Do you want to sign up for Amazon Music but don’t know which subscription plan to choose? You’ve come to the right place! In this comparison article, we will analyze the main differences between Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited.
Amazon Music Prime is a free Amazon Music subscription plan for Amazon Prime users. In contrast, Amazon Unlimited is a more complete alternative costing either $9.99 (if you already have Amazon Prime) or $10.99 (if you don’t have Amazon Prime).
Amazon Prime members can use Amazon’s streaming platform for free, but they cannot access some of its functions. As the name implies, the Amazon Unlimited subscription plans aren’t as limited—but they come at a price…
So, should you settle for Amazon Prime Music, or should you invest in an Unlimited subscription? Below, we will be looking at the differences between these two solutions to help you make a more informed decision.
- Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: Quick Summary
- What is Amazon Music?
- Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: The Main Differences
- Amazon Prime Music or Amazon Unlimited Have Ads?
- Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: What About Audio Quality?
- Supported Devices
- Amazon Music Unlimited: Individual vs Single-Device vs Family Plans
- Can I Get Amazon Music for Free Without Prime?
- Is Amazon Music Free With Prime?
- Why Am I Being Charged for Amazon Music?
- How to Cancel Amazon Prime Music?
- Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: The Bottom Line
- Transferring Music to Amazon Music
Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: Quick Summary
No time to lose? No worries! We’ve summarized the essential differences between the Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited plans. Please keep in mind that, inside Amazon Unlimited, there are three different available sub-plans: Individual, Family, and Single-Device.
| Amazon Prime Music | Amazon Music Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|
| Requires Amazon Prime? | [yes] | [no] |
| Music catalog | ~100 million titles | ~100 million titles |
| Pricing | Free (for Prime users) | Individual: $10.99 ($9.99 for Prime customers) Family: $16.99 Single-Device: $4.99 |
| Audio quality (HD, Ultra HD & Spatial Audio support) | [no] | [yes] |
| Ads | [no] | [no] |
| Supported devices | All devices | Individual: All devices Family: All devices Single-Device: Echo & Fire TV devices |
| Streaming limits | 1 device | Individual: 1 device Family: 6 devices Single-Device: 1 device |
| Offline playback | [yes] | Individual: [yes] Family: [yes] Single-Device: [no] |
If you want to give it a try, get 3-months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free.
What Is Amazon Music?
Amazon Music is a music streaming platform run by Amazon. With more than 80 million subscribers, Amazon Music is available in about 50 countries. It is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and other popular platforms
Upon release, Amazon’s streaming platform featured a music catalog of just about 2 million songs, which has since been extended to more than 100 million titles (including everything from full-length albums and top Billboard artists to podcast series).
Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: The Main Differences
These are the main differences between Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited:
- Price: Prime Music is free for Amazon Prime users, while Music Unlimited costs $9.99 per month;
- Audio Quality: Prime Music has standard audio quality, while Music Unlimited boasts HD, Ultra HD, and Spatial Audio streaming;
- Skip Limits: Prime Music’s playlists have skip limits, Music Unlimited’s playlists don’t;
- Number of Plans: Prime Music is a single-plan solution, while Music Unlimited includes three sub-plans;
- Number of Devices: Prime Music’s streaming is limited to one device, while Music Unlimited streaming is available in up to six simultaneous devices in the Family sub-plan.
Now that you know the key differences between Amazon Music Prime vs Amazon Music Unlimited, let’s take a closer look at what sets both plans apart.
Music Catalog
This was one of the most drastic differences between the Amazon Prime and Amazon Unlimited plans. Before, Amazon Prime users had access to a mere 2 million songs out of Amazon’s Music 100-million-songs catalog.
However, things have changed now, as “Amazon Music provides Prime members with access to 100 million songs ad-free” — just like Amazon Unlimited.
Still, there’s one crucial difference between the two plans. Amazon Prime Music has skip limits to playlists, while Amazon Unlimited allows you to skip as many songs as you like. This is only possible with Amazon Music Prime if you’re listening to a playlist exclusively of purchased songs.
With Amazon Music Prime, skip limits are also exceptionally deactivated for the All-Access Playlists featured on Amazon Music’s homepage. This means you can skip as many songs as you want when listening to Amazon Music Prime.
Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: Pricing
Pricing is another crucial difference between the Amazon Music Prime and Amazon Unlimited plans. If you’re already an Amazon Prime member, Amazon Prime Music will not cost you anything, as it’s included in the $14.99/month price of the Amazon Prime membership.
In addition to access to deals and discounts in services such as Amazon Music, Prime Video, and Prime Gaming, an Amazon Prime subscription includes benefits such as free same-day Amazon deliveries, a discount Whole Foods credit card, and a free one-year Grubhub+ subscription.
Without Prime, a standard Individual Amazon Unlimited subscription costs $10.99 per month. Prime clients, however, can get it for as little as $9.99. In sum:
- • Amazon Prime Music: Free with an Amazon Prime subscription (which costs $14.99 per month);
- • Amazon Unlimited with Amazon Prime: $9.99 per month (Plus the $14.99 for the Prime subscription);
- • Amazon Unlimited without Amazon Prime: $10.99 per month.
There are also differences in pricing for the three available Amazon Unlimited sub-plans (Individual, Family, and Single-Device), which we will explore in more detail below.
How much is Amazon Prime Music?
Amazon Prime Music is free for all Amazon Prime members, which costs $14.99 per month.
How much is Amazon Music Unlimited?
Amazon Music Unlimited costs $9.99 per month if you’re already an Amazon Prime member and $10.99 per month if you don’t have an Amazon Prime subscription.
Does Amazon Prime Music or Amazon Unlimited Have Ads?
Fortunately, both Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Unlimited are ad-free.
Unless you’re using a free Amazon Music account without an Amazon Prime membership, you will never encounter annoying ads while listening to your favorite artists and podcasts on Amazon Music.
Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: What About Audio Quality?
There are massive differences in audio quality between Amazon Music Prime and Amazon Music Unlimited. Unlimited Individual and Family users have access to HD, Ultra HD, and Spatial Audio streaming, while Amazon Music Prime users have to settle for standard-quality streaming services.
But what is HD, Ultra HD, and Spatial Audio? And does it make any noticeable difference?
According to Amazon, HD has “more than double” the quality of standard streaming services, while Ultra HD is “up to 10 times” better.
Spatial Audio, on the other hand, is a multidimensional audio format powered by Dolby Atmos. Unlike HD and Ultra HD, Spatial Audio for Amazon Music isn’t available for Mac and desktop computers.
However, Amazon clients can enjoy Spatial Audio on Fire tablets, iOS, and Amazon Music’s app (via headphones) and Fire TV devices, Google Chromecast, and Echo Studio.
Amazon Music Prime streams offer standard definition at a maximum bitrate of 320 kbps, whereas Amazon Music Unlimited streams at either 850 kbps (HD) or 3730 kbps (Ultra HD). The bitrate is “the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time,” but does it matter?
The differences in audio quality between Amazon Music Prime and Unlimited aren’t that relevant if you’re streaming music using regular speakers and headphones, but they’re noticeable in hi-fi equipment. If you listen to music on laptop speakers or low-quality headphones, 320 kbps is more than enough!
But if you’re an audiophile who regularly streams music on high-quality speakers and headphones, the lossy compression of 320 kbps files can be audible.
Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: Supported Devices
The list of supported devices is the same for Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Unlimited.
The only exception is the Unlimited Single-Device sub-plan, which is only compatible with Echo and Fire TV devices (that’s why you need to buy one of these two products to get access to an Amazon Music Unlimited Single-Device subscription).
This is a list of the main devices supported by Amazon Music:
- – Mac and desktop computers;
- – Android;
- – iPhone;
- – iPad;
- – Amazon Echo;
- – Amazon Fire TV;
- – Amazon Fire tablets;
- – Google Chrome and other web browsers.
Amazon Music is also compatible with lesser-known appliances such as Apple’s CarPlay (for streaming while driving) and smart speakers/home sound systems such as Sonos, Polk Omni, and Roku.
Amazon Music Unlimited Plan Comparison: Individual vs Single-Device vs Family
Choosing between Amazon Prime and Amazon Unlimited isn’t the only tough choice potential Amazon Music subscribers have to make. If you opt for an Unlimited subscription, you must select one of the following plans: Individual, Family, and Single-Device.
The Individual plan is the most popular option; it grants access to all supported devices, but streaming is limited to one device at a time. The Family plan, on the other hand, offers full device compatibility and up to six simultaneous streams on different accounts. The Single-Device plan is more limited, as it’s only compatible with Echo and Fire TV devices and doesn’t have offline playback.
When it comes to pricing, the Single-Device plan is the most affordable ($4.99 per month), but there’s a catch: you need to buy an Echo or Fire TV device first!
The Individual plan costs $10.99 per month or $9.99 for Amazon Prime members. Finally, the Family plan is $16.99 per month.
In sum, here’s how the three Amazon Music Unlimited plans compare to one another:
| Subscription plan | Supported devices | Streaming limit | Offline playback | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | All devices | One device | [yes] | $10.99 |
| Family | All devices | Six devices | [yes] | $16.99 |
| Single-Device | Echo & Fire TV | One device | [no] | $4.99 |
Can I Get Amazon Music for Free Without Prime?
Yes, you can use Amazon Music for free without an Amazon Prime account, but there are some serious limitations. In addition to annoying ads, the play button is automatically set to shuffle (so if you start playing an album, the Amazon Music player will simply play the songs in random order).
Free Amazon Music users can comfortably listen to tons of All-Access Playlists, online radio stations, and podcast episodes.
However, streaming is restricted to one device at a time, the overall number of plays is limited, and there’s no offline playback feature.
The offline playback feature allows users to download content from Amazon Music that can be listened to without access to the Internet, but this is not possible with a free Amazon Music account.
Luckily, Amazon Music features two more complete paid plans: Amazon Music Prime and Amazon Music Unlimited. But what makes them different? What are their main pros and cons? And, ultimately, which one’s best for you?
Is Amazon Music Free with Prime?
Yes, Amazon Music is free with Prime. You can use many of the features in Amazon’s music streaming platform without paying extra if you already have an Amazon Prime subscription.
You can get an Amazon Prime subscription at Amazon.com for $14.99 per month (plus tax) and try it for free for up to 30 days.
Why Am I Being Charged for Amazon Music When I Have Prime?
Amazon Music is free for all Amazon Prime members, so you’re not expected to pay for it if you’re already a Prime customer. So, why are you being charged for Amazon Music when you have Prime?
In case Amazon is charging you in this scenario, one of two things is happening:
- 1. You are mistaking the payment for your Amazon Prime subscription with the payment for Amazon Music;
- 2. You have signed up for Amazon Music Unlimited (perhaps via their free trial), but you haven’t canceled the subscription in time.
How to Cancel Amazon Prime Music?
Learning how to cancel Amazon Music couldn’t be easier! All you have to do is log in to music.amazon.com, click the cogwheel symbol on the top-ride side, and select “Your Amazon Music Settings”.
You will be immediately redirected to Amazon’s website, where you will find Amazon Music Unlimited’s section. In this section, select and confirm “Cancel” (underneath “Subscription Renewal”) to cancel your Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.
Just like when leaving Apple Music, you can cancel your Amazon Music subscription and keep all of your playlists and music with Tune My Music.
Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: The Bottom Line
Choosing between Amazon Music Prime and Unlimited depends exclusively on your needs and preferences.
Even with its skip limitations and subpar audio quality, Amazon Prime Music provides a solid music experience; however, it really doesn’t pay off to get an Amazon Music Prime subscription if you’re not an Amazon Prime member.
Following our thorough comparison of Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Unlimited, here’s what we recommend:
- • If you’re an Amazon Prime member, save money by making the most of your free Amazon Music Prime subscription;
- • If you’re not an Amazon Prime member, opt for the complete solutions of Amazon Unlimited;
- • If you’re not an Amazon Prime member and you want a subscription just for yourself, choose the Individual Unlimited plan;
- • If you’re not an Amazon Prime member and you want a subscription for you and at least one other person, the Family Unlimited plan offers the best quality-price ratio;
- • If you already have an Echo or Fire TV device and you don’t find offline playback to be an essential feature, you should consider settling for an Amazon Music Unlimited Single-Device subscription.
Get 3 months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free.
Transferring Music From Other Streaming Platforms Into Amazon Music? Here’s How:
In the era of audio streaming, choosing between Amazon Prime and Amazon Unlimited isn’t the only tough choice music listeners have to make. Many people decide not to change from one streaming platform to the other because they’re afraid of losing their playlists. But with Tune My Music, that’s no longer an issue!
If you’re considering changing from Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, or any other streaming platform to Amazon Music but you’re afraid of losing your playlists, algorithm recommendations, and favorite artists, Tune My Music is for you. With our tool, you can change streaming platforms with ease and without losing any of your tunes.
To know which streaming platform suits your needs the best, please don’t forget to check the comparison articles in our blog.