Apple Music vs Gaana vs JioSaavn vs YouTube Music: The Indian music streaming market is heating up

Update: In response to Gaana and JioSaavn dropping their yearly prices to Rs 299, Apple Music has reduced its prices for the individual plan to Rs 99 and family plan to Rs 140. Apple does not offer a yearly plan.Only two weeks after Spotify launched its services in India, the music streaming industry in the country sees another worthy competitor entering the fray in the form of YouTube Music. With the likes of Apple Music, Gaana, Amazon Music, Wynk and more, the streaming music space has become quite crowded, and with the merger of Jio and Saavn forming JioSaavn, the Indian audience has almost too many options to choose from.[caption id="attachment_6246771" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

YouTube Music is now available in India. Image: Tech2[/caption]While it is true that Spotify bags the title of the most subscribed music streaming platform in the world, dwarfing industry heavyweights such as Apple, Google, Gaana and JioSaavn, YouTube Music is backed by, well... YouTube. With nearly 2 billion users on the platform and an infinitely deep well of content to draw on, YouTube is the biggest platform for streaming music. A recent report has indicated that YouTube is the most popular platform for streaming music in India followed by Jio Music and Google Play in 2018.(Also Read- Spotify vs Apple Music vs JioSaavn vs Gaana vs Google Music: A comparison of services)In a market as diverse as India, Spotify will find it difficult to serve everyone. Apps like Gaana and JioSaavn offer music in more than 15 languages while Spotify is bringing up the rear with content in just 7 languages. YouTube, on the other hand, has content in nearly every language you can think off because, well, anyone with access to YouTube can upload something. Better yet, the music videos are just a swipe away.When we come to pricing, it appeared last month that Spotify had done well. The Swedish music streaming service offered packs which start from Rs 13 per day, Rs 119 per month (Rs 129 prepaid monthly) and Rs 1,189 per year. There is also a 50 percent student discount available on the monthly subscription package. Now YouTube has challenged it with a Rs 99 monthly pack for its YouTube Music app and Rs 129 for the YouTube Premium service, which should basically put Spotify out of commission.(Also read: JioSaavn, Gaana subscription charges dropped by 70 percent; to cost Rs 299 annually)Here's a comparison table of YouTube Music vs Gaana vs Google Music vs Apple Music vs Spotify vs Saavn

Streaming Service	YouTube Music	Spotify	Google Music	JioSaavn	Amazon Music	Gaana	Apple Music
Subscriber Count	Unknown	207 million (paid 97 million)	50 million Plus	100 million Plus	100 million Plus	80 million	56 million
Pricing	Rs 99 for 1 month	Rs 13 for 1 day; Rs 119 for 1 month; Rs 1,189 for 1 year	Rs 99 for 1 month	Rs 5 for 1 day; Rs 99 for 1 month; Rs 299 for 1 year	Rs 999 for 1 year (included with Prime)	Rs 99 for 1 month; Rs 299 for 1 year	Rs 99 for 1 month
Family Plan	Rs  129 (up to 6 people)	No	Rs 190 (up to 6 people)	No	No	Rs 499 (up to 5 people)	Rs 149 (up to 6 people)
Free Features	Listen to all tracks with ads	Listen to all tracks with ads after every sixth song	Listen to curated playlists, Upload your own music	Listen to tracks with ads, Lyrics	No	Listen to tracks with ads, Lyrics	No
Paid features	Unlimited ad-free tracks, full-range of curated playlists, recommended playlists, Download songs offline, Unlimited Radio, Music Videos	Unlimited ad-free tracks, unlimited skips, full-range of curated playlists, Download songs offline, HD Audio	Unlimited ad-free tracks, full-range of curated playlists, YouTube Music, Unlimited Radio, Download songs offline	Unlimited ad-free tracks, Download songs offline, HD Audio	Unlimited ad-free tracks, Download songs offline, HD Audio	Unlimited ad-free tracks, Download songs offline, HD Audio	Unlimited ad-free tracks, Download songs offline, HD Audio
Max Devices	5	5	10			5	6
Offline downloads	50,000	10,000	50,000	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Music Collection	NA	40 million plus	40 million	45 million	40 million	45 million	50 million
Android/iOS/Desktop app	Yes	Yes	Yes (No official desktop app)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (via iTunes on desktop)
Maximum Streaming bitrate	TBC	320 kbps (paid); 96 kbps (mobile unpaid); 160 kbps (PC unpaid)	320 kbps (all)	320 kbps (paid); 160 kbps (unpaid)	320 kbps	320 kbps (paid); 160 kbps (unpaid)	256 kbps (AAC)
Free trial period	3 months	30 days	30 days	90 days	No	30 days	90 days
Podcast support	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Languages	NA	7	NA	15	10	21	NA