If you’re looking for Spotify alternatives, Qobuz is likely to pop up as the best recommendation for audiophiles.
And it’s true, Qobuz offers audio quality almost no streaming service can beat.
But is Qobuz better than Spotify?
Well, audio quality is important, but not the only thing to consider. So let’s take it step by step and cover all key benchmarks in our full Qobuz vs Spotify comparison.
- Qobuz vs Spotify in a Nutshell: TL;DR Summary
- Ease of Access
- Pricing
- Content Library
- User Interface & Navigation
- Content Sharing
- Sound Quality
- Content Exploration
- Ranking Benchmarks Explained
- How to Transfer Playlists From Spotify to Qobuz (Or Vice Versa)
- Summary + Comparison Table
Qobuz vs Spotify in a Nutshell: TL;DR Summary
Spotify beats Qobuz overall. Spotify is better when it comes to ease of access and content library. But, Qobuz takes a major win in possibly the most crucial battle – sound quality. So while we believe Spotify is the better option for most users, Qobuz is the clear choice for audiophiles.
Qobuz vs Spotify: Ease of Access
Let’s first discuss who can use Qobuz and Spotify, on which device, and how easy (or difficult) it is to register and use these services.
Spotify is available in 180+ countries across all 7 continents and is only off-limits in a handful of territories like China, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Myanmar, and Libya.
Compatibility-wise, the mobile Spotify version works on iOS 14 and newer phones, Androids running on OS version 5.0+, and Mac devices working on OS X 10.15 and later versions.
The Spotify web player is accessible on virtually all browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Safari. It seamlessly works on Windows 10 (and above) PCs.
Spotify is very easy to access and use.
Qobuz, on the other hand, is only available in 24 countries, most of which are European. Outside of the EU, only users from Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, and the US can register and use this service.
The Qobuz app supports Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows-compatible devices, with one major caveat – the famed “song previews”, which are essentially, 30-second samples of select songs, are exclusively available on computers (Windows or macOS).
The sign-up process on either app is simple and quick: downloading, installing, and registering a new account. You can create a new account by filling out the sign-up form or syncing your social media profiles with Spotify/Qobuz.
Winner: Spotify
This round wasn’t exactly a contest. Spotify is available almost everywhere, while Qobuz is exclusive to two dozen countries. Spotify’s app and web players work on both modern and dated devices, and so does Qobuz.
Though they’re tied in terms of ease of registration, the simple fact that most people can’t enjoy music on Qobuz makes Spotify a clear winner.
Qobuz vs Spotify: Pricing
Both Spotify and Qobuz feature premium (paid) subscription plans and free trial versions. However, Spotify has a free tier with ads. The free tier lacks several key features like music downloads, the ability to play songs in any order you want, and high-quality audio. But, again, it’s free.
Qobuz offers two paid plans: Qobuz Studio at $12.99 per month ($10.83 per month if you pay the $129.99 yearly subscription), and Qobuz Sublime, costing $14.99 per month if subscribed to the yearly plan.
The only difference between the two is that the Sublime plan unlocks discounts in Qobuz’s audio store.
After choosing the type of your Qobuz subscription, you will then be able to pick the number of seats. The most affordable one is the yearly Solo plan in the Qobuz Studio category ($10.83 per month). The Family plan costs $21.99 per month for 6 seats ($17.99 with a yearly subscription).
In October 2024, Qobuz unveiled the individual Student plan for $4.99 per month.
Spotify went with a simpler approach. Its Premium plans include Individual (1 user) at $11.99 per month, Duo (2 users) at $16.99 per month, and Family (up to six users) at $19.99 per month. No yearly discounts are available.
There’s also the Student plan for $5.99 per month and the Audiobook-only tier for $9.99. We should also mention that the Family Spotify subscription has parental control features and full access to the Spotify Kids channel.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | Yes | No |
| Free Trial | Yes | Yes |
| Individual Premium Plan | $11.99 | $12.99 ($10.83 on yearly plan) |
| Duo Plan | $16.99 | $17.99 ($14.99 on yearly plan) |
| Family Premium Plan | $19.99 | $21.99 ($17.99 on yearly plan) |
| Audiobook Plan | $9.99 | No |
| Student Plan | $5.99 | $4.99 |
Winner: Qobuz
We initially went with Spotify here, but since the mid-2024 Spotify price update, we went with Qobuz. The yearly plan especially makes Qobuz a solid Spotify alternative when it comes to pricing, although you could still say this isn’t enough to compete with Spotify’s 15 hours of free audiobooks each month.
Spotify also offers Student discounts and unique perks for Family plan subscribers, not to mention more diverse and cheaper options outside of single subscriptions. Once again, Spotify is the winner.
Qobuz Vs Spotify: Content Library
First of all, Qobuz is a music-exclusive platform, while Spotify also hosts podcasts, radio, audiobooks, documentaries, and educational videos.
Just looking at the numbers, the two streaming services are almost equal. Both have libraries of 100m+ songs, although Spotify also offers some 5 million podcast episodes and 350,000+ audiobooks.
Spotify’s documentaries and educational content are becoming increasingly popular. From history and culture to entertainment, health, and entrepreneurship, Spotify is steadily bringing fresh content in a format Qobuz currently does not support.
Winner: Spotify
In this round of Spotify vs Qobuz, Spotify wins once again by offering a more varied media experience. The addition of podcasts and documentaries makes Spotify more versatile and appealing to broader audiences.
Spotify Vs Qobuz: User Interface & Navigation
We’ll start off by saying that both streaming services have scored high marks.
The Qobuz mobile app has easy-access shortcuts to its main functions, located at the top of the screen. The app has simple track controls at the bottom, while the centerpiece showcases new releases and recommendations based on previous searches.
Spotify has a few unique filters like Music and Podcasts, allowing users to seamlessly choose the format of displayed content.
The only real UI difference when comparing Qobuz vs Spotify is that Qobuz is always connected to its Qobuz Shop, which can be accessed by pressing the big “Cart” button. Spotify Premium keeps things simpler in this regard.
With Qobuz, all the content is readily available to subscribed users, but you can also buy music that isn’t featured on the platform. Shifting back and forth between the music player and the music shop is easy but, at the very least, time-consuming and not entirely intuitive for newcomers.
Winner: Spotify
Whether you just discovered Spotify or have been using it for years, want to listen to popular playlists, or make your own, this platform is easier to use and navigate than Qobuz. In its defense, all basic functions of Qobuz are straightforward and equally simple to utilize compared to Spotify.
Qobuz Vs Spotify: Content Sharing
If users like a particular song or playlist on Spotify or Qobuz, it’s easy to share it.
Qobuz users can only share content by sending a song or playlist link to others. This is the most popular content-sharing option everywhere because it can be used in various ways – you can send links to friends via social media chats or email.
The only requirement is that the track/playlist is publicly accessible.
Spotify has the same option, but it also allows you to embed individual songs or entire playlists on sites that allow it.
Sadly, neither Spotify nor Qobuz have cutting-edge tools that would allow users to transfer hours’ worth of content to other platforms.
That’s where TuneMyMusic steps in. It allows you to transfer, synchronize, share, upload, and create instant backups of any desired content across all streaming services. This includes Spotify and Qobuz, but also Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, and more.
Winner: Spotify
Spotify wins again, but only by a hair’s length. The option to embed playlists or songs on sites is marginally simpler than sending links to their owners, but it’s an option Qobuz doesn’t support. This slight advantage is enough to declare Spotify the winner of this round.
Qobuz Vs Spotify: Sound Quality
The topic of Qobuz vs Spotify audio quality was among the first to pop up. Access to 100+ million tracks is amazing, but what do they sound like? Is the sound quality good enough for audiophiles, or is it purely meant to cater to casual listeners?
Let’s start with Qobuz. The platform has three selectable sound quality options – MP3 at 320 kbps, slightly better CD quality with 16-bit audio at 44.1 kHz, and High-Resolution FLAC with 24-bit audio at 192 kHz.
On the other end, we have Spotify Free and Spotify Premium. Spotify Free has low, normal, and high-quality audio settings at 24 kbit/s, 96 kbit/s, and 160 kbit/s, respectively. Spotify Premium supports all three and adds “Very High Audio Quality” at 320 kbit/s.
If you’re not overly tech-savvy, let us summarize these differences.
Spotify currently does not support lossless audio quality, which is becoming increasingly troublesome among music fans. Most streaming services have adopted FLAC files, yet Spotify’s top offering is the equivalent of MP3 recordings, which lose roughly 80% of the original signal.
If you’ve always perceived music as background sounds, you won’t spot the difference, but that’s not what we want.
If you’re an audiophile or a musician, even a few seconds of audio playback streamed on Qobuz will reveal how superior its FLAC 24-bit 192 kHz is. Some users describe it as being in the recording booth with optimal gear and audio setup, enjoying the music after the final mix.
Note that the Qobuz sonic bliss at full capacity, you need professional, high-end audio equipment.
Winner: Qobuz
The first victory for Qobuz is arguably equal to, if not greater than, the combined five Spotify has achieved so far. The quality of audio in songs streamed on this platform is practically incomparable to Spotify’s. Zero compression, zero loss in the sound signal, and pure, unadulterated sonic bliss would perfectly describe the height at which Qobuz soars in this field.
If you want to see a streaming service giving Qobuz a run for its money in the audio department, read our full Qobuz vs Tidal article.
Spotify Vs Qobuz: Content Exploration
Before we begin, a small fun fact: stats show that over 100,000 new songs are added by music streaming services daily. If you’re actively seeking new content, both Qobuz and Spotify are excellent for exploration and discovery.
One significant difference is that you can find new music on Qobuz via its app (or web player) and go beyond the official 100+ million-track library with the Qobuz Store.
Spotify, on the other hand, has podcasts, documentaries, and educational videos that you can explore in addition to its songs and playlists.
Since Qobuz is a music-only streaming service, they’ve categorized content into close to a dozen groups. As a larger and more diverse platform format-wise, Spotify has over 50+ categories for seamless exploration by genre, format, release date, and mood.
Spotify also has a Radio function, which allows users to harness its smart algorithms to create a makeshift radio station based on personal preferences. This is done by visiting any artist, band, tune, or album, selecting the three dots, and choosing “Go To Radio”.
Qobuz evens the playing field with its Qobuzissimes, which are essentially its original take on Spotify’s trending playlists. However, it doesn’t have any radio-like functions.
Winner: Tie
We weighed the draws and flaws of Qobuz’s and Spotify’s content exploration capabilities and concluded that a universal winner cannot be determined in this round. If you’re not searching for any particular songs or playlists, you’ll love Spotify’s Radio. If you’re keen on owning digital music and want access to thousands of originals, you may want to give Qobuz a try.
How We Ranked Our Qobuz Vs Spotify Comparison
We’ll just briefly summarize how we compared the two streaming services so you get a clear image of what each benchmark in our comparison article covers.
- • Ease of Access: We compared the availability of each service worldwide, how easy it is to sign up, and which devices are covered.
- • Pricing: This one is simple. We compared the pricing plans and flexibility of subscription options.
- • Content Library: We examined the size of the libraries the platforms offer, the range of content, and the types of media supported.
- • UI and Navigation: We checked each service on desktop/laptop and mobile devices, including Android and iOS mobile apps.
- • Content Sharing: We had a look at how you can share songs, albums, and playlists on each streaming platform.
- • Sound Quality: This benchmark covers the audio quality each streaming service offers to its users in different tiers.
- • Content Exploration and Discovery: We inspected how Spotify and Qobuz recommend new music and the quality of suggestions they put out.
Read more: How to Cancel Qobuz Subscription Right Now
How to Transfer Playlists From Spotify to Qobuz (Or Vice Versa)
In case you decide to switch from Spotify to Qobuz or the other way around, you’ll need to take your playlists with you.
You can do that with TuneMyMusic. The first 500 songs you move between any two streaming services are free of charge. Here’s how it’s done.
- 1. Head Over to TuneMyMusic: Visit the TuneMyMusic website on your browser.
- 2. Select Spotify/Qobuz as the Source Service: Set the streaming platform from which you will transfer your playlists.
- 3. Log in to Your Account at the Source Service: Log in to your account on the streaming service where you will transfer the playlists from.
- 4. Select Your Playlist: Select the playlist you wish to transfer.
- 5. Set the Destination: Set Qobuz or Spotify as the destination.
- 6. Log in to Target Service: Log in to the account of the platform where you want to move your playlists.
- 7. Start the Transfer: Click the button to start the playlist transfer.
Qobuz or Spotify: Declaring the Winner
Spotify beats Qobuz in almost all aspects except for sound quality. Ironically, this is one of the most important factors that all music enjoyers hold in high regard when choosing a music streaming service.
Qobuz is, in our humble opinion, an ideal choice for audiophiles and critical listeners. If you want to hear every minute detail in your songs, this platform is significantly better than Spotify. Sadly, it’s only available in 24 countries.
We have mixed feelings about the Qobuz Store since most streaming services focus on bringing as much “free” content to their premium users, but having the option to buy (and own) music is ultimately a plus.
Spotify is better at everything else and is a perfect choice for a wider range of users. It’s readily accessible worldwide, offers more flexible pricing plans, has about 5,000,000 podcast episodes, and has a sleek web and app design.
At the end of the day, both Spotify and Qobuz have a massive track record of success for all the good reasons, so before you make the final call, consult our rankings to better understand how we rated these platforms.
| | |
| Ease of Access | 67 | 99 |
| Pricing | 88 | 85 |
| Content Library | 85 | 95 |
| UI & Navigation | 91 | 93 |
| Content Sharing | 84 | 89 |
| Sound Quality | 93 | 72 |
| Content Exploration | 90 | 90 |
| Score | 84 | 88 |
Head over to our comparisons page to see more streaming services pitted against each other. Stay safe and enjoy the music!
