iTunes Match vs. Amazon Cloud Player
iTunes Match vs. Cloud Player - the big song duel between the American companies Apple and Amazon. With the two services, the US companies have launched very similar music streaming portals. We show you the most important key data of the competitors as well as their advantages and disadvantages.
What are iTuns Match and Amazon Cloud Player?
Both offers are special music streaming services:
- Unlike Spotify, for example, you can only stream your own songs here.
- To do this, both programs scan your music library: songs that are available on Amazon or iTunes are replaced. Unavailable songs will be uploaded. This works for both services via iTunes. Cloud Player can also read folders with files.
- You can then use the PC and your smartphone to access your music from anywhere via the Internet. Both services make your songs available offline if you wish.
- You can link both Cloud Player and Match with up to 10 devices.
Apple's iTunes Match
- Platforms: iTunes Match runs on all devices with iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV) via the pre-installed music app. You can also use the service via the iTunes software on PC and Mac.
- Costs: You pay just under 25 euros a year for matches. Discounted iTunes vouchers can sometimes save up to 20 percent. You'll find more about it here.
- Advantage: iTunes Match replaces songs in poor quality (from 96 kbit / s) with significantly better files (256 kbit / s).
- Disadvantages: The music service only runs on Apple devices, apart from the PC. For example, you cannot access your library with the Android smartphone. In addition, only up to 25, 000 songs can be uploaded. Songs purchased through iTunes are not included. Particularly annoying: Match sometimes takes many hours or even several days to match your library for the first time.
Amazon Cloud Player
- Platforms: Amazon Cloud Player runs with the appropriate software on the PC. There are also apps for Android and iOS as well as web access.
- Cost: Like Match, Cloud Player costs 25 euros per year. You can also use the service with up to 250 songs for free.
- Advantage: Thanks to web access and apps, Amazon Cloud Player can be used on more platforms than iTunes Match. The service also replaces your music files with better quality files.
- Disadvantage: You cannot upload more than 250, 000 songs with the Cloud Player either. In addition, you can hardly use your WLAN during the data synchronization. The service uses the entire bandwidth. It is recommended to start the scan only at night.
Conclusion: iTunes Match vs. Amazon Cloud Player
Both streaming services are very similar. Which you should use depends mainly on your devices:
- iTunes Match is suitable if you use Apple products almost exclusively. Here you benefit from the fact that Match is already integrated in the music app of your iPhone / iPad as well as in iTunes.
- Amazon Cloud Player is more flexible: You can also access the service via the web and from your Android smartphone. If you only need a few songs in the cloud, you can even use the music streaming completely free of charge.
- For both: the music streaming is not as comfortable as it sounds. For songs to be recognized correctly, they must be properly named and tagged. In addition, the upload takes a long time. Both services also struggle with "unusual" files such as audio books. To get your music conveniently later, you have to invest some time.