Of all the streaming services out there, Amazon Music has the most complicated pricing plans. Should you go with Amazon Music Unlimited? Or is the Amazon Prime Music a better option? And what do you get if you’re already a Prime user?
Now, Amazon Music Prime is a free Amazon Music subscription plan for Amazon Prime users. And Amazon Unlimited, that’s the full package with spatial audio and Ultra HD sound quality.
For Amazon Prime users, Amazon Music Unlimited is discounted to $10.99 per month from $11.99 monthly.
Again, Amazon Prime members can use Amazon Music for free via Amazon Prime Music but they cannot access all functions.
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: TL; DR
- Quick Summary in Table
- What Is Amazon Music?
- Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: The Main Differences
- Amazon Music Unlimited Plan Comparison
- Can I Get Amazon Music for Free Without Prime?
- Is Amazon Music Free with Prime?
- Why Am I Being Charged for Amazon Music When I Have Prime?
- How to Cancel Amazon Prime Music?
- Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: The Bottom Line
- Transferring Music From Other Streaming Platforms to Amazon Music
Looking to join Amazon Music now? Don’t forget to take your playlists from other streaming platforms! Do it in less than 5 clicks with Tune My Music.
Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: TL; DR
In short, Amazon Music Prime is a free version of Amazon Music available to Amazon Prime users only. It comes with limitations – no HD, Ultra HD, or Spatial Audio. There are skip limits, and you can use Prime Music on one device only. Still, it includes offline playback, no ads, all the 100+ million tracks in the catalog, and works on all devices.
Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: Quick Summary in Table
No time to lose? No worries! We’ve summarized the key differences between the Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited plans in the table below.
Please keep in mind that Amazon Music Unlimited has three different sub-plans: Individual, Family, and Single-Device. We’ll cover them in more depth soon.
| Amazon Prime Music | Amazon Music Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|
| Requires Amazon Prime? | Yes | No |
| Music catalog | 100+ million tracks | 100+ million tracks |
| Pricing | Free (for Prime users) | Individual: $11.99 ($10.99 for Prime users) Family: $19.99 Single-Device: $5.99 |
| 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, all new users get 3-months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free.
What Is Amazon Music?
Amazon Music is a music streaming platform run by Amazon, launched in beta stage in late 2007 and then in complete version in early 2008.
The platform is available in about 50 countries and now counts 80+ million subscribers. 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
There are five main differences between Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. Apart from the pricing, audio quality and skip limits are the big ones in our opinion.
- 1. Price: Prime Music is free for Amazon Prime users, while Music Unlimited costs $10.99 per month for Prime users and $11.99 for everyone else.
- 2. Audio Quality: Prime Music has standard audio quality, while Music Unlimited offers HD, Ultra HD, and Spatial Audio streaming.
- 3. Skip Limits: Prime Music’s playlists have skip limits except on All-Access Playlists, Amazon Music Unlimited’s playlists have no limits.
- 4. Number of Plans: Prime Music is a single-plan solution, while Music Unlimited includes three sub-plans covering up to 6 users on the Family plan.
- 5. 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.
Amazon Music Unlimited Vs Prime: Music Catalog
This was once the most drastic difference between Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Unlimited. Before, Amazon Prime users had access to just 2 million songs from Amazon’s Music 100-million-songs catalog.
However, things have changed now, and Amazon Music provides Prime members with access to all 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 on all playlists except the All-Access Playlists, while Amazon Unlimited allows you to skip as many songs as you like.
Also, unlimited skips on Amazon Music Prime are only possible if you’re listening to a playlist made exclusively of purchased songs.
Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: Price
If you’re already an Amazon Prime member, Amazon Prime Music will not cost you anything. It’s fully included in the $14.99/month price of the Amazon Prime membership – or $139 for the yearly plan.
Without Prime, a standard Individual Amazon Unlimited subscription costs $11.99 per month. Amazon Prime subscribers, however, can get it for $10.99.
- • Amazon Prime Music: Free with an Amazon Prime subscription (which costs $14.99 per month)
- • Amazon Unlimited with Amazon Prime: $10.99 per month (plus the $14.99 for the Prime subscription)
- • Amazon Unlimited without Amazon Prime: $11.99 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, and Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month.
How much is Amazon Music Unlimited?
Amazon Music Unlimited costs $10.99 per month if you’re already an Amazon Prime member and $11.99 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 ads while listening to your songs or podcasts or any other content on Amazon Music.
Amazon Music Prime vs Unlimited: Audio Quality
There are big 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 the Amazon Music app (via headphones), as well as 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 3,730 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 (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 less-known appliances such as Apple’s CarPlay 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 ($5.99 per month), but there’s a catch: you need to buy an Echo or Fire TV device first!
The Individual plan costs $11.99 per month or $10.99 for Amazon Prime members. Finally, the Family plan is $19.99 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 | $11.99 |
| Family | All devices | Six devices | Yes | $19.99 |
| Single-Device | Echo & Fire TV | One device | No | $5.99 |
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 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.
As noted, Amazon Music features two more complete paid plans: Amazon Music Prime and Amazon Music Unlimited.
Is Amazon Music Free with Prime?
Yes, Amazon Music is free with Prime. If you already have an Amazon Prime subscription, you can use many of the features in Amazon’s music streaming platform without paying extra.
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.
If the issue persists, feel free to contact Amazon Music support.
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.
Read more: Amazon Music vs. Spotify
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.
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.
Get 3 months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free.
Transferring Music From Other Streaming Platforms to Amazon Music
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 switching 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 learn more about which streaming platform suits your needs the best, don’t forget to check the comparison articles in our blog. Stay safe and have a good one!
