Spotify Costs: Free vs. Premium Account

In addition to the free account, Spotify also offers a premium account. We will explain the difference between the two accounts as well as how much a premium subscription costs. 

Costs of a Spotify Premium Account 

Spotify Premium is the paid version of the music streaming service.  

• The basic version costs $9.99 for a single account or $4.99 for a student account.  
• Shared accounts start at $14.99 for a 6-account family deal.  
• The annual subscription price is $99 and paying either of these premiums guarantees you access to a library of over 40 million songs. 

Differences Between Free and Premium Spotify Accounts 

A Spotify free-account allows the user access to the same database of over 40 million songs. While the music selection is the same, the free account skimps out on other features. 

• Any new releases are delayed for a period of 2-weeks.  
• Unlike for a Spotify Premium account, free users cannot play songs offline. Paying users on the other hand can save songs to their device and don’t have to waste their mobile data on streaming music.  
• There are also numerous adverts in between songs.  
• When using a free account, the shuffle feature is always on when playing whole albums. This means the user can only listen to the songs as they appear because the skip feature is disabled as well. 
• The biggest core feature that is missing in the free account is the quality 320 kbps bit-rate level playback which is termed as indistinguishable from CD quality. 

Similarities Between Free and Premium Accounts 

• In both versions, you can access the songs on numerous connected devices such as PCs, smartphones, smart TVs, PlayStation4, and Playstation3.  
• If you want to stream from your car, then it should be equipped with either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to facilitate this service. 

Conclusion: It might be worth it to pay for Premium 

While the music selection is the same, the missing features do make the premium account appealing. Especially for people who like to listen to music during their commute or on the move, the possibility to download and listen to music without the need for mobile data or wifi is a definite plus. As is the ability to enjoy the music uninterrupted by ads.