Amazon Music vs Pandora

Amazon Music streams music and podcasts, with free listening that does not require a credit card. Prime members get ad-free music and top podcasts, and can shuffle-play artists, albums, or playlists. Amazon Music Unlimited adds on-demand access to 100 million songs and thousands of programmed playlists and stations. Its catalog includes lossless HD and Ultra HD tracks, plus spatial audio including Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio. Unlimited subscribers can download songs or playlists for offline listening, but those downloads are accessible only in the Amazon Music app; Prime downloads are limited to All-Access Playlists. Alexa voice controls let listeners request music on compatible Alexa-enabled devices, and app casting works to Alexa-enabled devices except Fire TVs. Apps and web access are listed for Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows. Unlimited Individual costs $11.99 a month, or $99 a year for Prime members; Family costs $19.99 a month, or $159 a year for Prime members. Free and other paid options are also listed.

Pandora is a music and podcast listening service built around personalized stations and listening recommendations. Its Music Genome Project and Podcast Genome Project power personalization; Pandora says its musician-analysts characterize tracks using details such as melody, harmony, instrumentation, rhythm, vocals and lyrics. Listeners can create up to 100 unique stations. Pandora is available on the web and mobile apps, as well as desktop apps and connected devices; it says it integrates with more than 2,000 connected products. The free plan offers personalized stations and podcasts, with some features, including unlimited skips, unlocked by viewing an ad. Pandora Premium costs $10.99 a month when purchased through its website and includes ad-free listening, on-demand songs, albums and podcasts, personalized playlists and stations, unlimited offline listening and skips. Offline listening is supported, but lossless audio is not. Pandora also offers a GraphQL API covering a catalog of over 30 million tracks, but access is limited to developers invited by an approved partner representative. Pandora says its audio and subscription services are intended for U.S. residents and may be blocked outside the country.