Poll results: These apps are your favorite Spotify alternatives
October 3, 2025
Spotify has long held the crown in the music streaming arena, yet a myriad of factors—from a cluttered app interface to ongoing debates surrounding artist compensation and leadership practices—have led many music enthusiasts to explore alternative platforms. The competition is fierce, with notable contenders such as YouTube Music, Tidal, and Deezer vying for attention.
In a recent survey aimed at discerning user preferences among various music streaming applications, YouTube Music emerged as the clear favorite. When given the choice between Bandcamp, Deezer, SoundCloud, Tidal, and YouTube Music, nearly half of the respondents indicated a preference for Google’s music service. Notably, when excluding the “other” category, YouTube Music garnered more votes than all other options combined.
Which of these Spotify alternatives do you think is best?
Tidal secured a distant second place with approximately 17% of the votes, while Deezer followed closely behind at 11%. Bandcamp and SoundCloud trailed with around 11% and 8%, respectively. Interestingly, the “other” category received nearly 9% of the votes, surpassing both Bandcamp and SoundCloud. Feedback from the poll’s comments highlighted additional popular choices such as Amazon Music and Apple Music, along with smaller players like Pandora and Qobuz. Some users even mentioned lesser-known options like Musicolet, an offline music player, and iBroadcast, which allows users to upload and stream their own audio files reminiscent of Google Play Music’s former capabilities.
The overwhelming support for YouTube Music, while somewhat expected, was surprising in its magnitude, capturing half of all votes. This raises intriguing questions about user preferences and the evolving landscape of music streaming. Are there other applications that you favor that weren’t included in the survey? We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Poll results: These apps are your favorite Spotify alternatives
Spotify has long held the crown in the music streaming arena, yet a myriad of factors—from a cluttered app interface to ongoing debates surrounding artist compensation and leadership practices—have led many music enthusiasts to explore alternative platforms. The competition is fierce, with notable contenders such as YouTube Music, Tidal, and Deezer vying for attention.
In a recent survey aimed at discerning user preferences among various music streaming applications, YouTube Music emerged as the clear favorite. When given the choice between Bandcamp, Deezer, SoundCloud, Tidal, and YouTube Music, nearly half of the respondents indicated a preference for Google’s music service. Notably, when excluding the “other” category, YouTube Music garnered more votes than all other options combined.
Which of these Spotify alternatives do you think is best?
Tidal secured a distant second place with approximately 17% of the votes, while Deezer followed closely behind at 11%. Bandcamp and SoundCloud trailed with around 11% and 8%, respectively. Interestingly, the “other” category received nearly 9% of the votes, surpassing both Bandcamp and SoundCloud. Feedback from the poll’s comments highlighted additional popular choices such as Amazon Music and Apple Music, along with smaller players like Pandora and Qobuz. Some users even mentioned lesser-known options like Musicolet, an offline music player, and iBroadcast, which allows users to upload and stream their own audio files reminiscent of Google Play Music’s former capabilities.
The overwhelming support for YouTube Music, while somewhat expected, was surprising in its magnitude, capturing half of all votes. This raises intriguing questions about user preferences and the evolving landscape of music streaming. Are there other applications that you favor that weren’t included in the survey? We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section.