Key takeaways
- US list prices in September 2026: Individual $12.99, Student $6.99, Duo $18.99 and Family $21.99 per month. Check spotify.com for your country.
- Individual went up from $11.99 in early 2026. The new price showed up on bills in February and March 2026.
- Duo and Family plans require every member to live at the same address. Student requires SheerID verification every 12 months, for up to four years.
- For three or more people in one home, Family is the cheapest option per head: about $3.67 each when all six places are used.
- Your playlists and library move with you when you switch plans or cancel. Only offline downloads stop working.
Spotify now sells four main Premium plans and a separate audiobook add-on, and prices have gone up several times in three years. That makes the choice harder than it should be. People pay for Family when Duo would do. Students pay full price for years because nobody told them about the discount. Some households keep three separate Individual subscriptions and pay more than twice what one Family plan costs.
This guide covers every plan with current US prices, who qualifies, what you get, and how to change or cancel without losing your music. If you're still deciding whether to pay at all, start with our Spotify Free vs Premium comparison.
Spotify Premium plans at a glance
All four plans unlock the same core Premium experience: no ads, on-demand playback, unlimited skips, offline downloads and the highest audio quality settings, including lossless in supported markets. The differences are how many accounts you get, who can join, and a few extras such as Spotify Kids.
| Plan | US price / month | Accounts | Who can join | Audiobook hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | $12.99 | 1 | Anyone | 15 h / month* |
| Student | $6.99 | 1 | Verified students at accredited colleges or universities | 15 h / month* |
| Duo | $18.99 | 2 | Two people at the same address | 15 h / month* (plan manager) |
| Family | $21.99 | Up to 6 | Household members at the same address | 15 h / month* (plan manager) |
| Audiobooks Access | $9.99 | 1 | Anyone (standalone, not music Premium) | 15 h / month* |
*Audiobook listening hours apply in eligible markets such as the US, UK, Australia and Canada. Prices are US list prices as of September 2026. Always check spotify.com/premium for your country.
Premium Individual: the default choice
Premium Individual is the plan most people start on, and at $12.99 a month it's also the most expensive per person. You get one account with every Premium feature: ad-free listening, any song in any order, unlimited skips, offline mode, Very high (about 320 kbps) and lossless quality where available, Spotify Connect, AI DJ and AI Playlist in supported markets, and hosting a Jam.
Who it's for
It suits people who live alone, flatmates who don't share a household under Spotify's rules, and anyone who wants a completely separate account without a plan manager. If you share a home with a partner, Duo nearly always works out cheaper per person. See the cost table below.
Offline limits worth knowing
Every Premium account can download up to 10,000 songs on each of up to 5 devices. The catch is that each device has to go online at least once every 30 days, or its downloads get locked until it reconnects. Frequent flyers and people in remote areas should keep this in mind.
Premium Student: half price with verification
At $6.99 a month, Student costs about half as much as Individual and includes the same features. In the US it has historically come bundled with the ad-supported Hulu plan. Bundles change, so check the current offer on Spotify's student page before you sign up.
Eligibility and verification
- You must be enrolled at an accredited higher-education institution such as a college or university. High-school students usually don't qualify.
- Verification runs through SheerID. Usually your school details are enough, but you may be asked to upload an enrollment document.
- You need to re-verify every 12 months, and the discount lasts for up to four years in total.
- When you graduate or reach the limit, the account moves to Individual pricing unless you switch or cancel.
Put a reminder in your calendar about two weeks before your re-verification date. If verification fails and nobody notices, you'll quietly pay full price, and in the US that's an extra $6 a month.
Premium Duo: two accounts, one address
Premium Duo costs $18.99 a month for two separate Premium accounts. Each person keeps their own library, recommendations, Wrapped and Discover Weekly. Duo also creates a shared Duo Mix playlist based on what you both play. Split two ways, that's about $9.50 each, or $3.49 less per person per month than two Individual plans.
The rule that trips people up is the address requirement. Both account holders must live at the same address, and the plan manager enters it when setting the plan up. Duo is designed for couples and roommates in one household, not long-distance friends.
Premium Family: up to six accounts
Premium Family is $21.99 a month for up to six Premium accounts under one plan manager. Each member has a private account with their own playlists and recommendations. The plan also includes:
Spotify Kids
A separate app with curated, age-appropriate music and stories for younger children, managed from the Family plan.
Parental controls
The plan manager can turn on the explicit-content filter for each member separately.
Family Mix
An automatically updated shared playlist built from what everyone in the household listens to.
The address rule and audiobooks
As with Duo, every member must live at the plan manager's address, and Spotify may ask members to confirm where they live. Family is not a legitimate way to share one subscription among friends in different cities, and accounts that break the rule can be removed from the plan. Also note that the 15 hours of monthly audiobook listening belongs to the plan manager. Other members don't get their own allowance by default. If they want audiobooks, they can buy additional listening hours where Spotify offers top-ups.
Cost per person: which plan is cheapest?
Here is what each plan costs per person at US list prices, per month and per year:
| Plan & users | Total / month | Per person / month | Per person / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual (1) | $12.99 | $12.99 | $155.88 |
| Student (1) | $6.99 | $6.99 | $83.88 |
| Duo (2) | $18.99 | $9.50 | $113.94 |
| Family (3) | $21.99 | $7.33 | $87.96 |
| Family (4) | $21.99 | $5.50 | $65.97 |
| Family (6) | $21.99 | $3.67 | $43.98 |
Three points stand out. First, Family beats Duo as soon as a third person joins: a household of three pays $7.33 each instead of two people on Duo and a third on Individual. Second, a student living alone still does best on Student. Third, a couple on two Individual plans spends about $84 a year more than they would on Duo.
Not sure which plan your household needs?
Our Streaming Plan Optimization service checks every music and video subscription you pay for and recommends the cheapest legal setup.
How Spotify prices have changed
For about a decade, Premium Individual cost $9.99 in the US. Since 2023 the price has gone up roughly once a year. The table below shows the Individual plan. Earlier figures are based on Spotify's announcements and reporting at the time, so treat them as approximate. Duo, Family and Student rose over the same period.
| Period | Premium Individual (US / month) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 (from mid-year) | $10.99 | First US increase since launch, from $9.99 |
| 2024 (from mid-year) | $11.99 | +$1.00 |
| 2026 (billed Feb/Mar 2026) | $12.99 | +$1.00 |
Existing subscribers are usually emailed before a price change reaches their bill. If you get one of those emails, it's a good moment to reconsider your plan: switching a couple from two Individual plans to Duo saves more than the increase costs.
Regional pricing
Spotify prices each country separately to reflect local purchasing power, taxes and currency. Premium costs much less in places such as India, Latin America and parts of Southeast Asia than in the US, UK or Scandinavia. Plan availability also varies. Duo, Student, Audiobooks Access and lossless audio aren't sold everywhere.
Some people use a VPN or a foreign payment card to get a cheaper region's price. That breaks Spotify's terms, which tie your account to the country you actually live in. Spotify may ask you to confirm your location, switch you to local pricing or suspend the account. The same applies to "premium unlocked" modded apps. Our guide to the hidden risks of modded APKs explains why they can cost you your account and your data.
Free trials, gift cards and bundles
Free trials
Spotify usually offers new Premium subscribers a free trial, typically one month and sometimes up to three during promotions. Trials are normally limited to people who have never had Premium, or haven't had it recently. Your payment method is charged automatically when the trial ends, so set a reminder if you're only testing.
Gift cards
Physical and digital Spotify gift cards are sold in fixed amounts in many countries. They can be redeemed at spotify.com/redeem and the balance pays for Premium month by month. Historically, gift cards have mainly applied to Premium Individual rather than Duo or Family, so check the card's terms before buying one for a household plan. Buy gift cards only from Spotify or major retailers. Cheap "gift codes" sold on marketplaces are a common scam.
Bundles and partner offers
Mobile carriers, internet providers and other companies sometimes include Premium in their packages. If you already pay for a bundle, look at your statement before starting a separate subscription. People often end up paying twice without realizing.
How to switch plans or cancel
You can change plans at any time from your account page in a web browser. The iOS app doesn't let you manage subscriptions directly.
Open your account page
Sign in at spotify.com, open your profile menu and choose Account, then Manage your subscription.
Pick a new plan
Select Change plan or Explore plans, choose Duo, Family, Student or Individual and confirm. Upgrades usually take effect immediately.
Invite members
For Duo or Family, the plan manager sends invite links from the account page. Members accept with their existing accounts, so their playlists come with them.
Cancel if needed
Choose Cancel subscription. Premium stays active until the end of the period you've paid for, then the account moves to Free.
If you pay through a partner such as a mobile carrier or an app store, you may need to cancel with that company instead. When you cancel, you keep your playlists, Liked Songs, followed artists and podcasts. You lose ad-free listening and on-demand playback, and your offline downloads stop working. Full instructions are on Spotify Support.
Money-saving tips that stay within the rules
- Consolidate the household. Three or more Individual subscriptions at one address should almost always become one Family plan.
- Claim the Student rate as long as you're eligible, and re-verify on time.
- Check your existing bundles from your carrier, broadband or device before paying separately.
- Use gift cards from legitimate retailers to prepay, especially if you want to cap your spending.
- Pause instead of paying for months you don't listen. Cancel, and re-subscribe later. Your library will be waiting.
- Audit every subscription once a year. Music, video and audiobook services add up quickly. Our legal free streaming alternatives guide can help you drop paid video services you barely use.
- Sharing a Family plan with people who don't live with you.
- Using VPNs or foreign cards for another country's prices.
- Installing modded "Premium" apps or buying suspiciously cheap account keys.
Once you're on the right plan, make sure you get the most from it. Turn on lossless using our audio quality and lossless settings guide, and try the tools in 15 Spotify features most listeners never use.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Spotify Premium in 2026?
In the US, Premium Individual costs $12.99 per month, Student $6.99, Duo $18.99 and Family $21.99. The standalone Audiobooks Access plan is $9.99. Prices differ by country, so check spotify.com for your region.
Do Family plan members really have to live at the same address?
Yes. Spotify's terms require all Duo and Family members to share the plan manager's home address, and Spotify may ask members to confirm it. Accounts that don't meet the rule can be removed from the plan.
Can I keep my playlists if I switch plans?
Yes. Your playlists, Liked Songs, followed podcasts and listening history belong to your account, not the plan, so they stay with you when you switch between Premium plans or go back to Free.
Is audiobook time included in every Premium plan?
In eligible markets such as the US, UK, Australia and Canada, Individual, Student, Duo and the Family plan manager get 15 hours of audiobook listening per month. Other Family members don't get their own allowance by default.
What happens to my downloads if I cancel Premium?
When your paid period ends, your account switches to Free. Downloaded songs are no longer playable offline, but your playlists remain and you can download everything again if you re-subscribe.
Still have questions? Browse our FAQ or get in touch.
