Sirius vs XM : Compare the Services

If you want to explore the differences in the Sirius vs XM battle of the skies, you’ve got a bit of work to do. First, there’s the obvious cost comparison to be made: XM is $9.99/month while Sirius Satellite Radio runs $12.95/month, yet both offer lower rates for longer prepaid plans. If you need to cancel your plan, you can do that on either one provided you’re on the monthly plan, otherwise, XM Satellite Radio will give you a pro-rated refund on longer plans, while Sirius has a $75 cancel fee on prepaid subscriptions. Not that you’ll need it since both companies report an extremely high retention rate on customers. So what about other considerations in the Sirius vs XM decision?

Check the programming: Both are currently offering around 130 channels. Sirius has 60 or so commercial-free music channels, with the rest covering talk, news, sports and entertainment. XM Satellite Radio matches that with 70 music channels (many of them commercial-free) and the rest running a stream with a similar entertainment and news variety. So which satellite radio do you go with? Sirius vs XM?

If you’ve bought a GM or Honda vehicle recently, the choice was made for you. On many new vehicles, a satellite radio receiver is standard equipment and all you have to do is activate it. The Sirius vs Xm battle has gone to Detroit as there are now dozens of vehicles that now install equipment for one or the other.

Both companies offer equipment options including special satellite-ready radios for permanent installation as well as affordably priced portable satellite radio receivers for listening in the car or home. Each service offers comparable products in similar price ranges. Once you choose one, though, it is difficult to switch to the other because the XM hardware won’t work with Sirius gear, and vice versa. In the next few years, the FCC is likely to mandate equipment be interoperable but that hasn’t happened yet. So for now, once you’ve chosen one in the Sirius vs XM race, you won’t be able to switch, unless you purchase a new satellite radio receiver.

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