What the difference between Spotify and Pandora?

[Sobriety_Dash]

I was just wondering what the difference between Spotify and Pandora? What makes Pandora better than Spotify and what makes Spotify better than Pandora?

moderator edit: edited title for clarity

[Bbg]

Tbh it depends on which you rather: no ads for a certain amount of time/ no interruptions guaranteed for a set time(pandora)  OR  Random ads throughout your listening which varies from minutes to hours (Spotify) 

[kissy_rene007]

I think it's entirely user preference. I have been using Pandora for a number of years now, and my roommate uses Spotify. While I currently have a paid account, I used the free version of a long time and I notice that commercial "breaks" are different. Other than that you will find occasional media on one app and not the other, an example of this is my friend has a band and his music is on Spotify but is not currently on Pandora.

[Listener001]

I've never compared, as I've always used Pandora. I cannot see the need to switch or even want to, and I will add that I've had the best customer support experience here at @Pandora and through the community forum. I kind of think of it as someone who's used AOL for years and years. And instead of switching to something newer, like Gmail, they've chosen to stick with what's been proven. I think Pandora has branded themselves well, because even now, the name is synonymous to music downloading for me. That's my two (and only) cents. 😃

[ErickPandora]

Ah, the classic streaming showdown: Spotify vs. Pandora! 🥊🎵

It's like choosing between chocolate and caramel—both are delicious, but they have their unique flavors. Let's break it down with some cheeky comparisons, shall we?

• Spotify is like the all-access pass to your favorite music festival 🎧🎉. It lets you create and curate your own playlists, browse through a vast library of songs, and discover new tunes based on your existing preferences. If you're the kind of person who wants total control over the music selection, Spotify might be your go-to!
• Now, Pandora is like your music-loving best friend who always knows what you want to hear 📻❤️. It learns your preferences and creates custom stations based on your favorite songs, artists, and genres. And guess what? Pandora also lets you curate your own playlists just like Spotify! So, you get the best of both worlds—personalized stations and the power to create your perfect playlist.

As a Community Manager of the Pandora Community, I might have a soft spot for Pandora, but I can definitely appreciate the unique features that each platform offers.

So, let's switch things up: why don't you tell me what you love (or don't love) about Spotify and Pandora? I'm all ears! 🤗👂

[DKB67]

As an old guy, well just 55.  I have tried Spotify and most of the other major players - always sticking with Pandora. For me Spotify and the others were just to much work, i didn't have the time or energy trying to set up and manage playlists. I so enjoy Pandora's radio format - I just set my genre or favorite station and enjoy the music. Yeah, other services also have radio style stations but I can tell you none of the others consistently anticipates & play the music I love to hear like Pandora !  Oh, I also enjoy Pandora's auto playlist - love the option of not having to set them up, they are just there.

[SuzettaOT7]

I'm new to Pandora, have been a Spotify sub for many years. Also sub to Apple Music & You Tube Music. I find both Spotify & Pandora easy to use. I enjoy making my own PLs & share with friends who in return share theirs. What Spotify offers that would be on my Pandora wishlist is to be added to Stationhead as a listening option. I attend a lot of Stationhead listening parties both hosted by fandoms and artists and currently only Spotify & Apple premium subs are compatible. Also, daily track stats chart updates showing BB chart eligible streams.  Lastly, straight up scrobbling capability with Last FM. While I may likely stay with Pandora it will be addition to Spotify at this point. TBH, I wish I could cancel Spotify, it is an entity that I have many MANY issues with but will likely stay with until I can complete my music experience on another platform with these 3 mentioned features. 

THIS is MY wishlist Pandora! 

[ErickPandora]

Hey @SuzettaOT7,

Welcome to the Pandora Community! It's awesome to see you enjoying Pandora alongside other streaming services, and your feedback is truly appreciated. Your wishlist helps us understand the needs and desires of our users. 👍

Just a quick reminder - we have a dedicated space in our forums called the Feature Request section. This is where you can submit your ideas and suggestions, like the ones you mentioned in your post, for potential implementation by Pandora. Other community members can also join in the discussion and support your ideas by giving them a "Like." ❤️

To make sure your voice is heard and to encourage collaboration with other members, please consider sharing your wishlist in the Feature Request section. This will help us prioritize the features that are most important to our community.

Thanks again for your valuable input, and we hope you continue to enjoy your time here in the Pandora Community! 🎶

Best regards,

Erick

[caldella]

Tbh I have both.
Spotify and Youtube both are better for me when I have a specific playlist/song/artist I want to listen to.

Pandora however gets overall more time from me, as I use it to keep a constant stream of specific music while I work. It's more set-it-and-forget-it. I've found that Spotify's generated playlists are generally not as good. Sometimes I'll click on a playlist they've generated for an artist, and I only hear one song from that artist and then just other ones I don't like as much. No input i Make ever sticks, which is an ongoing problem they haven't been able to solve for months, if not a year + for me. I think I've invested too much time adjusting my Pandora stations to suit my needs for Spotify to really match that.

I've also found Spotify has a lot more issues with bad ads. Not bad as in low quality, but bad as in, "Please stop advertising this true crime of a murdered girl; I'm uncomfortable," or "Stop interrupting my peaceful music with horrific screaming to advertise a Halloween horror attraction." Apparently other people have had ads for gambling and other adult-only things on kid-friendly playlists, too. 😕

[StephanWolf]

For me it always comes down to Pandora's shuffle ability.  I love a lot of different genres, and get tired quickly of listening to the same genre.  So add all my favorite genre stations to the shuffle list, and set the shuffle setting to random, and that way I am always getting different music to listen to, which I love.   They tend to use a lot of the same songs/artists in the genre stations, so that gets tiring sometimes.  I'll go check other music streaming services once in a while, but so far no one else has implemented that type of random shuffle across genres.  

[MOHLovesAlaska]

For me the difference between Spotify and @Pandora is very simple. I love 😍 Pandora, and I don't care at all for Spotify. 

And yes, I have had both. 

Have a great day, take care and GOD bless.

[nitecapt]

Pandora has introduced me to music that I have never heard before and has broadened my listening pleasure. Their algorithms have learned what I like and I get a consistent flow of new and unheard music that is pleasing to my ears. They got it right and have done an excellent analysis of my taste which is varied but still they get it right. From Knopfler to Nightwish to Two Steps from Hell, I have become a great fan of bands I have never heard before.  Sometimes I wonder why some of these bands like Nightwish never made it big in this country.

[Pambernhart]

Hahaha! I am also a Gen Xer! (at 52). I think Pandora is a little more user friendly.

[avah_coleman]

As said by many, it is user preference mainly. The one difference I have notified myself is that Spotify is a lot more ad supported than pandora is, they use ads a lot more than pandora. As well as Spotify tends to hit more towards the smaller and more upcoming creators than the ones you see all around. Each has its pros and cons, it’s just how you feel and gravitate towards each all you interact with. 🙂

[idahopilot]

The largest negative for me for Pandora is that I cannot use it when outside the United States.  As an airline pilot, I travel the world and would like to be able to stream Pandora especially in the gym.

[beamish999]

At this point there really is no competition between the two services.  Spotify is far beyond what Pandora is doing. 

Spotify has better sound quality. In fact Pandora has the worst sound quality of any other streaming music service.  192 bit rate MP3 in 2023, unless I'm using the TV app on a device in then it is down converted to 128 MP3.Really Pandora? 

The Spotify app  has so many more features that it is insulting to compare.  Pandora has even removed some of the features they did have such as their weekly personalized playlists, year end review, etc.  The other services have caught up with Pandora's Genome and with increases in AI this will continue to be less and less of a feature for Pandora.

Speaking of app features, whatever happened to the new Pandora X experience we beta tested?  All history of it has been completely removed with no mention of it in a long, long time.

SiriusXM seems to have left Pandora to die on the vine.  The only thing that makes sense to me is that they decided a while back that they just couldn't compete and are just trying to limit the overhead costs of Pandora as much as possible until they can kill it and roll it completely into the SiriusXM product.  

[mramsell2450]

Pandora's interface is much better, maybe the best.  If you pick an artist to listen to there's four modes.  2 are: just artist, artist and similar music.  I didn't see that option on Spotify.  Shuffle artists is a pay option on Spotify too so you can't get random music.

Spotify has music Pandora doesn't have.  Want to listen to some Cactus (old obscure rock n roll) have to use Spotify.

[nitecapt]

Despite complaints about music quality which I do not hear especially in the car I find that Pandora's algorhythms are far superior to others and Pandora has thankfully introduced me to music I had never heard before and widened my musical horizons with some pretty obscure stuff so I have no problems with their selection and they even explain why selections have been made. Like I have said previously, Pandora has introduced me to artists and music I have never heard before. and its operation is simple. As far as I am concerned, no other streaming music player does the job as effectively as Pandora when matching music style with the listener AND Pandora does it so successfully that there are few if any services that can compete. Thus if your complaints are with respect to fidelity which I don't hear as a difference (probably due to my subscription level). I ill no longer even entertain listening to the competition. I have Pandora to thank for having introduced me to artists and music I likely never would have heard on Spotify whose music selection seems to be weighed heavily on the age of the listener and the music their contemporaries have selected.  Do I LOVE every song Pandora selects? No...but I can see it doing its job in providing  a varied listening experience based upon not a person's age but upon their likes and dislikes and they are not shy about explaining the reasons why. Love pandora!!

[gvrose]

I couldn't disagree more. I have both Pandora and Spotify. Pandora is far superior! The sound quality is about equal on both of them, with Pandora a bit superior. Pandora is much more user friendly. I like listening to Thumbprint Radio on Pandora...it plays every song I've given a "thumbs up" to. Who needs to waste time creating playlists like you have to do on Spotify? And no commercials...all this for only $4.99 per month!

[iCU2]

Why are we(Pandora) better than Spotify?

Help me win this argument please with a few of my family members. If anyone has come from Spotify or left and came back to Pandora. I know why I love Pandora but highlight your reasons. Please and thank you!