Last updated: 13 October 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Which music streaming service should you pay for?

Qobuz vs Spotify is the comparison most people land on once they start caring how their music sounds, and Apple Music sits right between the two. All three stream lossless audio in the UK now. However, they cost different amounts, top out at different quality and suit very different setups.

I pay for Apple Music as part of an Apple One plan I share with my mum and my partner, so Apple TV and iCloud storage sit on the same bill. I used to pay for Spotify and don't any more. I have never subscribed to Qobuz, so everything about it here comes from its own pages and apps.

Apple Music is the one I use. At £11.99 a month it is also the cheapest monthly plan here with hi-res audio and Dolby Atmos included, and it suits anyone with an iPhone, AirPods or HomePods.

Spotify suits people who care most about finding new music, with podcasts and audiobooks in the same app. Its lossless stops at 24-bit/44.1 kHz.

Qobuz suits listeners with wired headphones or a hi-fi, and anyone who wants to buy hi-res downloads as well as stream.

Qobuz vs Spotify vs Apple Music: UK prices

Apple Music is cheapest month to month, and Qobuz is cheapest if you pay a year up front.

I checked every price on each service's UK website on 13 October 2026. Spotify's prices are on its Premium plans page, Apple's are on its Apple Music page, and Qobuz lists its own on the Qobuz offers page.

On a single plan, Apple Music is £1 a month cheaper than Spotify. Qobuz Studio matches Spotify at £12.99 month to month, but it drops to £10.83 a month if you pay £129.99 for the year in one go. That yearly saving only helps if you are sure you will stay, because you pay it all up front.

Students pay least on Qobuz. Even so, Apple's £5.99 student plan also includes Apple TV, which neither rival can match. Amazon Music Unlimited is the other big name, and my Amazon Music Unlimited page covers its plans and prices.

What lossless and hi-res actually mean

All three now stream lossless audio, but only Apple Music and Qobuz go beyond CD sample rates.

A CD holds music at 16-bit and 44.1 kHz. Lossless streaming sends you that same data with nothing thrown away, packed into a format such as FLAC or Apple Lossless that decodes back to the original exactly. Standard streaming, by contrast, deletes detail to make the file smaller.

Hi-res goes further than a CD, usually at 24-bit and sample rates up to 192 kHz. The higher bit depth gives the recording more room between the quietest and loudest sounds. Meanwhile, the higher sample rate captures more detail every second.

Here is the top quality each service streams:

• Spotify streams lossless at up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, according to its audio quality guide. It rolled lossless out to Premium in the UK from September 2025 at no extra cost.
• Apple Music calls anything up to 48 kHz "Lossless" and anything from 48 to 192 kHz "Hi-Res Lossless". It also streams thousands of tracks in Dolby Atmos, which Apple calls Spatial Audio.
• Qobuz streams FLAC at up to 24-bit/192 kHz. In fact, its player shows the bit depth and sample rate of every track as it plays.

The Bluetooth catch, and what AirPods can play

Most wireless headphones can't carry lossless audio, whichever service you pay for.

Apple puts it bluntly in its lossless audio guide: "Bluetooth connections aren't lossless." Spotify's own guide says the same thing about Bluetooth. So if you listen on AirPods Pro or most other earbuds, you hear a compressed stream on all three services, and the lossless and hi-res files make no difference to what reaches your ears.

The exception in Apple's list is the AirPods Max. Apple says the USB-C AirPods Max and AirPods Max 2 play lossless audio when you plug them into an iPhone, iPad or Mac with the cable. My AirPods Max page has the details, and my noise-cancelling headphones guide covers the wider field.

Hi-res needs more kit again. Apple says an iPhone or iPad needs an external digital-to-analogue converter, known as a DAC, for anything above 48 kHz. Qobuz's hi-res guide for iPhone lists the same requirement. Qobuz also caps AirPlay at CD quality, because AirPlay only carries 16-bit audio at 48 kHz.

In short, hi-res pays off with wired headphones and a DAC, or with a hi-fi system that supports it. On wireless earbuds, Qobuz vs Spotify comes down to price and features rather than sound, so the cheapest service is the sensible pick.

Sound quality in my setup

Most of my listening happens on HomePods at home. Apple Music runs on them directly, Siri takes requests, and lossless switches on in the Home app under each person's Apple Music settings. Spotify and Qobuz, on the other hand, reach a HomePod through AirPlay from a phone, which puts Qobuz back at CD quality.

I love the Apple Music set-up because of how it works with the HomePods, and because I share one plan with my mum and my partner, with Apple TV included. For me, Apple's lossless and pricing are great.

I get why someone would want a more premium service, but for me Apple's lossless and pricing are great.Stiv

That said, a listener with a proper hi-fi and wired headphones has a real reason to look at Qobuz. Every track in its catalogue streams in at least CD quality, and much of it goes further. Similarly, someone who never plugs anything in will hear very little difference between any of the three.

How each app helps you find new music

Spotify leans on algorithms and AI, Apple mixes editors with personal picks, and Qobuz leads with its editors.

Spotify

Spotify's search page opens on genre and mood tiles, plus short video clips to sample new tracks. Its editors run playlists such as New Music Friday. On top of that, Premium listeners in the UK can type an idea and get a playlist built around it, in a beta Spotify launched here in February 2026 and describes in its Prompted Playlist announcement. There is also DJ, which takes typed or spoken requests.

Apple Music

Apple Music's search page uses big tiles for genres, moods, radio and Spatial Audio. Its home screen builds Top Picks and mood stations from what you play, while its editors run playlists such as Today's Hits. Apple Music Sing also lets you turn the vocals down and sing along to the lyrics, which Apple explains in its Apple Music Sing guide.

Qobuz

Qobuz opens on new releases picked by its editors, with Editor's Picks and For You tabs beside them. You can follow record labels to hear what they put out next, and browse playlists grouped by theme, artist and hi-res masters. Qobuz also publishes articles and album reviews inside the app.

Buying music: only Qobuz sells hi-res downloads

Downloads are the clearest split in Qobuz vs Spotify, because Qobuz is the only one of the three that sells hi-res files you keep for good. Its Sublime plan costs £14.99 a month, paid yearly only, and adds discounts of up to 60% on hi-res album purchases. However, Sublime comes with no free trial, so you commit to a full year on day one.

Spotify and Apple Music only stream, so the music disappears if you stop paying. If owning your music matters, vinyl is the other route, and my budget turntables guide is a good place to start.

Family, Duo and student plans

Spotify and Qobuz both say family members have to live at the same address. Spotify's Premium Family rules ask each member to enter the plan manager's home address when they join. Qobuz Family also says members need to live under the same household. By contrast, Apple's Family Sharing page sets a limit of you plus five people and does not mention an address.

Here is how the family plans compare each month:

• Qobuz Family: £17.99 paid yearly, or £21.90 month to month.
• Apple Music Family: £19.99.
• Spotify Family: £21.99.

Apple One is worth pricing up if you already pay for iCloud storage. It bundles Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Arcade with iCloud+, from £18.95 a month for one person, £24.95 for a family and £36.95 for Premier. An Apple One family plan is how I pay for Apple Music.

For two people, Apple has no Duo plan, so the £19.99 Family plan is the option. Spotify Duo costs £17.99, and Qobuz Duo costs £14.99 a month paid yearly.

Where each one is the wrong choice

Spotify

Skip Spotify if you want hi-res above 44.1 kHz or Dolby Atmos music, because Apple Music and Qobuz both go further. It also has no built-in place on a HomePod, so Apple homes end up using AirPlay from a phone.

Apple Music

Apple Music has no Duo plan, so two people pay the family price. Hi-Res Lossless on an iPhone needs an external DAC, and the HomePod and Siri perks only matter if you own Apple kit.

Qobuz

Qobuz has no free tier, so you pay from the second month. Sublime is yearly only with no trial, family members must share a household, and AirPlay stops at CD quality. If you only listen on Bluetooth earbuds, the hi-res files make no difference to what you hear.

My verdict on Qobuz vs Spotify vs Apple Music

Apple Music, for Apple homes and families

Apple Music is what I pay for, and it is the easy pick if you own an iPhone, AirPods or HomePods. It is the cheapest single plan month to month at £11.99. It also streams hi-res and Dolby Atmos, and it plays directly on HomePods, with Siri taking requests.

Spotify, for discovery, podcasts and audiobooks

Spotify suits people who want music, podcasts and audiobooks in one place, plus AI playlists and DJ. Its lossless covers CD-level sample rates, which is plenty for most headphones.

Qobuz, for hi-fi listeners and collectors

Qobuz is the one to try if you have wired headphones, a DAC or a hi-fi, or if you buy albums. Paid yearly, it is also the cheapest of the three for one person and for a family. Above all, try its free month on the kit you actually listen on before paying for a year.

Qobuz vs Spotify vs Apple Music: FAQs

Is Qobuz better than Spotify?

For sound quality on good kit, Qobuz vs Spotify is an easy win for Qobuz. Qobuz streams up to 24-bit/192 kHz and sells hi-res downloads, while Spotify stops at 24-bit/44.1 kHz. Spotify is stronger for podcasts, audiobooks and AI playlists, though, and on Bluetooth earbuds you will hear little difference.

Does Spotify have lossless in the UK?

Yes. Spotify rolled lossless out to Premium subscribers in the UK from September 2025 at no extra cost. It streams at up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, and you switch it on under Media quality in the app's settings.

Can AirPods play lossless audio?

Not over Bluetooth. Apple says Bluetooth connections aren't lossless, so AirPods and AirPods Pro play a compressed stream. The USB-C AirPods Max and AirPods Max 2 can play lossless when you connect them to an iPhone, iPad or Mac with a cable.

Is hi-res audio worth paying for?

Only if your kit can play it. On an iPhone, anything above 48 kHz needs an external DAC, and AirPlay and Bluetooth both cap the quality. With wired headphones and a DAC, or a hi-fi that supports it, hi-res is worth trying.

Which music streaming service is cheapest for a family?

Qobuz Family, at £17.99 a month paid yearly. I checked these prices on 13 October 2026. Month to month, Apple Music Family is cheapest at £19.99, against £21.90 for Qobuz and £21.99 for Spotify.

Can I share a family plan with someone who lives elsewhere?

Spotify and Qobuz both say family members must live at the same address. Apple's Family Sharing page sets a six-person limit and does not mention an address.

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