Compare Spotify stats year over year: See how your taste changed
Compare the same Spotify stats across two years
To see how your taste changed, compare Spotify stats from matching periods instead of placing two unrelated screenshots side by side.
January through August this year should be compared with January through August last year. A complete previous year against a partial current year makes every total misleading.
Start with how to check Spotify stats, compare the top Spotify stats tools, or review Spotify stats for 2026 as a current-year baseline.
Which Spotify stats should you compare?
Plays and playtime for individual favorites
Compare the plays and playtime shown for each ranked artist, track, or album. Check both measures because track length can change the answer. The profile's overall totals show lifetime listening, so use the filtered item counts for this comparison.
Top artists, tracks, and albums
Separate returning favorites from new entries. Note not only rank changes but the totals behind them.
Top genres
A genre can rise even when it was already present. Compare its position in each period's ranking using the same measurement.
Discovery
Look for artists, albums, and tracks that appear in the newer period but not the older one. A new entry in your top list does not necessarily mean you heard it for the first time that year.
Listening rhythm
Weekly and monthly patterns show whether the change came from routine, a short phase, or one unusually heavy period.
How to build a fair yearly comparison
On rigtch.fm, compare the two periods manually using custom date ranges. Custom ranges are part of Rigtch Plus.
- Open your profile and select the rigtch stats provider
- Select plays or playtime
- Click the calendar button, choose the first year's start and end dates, and apply the range
- Record the rankings and the plays or playtime shown beside individual artists, tracks, and albums
- Move both dates to the matching period in the other year and apply the range again
- Compare the results, then repeat with the other measurement
For example, compare January 1 through September 30, 2025 with January 1 through September 30, 2026. Keep the selected measurement the same for both.
Both periods need recorded listening data. If either predates your connection to rigtch.fm, import your extended Spotify listening history first. Spotify explains what its export contains in its data guide. Missing history can look like a drop in listening even when your habits stayed the same.
Changes worth looking for
- Artists that entered or left the top 10
- A genre that climbed the rankings
- A track that persisted across both years
- An artist with more plays despite a lower rank
- More new entries among your top artists
- A track with higher playtime despite fewer plays
These changes explain taste drift better than one winner from each year.
Year-over-year FAQ
Can Spotify compare two years directly?
Spotify describes Wrapped as an annual listening recap. For the comparison in this guide, select each period separately on rigtch.fm and record the results.
Should I compare rankings or item counts?
Both. Rankings show order; an artist's, track's, or album's plays and playtime show the size of the change. Keep the date range and measurement consistent, and leave lifetime profile totals out of the comparison.
What if I only have part of this year?
Compare it with the same dates from last year.
Compare your two periods
Matching windows let you compare Spotify stats year over year without confusing a shorter period with less listening.