Switching From Spotify: Step-by-Step Migration Guide for Playlists, Podcasts, and Saved Songs

Feeling trapped in Spotify? Here’s the clean escape hatch

Spotify price hikes, shifting features, and platform politics have pushed a lot of people into the same place you are: wanting to move but terrified of losing playlists, podcast subscriptions, and years of saved songs. Good news: you don’t need to rebuild your library from scratch. This guide walks you through a step by step migration from Spotify to Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube Music, or almost any other music app — including how to keep podcasts, preserve collaborative playlists, and avoid the common gotchas of 2026.

Topline migration plan (if you only want the TLDR)

1. Backup your Spotify data and export playlists.
2. Choose your new home: Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, or a smaller app like Bandcamp or SoundCloud for specific needs.
3. Use a playlist migration tool: soundiiz, TuneMyMusic, SongShift, or FreeYourMusic.
4. Handle Liked Songs and saved albums separately.
5. Export podcast subscriptions via RSS/OPML or extract from your Spotify data and manually re-subscribe in the new podcast app.
6. Verify missing tracks, fix region issues, and invite collaborators to the new shared playlists.

Why 2026 matters: current trends affecting your move

Two things shaped streaming in late 2025 and early 2026 and they affect migration strategy now.

• Price pressure and churn. Several platforms, Spotify included, raised prices multiple times since 2023, which accelerated switching and forced competitors to sharpen migration tools and offers. The Verge and other outlets flagged these changes during 2025, and platforms responded with trial promos and improved import features.
• AI curation and copyright noise. More apps are leaning on AI playlists and direct licensing experiments. That means an exact 1:1 transfer of algorithmic playlists is often impossible — but user-created playlists, saved libraries, and curated rules are portable if you use the right tools.

Prep work: what to do before you touch any migration tool

Don’t rush. A small amount of organization before migration saves hours later.

• Request your Spotify data from the account privacy panel. It may include JSON exports of playlists and library entries you can parse for podcasts and saved episodes.
• Make a list of priorities — which playlists and podcasts are essential? Which are background mood playlists you can skip?
• Note account emails and password recovery. You’ll be connecting services via OAuth; make sure you have 2FA ready for Apple ID or Tidal if required.
• Backup local files you’ve uploaded to Spotify or have in your iTunes/Music app. Migration tools won’t move local files between services unless you have them locally and re-import.

Music migration: tools and step-by-step

There are many migration apps but four are reliable in 2026: soundiiz, TuneMyMusic, SongShift (iOS), and FreeYourMusic (cross-platform). Pick one based on platform and volume.

Why these four

• soundiiz — excellent web interface, supports many platforms, detailed logs, and batch operations.
• TuneMyMusic — fast web transfers and a good free tier for single playlists.
• SongShift — polished iOS experience; great for people moving from iPhone Spotify to Apple Music.
• FreeYourMusic — strong cross-platform desktop app, useful for large libraries and migrating liked songs.

Step-by-step example: moving playlists to Apple Music using soundiiz

1. Create accounts at both ends and ensure subscriptions are active on the destination if required (Apple Music or Tidal trial subscription may be needed for full sync).
2. Open soundiiz web app and sign in with Spotify using OAuth. Allow read access to playlists and saved songs.
3. Connect Apple Music (soundiiz uses MusicKit) or Tidal by signing in when prompted.
4. Select playlists to transfer. For large libraries, transfer in batches of 50–100 playlists to avoid rate limits; if you must run during off-peak hours consider scheduling overnight batches.
5. Start transfer and monitor the log. soundiiz will map tracks by metadata; expect some mismatches if tracks are remixed, region-locked, or non-catalog.
6. After transfer, review the new playlists in Apple Music. Use the soundiiz missing-items report to recreate or source missing tracks manually.

Moving 'Liked Songs' and saved albums

Most tools can transfer playlists, but 'Liked Songs' requires creating a playlist from your liked collection first.

• On Spotify, create a playlist called 'All Liked Songs' and add all liked tracks (you can select all and drag them into a list on desktop).
• Use your migration tool to move that playlist to the new service and then save it as your library likes there.

Tip: preserve timestamps and order

Most tools keep track order but lose listen counts and play timestamps. If you want historical play data, download your Spotify data export and keep it as a personal archive. Use it to re-create an activity timeline elsewhere.

Collaborative playlists: the messy truth and a real workaround

Collaborative playlists are social objects, and there is no universal way to transfer contributor metadata. When you move a collaborative Spotify playlist:

• The migrated playlist will include the tracks, but collaborator history and per-track adder are lost.
• Some recipients can retain playlist order, but the new platform will treat it as a standard playlist.

A practical migration strategy for collaborative playlists

1. Export a snapshot of the collaborative playlist using soundiiz or Exportify to generate a CSV with track, adder, and timestamp metadata.
2. Create a new collaborative playlist on the destination platform and paste the tracks in. Make it public and invite collaborators via a shared link.
3. Host a migration party — send the CSV and the new playlist link to contributors and ask them to re-follow and re-add any missing tracks. For active friend groups this takes under 30 minutes and preserves social ownership.
4. Archive the old mapping by saving the CSV to cloud storage so you can audit who added what later.

Collaborative playlists are social data. You can move the songs, but you can’t move the exact social graph. The workaround: transparency and a little coordination.

Podcast migration: the trickier side

Podcasts are less standardized than music. In 2026 podcast discovery has fragmented: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and dedicated RSS players all compete. Spotify’s ecosystem is walled more tightly for podcasts than for music, which complicates bulk transfers.

How to export your podcast subscriptions

1. Check for an OPML export — some podcast apps allow OPML export of subscriptions, but Spotify does not provide OPML directly.
2. Request your Spotify data from your account privacy settings. The download may include JSON files that list followed shows and saved episodes.
3. Parse the JSON for show IDs or feed URLs. If the Spotify data contains only Spotify show URIs, use ListenNotes or the podcast's website to find the native RSS feed by searching the show name plus 'RSS feed'.
4. Use an OPML helper like Pocket Casts or Overcast to import a list of RSS URLs. Overcast and Pocket Casts are reliable for bulk OPML import.

Tools and tactics for podcasts

• ListenNotes — excellent for finding canonical RSS feeds and episode pages when Spotify only exposes its own links.
• Overcast — supports OPML import and is excellent for power users building curated queues.
• Podcast index projects — many independent apps in 2026 support structured RSS importing; use those if you want to avoid platform lock-in.

Step-by-step: transfer podcasts using Spotify data and Overcast

1. Request Spotify account data and download when ready.
2. Open the shows JSON and extract show titles. Use ListenNotes to map titles to RSS URLs.
3. Create an OPML containing the RSS URLs or paste URLs directly into Overcast's import field.
4. After import, verify subscriptions and mark episodes you want to keep. Overcast will download metadata and let you subscribe to episode notifications.

What you will likely lose

• Play progress and saved-episode timestamps in most cases.
• Private or platform-exclusive episodes available only inside Spotify DRM or access control.
• Cross-platform playlist-style episode queues may not transfer; you might need to rebuild them inside the new app.

Common migration gotchas and fixes

• Missing tracks — due to licensing or region. Fix: generate a missing items report from your migration tool and search the destination catalog manually. Consider substituting remastered versions or live versions if the original is gone.
• Duplicates — sometimes tracks get added twice. Fix: use the destination app's duplicate removal or a local script to dedupe by metadata.
• Rate limits and timeouts — large libraries can trip API limits. Fix: break into smaller batches and run during off-peak hours.
• Local files — these don’t transfer. Fix: re-upload your local library into the destination app or host them in a local music server like Plex or Roon if you need hi-res handling.

Advanced strategies for power users

If you’re managing hundreds of playlists or want to preserve metadata like who added a track, consider these advanced moves.

• API scripts — use Spotify API to pull playlists and contributor metadata, then use the destination API to programmatically recreate them. Requires developer access and familiarity with OAuth.
• CSV export and manual import — export playlists to CSV using Exportify then use Music.app automation on macOS or Tidal’s desktop features to rebuild playlists precisely.
• Hybrid approach — use soundiiz for the bulk move and then a short API script to migrate collaborator metadata into a companion notes playlist or CSV archive.

Choosing the right Spotify alternative in 2026

Here’s a quick-match guide depending on what you care about:

• Audio quality and artist payouts: Tidal or Qobuz for hi-res streaming and artist-friendly models.
• Mobile-first discovery and social features: YouTube Music integrated with Shorts and AI mixes.
• Best podcast experience: Pocket Casts or Overcast for power podcasters; Apple Podcasts remains broadly supported for iOS users.
• Indie / direct-to-artist: Bandcamp and SoundCloud for purchasing directly and discovering niche creators.

Checklist: your migration to-do list

• Request Spotify data and download JSON.
• Decide on destination(s) and create accounts.
• Pick a playlist migrator: soundiiz, TuneMyMusic, SongShift, FreeYourMusic.
• Create playlist snapshots for 'Liked Songs' and collaborative playlists.
• Transfer playlists in batches and review missing-item reports.
• Export or locate RSS feeds for podcasts; import via OPML into your new podcast player.
• Re-upload local files if needed.
• Invite collaborators to re-follow and re-add where necessary; if you run a group migration consider using a self-hosted messaging hub to share CSVs and links.

Final notes and 2026-forward thinking

Migration is less a single event and more an ongoing curation process. In 2026 the ecosystem is fluid: AI playlists, artist-first platforms, and subscription experiments mean the perfect home for your library might change again. Keep backups, keep a CSV of your collections, and favor platforms that let you export your data.

Quick troubleshooting references

• If a transfer fails with an OAuth error, re-login and revoke old authorizations via your Spotify account page.
• Missing podcast episodes that were 'Spotify-only' are often inaccessible — consider downloading the episode before leaving if the show allows downloads.
• For regional licensing issues, try the artist’s official YouTube or Bandcamp page as a fallback. You can save those links in a notes playlist.

Actionable takeaways

• Don’t do a single giant transfer — batch and verify to avoid lost items.
• Save your Spotify data now in case some subscriptions or metadata are only available there.
• Use the right tool for the job: soundiiz for breadth, SongShift for iPhone, FreeYourMusic for bulk moves.
• Coordinate on collaborative playlists — social migration beats automation when people matter.

Join the conversation

We want to hear your migration wins and disasters. Drop a comment or submit your before/after playlist snapshots to our community. If you want a migration checklist PDF or a walkthrough video for Apple Music and Tidal, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll send it straight to your inbox.

Ready to move? Start with requesting your Spotify data right now, then pick one playlist and try a transfer. If it works, you’ll gain confidence — and maybe finally ditch the platform that’s been squeezing your wallet. Share your results and follow us for advanced scripts and a community guide to rebuilding collaborative playlists in 2026.

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