honestly. i dont know if you notice this but spotify audio encoding quality is better than youtube
even instagram has more dynamics in the sound.. anyone relate to this?

youtube is the worst!!! feels like sound loses dynamics and volume. why the hell did they make stable volume? also.. i would like to know what kind of bitrates and quality these platforms use.

 

Last edited: Jan 24, 2026 at 8:12 AM

Source and more: https://wiki.libre.moe/en/codecs/audio/compression-comparison-of-music-streaming-services

Ranking the non-lossless offers based on my personal (a bit subjective but well-informed) knowledge:

1. Spotify App (Premium)
2. Apple Music, Spotify Web (Premium), SoundCloud (HQ)
3. YouTub, Spotify App (Free)
4. Spotify Web (Free), YouTube Live
5. SoundCloud

Please note that all lossless offers will deliver better quality than any lossy offer, meaning Tidal and Apple Music Lossless (which is included in the regular subscription) are better than e.g. Spotify or YouTube.