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Differences between calculation methods

stats.fm Support
  • Updated

You may have noticed there are several ways to sort your top tracks, artists, and albums. Here's what each method does.

Default (Spotify's algorithm)

By default, your top items are ranked using Spotify's own algorithm. This is the same method other Spotify stats services use. Spotify hasn't documented exactly how the ranking works, but it's known to weigh factors like play frequency, recency, completion rate, and behavioral patterns. This means that some items may not be included in the list, even though you've streamed them more than other items that do appear in the list.

Disadvantages
  • Limited to 3 time ranges
  • Has proven to be inaccurate

Count

This option sorts by the actual number of streams of each item, which is much more accurate. To use count sorting, you'll need to import your lifetime streaming history. Selecting count also lets you see lists longer than 99 items (the Spotify API limit) and select custom time ranges.

Advantages:

  • More accurate
  • Custom time ranges

Disadvantages:

  • Requires a one-time import of your history

Time played

Like count, this option is much more accurate than the default ranking, but it sorts by total time listened rather than number of streams. To use time played sorting, you'll need to import your lifetime streaming history. Selecting time played also lets you see lists longer than 99 items and select custom time ranges.

Advantages:

  • More accurate
  • Custom time ranges
  • Longer songs (like mashups or specific genres) appear higher in the list

Disadvantages:

  • Requires a one-time import of your history