Best Music Streaming Service in India: Pros & Cons

Apple Music

• PROS: Best library of international music, excellent pricing, great playlists, Beats 1 radio

• CONS: Extremely limited library of Indian music, resource hogging app on PC and Mac, no Web view

PRICE: Three-month free trial, then Rs. 120 per month for one person and Rs. 190 per month for up to six people
AVAILABLE ON: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android (coming soon)


Wynk
Airtel's Wynk was our favourite music streaming app last year and it's good to see that the app still has all the features we loved. Wynk's music curation is still as good as it was a year ago and the app has added support for 320kbps files.

• PROS: Large music library, great curation, good value for money

• CONS: No Web view, complicated pricing structure, hidden FUP

PRICE: Free streaming (up to 100 songs per month); Rs. 60 per month (iOS), Rs. 99 per month (Android - Rs. 29 per month for Airtel subscribers), Rs. 129 per month (Android, Airtel only, no data charges for first 500 songs)
AVAILABLE ON: iOS, Android, Mobile Web



Gaana
Gaana is among the most popular streaming services in India. It uses a dark theme that we like and is generally a well-designed service. It is available on a wide range of devices including BlackBerry and Windows Phone. This gives it an edge over rivals.

• PROS: Available on many platforms, attractive pricing

• CONS: Library isn't the best, social layer could be done away with

PRICE: Rs. 120 per month (up to five devices)
AVAILABLE ON: Android, iOS, Web, Mobile Web, Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry, Java


Saavn
Saavn was one of the first music streaming services to be launched in India and still remains one of those with a good interface. We like its apps but like last year, we find its curation unsatisfactory. If this app had better playlists, it'd make it much easier for people to find new music.

• PROS: Great interface, large library
• CONS: Slightly expensive, curation could be better

PRICE: Rs. 120 per month (one device, up to 3GB downloads); Rs. 250 per month (up to five devices, unlimited downloads)
AVAILABLE ON: Android, iOS, Web



Rdio
Rdio had acquired Indian music streaming service Dhingana and that helped boost its library of Indian music. Soon after that move, the company launched its music streaming service in India. Rdio's apps and Web view are excellent and will appeal to those who value good design.

• PROS: Excellent library for international music, great design

• CONS: Indian music collection isn't as good

PRICE: Free (with ads, limited skipping of songs); Rs. 60 per month (up to 25 song downloads); Rs. 120 per month (unlimited downloads)
AVAILABLE ON: Android, iOS, Web, Windows Phone


Guvera Music
Guvera is a relatively unknown player in the Indian music streaming space, though it officially entered the country in November last year. While rivals have spent huge sums on advertising, Guvera has kept a low profile. That is why we were surprised to find out that its library is quite good.

• PROS: Neat Web view, large library

• CONS: Way too many ads on the free tier, slightly more expensive

PRICE: Free (with ads); Rs. 199 per month (Web); Rs. 250 per month (iOS); Android (Rs. 199 per month)
AVAILABLE ON: Android, iOS, Web


Hungama

• PROS: Available on many platforms, good Indian music library, available in 5 languages

• CONS: Poor design on iOS and Web, limited international music collection, inconsistent search results

PRICE: Free (with ads); Rs. 120 per month (unlimited downloads)
AVAILABLE ON: Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Web

i like saavn