Spotify is raising prices again – but these alternatives will cost you less

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Spotify is raising prices for its paid plans.
• Most are increasing $1 a month, but some users will pay $2 more.
• Premium, Student, Duo, and Family plans are affected.

Your Spotify subscription is about to get a little more expensive.

In a message to subscribers, the music streamer said it was “updating the price of Spotify,” and that Premium users would get an email over the next month explaining what that meant for their subscription. An example of that message included in the post said the increase is “to keep delivering a great experience.” 

Looking at the new pricing, the change affects Premium, Student, Duo, and Family plans. Premium is jumping from $11.99 a month to $12.99, and Student from $5.99 a month to $6.99, but Duo and Family are getting bigger increases, rising from $16.99 a month to $18.99 and from $19.99 a month to $21.99, respectively. The company does still offer a free plan, but Premium adds benefits like ad-free listening, lossless audio, offline listening, and full control over what songs you hear.

Also: Spotify’s free tier just got a major upgrade – here’s what’s new

The new price will take effect when you get next month’s bill. The service’s last price increase was in June of 2024. Spotify plan pricing also increased in July of 2023, but that was the company’s first price increase since it debuted in 2011.

Alternatives if you’re through with Spotify

If this latest pricing increase is a tipping point for finally trying out an alternative, you do have other options to stream music. Spotify is by far the most popular choice, but Apple Music is still very popular, and you have YouTube Music if you’re on Android. Both of those services are $10.99 per month for individual accounts, and the extra features are comparable to Spotify Premium.

Of course, your algorithm might not be as finely tuned as your Spotify, but it’ll improve over time.

Tidal is also another option, and while it’s not as popular as other services, it is a go-to for audiophiles since it offers over 110 million tracks in upgraded audio formats like lossless, HiRes FLAC, and Dolby Atmos. It’s $10.99 a month, as well.