Spotify VS Qobuz: Which is the best?
We’ve done many comparisons since launching our blog. Proof? Our Versus page, quite simply. But rarely have we focused in this series of articles on two such different streaming platforms. Pitting Qobuz against Spotify means examining two visions of music and music streaming. And that’s why it’s all the more important to shed light on the differences between Qobuz and Spotify. Spotify vs. Qobuz: which is the best?
Let’s get ready to rumble!
What’s the difference?
What’s the difference? Hmmm. Do you have four hours to spare? More seriously, there’s a world of difference between Spotify and Qobuz. Such a gap that it’s almost impossible to compare them. Or perhaps such a gap that it’s precisely because comparing them is so relevant. Spotify and Qobuz have vastly different approaches to music.
Spotify is a giant in the music streaming industry. Its resources are enormous, its user base the largest in the world. It capitalizes on investments totaling millions of dollars in its algorithms across the audiobook, podcast, and Artificial Intelligence sectors. Ultra-modern, the Swedish platform stays at the forefront of technological advancements. It redefines the present and invents the future, all while trying to keep its finger on the pulse of the times. It’s simple: Spotify sets the trends.
Looking back
At a time when AI is on everyone’s lips, Spotify is seizing the opportunity, for better or for worse. In the age of playlists and algorithms, Spotify possesses the most advanced and efficient technology in the industry. So much so that its competitors have to adapt.
Spotify is now a behemoth of the music industry, impossible to avoid, and one with which everyone must contend. It’s as if this streaming service dictates the rules of the game, and everyone, artists and labels alike, must adapt, at the risk of being left behind.
In this context, Qobuz acts as a counterweight. Smaller, created in France, with fewer users, Qobuz has neither the financial resources nor the outsized ambitions of the market leader. But that doesn’t mean they should be underestimated. On the contrary.
While Spotify relies on algorithms and AI, Qobuz favors a human and personalized approach to music recommendations. And it fights at all costs against the proliferation of AI. While Spotify focuses on podcasts, Qobuz focuses on music and nothing else. It’s as if, with Qobuz, we’re going back in time, into the past, but while maintaining a modern approach that respects artists and their music—two worlds, two universes, two platforms that differ in many ways. Let’s analyze their offerings right now!
Audio Quality – Spotify VS Qobuz: Which is the best?
When it comes to audio, it’s hard not to see Qobuz win hands down. HD audio quality has been in their DNA since the beginning. Along with TIDAL, Qobuz is a platform acclaimed by audiophiles and has no equal on the market. Provided you can listen to your music on high-quality speakers or headphones, you’ll hear a clear difference in audio quality compared to Spotify.
The Swedish service, however, has made efforts in recent months. After years of repeatedly delaying an HD option, it has finally arrived. But it’s not entirely convincing. Or at least, it doesn’t rival Qobuz’s.
Spotify‘s highest-quality format isn’t mediocre, far from it; it’s simply not on the same level as Qobuz’s. Suppose you’re an audiophile, passionate about sound, and want to listen to your favorite artists and albums in the way their music was initially intended. In that case, it’s unlikely you’d choose to subscribe to Spotify. Qobuz remains, for the moment, far ahead in this area and wants to stay that way!
Winner: Qobuz
User Experience & Algorithms – Spotify VS Qobuz: Which is the best?
In this category, the differences in positioning between Spotify and Qobuz are most evident. On the one hand, Spotify offers an ultra-modern experience, at the forefront of the latest technologies, where algorithms and Artificial Intelligence structure everything. Spotify’s discovery playlists are renowned for being the most precise and best suited to your tastes.
Concert suggestions, genre spotlights, notification management: everything is automated, designed to let you relax and enjoy the experience. The “human” aspect of Spotify isn’t absent, but it is largely superseded by cutting-edge algorithms that are constantly updated and fueled by your data. Qobuz takes the opposite approach.
Their playlists are created mainly by specialists who hand-select the songs. They are, therefore, by definition, less personalized, since they are not all based on your data. But they have the flavor of the past: like walking into a record store and letting yourself be guided by its recommendations. Qobuz offers a different world, as detached as possible from the dictatorship of algorithms and artificial technologies.
The goal? To focus on music and nothing else. This is also why they offer a magazine, where journalists and experts write in-depth articles and interview artists. The platform’s interface is more understated than Spotify’s, reduced to its essentials. Nothing is cluttered; everything seems discreet.
Choosing one or the other would be pointless. The two platforms are too different to choose between: it’s up to you to decide whether discovering artists and playlists are the main draw of your listening platform. In which case, Spotify has no equal. On the other hand, if you want to try a different, more human, almost anachronistic but modern and precise experience, Qobuz is the one for you.
Winner: It’s a tie!
Price & Subscription
– (as of December 2025) –
Here too, consumption habits differ. While Qobuz prioritizes simplicity with just two plans, Spotify emphasizes versatility to cater to all budgets and usage patterns. A significant advantage of Spotify is the option to use the service for free, provided you’re willing to endure numerous advertisements. Qobuz doesn’t offer this. While the platform provides a free trial for its “Studio” subscription at $10.83 per month, it’s not unlimited. Its second plan, Sublime, priced at $14.99 per month, doesn’t offer a trial.
Spotify, unlike Qobuz, offers a student subscription. However, its most popular basic plan, at $11.99 per month, is more expensive than Qobuz’s entry-level subscription. It’s also worth noting that Qobuz’s Duo plan, at $14.99, is $2 cheaper than Spotify’s Duo plan.
Is Spotify more expensive than Qobuz? Not really. In detail, since Spotify offers a 2-month free trial, the annual subscription will cost $119.90. With Qobuz, this figure climbs to $129.99 per year. The reason? While the starting price is lower than Spotify’s, Qobuz will bill you after your free trial month, so you’ll pay 12 times $10.83 ($12.99 if you choose to pay monthly instead of annually).
All the details of the respective offers can be found here for Qobuz and here for Spotify. With greater flexibility in subscription choices and a less expensive basic plan, Spotify emerges victorious in this battle of the numbers! But be warned: Spotify keeps increasing its monthly prices so that these figures may climb even higher in the coming months.
Winner: Spotify
Catalogs – Spotify VS Qobuz: Which is the best?
– (as of December 2025) –
Spotify boasts a much larger catalog, including podcasts and audiobooks. All the statistics show that consumption of this content is exploding worldwide, particularly in Latin America and African countries, regions where streaming continues to grow exponentially. Spotify has clearly understood this, investing millions in this sector and positioning itself ahead of the competition. Qobuz, on the other hand, has chosen to focus solely on music.
As mentioned, it’s a platform for audiophiles, for enthusiasts. If you listen to a lot of podcasts, this service might not be for you. You can, however, listen to them on a third-party app. On the other hand, in terms of music, with millions of titles, Qobuz should offer everything you’re looking for. But it must be said that its offering is less diverse than Spotify’s. For users looking for a platform to listen to music alongside other content, Spotify is the way to go. If only music matters to you, then it’s a tie!
Winner: Spotify
Spotify VS Qobuz: Which is the best?
It’s difficult to give a definitive answer to this question. If you’ve read our entire article, you’ll have noticed that the two services differ in many ways. It’s therefore essential to consider your usage and habits before making a decision. For other streaming platforms, whether it’s Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, or Deezer, the differences with Spotify are numerous but not fundamental.
But with Qobuz, they can be a real issue! Another essential point we haven’t mentioned: Qobuz is among the platforms that pay artists the most and recently launched a transparency initiative, a first in the music industry. Spotify, on the other hand, is regularly criticized for its per-stream payment policy. Here too, two opposing approaches clash: on the one hand, Qobuz emphasizes transparency and a human connection with its users; on the other, Spotify is a massive machine, generating billions of streams and millions of dollars paid to rights holders thanks to its unparalleled streaming volume.
It’s also worth noting that these two platforms have been at the center of numerous discussions over the past few months about the future of music streaming and the ethics of the digital age, raising questions about Artificial Intelligence and the protection of artists’ rights, among other things. Choosing one platform over the other is therefore as much a practical choice as an ideological one!
And that’s why it was essential to delve into this topic at length. We hope our insights will help you make an informed decision.
Soundiiz: Transfer your playlists from one music service to another
Comparing, evaluating, and designating winners is all well and good, but how do you actually switch between platforms? How do you transfer all your data from Spotify to Qobuz, or from Qobuz to Spotify? It’s straightforward. No, really, it’s incredibly simple!
For years, Soundiiz, a service developed in France, has been building a tool to transfer all your data. Whether it’s playlists, followed artists, or liked songs, you can transfer everything from Spotify to Qobuz or from Qobuz to Spotify. And the process won’t take long! It’ll only take a few minutes, or a little longer depending on the size of your library.
By working with metadata, which allows for the precise identification of a track, Soundiiz will, simply put, search for this metadata on the platform you’ve chosen. We can then create a mirror of your data. A mirror that will ensure you don’t lose any data in the process. Because we know: transferring your data from Spotify or Qobuz, or from Qobuz to Spotify, can be stressful. Even anxiety-inducing. The fear of starting from scratch. Of having to rebuild everything. As if your streaming service were brand new.
With the massive growth of music streaming as the primary listening method, Soundiiz was determined to address this need. And faced with the abundance of streaming platforms, each with its own features, we knew users needed a tool that would let them try everything without having to rebuild their streaming catalog song by song.
With continuous improvements and regular updates to our Transfer tool, we ensure that we cover all needs with maximum efficiency.
So, to start transferring your data, click here!
