Music streaming platforms are the second great revolution in the music industry. The first was digital music (MP3s) which changed music stores and music formats forever. The second one is the success of an artist or their album is no more calculated through CD sales, but streams.
For music listeners like us, music streaming platforms are just heaven. It is one app on our smartphones and we can listen to any song we can think of. There are a lot of different platforms available. In this article, we'll focus on SiriusXM vs Spotify and offer you a full comparison between them. Let's find out.
Part 1. Spotify vs SiriusXM: Overview
What Is Spotify
Spotify is a digital music, podcast and video service that gives you access to millions of songs, millions of podcast titles and 350,000 audiobooks from creators around the world. It was created in 2006 and has become the largest music streaming service in the world. Now, Spotify has more than 615 million listeners in over 180 markets, of which 239 million are premium subscribers.
Spotify is available on a range of devices, including computers, phones, tablets, speakers, TVs and cars. On the one hand, Spotify has a free, ad-supported version that anyone can use. It also has a premium service that offers additional benefits such as ad-free listening, offline downloads, unlimited skips and more to users.
What Is SiriusXM
SiriusXM is less like a music streaming platform and more like good old-fashioned radio. In fact, it is a satellite radio service covering the United States and Canada, founded in 2008 after the merger of Sirius and XM. However, it offers a much richer service than classic radio, including hundreds of channels, like music, comedy, sports, talk shows, on-demand programming and more.
Now that we know what they are, let's move on to discuss the differences between Spotify and SiriusXM from the following aspects.
Part 2. SiriusXM vs Spotify: Music Library
Spotify offers a huge library of online music and podcasts, including over 100 million songs and 6 million podcasts. There are millions of songs from all genres and artists: obscure indie rock, pop, film soundtracks and classical music, to name but a few. Over the years, Spotify has been diversifying its content library to become the ultimate audio streaming app. Now, you can also access audiobooks on Spotify in selected countries and regions.
SiriusXM has a wide variety of programming with over 350 channels including comedy, music and even sports. These music channels are categorized by genre, era, hits and new releases so you can find specific types of music and artists. You can listen to exclusive SiriusXM content on your car's satellite radio as well as on the SXM app.
Part 3. Sirius XM vs Spotify: Plans & Prices
Spotify has only two plans: the free and the premium one. Free Spotify users need to listen to music with ads and have more limitations. With a Premium plan, you can enjoy ads free music on Spotify, unlimited skips, offline listening and so on. However, there are some differences when it comes to the Spotify Premium subscription. You can check the table below to learn more.
| Price | Features | |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Individual | $10.99/month | 1 Premium account; 15 hours per month of listening time from Spotify audiobooks subscribers catalog |
| Premium Student | $5.99/month | Access to Hulu (with ads) |
| Premium Duo | $14.99/month | Two people can use Spotify Premium separately; Plan managers can get 15 hours per month of listening time from Spotify audiobooks subscribers catalog. |
| Premium Family | $16.99/month | Up to 6 Premium or Kids accounts; Disable Spotify explicit content; Access to Spotify Kids; Plan managers can get 15 hours per month of listening time from Spotify audiobooks subscribers catalog. |
Note:
1. Now, Spotify offers a 3-month free trial of its Premium Individual plan for new users. This promotion will end on May 14, 2024.
2. For students, you can get a 1-month free trial offer from Spotify to access its Premium features.
See also:
How to Get Spotify Premium 3-Month Free Trial
How to Get Spotify Premium Student
SiriusXM has more complex plans because it can be installed in your car to listen to their content while you're driving. Here we will focus on its streaming plans. Please check them in the chart below.
Note: Now, you can get all these streaming plans at $1 for 3 months. After that, you need to pay a monthly fee to continue using it.
| Price | Features | |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum (Car + App) |
$23.99/month | Access 425+ channels, including 165+ in car; Access all types of audio content; Live NFL, MLB®, NBA, NHL®, NCAA games; Howard Stern Channels & Video; Artist Stations. |
| Music & Entertaniment (Car + App) |
$18.99/month | Access 400+ channels, including 155+ in car; Access all types of audio content. |
| Music Showcase (Car + App) |
$13.99/month | Access 100+ channels, including 80+ in car; Access some types of audio content with ads. |
| All Access (App Only) |
$9.99/month | Access 425+ channels |
Part 4. SiriusXM vs Spotify Sound Quality
Spotify's free tier caps sound quality at 128kbps on the web player and around 160kbps on desktop and mobile. Spotify Premium supports the compressed, lossy OGG Vorbis audio format and streams at 320kbps on very high settings.
The sound quality of SiriusXM is average, mainly due to the heavily compressed satellite transmission format. The satellite has to use low bit rates and high compression rates to save bandwidth, thus limiting the sound quality to 48/64Kbps.
Part 5. SiriusXM vs Spotify: Availability & Devices Limitations
You can use both platforms on smartphones, tablets and computers. SiriusXM has a version for cars (which you need to pay for), while Spotify does not have this version. What about other devices? Or what if you don't want to pay for the car version of SiriusXM, or want to listen to Spotify in your car?
In this case, both platforms have limitations. Here we will provide a simpler solution for Spotify users. You can use a third-party tool to enjoy Spotify music anywhere offline. It is called AudFree Spotify Music Converter. It allows you to download Spotify music to various common formats such as FLAC, MP3, WAV, etc. The downloaded Spotify music files can be compatible with any device and platform for offline playback at any time without a Spotify Premium plan.
AudFree Spotify Music Converter
- Download songs/playlists/albums from Spotify locally
- Convert Spotify songs to MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC, etc.
- Play Spotify music on any device offline
- Retain metadata information and ID3 tags for Spotify music
How to Play Spotify Music on Any Device Offline
Step 1. Install and start AudFree Spotify Music Converter from your computer. Select the song you like on the Spotify app, then drag and drop it into the conversion window of AudFree SpoDable directly.
Step 2. Click on the Menu icon in the top-right corner. Then select the Preferences and Convert section to set the output parameters for Spotify music, such as format, channel, sample rate, bit rate, etc.
Step 3. Click on the Convert button to download Spotify songs without Premium on your computer. After that, you will get plain Spotify music files on your desktop. Then you can transfer Spotify music to any device and player for offline enjoyment.
Part 6. Pros and Cons of SiriusXM Streaming vs Spotify
Pros & Cons of Spotify
Pros:
- Huge library of popular songs, podcasts, audiobooks and so on
- High compatibility with computers, mobile devices, smart TVs, PlayStation, etc.
- A free tier is also available to listen to music
- Available in many countries worldwide
Cons:
- It doesn't offer live programs
- Free-tier users can't download music for offline listening
Pros & Cons of SiriusXM
Pros:
- A wide variety of programs on over 350 channels
- Live sports broadcasts of matches and events
- Available almost everywhere
- Offer some exclusive content
Cons:
- Available in the USA only
- No free tier service
- Not offer song lyrics
- No Family plan
See also: How to Get Spotify Lyrics
Part 7. Spotify vs SiriusXM: Comparison Table
Is Spotify better than Sirius XM? Now, please refer to the comparison table below for a systematic look at SiriusXM and Spotify. After that, you will be able to make the right choice, Spotify or Sirius XM.
| Spotify | SiriusXM | |
|---|---|---|
| Music Library | Millions of songs, podcasts, audiobooks, videos and more | Over 350 channels, including comedy, music, sports and more |
| Availability | Available worldwide | Available in the US |
| Price | Premium Individual: $10.99/month; Premium Duo: $14.99/month; Premium Family: $16.99/month; Premium Student: $5.99/month |
Platinum: $23.99/month; Music & Entertainment: $18.99/month; Music Showcase: $13.99/month; All Access: $9.99/month |
| Sound Quality | Up to 320kbps | 48/64kbps |
| Client base | People who like to listen to music on a variety of devices | People who like terrestrial radio stations |
| Available Countries | Over 178 countries and regions | Only in the United Stats |
Part 8. In Conclusion
Here is a detailed comparison between Spotify and SiriusXM, including prices & plans, content, sound quality, availability & devices limitations, pros and cons and so on. It's believed that you will find the answer to the question of which is better, Sirius XM vs Spotify. And you can choose the right streaming music service to explore your streaming music world now.
By the way, if you choose Spotify, then you can consider using it along with AudFree Spotify Music Converter. With this tool, you can convert your favorite Spotify songs to plain audio files on your computer. Then you can listen to Spotify music on multiple devices offline without any limits and without using a Spotify Premium account.
Charles Davis
Chief Editor
