Spotify's current subscription prices and plan types
Spotify offers four subscription tiers in the United States: Free, Premium, Premium Duo, and Premium Family. The Free plan costs nothing but includes ads and limits how you can skip songs. Premium costs $11.99 per month for one person with no ads and unlimited skips. Premium Duo costs $16.99 per month for two people with separate accounts and playlists. Premium Family costs $19.99 per month and covers up to six people in your household, each with their own account.
These prices explore to standard monthly subscriptions paid through Spotify's website or app. If you pay through Apple's App Store or Google Play, the price is higher — typically $12.99 for Premium monthly — because Apple and Google take a cut. Student plans cost $6.99 per month if you can verify your enrollment through SheerID, a third-party student verification service.
Spotify also offers annual plans at a discount. Premium annual costs $119.99 (about $10 per month if you divide it out), and Premium Family annual costs $199.99. You pay the full year upfront, but the monthly cost works out lower than paying month to month.
Key Takeaways
- Premium costs $11.99 per month when you pay Spotify directly, or $12.99 if you pay through Apple or Google.
- Premium Duo ($16.99) and Premium Family ($19.99) split the cost across multiple people, making them cheaper per person than buying individual Premium plans.
- Annual plans cost less per month than monthly plans: Premium annual is $119.99 for the year instead of $143.88 if you pay monthly.
- Students can pay $6.99 per month with proof of enrollment, and the Free plan with ads costs nothing but limits skipping and playback control.
What each plan includes and what it does not
The Free plan lets you listen to any song, artist, or playlist, but Spotify plays ads between songs and you cannot skip more than six songs per hour on mobile. You also cannot choose exactly which song plays next on mobile — you can only shuffle or play in order. Desktop and web versions of Free have fewer skip limits. Free accounts work on phones, tablets, computers, and some smart speakers, but the sound quality is capped at 96 kbps, which is noticeably lower than Premium.
Premium removes all ads, lets you skip unlimited songs, and lets you pick exactly which song to play next on any device. Premium also raises sound quality to 320 kbps on devices that support it, though most people cannot hear the difference on phone speakers or cheap headphones. Premium works on up to four devices at once, but only one can play music at the same time. You can read songs to listen offline on up to three devices.
Premium Duo gives two people everything Premium includes, but each person gets their own account, separate playlists, and a shared playlist they can both add to. The two accounts cannot play music at the same time — if one person starts playing, the other's music stops. Premium Family works the same way but for up to six people, and it includes Spotify Kids, a separate app with child-friendly content and parental controls.
How to pay and when charges occur
Monthly subscriptions charge on the same day each month. If you sign up on the 15th, you pay on the 15th of every month. Annual subscriptions charge once per year on your renewal date. You can change your payment method in your account settings on Spotify's website — options include credit card, debit card, PayPal, and gift cards.
If you cancel your subscription, you keep access until the end of your current billing period. If you paid for a month on January 15th and cancel on January 20th, you can still use Premium until February 15th. If you paid for a year and cancel, you do not get a refund for the unused months — you straightforward lose access when the year ends.
Spotify sometimes offers promotional pricing for new subscribers, such as one month free or a discounted first month. These offers appear when you sign up and vary by region and time. If you have used a promotion before, you may not be able to use it again.
Comparing cost per person across plans
If you live with other people, the group plans can cost less per person than buying individual Premium subscriptions. Premium Duo at $16.99 per month costs $8.50 per person, compared to $11.99 for one Premium subscription. Premium Family at $19.99 per month costs $3.33 per person if all six spots are used, though most families use three to four accounts.
The math changes if not everyone in the household uses Spotify equally. If you are paying for Premium Family but only two people actually listen, you are paying $9.99 per person instead of $8.50 with Duo. However, Premium Family includes Spotify Kids and lets you set parental controls on individual accounts, which Premium Duo does not offer.
The Free plan costs nothing but comes with ads and skipping limits. If you listen to Spotify for an hour or more per day, the ads add up quickly — most people find Premium worth the cost after a few weeks of Free use.
Price differences by country and payment method
Spotify's prices vary outside the United States. In Canada, Premium costs CAD $12.99 per month. In the United Kingdom, it costs £11.99 per month. In Australia, it costs AUD $13.99 per month. These prices change based on currency exchange rates and local market conditions, so they do not always stay the same.
Paying through Apple's App Store or Google Play adds about $1 to the monthly cost compared to paying Spotify directly. This happens because Apple and Google take a percentage of in-app purchases. If you want to avoid the extra charge, you can sign up on Spotify's website using a web browser, then use the same login on your phone app. Spotify will not charge you through the app store if you signed up elsewhere.
Some employers and phone carriers offer Spotify subscriptions as a perk, sometimes bundled with other services at a discount. Hulu and Disney+ bundle Spotify Premium with their own subscriptions in some packages. These bundled prices vary widely, so check what your employer or carrier offers.
What happens if you stop paying
If your payment method fails or you do not renew your subscription, Spotify downgrades you to Free automatically. You do not lose your account, playlists, or followers — they stay there. If you resubscribe to Premium later, your account is exactly as you left it. Spotify does not delete inactive accounts or charge you after your subscription ends.
If you are on a monthly plan and your payment fails, Spotify usually sends you an email asking you to update your payment method. You typically have a few days to fix it before losing Premium access. If you are on an annual plan and it fails to renew, you have a similar grace period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the same Premium account on multiple devices at once?
Premium lets you log in on up to four devices, but only one device can play music at the same time. If you want multiple people to listen simultaneously, you need Premium Duo (two people) or Premium Family (up to six people). Each person gets their own account and can play at the same time.
Is there a way to get Spotify cheaper than the regular monthly price?
Annual plans cost less per month than monthly plans — Premium annual is $119.99 instead of $143.88 for twelve months of monthly payments. Student plans cost $6.99 per month if you can verify enrollment. Some employers, phone carriers, and streaming bundles include Spotify at a discount, though availability varies by location.
What is the difference between Premium and Premium Duo?
Premium is for one person at $11.99 per month. Premium Duo is for two people at $16.99 per month, so each person pays $8.50. Both get unlimited skips, no ads, and offline downloads. The main difference is that Duo gives each person a separate account and playlists, while Premium is one account only.
Do I get my money back if I cancel mid-month?
No. If you cancel a monthly subscription, you keep access until the end of that billing period, but Spotify does not refund the unused days. If you cancel an annual subscription, you lose access when the year ends with no refund for unused months.
Why does Spotify cost more on Apple and Google?
Apple and Google take a percentage of purchases made through their app stores, so Spotify charges $12.99 per month through those platforms instead of $11.99 when you pay directly. To avoid the extra cost, sign up on Spotify's website using a web browser, then use the same login on your phone app.