, and more for just $16.95 a month. That’s great savings for those already invested in the Apple ecosystem.

You can also get a stripped-down version of the service called Voice for $4.99 a month. You’ll have access to the full Apple Music library, but without some features like downloads or access across multiple devices.

YouTube Music

Another relatively new alternative is YouTube Music. Since replacing Google Play Music, it’s become Google’s premier music streaming service. Like Spotify, it offers a free, ad-supported tier of service.

What’s great about YouTube Music is that it has a ton of obscure and hard-to-find music. It’s the only place to find many remixes, mixtapes, and alternate versions of both new songs and classics. As expected from Google, the recommendations from its algorithm are also spot on. It’s a great way to find new music that you otherwise might have never heard of.

YouTube Music costs the same as Spotify at $9.99 a month. However, it’s also included in YouTube Premium, which has the added benefit of removing advertisements from YouTube videos. At just $11.99 a month, it’s a great option for YouTube fanatics and music fans alike.

TIDAL

For true audiophiles who value sound quality above all else, TIDAL is a great option. With its “Master Quality Authenticated” level, you can listen to lossless FLAC audio files of some of your favorite music. Note that not all music on the platform is available at this quality, but it’s a major selling point for audiophiles.

However, this feature comes at a price, which is $19.99 a month for the HiFi plan. If you don’t need such high-quality audio, the standard plan costs the same as Spotify at $9.99.

Another thing that might tip the scales in TIDAL’s favor is video content. There are more than 250,000 videos on the platform, including music videos, live performances, and music-related documentaries. Many of these are exclusive to the service. Learn more about the service at the link below.

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