Comparison between Deezer and Spotify on the following criteria: catalog, navigation, design, artist compensation model, interface and price
Music streaming services are beginning to gain traction in the market for illegal music downloads, which was unthinkable a few years ago.
Attractive services and a good music portfolio are the basis of their success.
Although many of the features of these music streaming services can be analyzed, we decided to focus on the following: catalog, navigation, design, artist compensation model, interface and price.
Which of Deezer or Spotify offers the most complete musical catalog?
To start our comparison, we noticed that Deezer offers a wider variety of music, of different types.
Official figures confirm this.
In the case of Spotify, there are 20 million songs and in the case of Deezer, the figure increases to 30 million.
The difference between the figures has a justification: the number of countries where the service is used.
While Spotify is only used in 55 countries, Deezer has 189.
In terms of song availability, both platforms offer good support.
On the point of the library, Deezer therefore appears as the winner.
Deezer and Spotify tied for new music discovery
Users who use these streaming services also want to be able to discover songs they haven't heard yet.
Both services have a function that allows you to suggest artists, songs or even playlists of songs that other users have created, and which best match their musical tastes.
Deezer's is called "Listen to this" and Spotify's is called "Discover".
The functions are identical and the level of content recommendation is satisfactory for both platforms.
On this criterion, we can therefore say that there is equality between Deezer and Spotify.
A similar artist compensation model between Deezer and Spotify
Both platforms have a similar artist compensation model: revenue received from subscriptions is collected in a common pot.
Then, the platforms distribute around 70% of this amount to artists, in proportion to their viewing statistics.
Spotify's interface design is popular with mobile users
The ergonomics of the platform is an essential criterion: it must be easy to navigate the platform, the functionalities must be clear and accessible.
This time around, we're opting for Spotify's interface and design instead.
While it is true that in the PC version the interface can be overloaded, when it comes to mobile application, that of Spotify works better.
In addition, Spotify has better performance, implying for example lower battery consumption.
Regarding Deezer, its interface in PC version is more refined than that of Spotify.
On the other hand, the mobile app presents a more difficult handling.
The free versions of Deezer and Spotify both allow use with ad serving
Since Spotify made it possible to enjoy content on your mobile device or tablet for free, subject to receiving advertisements between content, Deezer has done the same.
The two platforms are therefore neck and neck when it comes to their free version: Deezer Free and Spotify Free.
Subscriptions: Spotify offers more flexibility
As far as the price is concerned, the balance sheet is very balanced.
The premium version of the two services costs 9.9 euros per month in the basic formula and offers the same functionalities.
For this price, Spotify offers its services for 1 user only.
Regarding so-called “family” subscriptions, allowing the use of the account by 6 different people, Spotify is slightly more accessible with a monthly payment of €15.99 compared to €17.99 for Deezer.
Finally, Spotify presents 2 other pricing categories: one for students at €4.99 per month and a “Duo” offer for 2 people at €12.99 per month.
In both cases, you have a trial period of 3 months to test the service.
There is no commitment, i.e. you can decide to cancel your subscription whenever you want!
Conclusion: Deezer or Spotify?
First of all, if you don't plan to listen to music on your smartphone or tablet, the choice is irrelevant, both platforms offer the same quality of service and Deezer could even be recommended for its best catalog.
However, if your intention is to use the service on your smartphone, we definitely recommend Spotify.
Spotify stands out for its interface, excellent features like Discover, videos and exclusive content.
The platform is also at the forefront of innovation in terms of social functions, since a Tastebuds functionality is planned, allowing you to chat with your friends around common musical tastes.
Deezer has a very diverse music catalog compared to Spotify, and you can find many albums that may not be available in your country.
However, the service also has shortcomings in some aspects, for example, the social functions are not as good as those of Spotify.
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music streaming
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