YouTube Music vs Spotify

Privacy compared: the newest public version of each, scored by the same six rules. YouTube Music scores 69 and Spotify 59, so YouTube Music is 10 points ahead.

69of 100

YouTube Musiccom.google.android.apps.youtube.music

version 9.40.51 ahead by 10

59of 100

Spotifycom.spotify.music

version 9.1.88.2204

Who is ahead on what

The longer bar is the better one on every axis; a score is the mean of its six axes. The arithmetic behind each is on the app's own card.

Axes: YouTube Music leads on 2 axes, Spotify on 1 axis; 3 axes are level.
Trackers: YouTube Music carries 1 tracker, Spotify 6 trackers; fewer is better.
Dangerous permissions: YouTube Music may ask for 4 permissions, Spotify for 7 permissions.

The six axes

Each axis is one short rule applied to both apps, with the one thing that decided its number underneath.

Security level

YouTube Music 70 1 security problem found.

Spotify 70 1 security problem found.

Tracking YouTube Music +53

YouTube Music 79 1 tracking tool found.

Spotify 26 6 tracking tools found.

Build hygiene Spotify +8

YouTube Music 71 The app passes 10 of 14 checks of how well it was built.

Spotify 79 The app passes 11 of 14 checks of how well it was built.

Packaging level

YouTube Music 100 Unpacked, the base APK is 81 MB; 170 KB of it is unused files.

Spotify 100 The phone can use everything in the app.

Access YouTube Music +14

YouTube Music 38 Asks for 7 of 11 kinds of permission; no special access.

Spotify 24 Asks for 8 of 11 kinds of permission; no special access.

Background level

YouTube Music 54 Runs 3 kinds of background service and starts by itself after a restart.

Spotify 54 Runs 3 kinds of background service and starts by itself after a restart.

TrackersYouTube Music 1 · Spotify 6

The advertising, analytics and attribution SDKs recognised in each app. What only one of them carries is what sets it apart.

Only in YouTube Music

none

In both

Firebase Analytics

Only in Spotify

BranchComScoreFacebook SDKGoogle AdMobHuawei Ads

Dangerous permissionsYouTube Music 4 · Spotify 7

The permissions Android asks the user about at run time: the camera, the microphone, the location, the contacts and the like. An app may need one for what it does; asking is not the same as using.

Only in YouTube Music

none

In both

ACCESS_FINE_LOCATIONCAMERAREAD_EXTERNAL_STORAGEWRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE

Only in Spotify

ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATIONREAD_PHONE_STATERECORD_AUDIO

Where this comes from

Both are the apps' public cards: what anyone may know of an app, from its newest public version - one Google Play installed, and out in the world. Each card has the score's lines and the earlier versions: YouTube Music, Spotify.