Qobuz vs Spotify

Qobuz and Spotify sit at opposite ends of streaming. Spotify, run by Spotify AB in Stockholm, is the mass service: over 100 million tracks, podcasts, audiobooks and a free plan. Qobuz, run by Xandrie SA near Paris, is the specialist: FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz, a download store and expert editorial. One is for everything, the other for close listening.

Editor Sebastiaan Smits

Published Last reviewed How we review

Choose Qobuz if

sound quality is why you pay, you want to buy and keep particular recordings, and you prefer reviews and liner notes by music experts to recommendations drawn from your own listening.

Read the Qobuz review

Choose Spotify if

you want podcasts and audiobooks beside the music, want to start on a free plan, or want lossless at up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz for a euro a month less than Qobuz.

Read the Spotify review

Qobuz and Spotify side by side

 QobuzSpotify
Company Xandrie SA (Qobuz) Spotify AB
Headquarters Pantin, France Stockholm, Sweden
Founded 2008 2006
Jurisdiction EU (France) EU (Sweden), US-listed
Where the data sits EU EU (Sweden)
Pricing From about €12.49/month Free with advertising / Premium subscription
Entry-level list price (vendor site, checked 30 September 2026) Studio Solo: EUR 14.99/month, or EUR 162.00/year (Netherlands price page) Premium Individual: EUR 13.99/month after a one-month free trial (Netherlands price page)
Free tier or trial Free trial Free tier
Certifications and checks GDPR GDPR
Source code Closed source Closed source
Usually replaces Spotify, TIDAL, Apple Music Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music
Position in our Music Streaming guide #3 of 12 #6 of 12

Both are listed in our European Music Streaming guide. The table is built from the same directory data as those entries, except the list price, which is quoted from each vendor's own pricing page (see Sources below); how we check it is described in the editorial process.

Where Qobuz and Spotify differ

Across the four points below, Qobuz has the edge on 2 points and Spotify on 2 points. A count like that is a summary, not a verdict: the point that matters to you may be the one the other product wins.

What is in the library

Both claim a music catalogue of more than 100 million songs, so for mainstream listening the gap is small. Spotify adds 7 million podcast titles and 700,000 audiobooks, with 12 hours of audiobook listening a month included in Dutch Premium. Qobuz is music only, backed by editorial content. A listener who wants everything in one app is better served by Spotify.

Edge: Spotify

Sound quality

Spotify Premium now streams lossless, equivalent to up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC on compatible devices. Qobuz lists FLAC at 24-bit up to 192 kHz and says Hi-Res is available on every plan. The step from compressed to lossless is the one most people hear; the higher sample rate needs a good DAC and headphones and is lost over Bluetooth.

Edge: Qobuz

Renting versus keeping

Spotify is access only, whether on the free plan or Premium. Qobuz sells albums in CD or Hi-Res quality next to its stream, and its Sublime tier adds discounts of up to 60% on Hi-Res purchases. A bought file stays yours if a licence lapses, which matters most in classical and jazz, where one particular recording is the point.

Edge: Qobuz

Free listening and price

Spotify has a free plan that needs no credit card. On the Dutch price pages Spotify Premium Individual costs EUR 13.99 a month and Qobuz Studio Solo EUR 14.99 a month, or EUR 162.00 paid yearly. Qobuz offers a free trial but lists no permanent free plan. For most listeners Spotify is the cheaper and easier start.

Edge: Spotify

When neither Qobuz nor Spotify fits

If your main question is where the subscription money goes, look at two others. Deezer launched what it calls the first comprehensive artist-centric streaming model in 2023. SoundCloud pays fan-powered royalties and holds around 400 million tracks uploaded directly by artists, next to 100 million from labels.

Qobuz vs Spotify: questions

Less clearly than before. Spotify Premium now includes lossless up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz, while Qobuz goes to 24-bit/192 kHz. Both are lossless, so the remaining gain depends on recordings mastered at high sample rates, a capable DAC and good headphones. On a Bluetooth commute the catalogue matters more than the ceiling.

Qobuz says it is the only streaming platform to publish its average pay per stream. Spotify runs a site called Loud and Clear that shares data behind its royalty payments, including an analysis of its 2025 figures. Neither amounts to a direct per-listener payout; SoundCloud's fan-powered royalties come closer to that.

Yes. Spotify's privacy policy names Spotify AB in Stockholm as data controller and allows processing outside the EU/EEA under safeguards such as standard contractual clauses. Qobuz is operated by XANDRIE SA from Pantin, next to Paris. Both date to 2008: Spotify gives that as its launch year, Qobuz as the year it was formed.

On the Dutch price pages, Spotify Premium Individual is EUR 13.99 a month after a free month, with Student at EUR 6.99. Qobuz Studio Solo is EUR 14.99 a month or EUR 162.00 a year, and Qobuz Family EUR 20.83 a month for up to six accounts. Spotify also has a free plan.

Sources

Facts, prices and plan details on this page were checked on the vendors' own websites on . Prices and plans change; the vendor's current page is authoritative.

More head-to-head comparisons

Against the US incumbents