I tried transferring my library to YouTube Music, and I don’t think I’m ever going back to Spotify

I’ve been a Spotify user for a few years now. I loved the seamless Spotify Connect feature and broad device support.

More importantly, it’s way cheaper than YouTube Music in my region. The new lossless quality is also a great addition, although I didn’t really use it extensively.

All that sounds well and good, so there’s no real reason to abandon it.

But recently, I upgraded my Google One subscription tier, which bundles YouTube Premium and YouTube Music.

I figured that since it’s technically free, why not give YouTube Music another spin? So, I reinstalled YouTube Music on my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL after years of disabling it across my devices.

I wanted to see if it had evolved after all these years and how it stacked up against Spotify.

To my surprise, it didn’t take long to realize that it was way better than I expected. Now, I am thinking it’s going to be tough to go back to Spotify anytime soon.

YouTube premium perks

I literally pay nothing to get YouTube Music

Before, I was completely put off by YouTube Music because the individual plan is pricier than Spotify in my region.

I don’t heavily use YouTube. I mostly use it to watch tech and game reviews or movie trailers, so jumping on YouTube Premium only to get YouTube Music was never the original game plan.

That’s why I stuck with Spotify for many years, happily cruising along until I finally gave YouTube Music a shot.

Everything changed when I upgraded to the Google One AI Premium plan.

While it doesn’t offer the full YouTube Premium feature set as the standalone plan, it unlocks the paid-tier YouTube Music perks.

This means I get offline downloads and an ad-free streaming experience. It’s a clever way of getting the service for free.

Spotify Premium costs less than YouTube Premium in my country, but bundling it makes it a total no-brainer. I get an ad-free YouTube experience alongside the perks of YouTube Music Premium.

But it’s more than the value proposition that’s keeping me hooked on YouTube Music.

Transferring collections is a breeze

Music locker is a great legacy tool

I’ve realized that YouTube Music has significantly improved since I last gave it a fair trial.

First up was migrating my Spotify library. Though I hadn’t bothered trying years ago, Google has made transferring my library and playlists from Spotify to YouTube Music an absolute breeze.

During setup, it routes you to the third-party tool TuneMyMusic, which requires a few taps to migrate your library and tracks.

I also really appreciate that YouTube Music still supports a personal music locker. I’ve uploaded older collections stored on my computer through the web version of the service.

YouTube Music automatically analyzes and matches the metadata and cover photos of my tracks, which is a neat trick.

This is one of the most notable differences when compared to Spotify. While you get a similarly quick initial transfer, Spotify offers no native way to upload your local collections.

YouTube Music adapts in real time

It has better recommendations than Spotify

Music discovery is easily one of my favorite features on Spotify. I like that it regularly serves up fresh tracks that suit the genres I frequent most.

However, I’ve been skipping a lot more on Spotify lately, rather than landing on songs that fit my taste. I also frequently get stuck in loops with the same songs I’ve already heard.

I can only stop the repeated tracks from appearing if I explicitly tell the app to stop suggesting them, which gets frustrating.

It’s a stark contrast to YouTube Music. I was genuinely surprised by how quickly the algorithm adapted to my taste, serving up recommendations that are notably more reliable and dynamic than Spotify’s.

I started with a quick search for a single song, then with a mood, and sifted through the subsequent recommendations.

After just a few dislikes or skips, the algorithm quickly learned what I preferred.

YouTube removes a massive chunk of the guesswork, sending many of the suggested tracks into my favorites rotation.

More importantly, I feel that YouTube Music offers a wider catalog, even if you exclude the music video formats, which I disabled.

On Spotify, there were too many instances of getting the same suggestions within the same week.

This intelligent prediction also extends to YouTube Music’s mix feature. I love that I get a tailored playlist immediately after starting a mix, one that hits closer to the moods and genres I want to hear.

Spotify’s curated playlists look a bit more polished, but the variety of songs doesn’t feel as deep as YouTube Music.

Having a dedicated toggle to turn off music videos in the settings is also a useful filter for keeping the listening experience clean.

But if I want to get a bit more engaged with a visual, I can dial it back.

Features that YouTube Music still lacks

I needed to adjust my listening

There are a few missing pieces on YouTube Music that you can only find on Spotify. These omissions require me to make a few adjustments before I get the hang of it.

The biggest hurdle is the lack of a proper Spotify Connect equivalent that offers seamless playback continuity across my laptop, smartwatch, and other smart devices.

Spotify handles this beautifully, allowing me to use any connected device as a remote to control current playback without interrupting the active stream.

It happens instantaneously as long as everything is online.

On YouTube Music, there is basic playback sync, but I find it incredibly hit-or-miss.

Several times, I tried handing off and controlling a track between my phone and my laptop’s web client, only to have the stream get interrupted or fail to update the track status right away.

I’m not entirely sure if this is a bug or a system-wide issue, but I’d love to see Google improve cross-platform playback continuity.

In addition, I would love to see a native desktop app for YouTube Music. The web client just doesn’t cut it, adding friction when I want to wind down on my laptop with Chrome minimized.

There’s also the matter of HiFi support. While I don’t consider myself an audiophile or hardcore lister, having high-end audio quality on YouTube Music would be a great option, even if the difference is barely noticeable on my headphones or laptop’s speakers.

Why I’m not going back to Spotify anytime soon

I admit that YouTube Music is not a perfect streaming service, and it still lacks several key features found on Spotify and rival platforms.

But living in the Android ecosystem and relying on YouTube saves me cash by wrapping my music into the same package.

Beyond avoiding an extra monthly fee, YouTube Music offers smarter, more intuitive personalized recommendations than Spotify. It catches on quickly whenever I need to change to a different mood or genre.

I’m no audiophile, but as a casual listener, YouTube Music nails the fundamentals I’ve been looking for from a streaming service.

Until Spotify learns how to stop repeating the same songs on discovery, my Spotify subscription is officially on ice.