What’s the best way to listen to music online in 2024?

Listening to music on the internet means having almost every song at your fingertips. New hits, deep tracks, classic albums and more are all available to stream — so it’s a great way to listen.

Whether you want to rediscover music, catch up on your favourite acts pre-festival, or find something new, it’s easier and more convenient to listen online than to CDs or vinyl.

But what’s the best way to listen to music on the internet? We’ll cover how to listen to music online, bandwidth usage, and how to get the perfect listening experience.

What are the options for listening to music online?

As of 2024, 87.7% of music consumption is done via digital streaming. Whether you’re a casual listener or a staunch audiophile, there are many options to listen to your tunes online.

Here are a few popular options people use to listen to music on the internet, which include many free and premium memberships:

1. Spotify

2. YouTube Music

3. Pandora

4. Deezer

5. Amazon Music

6. Tidal

7. Apple Music

8. SoundCloud

It’s a fairly long list of services. There are many other competing services to choose from too! So, when choosing a streaming service, it’s best to consider the following factors:

• Price: Although many have free options, they are ad-supported. Free options are good for testing a platform but you might want to pay a monthly fee for ad-free listening.

• Audio quality: Higher-quality streams use more bandwidth but offer a better experience, essential to get the best out of speakers and headphones.

• Music library: The size and variety of a platform’s music library are important to weigh up. Some have huge collections, which are great for discovering new music.

• User interface: Intuitive interfaces that make it easy to find and play songs, create playlists or discover new music can contribute greatly to a platform’s strength.

• Music discoverability: Existing playlists, either created by other users or the platforms themselves, are the perfect way to take the hassle out of deciding what to listen to and saves you the time of making your own playlists.

Each platform has its own features and it’s worth trying a few to see what fits your taste. This way, you can make a better decision and find the best way to listen to music online.

Our favourite music streaming platforms

A few platforms stand out when it comes to listening to music online in the UK, which is due to their popularity and features. Here are a few highlights and why they’re a hit:

• Spotify has a big library with lots of personalisation options and a simple interface.

• YouTube Music is both music and video, so it’s great if you want visual content.

• Amazon Music offers top value for money and is convenient for current Prime members.

• Apple Music dovetails with Apple devices and has a high-quality audio experience.

• SoundCloud is ideal for discovering emerging artists and listening to indie music.

When choosing a streaming platform to listen to music on the internet, it’s good to understand the subscription options and free tiers that are available too.

1. Spotify, free ad-supported or an ad-free, better quality premium membership.

2. Apple Music, no free option but with flexible individual and family plans.

3. Amazon Music, free subscription with limited music and ads or several paid plans.

These are the biggest platforms, which offer flexible options for various budgets. But there are some more details and platform-specific features and benefits to consider.

Spotify

You can get Spotify on a web browser, desktop, or mobile, and even your favourite game consoles. See a breakdown of the costs and packages available in the UK below: 

You can easily cancel all of these at any time and the Individual and Student plans are available free for 1 month, although you’ll need to not have tried Spotify Premium before.

On the Individual, Duo and Family Plan, the plan manager (whoever signs up and pays for it) can also get 15 hours per month of audiobooks.

It’s safe to say you won’t get the most out of listening on Spotify without a paid plan. But what you do get with all Spotify Premium plans is:

• A huge library with millions of tracks, podcasts, and audiobooks

• High-quality streaming up to 320 kbps

• Offline listening, download to your device

• Personalised playlists and Discover Weekly

• Social features like shared playlists

YouTube Music

Available through browsers, desktop apps, and mobile apps, YouTube Music is easily accessible and has over 100 million songs. Here are some highlights of their UK plans:

Note that the free monthly trial is only for new members. You can cancel the membership easily and it’s simple to rejoin at any time too.

If you’re a fan of the classic music videos, there is a lot of potential for extra value to be had from YouTube Music as you can switch from audio to video in a single tap.

You can get a good experience in terms of audio quality on a free membership, but here are the key benefits of choosing YouTube Music with a paid plan:

• Millions of songs and videos available without ads.

• Downloadable content for use on the go.

• Background play, so you can keep listening while using other apps.

• Audio-only mode, to listen to music without loading the video and save data.

Amazon Music

You can use Amazon Music on browsers and devices like Amazon Alexa, but also game consoles, phones or smartwatches. See a breakdown of the Amazon Music plans below:

The good news for existing Prime Members is that you automatically get Amazon Music Prime, but it’s of a lower audio quality and the library is limited.

The Amazon Unlimited subscriptions renew automatically each month and the 30-day free trial is only available to new subscribers.

Audio quality makes Amazon a good option to get the most out of your speakers or headphones. Here are some things you get with Amazon Music Unlimited:

• Huge library of tracks available on demand.

• The largest selection of ad-free podcasts.

• Offline listening and downloadable content.

• Great quality, lossless audio on thousands of tracks — ideal for audiophiles.

Apple Music

An Apple Music membership is available on all Apple platforms and devices, along with others including Windows, Amazon Echo, and Sonos. The plan includes the following:

There’s no free option aside from the trials. You can get 1 month free as a new subscriber and the monthly fee kicks in after that. The Student Plan includes Apple TV+ too.

You might also get a free trial period of 3 months (although this varies) when you purchase an eligible Apple device, such as AirPods or an iPhone.

Apple Music goes all in on audio quality and selection, even though it’s a bit pricey. Here are some highlights of the Apple Music experience that might be the clincher in buying:

• No ads ever, it’s a completely ad-free experience.

• Lots of free trials, including with Apple One subscription bundles and new devices.

• Exclusive access to live gigs and other events.

• Classical music, expertly created playlists, and more for niche music lovers.

SoundCloud

SoundCloud has a lot of free music, but there’s a subscription-based service too. It’s usable on a browser and many platform-specific apps. Plan details include the following:

SoundCloud is great for music creators as well as those looking for emerging artists or music from new talent and mainstream releases.

Subscription fees go to support rising artists, so it’s also a good option for people who are really involved in music and view it as part of their community.

Here are some reasons why a SoundCloud subscription might be the best option for listening to music online:

• High-quality audio on SoundCloud Go+.

• Free 7-day or 30-day trials, so you can see what version is right for you.

• 50% discount on SoundCloud Go+ for students.

• Helps support independent artists.

How to enhance your listening experience online

You can easily optimise your internet connection for a better listening experience. If you’re having connection-specific challenges, check out our tips to help solve coverage issues.

High-quality headphones and speakers are essential for optimal audio, especially when you’re listening to a music stream with a high bitrate.

Understanding bandwidth when listening to music online

Luckily, streaming music doesn’t require much bandwidth — although if you’re loading video content at the same time, such as with YouTube Music, you might need a bit more.

As long as you have about 10 Mbps you’ll be able to stream comfortably, but it depends on the quality of the music. Community Fibre packages offer a minimum of 150 Mbps, so selecting higher-quality audio won’t be a problem for audiophiles who want the best sound possible.

How to listen to music online for free

Spotify, YouTube, Amazon and SoundCloud all offer free options for listening to music online. If you don’t mind ads and lower-quality streams, they are perfectly acceptable.

Apple Music also offers several free trials and all platforms have free introductory periods for their premium offerings, which you can take advantage of for a limited time.

Always listen to music on the internet safely

You should only use legal streaming platforms with appropriate authorization from the music industry. Avoid downloading unknown music files as these may contain viruses.

Make the most of the internet with Community Fibre

Whatever streaming service you use to listen to music, podcasts, and other stuff online, you can get the most out of it in London by signing up for one of our full fibre packages. 

Check out our deals too, which will give you a great way to stream music or video and browse at unbeatable speeds with outstanding value.

See our guides on how to use the internet effectively and read more about how we’re trying to close the digital divide. 

Check your postcode and see if Community Fibre is available in your area today.

Please note: All pricing information correct at the time of publication, may be subject to change.