Can you use Spotify inside your web browser? Yep. Here’s everything you need to know about listening to Spotify with JUST your web browser…
Spotify is one of the most successful startups of all time. The company got started around the time I left college and started working in tech journalism, so I’ve personally seen just how much it’s grown.
As an avid Spotify user, I’ve been using the platform to consume ALL my music since around 2010 – over 11 years ago now. In the past decade, Spotify has developed massively, overtaking both iTunes and other digital music platforms as the world’s favorite way to listen to music.
Most people access Spotify via an app on their phone.
Spotify is available for free or with a subscription. You can get it on iPhone and Android as well as all major computer platforms, including macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, and Windows.
Running Spotify From Your Web Browser
For a good few years now, Spotify has had a web-based version of its music platform. Just like Facebook, you can access Spotify – and all of its goodies – via your web browser rather than using a native application.
All you need is a compatible web browser. Currently, Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera will all run Spotify but for some reason – hello, Apple Music – you cannot do it on Safari.
Apple has never explained why this is but it is almost certainly down to the fact that it wants you to use Apple Music, not Spotify to listen to music on its products which also happen to include its software like Safari – both for iOS and macOS.
How To Access Spotify From Web Browser
Accessing and running Spotify in your web browser is simple, so long as you have a supported web browser. As noted above, Spotify will work in the following web browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera.
To open and run Spotify in any of the above-named browsers, simply go to play.Spotify.com and either sign in with your current membership details or follow the sign-up protocol to create an account.
Types of Spotify Accounts
- Spotify Free – This is the free, ad-supported version of Spotify. With this version, you can listen to as much music as you like but there are adverts played every now and then. This is how Spotify recoups its costs and pays its artists.
- Spotify Unlimited – Spotify Unlimited costs $4.99/£4.99/€4.99 per month and gives you advert-free access to Spotify’s entire catalogue. This includes podcasts, music, and new releases. It does NOT include the mobile app though, so you’re limited to your desktop computer with Unlimited.
- Spotify Premium – With Spotify Premium, ($9.99/£9.99/€9.99), you get all the benefits of Spotify Unlimited as well as the ability to download and use Spotify on your phone via Spotify’s Android or iOS app. You also get offline listening and the ability to sync music between devices.
What’s the best Spotify account? The one you can afford, basically. If you cannot stretch to $9.99 per month for an account, or even $4.99, just use the free version – it works fine but there are adverts.
Me? I use Spotify all day long, so I opted for Spotify Unlimited and I’ve had for years now. I like having all my music with me wherever I go and, back before COVID, when I used to travel a lot, I had offline music and all my devices synced.
You can check out all the different accounts available here.
Spotify Web Version vs Spotify App – What’s The Difference?
On the surface, you might not think there’d much difference between Spotify running in your browser versus Spotify running as an app. But there are quite a few differences and the most pertinent one is that Spotify running in your browser isn’t as good quality as it is inside the app version.
How much worse quality is Spotify in the browser? If you have a Spotify free account you’ll get 128kbps from the Web Player and 160kbps from the desktop/mobile app, while Premium members get 256kbps from the Web Player and 320kbps from the desktop app.
Which Should You Use?
If you want the best possible sound quality with Spotify, you’ll need to go with Spotify Unlimited or Spotify Premium and make sure that you download the app for either your phone or desktop computer.
You can use Spotify via a web browser when you’re in a pinch or using a friend’s computer, but you’re definitely best off with the native app.
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