Spotify vs Pandora Statistics – Which is Better? (2025)

Introduction

Spotify vs Pandora Statistics: Picking the best music streaming app isn’t always easy, especially with big names like Spotify and Pandora leading the way. These two platforms have millions of users and offer massive music libraries, but each one comes with its own features, strengths, and price tags. So, which one gives you more for your money in 2025?

In this article, we’ll break down the latest “Spotify vs Pandora Statistics – Which is Better?”, including user count, market share, pricing, and overall performance. Whether you’re a casual listener or a music fan, this guide will help you decide which service fits your needs—and your budget—the best.

Editor’s Choice

• Spotify outperforms Pandora across nearly all key areas.
• With 675 million monthly active users, including 263 million paying subscribers, and a massive €15.67 billion in 2024 revenue, Spotify dominates the global music streaming market with a 31.7% share.
• Spotify offers access to over 100 million tracks and 6.5 million podcasts, attracting a diverse, worldwide audience.
• Pandora still maintains a strong US presence, with 250 million registered users and high direct traffic (88.98%). However, it has just 7.4 million paid subscribers and earns significantly less revenue.
• Pandora users consistently engage, spending about 2 hours and 15 minutes daily; however, the platform remains limited in terms of reach and content variety.
• Spotify provides a broader, richer, and more competitive streaming experience, making it the better choice for most users.

Spotify vs Pandora Specification

Spotify vs Pandora Pricing Statistics

#1. Spotify Premium Plan:

(Reference: vlinkinfo.com)

#2. Pandora Paid Plan:

(Reference: statista.com)

• The above chart shows the revenue of Pandora in the United States between the period of 2016 to 2024.
• In 2024, Pandora A/S made almost 9.7 million Danish kroner in revenue in the US.

Spotify vs Pandora Sound Quality Statistics

• On the other hand, Pandora uses around 60 to 65 MB per hour at 193 kbps.
• With a fast 78 Mbps internet connection, Spotify loads songs almost instantly.
• Even if Pandora uses less data, there is generally a -2 to wait 3 seconds before each new song plays.
• Spotify uses about 150 MB of data every hour when streaming at 320kbps.
• In terms of sound quality, Pandora’s 192 kbps provides a smooth experience, but Spotify’s 320 kbps delivers better sound quality with more clarity and detail.
• For free users, Spotify streams at 160 Kbps on phones, tablets, and computers, while Pandora only offers 64 Kbps in its free version.
• Spotify uses Ogg Vorbis or AAC formats, and Pandora also uses AAC. Pandora Premium reaches up to 192 Kbps, while Spotify gives mobile users the option to pick their streaming quality, great for saving data.
• With Spotify Premium, users can stream at a maximum of 320 Kbps. Free Spotify users get 128 Kbps in AAC format, and Premium subscribers get 256 Kbps.

Spotify vs Pandora User Statistics

#1. Spotify

• According to the survey, Spotify has approximately 675 million active users.

(Reference: backlinko.com)

• Spotify has added almost 186 million active users over the last two years, from Q4 2022 to Q4 2024.
• Here is a table showcasing Spotify’s monthly user statistics:

• Almost 27% of Spotify’s active users are from Europe. This translates to 182 million monthly active users in Europe alone.
• Around 39% of Spotify’s monthly active users are from North and Latin America, which accounts for 263 million active users.
• Following is a table showing the distribution of Spotify monthly active users as per Q2024:

#2. Pandora

(Reference: coolest-gadgets.com)

• In the second quarter of 2024, Pandora had over 45 million active users in the US. However, the platform has been slowly losing listeners, with over 10 million US users dropping off in the last two years.
• Pandora operates using the Music Genome Project, which powers both its streaming service and personalised song recommendations. This system analyses 450 distinct features of each song and utilises a sophisticated algorithm to categorise music by style and mood.
• Currently, Pandora is only available in the US, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Since launching in January 2000, Pandora has grown its listener base. By the end of 2023, the service had 81 million active users.
• For comparison, Spotify reached 100 million users back in June 2016. Spotify is available in many more places—across most of Europe, South America, and parts of Australasia.
• As more people joined Pandora, its earnings also increased. In 2024, Pandora generated $2.09 billion in total revenue, demonstrating strong growth compared to previous years.
• Most of Pandora’s money comes from ads, premium subscriptions, and promoting music purchases through services like Apple and Amazon. In 2024 alone, more than $1.5 billion of its revenue came from advertising.

Most Popular Podcasts on Spotify and Pandora

#1. Spotify

(Reference: backlinko.com)

#2. Pandora

(Reference: statista.com)

Spotify vs Pandora Demographic Statistics

#1. Spotify

• Approximately 29% of all Spotify users worldwide are between 25 and 34 years old, making this the largest age group on the platform. The next largest group is users aged 18 to 24, who make up 26% of Spotify’s audience.
• Together, Millennials and Gen Z represent 55% of Spotify’s total users, indicating that the majority of listeners are younger.
• When it comes to gender, 56% of Spotify users are male, while 44% are female.
• Looking at regions, Europe has the largest share of Spotify’s monthly active users, with 28%, followed by North America (the US and Canada) at 19%.
• Out of Spotify’s 574 million monthly active users, 361 million use the free, ad-supported version.

#2. Pandora

(Reference: coolest-gadgets.com)

• People between 25 and 34 years old made up the largest part of the audience, accounting for 23.08% of the total traffic. (Source: Coolest Gadgets)
• The next largest group was those aged 35 to 44, comprising 18.41%. Users aged 45 to 54 accounted for 17.13%. (Source: Coolest Gadgets)
• Here’s how the other age groups were divided: (Source: Coolest Gadgets)

1. Ages 18–24: 16.74%
2. Ages 55–64: 13.63%
3. Age 65 and older: 10.29%

Spotify vs Pandora Employee Statistics

#1. Spotify

(Reference: backlinko.com)

#2. Pandora

(Reference: coolest-gadgets.com)

• In the above pie chart, we can see the Pandora employees ‘ ages as of 2023

Spotify vs Pandora Subscription Statistics

• Free users on both Pandora and Spotify have only a few limits, but the biggest difference between free and paid plans is the ads. If you pay for a subscription on either platform, you won’t hear any audio ads.
• Pandora’s paid plan, called Pandora One, costs $4.99 per Month. Spotify’s paid version, known as Spotify Premium, is priced at $9.99 per Month.
• Since 2014, Spotify has offered a student discount. If you’re studying at a US college or university and have a .edu email address, you can get Spotify Premium for $4.99 per Month.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although both Spotify and Pandora offer music streaming services, the statistics indicate that Spotify leads in almost every major category. Spotify has a much larger global user base, higher revenue, more advanced features like personalised podcasts and playlists, and a broader artist reach.

Pandora, on the other hand, is more famous in the United States for its radio-style streaming but has also experienced slow growth and a decreasing presence. However, user engagement has made it a stronger and more competitive platform today.