SoundCloud vs Spotify
Recent reviews clearly favor Spotify.
Based on 500 + 50 recent App Store reviews · updated 2d ago
Who wins on…
| Measure | SoundCloud | Spotify |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfaction scoreFrom 0 to 100, based on recent reviews. | 52/100 | 70/100 Wins |
| Recent averageAverage stars in the reviews we read. | 4.0★ | 4.1★ Wins |
| 1–2 star reviewsShare of recent reviews. Lower is better. | 22% | 18% Wins |
| Reviews we readMore reviews make the score more solid. | 500 Wins | 50 |
| App Store rating TieAll-time rating on the App Store. | 4.8★ | 4.8★ |
| Number of ratingsAll-time ratings on the App Store. | 2,066,959 | 42,875,943 Wins |
SoundCloud wins 1, Spotify wins 4, and 1 is a tie. The first four rows come from the reviews we read. The last two are all-time App Store numbers.
Which should you pick?
Recent reviews clearly favor Spotify. It scores 70 out of 100 for satisfaction, and SoundCloud scores 52. Only 18% of Spotify’s recent reviews give 1 or 2 stars, against 22% for SoundCloud.
Pick SoundCloud if you want what its fans praise most: Best place for underground and unreleased music
. Pick Spotify if you would rather have this: Huge music selection covers every taste
. Each app has a weak spot. For SoundCloud it is App crashes on launch or on play
, and for Spotify it is Too many ads, especially on free tier
. Both apps get complaints about crashes and bugs and 2 more issues, so do not expect either one to fix that for you.
We read 500 recent reviews of SoundCloud and 50 of Spotify, so this shows how people feel now.
Recent rating mix
Share of recent reviews at each star level.
Shared complaints
Users of both apps complain about these. Expect them whichever one you pick.
Crashes and bugs
App crashes on startup and when it doesn't, it crashes when I click on a song.
it just WILL NOT LOAD
Too many ads
Playing back-to-back-back unskippable ads doesn't make me want to sign up
ads are killing me
Price and paywalls
Making certain songs unplayable as a premium feature is despicable
Almost useless without premium
What users love
SoundCloud-
Best place for underground and unreleased music35× mentions
It's just the best for underground music. You can find music you won't find anywhere else.
-
Better than Spotify for finding music30× mentions
This is literally better than spotify in my opinion
-
Huge library, songs others lack18× mentions
There is not a song that I can't find on SoundCloud
-
Few ads on the free tier10× mentions
There are less ads . you can pick whatever song you want.
Spotify-
Huge music selection covers every taste6× mentions
the selection of music to choose from is never ending
-
Recommendations feel like they know you2× mentions
it knows what I like and what I want to hear
-
Easy, user-friendly interface3× mentions
way better UI
What users hate
SoundCloud-
App crashes on launch or on play90× mentions
App crashes on startup and when it doesn't, it crashes when I click on a song.
-
Recent update broke older iPhones25× mentions
I'm on iOS 16 and my soundcloud does not work
-
Too many ads, unskippable ones35× mentions
Playing back-to-back-back unskippable ads doesn't make me want to sign up
-
Songs locked behind premium paywall10× mentions
Making certain songs unplayable as a premium feature is despicable
Why some say they are leaving
- Switching to Spotify after repeated crashes
- Deleting and reinstalling without the app ever working again
- Cancelling premium after launch crashes persist for days
Spotify-
Too many ads, especially on free tier10× mentions
ads are killing me
-
App won't load, crashes, or freezes5× mentions
it just WILL NOT LOAD
-
Feels nearly useless without Premium2× mentions
Almost useless without premium
-
Shuffle keeps repeating the same songs
stop shuffling the same songs over and over
Why some say they are leaving
- Deleting account after an unexpected subscription charge
- Switching to Apple Music because the app won't open properly
- Uninstalling and reinstalling repeatedly because playback freezes
What users want
SoundCloud-
Lyrics display4× mentions
Add lyrics! ... the only thing you need to add now is LYRICS!!
-
Block artists or tracks from stations4× mentions
Let us Block... We should be able to block accounts/profiles/artists
-
Free downloads or offline for free users4× mentions
at least give 12 free song downloads per person
-
Fewer or skippable ads6× mentions
Less ads please lol
Spotify-
Ad-free option without paying Premium3× mentions
Can I have no add
-
Show queue length; don't reset on tap
Letting us check how long our queue is would be great
-
Unlimited hand-selected song choice
please change it back to unlimited
-
Add Hazbin Hotel content
WE NEED TO HAVE HAZBIN HOTEL
Questions people ask
Which is better, SoundCloud or Spotify?
Recent reviews favor Spotify. It scores 70 out of 100 for satisfaction, and SoundCloud scores 52. 18% of recent Spotify reviews give 1 or 2 stars, against 22% for SoundCloud.
What do users dislike about SoundCloud and Spotify?
SoundCloud users complain most about App crashes on launch or on play
. Spotify users complain most about Too many ads, especially on free tier
. Both get complaints about crashes and bugs.
What do SoundCloud and Spotify users want next?
SoundCloud users most often ask for Lyrics display
. Spotify users most often ask for Ad-free option without paying Premium
.
How did you compare SoundCloud and Spotify?
We read the 500 most recent App Store reviews of SoundCloud and the 50 most recent of Spotify. Then we sum up what users love, hate and want, and give each app a satisfaction score from 0 to 100. The scores come only from those reviews.
Want the details? Read how we read reviews.
Keep exploring
Full SoundCloud teardownEvery insight from 500 reviews
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Full Spotify teardownEvery insight from 50 reviews
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Is one of these your app?
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