What Spotify costs right now
Spotify offers four subscription tiers in the United States: Free (ad-supported), Premium ($11.99 per month), Duo ($16.99 per month for two accounts), and Family ($19.99 per month for up to six accounts). Prices vary by country and change periodically, so check Spotify's website for your region's current rates.
The Free tier lets you stream music with ads and shuffle-only playback on mobile. Premium removes ads, allows offline downloads, and gives you on-demand song selection. Duo and Family plans add multiple accounts under one subscription, each with their own profile and offline library.
Spotify also offers a Student plan at a reduced rate if you have a valid .edu email address, though the price and availability depend on your country. Some carriers and services bundle Spotify Premium with other subscriptions at a discount.
Key Takeaways
- Premium costs $11.99 per month and removes ads, allows offline downloads, and gives you full song control on any device.
- Duo ($16.99) and Family ($19.99) plans split the cost across multiple people, making them cheaper per person than buying individual Premium subscriptions.
- The Free tier is ad-supported and limits you to shuffle play on mobile devices, but costs nothing.
- Student plans cost less than Premium if you have a valid university email, though pricing varies by country.
- Prices change over time and differ by region, so the rates listed here may not match what you see when you sign up.
Premium versus Duo versus Family
Premium is the single-account option. You get one profile, one set of saved songs and playlists, and one offline library. This works if you live alone or don't mind sharing your listening history and recommendations with household members.
Duo splits Premium features between two people. Each person gets their own account, profile, and offline library. Spotify won't mix your listening history with your partner's, so your recommendations stay separate. At $16.99 for two accounts, you each pay $8.50 instead of $11.99.
Family covers up to six people and costs $19.99 per month. Each person gets a separate account and profile. Spotify includes Family Mix (a playlist blending everyone's taste) and Family Plan controls, which let the account owner set parental restrictions on specific profiles. At $19.99 for six people, the per-person cost drops to about $3.33, making it the cheapest option if you have multiple listeners in your home.
All three paid tiers remove ads, allow offline downloads, and let you skip songs freely. The difference is only in how many people share the subscription and whether they get separate profiles.
What you get with Premium
Premium removes all ads from playback. The Free tier interrupts music with ads every few songs; Premium has none.
You can download songs, albums, and playlists to your phone or computer and listen offline. This matters if you travel, commute without data, or want to save mobile data. Free users cannot download anything.
Premium gives you full song control: skip as many times as you want, play any song on demand, and reorder playlists. Free users on mobile can only shuffle entire playlists or albums, not pick individual songs.
You get higher audio quality. Premium streams at up to 320 kbps (kilobits per second) using the Ogg Vorbis codec. Free streams at 96 kbps. The difference is noticeable on good headphones but less so on phone speakers. Spotify does not offer lossless audio (CD quality) on any tier.
Free tier limitations
The Free tier is ad-supported. Spotify plays ads between songs and occasionally shows banner ads in the app. The number and length of ads vary.
On mobile devices, Free users can only shuffle entire playlists or albums. You cannot pick a specific song to play unless you are on a computer or tablet. This is Spotify's main way of pushing people toward Premium.
Free users cannot download songs for offline listening. You must stream everything, which requires an internet connection and uses mobile data.
Free accounts have lower audio quality (96 kbps instead of 320 kbps) and cannot use features like Spotify Connect (casting to other devices) on mobile.
Student plans and discounts
Spotify offers a Student plan at a reduced price if you have a valid university email address ending in .edu or equivalent in your country. The Student plan includes all Premium features plus Hulu (with ads) and a subscription to Spotify's ad-free podcast tier. Pricing and bundle contents vary by region.
Some wireless carriers, internet providers, and music services bundle Spotify Premium with other subscriptions. For example, certain phone plans or internet packages may include Premium at no extra cost or at a discount. Check your carrier's website or contact them to see if you already have access.
Spotify occasionally runs promotions for new users, such as discounted first months or free trial periods. These are time-limited and appear on Spotify's sign-up page.
How billing works
Spotify charges monthly on a recurring basis. Your subscription renews on the same date each month. You can cancel anytime, and your access ends at the end of your current billing cycle—Spotify does not refund unused days.
Payment methods include credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, and gift cards. Some regions support additional payment methods like mobile billing or local payment services.
If your payment method fails, Spotify will attempt to charge it again over several days. If it continues to fail, your account reverts to Free until you update your payment information.
Family and Duo plans require one person to be the account owner and set up billing. The owner can remove or add members anytime, and each member can use their own payment method to contribute if the owner allows it (though this varies by region).
Comparing Spotify to other music services
Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Tidal all offer similar ad-free streaming at comparable prices. Apple Music costs $10.99 per month for individuals and $16.99 for families (up to six people). Amazon Music Unlimited is $10.99 per month, though Amazon Prime members get a cheaper tier. YouTube Music Premium is $11.99 per month. Tidal Premium is $10.99 per month.
The main differences are music catalog (all major services have nearly identical libraries), audio quality (Tidal offers lossless audio; Spotify does not), and bundled services (Apple Music comes with Apple One; Amazon Music bundles with Prime). Your choice usually comes down to which service integrates best with devices you already own and which interface you prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share a Spotify Premium account with someone else?
Technically yes, but Spotify's terms say Premium is for personal use only. Sharing login credentials with someone outside your household violates the terms. Duo and Family plans are the intended way to share a subscription with others while keeping separate profiles and listening histories.
Does Spotify offer a free trial?
Spotify sometimes offers free trial periods for new users, usually one to three months depending on promotions running at the time. Check Spotify's sign-up page to see if a trial is available in your region. Trials require a valid payment method on file.
What happens if I cancel my subscription?
Your access ends at the end of your current billing cycle. You keep your account and playlists, but you revert to Free tier features (ads, shuffle-only on mobile, no offline downloads). If you resubscribe later, your saved songs and playlists are still there.
Can I use Spotify on multiple devices with one Premium account?
Yes. One Premium account can stream on multiple devices, but only one device can play music at a time. If you try to play on a second device while the first is playing, the first stops. Duo and Family plans let multiple people play simultaneously on different devices.
Is Spotify Premium worth the cost?
That depends on how much you listen and what matters to you. If you listen daily, the cost per hour is low. If ads don't bother you and you don't need offline downloads, Free is fine. If you want to skip ads and download songs, Premium or a Family plan (if you have household members) is usually the better value than paying for multiple individual subscriptions.