Madsonic vs Pandora

Madsonic is a web-based media library and streamer with jukebox functionality. It streams music, movies, and photos, and supports MP3, FLAC, OGG, AAC, and other audio or video formats with on-the-fly conversion and bitrate resampling. The maker says it can manage collections of 100,000 or more music files without limitations. Users can access it through its website or compatible Madsonic/Subsonic REST API clients; the free API supports XML, JSON, and JSONP. Listed integrations and support include Last.fm, Echonest, Musicbrainz, IMDb, Sonos, Chromecast, and LDAP. Playback works with Chromecast, Sonos, and compatible DLNA/UPnP devices, with a local jukebox mode also available. Madsonic supports playlist sharing, user privileges, LDAP/Active Directory authentication, and HTTPS/SSL. The free edition includes podcasts, artist and genre radio, AutoDJ, history, and advanced player controls. Premium adds a personal madsonic.org server address, device support, LDAP authentication, and advanced service integrations. A 30-day premium trial is offered; the maker lists a support forum and weekday contact hours.

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.