SoundCloud vs Spotify
SoundCloud and Spotify are both European and both have free tiers, but they hold different music. Spotify, from Stockholm, licenses the largest commercial catalogue in the category. SoundCloud, from Berlin, is where artists upload directly: demos, remixes and DJ sets that exist nowhere else. Spotify replaces a record collection; SoundCloud shows what has not been signed yet.
Choose SoundCloud if
you follow electronic music, hip-hop or emerging scenes, want remixes and early tracks from unsigned artists, or make music yourself and need upload, creator and monetisation tools.
Read the SoundCloud reviewChoose Spotify if
you want a complete licensed library for everyday listening, with podcasts, algorithmic recommendations and the widest catalogue, rather than a platform built around uploads.
Read the Spotify reviewSoundCloud and Spotify side by side
| SoundCloud | Spotify | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | SoundCloud | Spotify AB |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Founded | 2007 | 2006 |
| Jurisdiction | EU (Germany) | EU (Sweden), US-listed |
| Where the data sits | EU | EU (Sweden) |
| Pricing | Free tier / from about €5.99/month | Free with advertising / Premium subscription |
| Free tier or trial | Free tier | Free tier |
| Certifications and checks | GDPR | GDPR |
| Source code | Closed source | Closed source |
| Usually replaces | Spotify, Apple Music | Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music |
| Position in our Music Streaming guide | #4 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; how we check it is described in the editorial process.
Where SoundCloud and Spotify differ
Across the four points below, SoundCloud has the edge on 2 points, Spotify on 1 point and one is a tie. 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 catalogue
Spotify's library is the largest here and arrives through labels and distributors. SoundCloud's arrives from the artists themselves, so it holds demos, remixes, DJ sets and works in progress, while its commercial catalogue is patchy. As a replacement for a full licensed library Spotify is the stronger; SoundCloud is a discovery platform that sits beside one.
Edge: Spotify
How discovery works
Spotify's recommendations are algorithmic and rated the best in the category. SoundCloud's discovery is social: comments are timestamped to the waveform and reposts spread tracks through people rather than a recommendation system. For emerging electronic music and hip-hop that is how the scene works; for general listening the algorithm does more. It depends on what you want found.
No clear winner on this point.
Paying the artist
SoundCloud uses fan-powered royalties, which tie a listener's subscription to the artists they actually play, and it offers creator tools and monetisation. Spotify's per-stream payouts are described as low and hotly disputed. Anyone choosing on how the money reaches musicians, or wanting to publish their own work, has a clearer case with SoundCloud.
Edge: SoundCloud
Where the company sits
Both process in the EU under GDPR. SoundCloud is Berlin-based under German jurisdiction. Spotify AB operates from Stockholm under Swedish and EU law but is listed in New York, which our directory counts as a drawback while noting it is a different arrangement from a US-established processor. On European footing alone, SoundCloud is the plainer case.
Edge: SoundCloud
When neither SoundCloud nor Spotify fits
Neither suits a listener who wants full-length DJ mixes and radio shows with a tracklist up front: Mixcloud is built for that format. And if the priority is a full licensed catalogue whose royalties follow your own listening, Deezer offers that with a free tier.
SoundCloud vs Spotify: questions
Both have a free tier with advertising. SoundCloud's paid plans start from about €5.99 a month, the lowest in our music streaming category. Our data lists Spotify only as free with advertising or a Premium subscription, without a price, so a like-for-like figure cannot be given here.
For most listeners, no. SoundCloud's commercial catalogue is patchy and it is described as a discovery platform rather than a replacement for a full licensed library, with upload quality that varies enormously. It suits people whose listening is mostly independent, unsigned or DJ-led music, which is a different job from the one Spotify does.
SoundCloud. It is the only service in the category where artists upload directly, without a label or distributor, and it adds creator tools, monetisation and fan-powered royalties tied to what each subscriber plays. Spotify's payouts per stream are described as low and widely criticised.