Every major music streaming service now offers more than 100 million songs and usually costs between €10 and €13. What really sets them apart: sound quality, music discovery, device ecosystem – and how much of your money actually reaches the artists.
gap between the lowest and highest per-stream payout
14×
01
Which service suits you?
Six quick questions about devices, sound and listening habits – then you’ll know which of the eight services fits you best. Takes less than a minute.
02
The market at a glance
Eight providers, eight philosophies. Tile weight reflects relevance in the market – not the alphabet.
The All-Rounder
Spotify
€12.99/ month
Lossless
Discover Weekly, Release Radar and Jam still set the benchmark for personalised discovery. Spotify Connect drives almost every speaker, car and console. Since the lossless update, Premium streams at up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz – true studio hi-res and Dolby Atmos are still missing.
Audio
Lossless up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz
Per stream
$0.003–0.005
Payout model
Pro-rata with 1,000-stream threshold
Strength
Best-in-class recommendation engine
Catalogue
100M+ tracks
Strengths
Unmatched music discovery
Spotify Connect on almost every device
Podcasts & audiobooks in one app
Weaknesses
One of the priciest individual plans
Tracks under 1,000 streams/year earn nothing
Other plans:
Duo €17.99 · Family €21.99 · Students €6.99
The Ecosystem
Apple Music
€11.99/ month
Lossless
Hi-Res
Atmos
Hi-Res Lossless and Dolby Atmos at no extra cost, plus human editors and Apple Music 1. On iPhone, AirPods, HomePod and Apple Watch the service melts into the hardware – on Android and Windows it feels noticeably less polished.
Audio
Hi-Res Lossless up to 24-bit/192 kHz + Dolby Atmos
Per stream
$0.007–0.01
Payout model
Pro-rata without minimum threshold
Strength
Spatial Audio & Apple Music Classical included
The Audiophile
TIDAL
€12.99/ month
Lossless
Hi-Res
Atmos
MQA and Sony 360 Reality Audio are gone – TIDAL now runs entirely on open FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz. Tidal Connect lets your network streamer pull straight from the cloud while your phone becomes the remote.
Audio
Hi-Res FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz + Dolby Atmos
Per stream
$0.0128–0.0135
Payout model
Pro-rata, above-average payout
Strength
Open FLAC, Tidal Connect & Roon Ready
A
The Price Breaker
Amazon Music Unlimited
€10.99/ month
Lossless
Hi-Res
Atmos
For Prime members, the cheapest route to hi-res and Dolby Atmos. With Echo speakers, music becomes a matter of voice. The app feels cluttered though, and recommendations trail Spotify.
Audio
Ultra HD up to 24-bit/192 kHz + Dolby Atmos
Per stream
$0.004–0.005
Payout model
Pro-rata
The Archive
YouTube Music
€11.99/ month
No other service reliably finds that 2009 live version, the living-room cover or the remix that exists nowhere else. Sonically last in class – but as part of YouTube Premium almost a no-brainer.
Audio
256 kbps AAC (no lossless)
Per stream
$0.0007–0.002
Payout model
Pro-rata, heavily ad-funded
The Fair One
Deezer
€11.99/ month
Lossless
Flow blends favourites and discoveries into an endless stream, SongCatcher identifies music around you. The Artist-Centric Payment System rewards real fan engagement and penalises bot streams and noise.
Audio
HiFi FLAC 16-bit/44.1 kHz (CD quality)
Per stream
$0.0056–0.0064
Payout model
Artist-Centric Payment System (ACPS)
Q
The Delicatessen
Qobuz
€15.99/ month
€13.99 a month when billed annually
Lossless
Hi-Res
Qobuz deliberately skips the mainstream and delivers the purest audio on the market instead. Albums can be streamed – or bought as DRM-free hi-res files, complete with digital booklets and editorial context.
Audio
Hi-Res FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz
Per stream
$0.018–0.019
Payout model
Pro-rata, top-tier payout
Strength
Download store for DRM-free hi-res albums
Catalogue
100M+ tracks
Strengths
Own albums as files, forever
Weaknesses
Weak algorithmic recommendations
Priciest individual plan in this comparison
Other plans:
Annual (per month) €13.99 · Duo €19.99 · Family €24.99 · Students €5.99
The Underground
SoundCloud Go+
€9.99/ month
Home of hour-long DJ sets and unofficial remixes. Your subscription goes only to the artists you actually play.
Audio
256 kbps AAC
Per stream
$0.0025–0.004
Payout model
Fan-Powered Royalties (user-centric)
Strength
DJ sets, indie & remixes
Catalogue
Hundreds of millions of uploads, patchy mainstream
Strengths
User-centric: your money, your artists
Weaknesses
No lossless
Other plans:
SoundCloud Go €5.99
03
The ultimate showdown
In 2026, Spotify, Apple Music and TIDAL embody the market’s three archetypes: the tech all-rounder, the ecosystem giant and the purist audiophile favourite.
Spotify, Apple Music and TIDAL compared head to head
Criterion
The All-RounderSpotify
The EcosystemApple Music
The AudiophileTIDAL
Monthly base price
€12.99
€11.99Best value
€12.99
Maximum audio quality
Lossless up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz
Hi-Res Lossless up to 24-bit/192 kHz + Dolby Atmos Best value
Hi-Res FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz + Dolby Atmos Best value
Curation & discovery
AI algorithm – industry-leading
Human editors & radio (Apple Music 1)
Mix of algorithm and editors, strong album focus
Artist payout
Low (~$0.003–0.005). Threshold: min. 1,000 streams per track per year
Solid (~$0.008), no hard threshold
High (~$0.013), fair approach Best value
Hardware & connectivity
Spotify Connect – maximum flexibility on almost any device
Seamless with iPhone, AirPods, HomePod, Apple Watch
Tidal Connect, Roon Ready – built for hi-fi systems
Special features
Audiobooks, podcasts, Jam sessions
Apple Music Classical included
Offline downloads in pure lossless/hi-res
Target audience
Everyday listeners who want new music without effort
Apple users who value sound and albums
Audiophiles with a dedicated hi-fi system
Our verdict
Choose Spotify if …
music soundtracks your day through Bluetooth headphones and smart speakers, you want podcasts in the same app and a constant flow of new tracks without searching. The algorithm remains unmatched, even at €12.99.
you live deep inside Apple’s world with iPhone, Mac and AirPods. For a euro less than Spotify you get audibly better quality including Dolby Atmos and an app that respects albums and classical music.
you own a serious hi-fi system, reject proprietary formats and want an above-average share of your subscription to reach artists. Technically the most mature product.
As of 19 September 2026. All details refer to the individual plan in Germany.
06
Where does your money go?
Out of a ten-euro subscription, very different amounts reach the people who make the music. Three models decide.
1
Pro-rata
Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, TIDAL, Qobuz
All revenue goes into one global pot and is split by total streams. Even if you only listen to jazz, you help fund the charts. Spotify also pays only for tracks above 1,000 streams per year; noise tracks are devalued.
2
Artist-centric
Deezer (ACPS)
A weighted pro-rata pot: artists who are actively searched for and played by real fans earn more. Bot streams and background noise are heavily devalued.
3
User-centric
SoundCloud (Fan-Powered Royalties)
Your subscription is split only among the artists you actually played that month. The most direct link between fan and musician.
Estimates: payout per stream in USD
Midpoint of the range. Industry estimates – actual values vary by country, plan type and label contract.
Qobuz$0.018–0.019≈ 54,000 streams for $1,000
TIDAL$0.0128–0.0135≈ 76,000 streams for $1,000
Apple Music$0.007–0.01≈ 118,000 streams for $1,000
Deezer$0.0056–0.0064≈ 167,000 streams for $1,000
Amazon Music Unlimited$0.004–0.005≈ 222,000 streams for $1,000
Spotify$0.003–0.005≈ 250,000 streams for $1,000
SoundCloud Go+$0.0025–0.004≈ 308,000 streams for $1,000
YouTube Music$0.0007–0.002≈ 741,000 streams for $1,000
07
Frequently asked questions
Which music streaming service is best in 2026?
It depends on your hardware and listening habits. Spotify is the best all-rounder for discovery, Apple Music the best choice inside the Apple ecosystem, TIDAL the most mature service for hi-fi systems.
Which streaming service offers lossless audio for under €12?
Amazon Music Unlimited (€10.99, €9.99 for Prime members) and Apple Music (€11.99) even deliver hi-res up to 24-bit/192 kHz including Dolby Atmos. Deezer offers CD quality for €11.99. TIDAL has cost €12.99 since August 2026.
Does Spotify have lossless now?
Yes. Spotify Premium streams lossless at up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz at no extra cost. True hi-res up to 192 kHz and Dolby Atmos are still not available.
Does TIDAL still support MQA?
No. TIDAL has fully removed MQA and Sony 360 Reality Audio and now relies solely on the open FLAC standard up to 24-bit/192 kHz, complemented by Dolby Atmos.
Which service pays artists the most?
Per stream, Qobuz (approx. $0.019) pays the most, followed by TIDAL (approx. $0.013) and Apple Music (approx. $0.007–0.01). SoundCloud routes your subscription user-centrically to the artists you actually play.
What is Spotify’s 1,000-stream threshold?
A track must reach at least 1,000 streams and a minimum number of unique listeners in the previous twelve months to earn any royalties. Noise tracks must be at least two minutes long and are paid at a lower rate.