Apple Music vs Spotify: Which Is Better?

These music streaming giants are neck and neck in every aspect, but which one should you go for?

There’s a reason why Spotify and Apple Music have the top two highest market shares in the music streaming industry. Both are excellent platforms that offer huge music collections, high-quality audio, and varied non-music content.

However, several differences make choosing between them difficult. Should you go for Apple Music for its lossless audio? Or to Spotify for its enormous podcast library?

Fortunately, all you need to do is analyze these differences and see which ones align with your interests. To help with this, we’ll break down everything Apple Music and Spotify have to offer, so keep reading until the end!

What Is Spotify

Spotify is a freemium digital audio streaming service. It was developed by Swedish entrepreneurs Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon in 2006. It was then launched in Europe two years later.

Today, Spotify is available in 184 countries. It has over 406 million active monthly users and 205 million paying subscribers.

What Is Apple Music

Apple Music was designed to be a replacement for the problem-riddled iTunes app. After the acquisition of Beats in 2014, the team behind the said company spearheaded the development of the new app. Apple Music was eventually launched in 2015.

Currently, it’s available in 168 countries and has around 98 million subscribers. This number is said to go up to 110 million by 2025.

Pricing & Plans

So, how much is Apple Music vs. Spotify? Well, the plan prices for both apps are virtually the same. Spotify, however, does have some additional offerings. Here’s a breakdown of those subscription plans:

PlatformFree PlanIndividualPremiumFamilyPlanStudentPlanOthers

SpotifyYes$9.99/month$15.99/month,
£16.99/month (UK)$4.99/month,
£5.99/month (UK)Duo Plan:
$12.99/month

Apple MusicNo$10.99/month$16.99/month, £16.99/month (UK) $5.99/month, £5.99/month (UK)Voice Plan:
$4.99/month

Comparing Spotify Premium vs. Apple Music, both offer similar Premium plan features, such as:

• Full access to the entire content library
• Option to download songs for offline listening
• Ad-free, on-demand playback
• Multi-device accessibility
• Extensive non-music content

However, some essential differences set them apart:

Free plan

Unlike Apple Music, Spotify comes with a free, ad-supported plan. With this, you can listen to everything in Spotify’s content library. On-demand playback is somewhat restricted, though. This means you can only listen to some playlists in shuffle mode.

While Apple Music has no free tier, users can take advantage of the one-month free trial. This allows more than enough time to get a sense of whether their Premium plan is worth it or not.

Library limit

Apple Music limits users to 100,000 songs in their music libraries. Previously, Spotify had a similar restriction that limited users to 10,000 songs in their library. That limit has since been removed, allowing users to “like” an unlimited amount of songs.

Different Family plan requirements

Both apps offer Family plans, though the eligibility requirements differ. Those wishing to sign up for a Spotify Family Premium plan must reside at the same address. Whereas with Apple Music, subscribers only need to have the same iTunes Store region.

Different Student and Family plan pricing in the US

Both Apple Music and Spotify have implemented price changes for their Family Plans. In 2021, Spotify bumped their offering to $15.99 for subscribers in the US and £16.99 for UK subscribers.

Similarly, Apple Music has increased its Family Plan price to $16.99 from $14.99. Even their Student Plan saw a $1 increase to $5.99 a month, whereas Spotify’s offering remains at its original price of $4.99. This makes Spotify the more affordable option of the two – at least for now.

Additional subscription plans

Spotify’s Premium Duo plan allows two people to maintain separate Premium accounts. It comes at a discounted price of $12.99 monthly, but both parties must live at the same address.

On the other hand, Apple Music has a Voice Plan, allowing users to sign up and listen to music via Siri-enabled devices. It’s an excellent option for those who have more than one iOS device at their disposal. However, the plan is limited because you can’t save or add songs to your library or create playlists.

Additional plan perks

Spotify has perks in place for some of its subscription plans. Their Family Premium plan comes with access to Spotify Kids. This allows kids to curate their own Spotify profiles with kid-friendly content. The Premium Student plan also lets you access movie streaming services like Hulu and SHOWTIME.

Apple Music, on the other hand, does not offer access to additional services like these.

Verdict: Which is more worth it?

Winner: Spotify

Both apps offer affordable subscription options. Apple Music’s Voice Plan offers big savings if you’re already within the Apple ecosystem. Plus, the fact that you don’t need to share an address to share a Family plan is a nice bonus, too.

On the other hand, Spotify gives you access to its entire content library with no cap on the number of songs you can save. You’ll benefit from more plan options with Spotify Free and Premium Duo, not to mention the availability of additional services like Spotify Kids, Hulu, and SHOWTIME, which gives Spotify a leg-up over Apple Music.

If choosing between Spotify or Apple Music, the former is a good way to go if you have kids, are on a tight budget, or want to make the most of your money.

Amount of Music Content

When it comes to music content, Spotify and Apple Music have over 100 million songs in their libraries. Here’s a closer look at what else each platform offers:

Spotify

Spotify has about 4 billion playlists and constantly expands its music offerings by adding thousands of new tracks daily. In 2022, this rate increased to 100,000 new tracks added each day.

Users can find all the newest mainstream hits on the platform thanks to a partnership between Spotify and Billboard. The publication curates 124 playlists on Spotify, including popular charts like Billboard Hot 100, Billboard 200, and Billboard Weekly.

There’s also a Charts section where users can check out what songs or artists are trending worldwide. Here you’ll find Weekly Song Charts, Daily Song Charts, and Daily Viral Charts from as many as 70 territories.

All your typical music genres, such as Pop, Hip-Hop, Rock, Chill, etc., are covered on Spotify. But the app also offers more unique genres, such as Karaoke, Anime, and Songwriters.

Spotify has an extensive Indie section as well. You can see this in the vast collection of playlists and the genre’s increased market share on the platform in 2020. This section features over 50 playlists curated by Spotify, but using the Search function will pull up even more.

You’ll find popular and new indie releases on playlists like All-New Indie and Ultimate Indie, which have millions of followers. You can also find playlists curated by independent record labels and publications like NME, Pitchfork, XL Recordings, and Rough Trade Records.

Apple Music

On the other hand, Apple Music’s content curation is equally impressive. The app’s library is thoughtfully presented in hundreds of genre- and mood-specific playlists.

On the Browse page, you’ll find fresh music picks in sections like Playlists You Need, Must-Have Music, and We’re Loving, all curated by Apple Music editors. Keeping up with the latest releases is easy with New Music and Daily Top 100, which features the 100 most-played hits in over 115 territories.

Like Spotify, Apple Music has all the popular music genres covered. However, the latter has more fleshed-out genres with over 100 options compared to the 57 offerings in Spotify’s catalog. Many of Apple Music’s categories, such as Indigenous Australia, Schlager, and Behind the Songs, are also interestingly specific.

five million tracks in its catalog. You can

Classical music lovers will be pleased to know that Apple Music has released Apple Music Classical , a standalone app with over. You can download the app to your iOS device at no additional cost and immediately start streaming. According to Apple, a version for Android is on the way.

Apple Music’s indie selection is also nothing to sneer at. Like Spotify, Apple Music’s Indie section is made up of over 60 playlists, all skillfully curated by indie record labels and publications such as Mute, Domino Recording, and the FADER, in addition to those previously mentioned.

The section also showcases artist playlists, current top tracks, decade hits, latest releases, and popular picks from around the world.

Apple Music’s recent $50 million investment in UnitedMasters, an indie music distributor, is also a sign of further improvement in the app’s indie selection. The deal could mean better exposure and opportunities on the app for indie artists under the said label.

Verdict

Winner: Apple Music

Both platforms have excellent mainstream and indie libraries that would make any music fan happy. They have current hits, local and world song charts, and various music categories to explore. Both apps have also tapped record labels and publications to help curate better indie playlists.

However, Apple Music triumphs in this comparison with thoughtful curation and fleshed-out music categories.

For example, both Spotify and Apple Music have a category dedicated to the people behind the music – Songwriters and Behind the Songs. Spotify’s Songwriters simply focuses on songwriters.

In contrast, Apple Music goes the extra mile by featuring songwriters, singer-songwriters, producers, and session musicians. Ultimately, it’s these additional details that give Apple Music an edge.

Content Variety

Aside from music, Spotify and Apple Music offer non-music content as well. Here’s what each platform comes with:

Spotify

Regarding non-music content, Spotify is best known for its wide range of podcasts. Through the acquisition of podcast production companies like Gimlet Media, Anchor, Parcast, and The Ringer, the app now hosts as many as five million titles.

It’s currently the home of popular shows like Call Her Daddy, This Past Weekend, and SmartLess.

In addition to traditional podcasts, Spotify introduced video podcasts in 2020. This opened the doors for creators to upload video content into their existing audio shows.

A live audio feature is also in the works after the acquisition of Betty Labs and Locker Room in March 2021. Locker Room is a live sports talk app that Spotify aims to develop further to “offer a range of sports, music, and cultural programming.”

In 2020, Spotify also partnered with Riot Games and League of Legends (LoL). The deal makes Spotify the exclusive streaming partner for all official LoL content, including original podcasts.

underrepresented aspiring podcasters can hone their skills and create their own shows. The program is currently available in 14 countries.

While Spotify puts a lot of energy into expansion and acquisition, it also lends its strengths to lift up those with less exposure. Through its Sound Up program can hone their skills and create their own shows. The program is currently available in

Aside from podcasts, Spotify also has a selection of audiobooks ranging from classic literature, poetry, language learning, and children’s stories, to name a few.

Apple Music

Apple Music’s non-music content revolves mainly around music videos and live radio.

The platform broadcasts live 24/7 to 165 countries via three main stations, Music 1, Music Hits, and Music Country. They feature genre-specific radio shows led by veteran Apple Music hosts and DJs. You also have celeb-hosted shows, such as Elton John’s Rocket Hour, Tim McGraw’s Beyond the Influence Radio, and Nicki Minaj’s Queen Radio.

Many of these radio shows follow the standard music format, but others also include discussions and artist interviews. Users can even access local and international radio stations for news and sports updates or other types of programming.

On the app’s Browse page, you’ll see other types of video content in the Music Videos category. These include lyric videos, documentaries, live performances, and behind-the-scenes reels. You can watch original shows from the app, like Carpool Karaoke (minus James Corden). And if you can’t get enough music videos, just tune in to Apple Music’s 24/7 music video station.

Though Apple Music previously stated that they were stepping away from album exclusives, the streaming platform still occasionally partners with artists for exclusive content like music videos or behind-the-scenes features. The latest of these partnerships include Justin Bieber for his album Changes and Coldplay for their new album Coldplay Reimagined.

Apple does offer podcasts and audiobooks as well. However, to avoid the clutter that was iTunes, these can be found on separate apps called Apple Podcasts and Apple Books

Verdict

Winner: Spotify

Apple Music does indeed offer a lot of video content and radio programs. However, most of this content is focused solely on music.

Conversely, Spotify offers more diversified content. The podcasts alone tackle a wide range of subjects, not just limited to music. You can get discussions on everything from society, culture, lifestyle, politics, business, philosophy – you name it.

Though Spotify also doesn’t have live radio programming, you can still opt to listen to news podcasts on the app, many of which are regularly updated.

Audio Quality

Spotify Premium gives listeners five audio quality settings that users can easily access in the Settings menu. This allows users to choose their audio quality setting, which is helpful when using mobile data to stream.

On the other hand, Apple Music comes with four audio quality settings, including two lossless options.

That said, here’s what kind of audio quality you can expect from each:

Audio quality settingSpotifyApple Music

Automatic/High EfficiencyDepends on connection64kbps to 256 kbps dispensing on connection

Low24kbpsN/A

Normal96kbpsN/A

High160kbps256kbps

Very High320kbpsN/A

LosslessN/AUp to 24-bit/48 kHz

High-Res LosslessN/AUp to 24-bit/192 kHz

Spotify’s highest setting of 320 kbps consumes about 7-8 MB per song or 150 MB per hour. In contrast, Apple Music’s 256 kbps eats up 3-6 MB per song or roughly 72-112 MB per hour. On an average network speed of 80 Mbps, you can expect smooth playback on both, with 1-2 seconds of buffering in between.

Of course, you can expect even higher data consumption if you stream in lossless quality. And, in our tests, 80 Mbps isn’t enough to stream lossless audio smoothly. Some music even had to buffer in the middle because of the high data bandwidth.

Aside from lossless audio, Apple Music partnered with Dolby Atmos to deliver Spatial Audio. This lets listeners feel fully immersed in the music and hear them in all directions instead of the typical stereo (left and right).

So, does Apple Music sound better than Spotify? Yes, there’s an undeniable difference when listening to Spatial Audio tracks. It enhances the overall quality, allowing you to hear the different layers of vocals and instrumentation clearly. Sometimes, it’s like getting to know your favorite songs all over again.

Does Spotify have Spatial Audio or something similar? Well, not yet. Spotify’s lossless audio option, Spotify HiFi, was initially meant to launch in 2021 . Unfortunately, it was delayed due to “industry changes.” The feature is still coming, but Spotify users will have to wait a bit longer.

Verdict

Winner: Apple Music

Looking at the numbers, it’s clear that most people would automatically go to Apple Music for audio quality. Spotify’s music quality caps off at 320 kbps, which doesn’t stand a chance if we’re talking about the audiophile-level quality options.

However, not all devices can support lossless audio – not even Apple’s AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max. This is because lossless audio requires certain minimum specifications. One of those is to use wired headphones instead of wireless ones.

So, to try Apple Music’s High-Resolution Lossless setting, you must invest in a good digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and high-quality wired headphones. Unfortunately, these are additional costs a lot of casual listeners won’t be willing to make.

Conversely, these one-time expenses will give you a superb listening experience. It allows you to hear your favorite music on a completely different level, in a way the artist and production team intended it to sound. So, if you value music deeply, it’s a worthwhile investment.

Music Discovery

A good music discovery algorithm is essential for any music streaming service. It keeps users engaged in the platform and helps grow music collections, which is great for listeners and artists. Fortunately, both apps offer various ways for users to discover new music. Here’s how they compare:

Discovery FeatureSpotifyApple Music

Search (Spotify)● Genres & Moods
● New Releases
● Global Charts
● Discover● Playlists You Need
● New Music
● Music by Mood
● Best New Songs
● Daily Top 100

Playlist Recommendations● Recommended SongsN/A

Personalized Mixes“Made For You”
● Release Radar
● Discover Weekly
● Tastebreakers“Made for You”
● New Music Mix
● Stations for You

Artist Profile Recommendations“Fans Also Like”“Similar Artists”

Both apps have similar discovery features. Spotify’s Search and Apple Music’s Browse are good jumping-off points for listeners, with global chart playlists, new music releases, mood playlists, and curated recommendations.

Both apps use algorithms to understand your musical tastes based on what you “Like” or “Dislike” on the app to give you a more personalized experience. The resulting recommendations appear in the Made for You section, which both apps have.

This is where the magic of Spotify’s discovery feature becomes clear. The Discover Weekly playlist, in particular, is by far my favorite feature. It’s so intuitive and rarely ever misses the mark.

Spotify uses three different types of algorithms – Collaborative Filtering, Natural Language Processing, and Raw Audio Modeling – to streamline its suggestions. The app also factors in user inputs, like in-app activity, genres you listen to, musical elements, and even the time of day.

On the other hand, Apple Music uses a simpler algorithm that analyzes your listening history and song ratings. But for the most part, human curation is still the driving force behind Apple Music’s recommendations.

Spotify goes even further by providing recommendations within playlists you’ve created. It’s a feature not available on Apple Music and one that I sorely missed while using the app.

Both platforms also feature artist recommendations on artist profiles to help listeners discover new music. However, Apple Music will only give you a maximum of 8 suggestions, while Spotify offers as many as 20.

Verdict

Winner: Spotify

Apple Music’s music discovery features are somewhat limited and leave you looking for more. It also feels like the app takes longer to calibrate to your tastes, and it requires a lot of “Liking” and “Disliking” to train the algorithm. Despite that, it does get the job done – eventually.

However, Spotify catches on more quickly and does a better job connecting you with music you’re sure to love and tunes you didn’t know you needed in your life.

Ease of Use

Spotify and Apple Music have a clean, minimalist look in terms of design and layout. The desktop versions of both apps feature a stationary sidebar that makes navigation easier. It displays all the main content sections, your created playlists, and library.

On Apple Music, the sidebar is customizable and allows you to choose what sections you want to see.

When it comes to managing your playlists, both apps have pretty intuitive controls. On the desktop app, a drag-and-drop function lets you grab any song from any album or playlist and quickly add it to one of your own in the sidebar.

Right-clicking on a song or album will also bring up a drop-down menu with similar options. You can access the same functions on the mobile apps by long-pressing a song or album.

Furthermore, Spotify and Apple Music provide functions that make managing your music simpler.

On Spotify’s mobile and desktop apps, playlists have a helpful sorting feature that lets you reorder songs by title, artist, date, or duration. With larger playlists, you can easily find what you want with the “Search in playlist” function. You can also save songs to your library and refine your recommendations by “liking” a song or pressing the heart icon.

Similarly, Apple Music also has this same function in its mobile app. But strangely, “liking” songs and adding them to your Library are two separate affairs. As such, any songs you’ve liked don’t automatically get added to your library, which may confuse new users.

Both apps have a lyrics feature you can view while listening to music. But what makes Apple Music’s version better than Spotify’s is that you can skip to different parts of a song by tapping on a specific lyric line.

Another stand-out feature is Apple Music’s search function. Aside from searching for songs via title, album, or artist, you can also look for a song by typing in lyrics. It’s incredibly helpful, especially when looking for a song you only heard in passing.

Lastly, switching between devices while listening to music is super seamless on Spotify. Unfortunately, trying to do this on Apple Music disrupts your listening thanks to a pop-up notification telling you that “more than one device is trying to play music.”

Verdict

Winner: Apple Music

Both apps are generally well-designed and easy to use. They share handy features like the navigation sidebar and sorting functions, making content management more convenient.

Despite not having an intuitive “liking” system that automatically adds songs to your library, Apple Music still has a slight edge in this category. The scrolling lyrics function is fun and helpful for those who enjoy singing along.

Additionally, the search function makes a huge difference by making it much easier to find songs you only remember a few words to.

Additional Features

Wrapped and Replay

Spotify’s Wrapped is only available at the end of each year. But it’s always something nice to look forward to, with its stylized graphics, music-listening insights, and fun statistics.

Meanwhile, users can access Apple Music Replay all year round, but the feature would’ve been better if it gave users more than just a simple playlist of songs.

Song lyrics

As mentioned earlier, Apple Music has a feature that allows users to skip to a specific part of a song just by clicking on a particular lyric line. It might not sound like a big deal, but it’s helpful for those trying to learn a song in a different language.

I’m not sure why the same function isn’t offered on Spotify since MusixMatch powers lyrics on both apps. Nevertheless, it would be nice to see that on Spotify as well.

As someone who also likes to know more about the music I love. And something I found myself missing on Apple Music was a feature akin to Spotify’s Storyline and Behind the Lyrics.

Smart playlists

Apple Music’s Smart playlists are a pretty great feature for those who like creating a lot of playlists. It’s especially beneficial if you have a massive library of songs and don’t have the energy to comb through them.

By simply defining some parameters in the playlist settings, you can get Apple Music to do the curating for you. So, if you have years’ worth of saved songs, that’s a feature you’ll definitely want to have.

Collaborative playlists

Spotify’s Collaborative playlists make music listening more fun because you can create and develop playlists with friends. On the other hand, Apple Music focuses more on sharing playlists than creating them together, which tends to feel like a one-person party.

AI-controlled DJ mode

In February 2023, Spotify announced DJ, a new feature that delivers a personalized radio show just for you.

It uses generative AI and OpenAI technology to curate a playlist based on the music you like. And with the help of a dynamic AI voice platform, an AI DJ will deliver interesting facts and trivia about the songs or artists you’re listening to. It’s a pretty cool feature for those who want something different than traditional radio.

Verdict

Winner: Draw

Some features mentioned here aren’t terribly essential to the music-listening experience. Some people may not care for an analysis of their listening habits, lyrics, or AI bot DJs. They’re just nice little extras if you’re into that sort of thing. It really depends on what your preferences are and what you find enjoyable.

How Much Do Apple Music & Spotify Pay Artists?

Apple Music and Spotify have only recently begun taking steps toward transparency concerning their payout rates.

Spotify was compelled to do so in March 2021 with Loud and Clear after the Justice at Spotify campaign took off with calls for better compensation. In April 2021, Apple Music made a similar move with an open letter sent only to artists, labels, and distributors through the platform.

Both apps use a stream share basis when it comes to royalty payouts. This means they pool all revenue, then allocate a percentage to the music rights holders based on their stream volume.

According to Apple Music, their average per-play rate is $0.01, which is much larger than Spotify’s $0.0033. Based on that, it’s easy to conclude that Apple Music pays more. But to be fair, other factors contribute to Spotify’s lower rate.

For instance, Spotify’s calculations include its free, ad-supported tier, which generates lower revenue. On the other hand, Apple Music only factors in Premium Individual subscriptions. Spotify is also generally more popular in more countries with cheaper subscription rates that generate lower overall revenue.

Spotify advocates pay-for-play

Spotify’s experimental Discovery Mode is a marketing tool designed to increase an artist’s visibility and reach on the app in exchange for a lower royalty rate. In a way, it’s like another form of payola.

Sure, it’s a great way for artists to snatch up new listeners and capitalize on moments when a song is gaining traction or going viral.

However, it works more in favor of artists whose companies can afford to take a royalty cut versus lesser-known artists who don’t see much revenue to begin with. There’s also no guarantee you’ll even get the results you want.

The pay-for-play practice has left some artists with the shorter end of the stick. As such, many opt to buy Spotify plays from third-party bot services as a last resort to increase their streams and earnings.

On the other hand, Apple Music has explicitly stated in their open letter that all curated and algorithmic playlists are “based on merit” and that they “do not ask anyone to accept a lower royalty rate in exchange for featuring.”

According to Apple Music, they pay a 52% headline rate to all labels, whether independent or major, to give all artists equal opportunity. And that’s especially great news for those who don’t want to give up creative control over their music by signing with a major label.

Verdict

Winner: Apple Music

Aside from the higher pay rate for artists than Spotify, Apple Music advocates for equal compensation. As such, it doesn’t have the same pay-for-play scheme that Spotify has to feature specific songs on its music discovery page.

Apple Music also pays the same rate for songwriters, publishers, and licensors, to ensure that creators who work behind the scenes are correctly compensated, which is a testament to their respect for music and its creators.

Does Apple Music offer better royalty payouts than YouTube Music ? Check out our article to find out more.

You might be interested:

How Much Do Spotify & Other Music Streaming Platforms Pay per Stream

Which Should You Go For?

Here’s a little recap of everything we’ve covered to see where we’re at so far:

SpotifyApple Music

More subscription flexibility and perksLarge music library and excellent curation

Massive music libraryNew release and artist exclusives

Better content diversity with podcastsLots of exclusive and original video content

Better music discovery algorithmAccess to live radio programming

Good design and is easy to useHigher audio quality

 More intuitive user controls

 Better streaming payouts

As mentioned earlier, both platforms indeed have a lot to offer. Those who value music discovery will be happy with Spotify’s mastery in that area. Those who enjoy non-music content will also enjoy Spotify’s extensive collection of podcasts and audiobooks. And thanks to flexible subscription plans, Spotify is also great for those on a budget.

Apple Music, on the other hand, is significantly more music-centered. Those who value the music quality will be happy with Apple Music’s lossless and spatial audio. Those who prefer music videos, live performances, documentaries, music discussions, and interviews with artists will also definitely enjoy this app more.

Apple Music also delivers more exclusives, which is good news for staunch fans. If in-depth music curation is also your thing, you won’t be disappointed in the app’s catalog of playlists.

Basically, casual listeners who simply like listening to music and other audio content while doing their chores and workouts will be satisfied with Spotify. While audiophiles and a bit more dedicated music enthusiasts will enjoy Apple Music.

Regarding royalties, both apps have taken steps to be more transparent. But since we aren’t privy to all those details and computations, we can only decide based on what’s presented to us.

That said, Apple Music seems to head in a more promising direction. And that direction involves supporting and respecting the inherent value of music and its creators, as well as equal and fair compensation.

Check out our in-depth comparison of Apple Music and Tidal to see how both platforms stack up against each other.

Conclusion

To say that one app is outstandingly better than the other is an oversimplification. On the technical side of things, both apps evenly match. Both are reasonably intuitive, and both have good sound quality.

The difference lies in the type of content offered and how they present it. And that is where your personal preferences come in. With this in-depth analysis, we hope we’ve helped you determine which app will deliver the content you’ll enjoy most.

How did you like our review? Are there any other valuable points you think we should’ve included? Feel free to sound off below if you’d like to give us insight into your own experiences with both platforms.