I've been trying to find a Spotify alternative for months. I've tried Tidal, Qobuz, and I'm now on my trial of Apple Music. But there's one major reason why I can't cut the cord and break up with Spotify: Wrapped.
Spotify Wrapped is the best year-end roundup on this planet. Qobuz doesn't even do one, which is majorly disappointing. Both Apple Music and Tidal offer a monthly/yearly recap you can access at any time. This approach makes your end-of-year stats feel less special.
What makes Spotify Wrapped so addictive?
Humans are naturally obsessed with themselves, and Spotify Wrapped taps into that suppressed narcissism just right. As with pretty much every social media platform, there's no alchemy or wizardry happening here: it's simple psychology.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all humans are selfish. Being selfish and being interested in one's musical stats are not the same. Put simply, Spotify Wrapped makes it so much easier for us to show the world who we are, and isn't that what everyone wants? It's the perfect combination of social trends and personal interests.
Many people loathe the trend of sharing Wrappeds on social media, but I love it. What is that random girl I met on vacation in 2019 listening to now? Well, I don't have to wonder anymore. I can see it in full color on her Instagram story.
I adore judging people's music tastes with the same voracity with which they judge mine. I know everyone who sees my Spotify Wrapped is analyzing every artist, every track, and every sub-genre, and that's fine. I welcome it. I'm just as guilty of it as the next person.
Why is Spotify Wrapped so much better than the alternatives?
So, now we know that Spotify Wrapped is so addictive because it taps into our inherent narcissism in a shareable, consumable way. I'll talk about why no other streaming service comes close.
Spotify feels like a friend. Apple Music's yearly breakdown — called Replay — is less personable, more corporate. Replay has less of a focus on pinpointing niche genres and analyzing your listening habits with depth. Wrapped, on the other hand, breaks down your listening by the day, hour, and time. In short, Wrapped feels more thorough.
Let's take a look at some screenshots from 2025's Apple Music Replay and Spotify Wrapped. Obviously, the results will be different from Spotify and Apple Music as I wasn't using both services simultaneously. I only got Apple Music in October, so my Replay is based on less data. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that Apple Music's overall end-of-year report has less depth than Spotify's.
On top of being inherently less shareable, Apple Music's Replay lacks the statistical intrigue of Spotify Wrapped. My top artists are displayed in a list (that I had to click through another menu to find) rather than being shown to me with digital fireworks and glitter.
There's no top artist image or top song image. This is a major reason why Spotify Wrapped is so excellent — bite-sized data nuggets — and a huge part of the appeal.
It makes me wonder if Spotify's somehow patented its five-song and five-artist graphic. How has Apple Music not adopted this design yet? I feel like it's the key thing missing from Apple's version.
Graphics aren't the only thing missing from Replay, though. Spotify has some unique features that no other streaming service can compete with.
These are some listening "clubs". Basically, Spotify analyzes your music taste and sorts you into houses. Imagine Hogwarts houses, but for music listening. Again, this is psychology — it makes you feel like you're in a secret society. A community of fellow music lovers.
Replay lacks that. I don't know what style of listener Apple Music thinks I am, and I want to know so bad. I want to compare my results with my friends and chat about why John from that one college class is in the "Soft Hearts Club" when he was definitely more of a death metal fan ten years ago.
Finally, I want to talk about Spotify's new feature for 2025: listening age. This is such an intelligent move. It's so shareable, and can definitely spark frenzied discussions within friend groups. I've already had two conversations about listening ages with my colleagues and in my family group chat.
This screenshot shows my listening age, my colleague Nikita's listening age, and my colleague Ashley's listening age. I predict this age rating is based on the age of your most-listened-to tracks rather than a robust comparative analysis of your age bracket's listening habits versus older and younger generations, but it's still fun to talk about.
Many jibes, such as "mythical unc" and shocked-face-emoji, have been thrown around since the sharing of our listening ages.
Apple Music can't even come close to this. The most shareable thing on my Replay is my list of top artists. And it's not even that shareable.
Although I'm on a mission to quit Spotify, I can't help but imagine next year's Wrapped day. What if I do succeed in completely switching to Apple Music, and I don't get any Instagrammable data next year? I can already envision myself swiping through my friends' Stories with barely concealed jealousy.
Could Spotify Wrapped be the one thing holding me back from committing to Apple Music full-time? Is Replay enough for me to make the switch?
I suppose only time will tell. In the meantime, I'm going to go back through my Spotify Wrapped and watch it all again.
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