There are always a few go-to questions to use when getting to know someone. Are you this or are you that? It’s an easy way to judge, or befriend, a person based on their personality and interests. 

 “Are you a dog or a cat person?”

“Are you an introvert or extrovert?”

And the newest question to add to the never-ending list is, “are you a Spotify or Apple Music person?”

According to Business Insider, Spotify and Apple Music are the two biggest streaming services of the past several years; and they seem to be in constant competition against each other. 

In a survey of 127 EHS Students 73% of students preferred Spotify while only 16.7% of students preferred Apple Music. Around 10% said they used other platforms like YouTube or Amazon Music

Senior Sam Vuagniaux is part of the 73% that prefers Spotify.

“I found that Spotify was a little bit easier to use and I had more access to the music I wanted to listen to,” Vuagniaux said. “Music is something that is a big deal to me, and the ability to access and control it is something that I find important.”

While Sam says accessibility is one of the pros of Spotify, senior Kaitlyn Morningstar says it’s a pro of Apple Music as well. 

“Apple music all day every day,” Morningstar said. “I just like how it’s formatted and it’s so easy to use. Not to mention better organized.”

So, what’s the difference between the two?

They both obviously play music and usually have around the same selection of songs. Both Spotify Premium and Apple Music cost about the same price, with Apple Music being $10.99 and Spotify Premium being $9.99.

Unless, of course, you’re down for some ad ridden music, then you can get Spotify for free. 

With the free version of Spotify, you still have similar features to Spotify Premium, and can still listen to all the music you want. But you have to listen to some ads and similar songs that you didn’t ask for, thrown into your playlist as well. A seemingly small price to pay for free music. 

Even the free version of Spotify has a few added features that Apple Music does not; including Spotify Canvas, Spotify Singles, and Spotify Wrapped. 

All features that senior Troy Shaffer says gives Spotify an added edge over its competitor. 

Spotify Singles are songs only on Spotify, including a Harry Styles cover of “Girl Crush” and “Do 4 Love,” by Snoh Aalegra.

“Does Apple Music have Spotify singles?” Shaffer said. “I didn’t think so.” 

But for some people, the Spotify singles and the cheaper price aren’t enough to keep their attention. 

“I use Spotify, but I wish I had Apple Music,” senior Riley Knoyle said. 

When asked why she wanted to make the switch, Knoyle said that Apple Music seemed more appealing and better organized. 

“It’s just so much prettier to look at,” Knoyle said. 

The music streaming debate seems to be never ending, but in all honesty, does it really matter what kind of app you use to listen to your music? 

“I feel like it truly doesn’t matter, but Apple Music users are kind of weird,” Shaffer said. 

While some people may feel an added sense of superiority using one music streaming device over the other, Vuagniaux said he doesn’t understand the debate.

“As a listener, I don’t really see the point of having a debate over which streaming service is better,” Vuagniaux said. “Everyone will have different things they want out of a service. The listening experience shouldn’t change simply because it is a different service.”

Morningstar shares a similar opinion.

“I say let people listen to what they want and what makes them happy, because it’s only between the person and the app,” Morningstar said. “It really shouldn’t be anyone else’s business.”