Pandora vs. Spotify

So now that I have figured out how to use Spotify, I am addicted to it. It is so great to be able to listen and find new artists for free! But then I thought about how it compared to Pandora. I have used Pandora for the past few years, mainly because of it's convenience and lack of commercials. I can pull it up on my phone, and rather than playing only the popular songs like a radio station, it mixes it up and adds in some new artists. You can also choose the overall style of the station, which is definitely a positive.

But then it also has its cons. Though you can skip songs, you have a limit and once you have used up all of your turns, you are stuck listening to a horrible song. You also have no control over what you play... which can sometimes be a huge turnoff.

I realize that there are many other pros and cons of both, but rather than just listing them, I'm going to make a chart.

Pandora:

Pros                                  

• Introduces you to new music
• You can skip songs you don't like
• You can choose the style of the radio station
• You can thumbs up/thumbs down songs you like/don't like
• Limited commercials
• Plays songs continuously
• Provides information about the artists
• Ability to follow others (I don't)
• Can be used on mobiles and computers
• Limits you to overplaying songs

Cons                                 

• Limited number of skips
• No control of the songs played
• Songs can be repetitive
• Singles only - Not full albums

Spotify:

Pros                                      

• Stream any music
• Free
• Follow artists or playlists
• You can create your own playlist
• Like a free iTunes
• Listen to full albums
• Can listen to radio
• Shows new releases, top songs, top playlists
• You can connect with people you know through facebook

Cons                                        

• Limited to computer use only (the free version)
• Radio choices are limited to mainly genres
• You can easily overplay songs and ruin them

That might show you something - the fact that I can't come up with any more negatives or positives for Spotify. Sorry if I forgot some. But overall I think they are both great for different reasons. If spotify was free on mobiles, it would definitely be my favorite, but right now they are at a tie...