Sync iPad and iPhone music play lists?

I’ve been reading high and low for a suitable answer to this. Closest I found was an answer provided in this post:

How do I sync playlists from iPad to iPho… - Apple Community

Just one question: does it mean if I don’t shell out money for an extra monthly Apple Music subscription there is no path to sync the playlists? I already subscribe to iCloud… and spent thousands on Apple equipment. Forcing me to subscribe to Apple Music (which I don’t want or need) seems not very customer friendly for a company that prides itself for having an inter-operational eco-system? Can someone please clarify? Thank you.