You can transfer your Apple Music library to Spotify, but Apple doesn't provide a direct tool—you'll need a third-party service or do it manually

Apple Music and Spotify don't talk to each other directly. Apple won't export your library, and Spotify won't import it from Apple's servers. The practical routes are: use a free third-party transfer service like Soundiiz or TuneMyMusic, which reads your Apple Music account and rebuilds your playlists on Spotify; pay for a premium transfer tool if you have thousands of songs and want faster processing; or manually recreate your playlists in Spotify, which takes time but gives you full control over what moves.

The catch is that not every song in Apple Music exists on Spotify under the same artist name or version. Transfer services match songs by title and artist, so some tracks may fail to transfer or match to a different version than you had. You'll want to check your transferred playlists afterward and add any missing songs by hand.

Key Takeaways

  • Third-party services like Soundiiz and TuneMyMusic can read your Apple Music library and create matching playlists on Spotify at no cost, though they require you to log in with both accounts.
  • Transfer services match songs by title and artist name, so some tracks may not transfer if they're listed differently on Spotify or don't exist there at all.
  • You should check your transferred playlists after the process completes and manually add any songs that failed to transfer.
  • Manual transfer through Spotify's search function takes longer but lets you control exactly which songs move and catch mismatches as you go.

Using a free third-party transfer service

Services like Soundiiz, TuneMyMusic, and Playlisty let you connect both your Apple Music and Spotify accounts, then automatically recreate your playlists on Spotify. The process is the same across most of them: you visit the service's website, click the button to connect Apple Music, log in with your Apple ID, then connect Spotify and log in there. The service reads your Apple Music library and playlists, searches Spotify's catalog for matching songs, and adds them to new playlists on your Spotify account.

Most of these services are free for basic transfers. Some charge a one-time fee (usually $5 to $15) if you want to transfer more than a certain number of playlists at once, or if you want faster processing. Soundiiz offers a free tier that handles most libraries; TuneMyMusic is free with no playlist limit. Read the terms before you start—some services delete your transferred playlists after a set time if you don't upgrade, though this is rare.

The transfer usually takes a few minutes to an hour depending on how many playlists and songs you have. You'll get an email or notification when it's done. Log into Spotify and check your library—you should see new playlists with names matching your Apple Music playlists, populated with the songs the service found.

Why some songs don't transfer

Spotify and Apple Music have different catalogs. A song might be on Apple Music but not on Spotify, or it might be listed under a slightly different artist name or title. Transfer services search by exact or near-exact title and artist match, so if the metadata doesn't line up, the song won't transfer.

Covers, live versions, and remixes are common culprits. If you saved "Song Name (Live Version)" on Apple Music but Spotify lists it as "Song Name - Live," the service might not find it. Local files you added to Apple Music—songs you uploaded yourself—won't transfer at all, because they don't exist in Spotify's catalog.

After your transfer completes, open each playlist on Spotify and look for gaps or empty slots. Spotify shows you how many songs are in a playlist, so if your Apple Music playlist had 50 songs and Spotify shows 47, you know three didn't transfer. Search for those songs manually and add them by hand.

Manually transferring playlists through Spotify

If you prefer to control the process or don't want to give a third-party service access to your accounts, you can recreate your playlists manually. Open Apple Music and your Spotify app side by side. Go to one playlist in Apple Music, note the song titles and artists, then search for each one in Spotify and add it to a new playlist.

This method is slower—a 50-song playlist might take 30 to 45 minutes—but you'll catch mismatches immediately and can choose a different version of a song if the one Spotify found isn't the one you want. You also won't have to worry about a third-party service having access to your login credentials.

For large libraries, consider doing this in batches. Transfer your most-played or most-important playlists first, then work through the rest over time. You can also use your phone's Notes app or a spreadsheet to list songs from each Apple Music playlist, then work through the list in Spotify when you have time.

What happens to your Apple Music account after transfer

Transferring your library to Spotify doesn't affect your Apple Music account. Your playlists, saved songs, and listening history stay on Apple Music. If you cancel your Apple Music subscription, your Spotify playlists won't disappear—they're now part of your Spotify account and will stay there as long as you keep your Spotify account active.

If you want to keep both services, your libraries will develop separately from this point forward. New songs you save on Apple Music won't automatically appear on Spotify, and vice versa. You'll need to manually add songs to both services or use a transfer service again if you want to sync them later.

Paid transfer services and when to use them

If you have a very large library—thousands of songs across dozens of playlists—or if you want priority processing, some services offer paid options. Soundiiz Premium costs around $5 to $15 depending on what you're transferring. Premium usually means faster processing, the ability to transfer more playlists at once, and sometimes ongoing syncing so new songs you add to Apple Music automatically go to Spotify.

For most people, the free services work fine. Use a paid option only if the free transfer fails, takes too long, or if you want automatic syncing going forward. Read the service's refund policy before you pay—some offer money back if the transfer doesn't work as promised.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the transfer service steal my passwords or sell my data?

Reputable services like Soundiiz and TuneMyMusic use OAuth, which means you log in through Apple and Spotify's official login pages, not through the transfer service itself. The service never sees your actual password. That said, you're giving the service permission to read your library and create playlists on your behalf, so use services with good reviews and clear privacy policies. Check their terms before you start.

Can I transfer playlists that other people shared with me?

No. Transfer services can only move playlists you created and own. Shared playlists from friends or public playlists you follow won't transfer. You'll need to find those playlists on Spotify manually and follow them there, or ask the creator to share them with you on Spotify.

What if a song transfers to the wrong version?

Open the playlist on Spotify, remove the wrong version, and search for the correct one. If Spotify doesn't have the exact version you want, choose the closest match or note that version and look for it later. This is one reason manual transfer appeals to some people—you catch these mismatches as you go instead of discovering them after the fact.

Do I need to keep my Apple Music subscription active to transfer?

Yes. Transfer services need to log into your Apple Music account to read your library, so your subscription must be active. Once the transfer is done and your playlists are on Spotify, you can cancel Apple Music if you want.

Can I transfer from Spotify to Apple Music?

Yes, using the same third-party services. The process is identical—you connect both accounts and let the service recreate your Spotify playlists on Apple Music. The same matching and missing-song issues apply in reverse.