Spotify vs Deezer - Can David take on Goliath - Android

Spotify is the biggest premium music streaming service in the world with over 130 million paid users. Deezer is quite a bit smaller with its subscriber base of less than 10 million. But is Spotify really that much better than its rival or is this a story similar to that of David and Goliath, in which the underdog wins the fight in the end?

That’s what we’re about to find out. We’ll take a look at all the differences between the two streaming services to figure out which one comes out on top in the Spotify vs Deezer battle. Let’s dive in.

Spotify vs Deezer: Content

Both Deezer and Spotify have a library of over 50 million songs. I didn’t notice a big difference between the two since all of my favorite artists and songs are available on both platforms. These include world-famous musicians as well as smaller bands and DJs.

But music isn’t the only content the two services have on offer. Both also feature podcasts, which is where I saw a difference between the services. Deezer has a decent selection of podcasts, but Spotify is a step ahead of its rival. A lot of the podcasts I listen to are available on Spotify but not on Deezer.

The Joe Rogan Experience podcast will soon be exclusively available on Spotify.

Spotify is investing more money in the sector. It recently struck a deal with Joe Rogan that will bring his popular podcast called The Joe Rogan Experience exclusively to Spotify. It’s a brilliant move by the Swedish streaming giant considering the popularity of Rogan’s podcast. His audience will have no choice but to follow him to Spotify if they want to continue to listen to him.

Both services also have several videos on their platforms, although they aren’t front and center like with YouTube Music or Tidal. There are no dedicated video sections available, but you do come across video content when searching for artists and songs.

If all you care about is music, you’ll be happy with either of the two services. Both have a big selection of songs and artists available. But if you enjoy listening to podcasts and don’t want a separate app for it, Spotify has the advantage here. Deezer is also investing heavily in trying to bring as many podcasts to its platform as possible, but it’s just a little behind Spotify at the moment.

Spotify vs Deezer: Music discovery

Both streaming services are great for music discovery. Spotify has the popular Discover Weekly playlist containing songs from artists and genres you usually listen to. You get a new one every Monday with 30 tracks. The service also creates up to six daily mixes for you based on your listening habits. Additionally, there’s also a Release Radar playlist with songs from new releases the service thinks you’ll like.

Deezer’s offering is even better in my opinion. The service has what it calls Flow, which is an infinite mix of new and your favorite tracks. There’s also a Discovery playlist that’s updated every Monday and is full of songs you haven’t listened to yet on Deezer. Then there’s the New Releases playlist that contain new tracks from the artists you love, and the Chill playlist with songs to listen to while chilling over weekends. What’s more, Deezer also creates a few mixes for you based on your listening habits with both new and known songs.

Read next: Why I’m an avid Spotify user despite dubious audio quality

Both services also allow you to browse music by genres and moods. There are a lot of playlists available, and although it’s hard to figure out which one has more of them, I’d say that Spotify has a slight advantage here. However, quantity isn’t everything. When you tap on a genre on Spotify (example: pop), all you see is a list of playlists. When you do the same on Deezer, the app also shows you the latest albums released, the most popular pop artists, and even the most popular songs by well-known artists from the genre.

Overall, I prefer Deezer’s music discovery features to those of Spotify. But in all honesty, the difference isn’t massive. Spotify still gets the job done brilliantly, so I think you’ll be happy with either one.

Spotify vs Deezer: Audio quality

This is where Deezer has Spotify beat, but only if you’re prepared to pay a premium. On the regular plan offered by both companies, streaming tops out at 320kbps. Both also have the option of decreasing the quality to save data.

But unlike Spotify, Deezer also offers a HiFi plan that gives you access to high-quality FLAC audio files with a bitrate of 1,411kbps. But you’ll need a decent pair of headphones to take advantage of the higher audio quality.

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Additionally, Deezer’s HiFi plan gives you access to 360 Reality Audio tracks by downloading a separate app called 360 by Deezer. 360 Reality Audio is the newest push by Sony to bring a new format for audio streaming. It’s a new way of mixing audio that allows the engineers to make the instruments sound like they’re placed in space around you.

If you’re an audiophile, Deezer is definitely the better option for you. But keep in mind that you’ll have to pay $5 extra per month to get access to the company’s HiFi plan. In case you want to opt for a standard plan to save money, then there are no differences between the quality you get with Spotify and Deezer. For most people, the standard audio quality is more than good enough on both services.

Spotify vs Deezer: Pricing and plans