What Bitrate Does Spotify Use?
Updated July 2026 · by Loopin
Spotify doesn't play the file you upload — it re-encodes it. Understanding the bitrates it streams at, and what format to deliver, makes sure your master sounds its best on every tier.
Spotify's streaming bitrates
For most of its life Spotify has streamed in Ogg Vorbis at four quality tiers: roughly 24 kbps (Low), 96 kbps (Normal), 160 kbps (High) and 320 kbps (Very High). The 320 kbps tier is reserved for Premium subscribers, while free listeners typically cap around 160 kbps.
Spotify’s newer lossless tier streams up to 24-bit / 44.1 kHz FLAC for supported tracks. The key thing to remember: every one of these is a re-encode of the master you delivered, so the quality your listeners hear is downstream of the file you upload.
What you should actually upload
Don’t upload an MP3 and hope. Spotify (via your distributor) wants the highest-quality source you can give it — ideally a 16-bit or 24-bit WAV at 44.1 kHz. Lossy-to-lossy transcoding stacks artefacts, so feeding Spotify a compressed file means it re-compresses an already-degraded one. See WAV vs MP3 for mastering for why the source format matters.
Deliver a clean WAV master and Spotify’s encoder has the best possible material to work from. The 320 kbps Ogg and the lossless FLAC will both sound noticeably better than they would from an MP3 source.
Loudness matters more than bitrate
Here’s the part producers miss: Spotify normalises playback loudness to about −14 LUFS, regardless of bitrate. A master crushed to −8 LUFS gets turned down anyway, so you lose dynamics without gaining loudness. The smarter target is around −14 LUFS integrated with a true-peak ceiling near −1 dBTP. Learn the detail in what is LUFS.
True peak matters specifically because of the encode. Lossy formats like Ogg Vorbis can introduce inter-sample peaks that clip if you’ve left no headroom. A −1 dBTP ceiling protects against that distortion when Spotify transcodes your track.
Get a Spotify-ready master free
You don’t need a metering plugin or a paid engineer to hit these numbers. Loopin’s free online mastering measures your track, targets streaming loudness automatically and limits true peak to −1 dBTP, so your WAV is ready for upload — and it survives Spotify’s encoder cleanly.
Master at the right loudness with the free mastering tool, deliver a WAV, and the bitrate Spotify chooses does its job. If you want the platform-by-platform picture, see how Spotify compares to Apple Music and YouTube too.
Frequently asked questions
What bitrate does Spotify stream at?
Spotify streams Ogg Vorbis at roughly 24, 96, 160 and 320 kbps depending on quality settings, with 320 kbps reserved for Premium. Its lossless tier streams up to 24-bit / 44.1 kHz FLAC for supported tracks.
What format should I upload to Spotify?
Upload the highest-quality source you can, ideally a 16-bit or 24-bit WAV at 44.1 kHz. Spotify re-encodes whatever you deliver, so giving it a lossless source produces the best-sounding stream.
Does a higher bitrate make my master louder?
No. Bitrate affects audio detail, not loudness. Spotify normalises playback to about -14 LUFS regardless of bitrate, so aim for that loudness target rather than trying to be louder.