As rumored, Spotify is raising its prices across all of its paid plans in the US, resulting in a much more expensive plan than its main competitors.
Spotify users in the US will now need to pay $12.99 per month for an Individual Premium plan, up from $11.99 throughout 2025 and $9.99 just a few short years ago. Duo subscribers will see their rates increase to $18.99 per month — up from $16.99 — while Family plans jump from $19.99 to $21.99. Even Spotify’s Student plans are increasing by a dollar; anyone with an applicable .edu email will now need to shell out $6.99 per month for their subscription. Similar price hikes are also rolling out in Estonia and Latvia, though the rest of the world remains unimpacted by these changes.
These changes leave Spotify as the most expensive mainstream music streaming service out there. YouTube and Apple both charge $10.99 for their respective individual plans, along with cheaper options for both students and families than what Spotify is now offering. Factor in some of the additional deals Google and Apple are capable of offering at their scale — YouTube Premium subscriptions for just a dollar more than Spotify, or bundled subscriptions with Apple One — and Spotify’s pricing changes start to look pretty out of place with the rest of the industry.
Spotify’s blog post announcing these changes is straight and to-the-point, simply stating that these prices “reflect the value” the company feels it delivers to users. That said, Spotify’s attention span has been scattered for ages, and that “value” might not be the best for you if you’re looking specifically for a way to listen to music. This company has added audiobook credits, shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars for podcast rights, and leaned heavily on AI features first and foremost, all while taking nearly half a decade to roll out improved audio quality.
These price hikes are rolling out to users over the next month, and will be reflected in your February bill. If you’re currently subscribed to a paid Spotify account, you’ll receive an email like the one above alerting you to these changes. Regions affected by last summer’s international price increase are not included in today’s changes.
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