Streaming and music
Music streaming prices compared
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The three music subscriptions tracked here, plan by plan, with the dates of their increases since 2022.
10 plans, cheapest year first
| Plan | Monthly | Cheapest year |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify, Premium Student | $6.99 | $83.88 |
| Apple Music, Student | $6.99 | $83.88 |
| YouTube Premium, Student | $8.99 | $107.88 |
| Apple Music, Individual | $11.99 | $143.88 |
| Spotify, Premium Individual | $12.99 | $155.88 |
| YouTube Premium, Individual | $15.99 | $159.99 |
| Spotify, Premium Duo | $18.99 | $227.88 |
| Apple Music, Family | $19.99 | $239.88 |
| Spotify, Premium Family | $21.99 | $263.88 |
| YouTube Premium, Family (up to five members) | $26.99 | $323.88 |
US list prices before sales tax. Everything you enter stays in this browser: nothing is sent or stored.
For one person, Apple Music is the cheapest of the three at $11.99 a month, against $12.99 for Spotify Premium Individual and $15.99 for YouTube Premium, which also removes ads from YouTube videos and includes YouTube Music. Student plans cost $6.99 at Spotify and Apple Music and $8.99 at YouTube. Family plans cost $19.99, $21.99 and $26.99. Only YouTube Premium Individual has an annual price, $159.99. In 2022, Spotify and Apple Music both cost $9.99 for one person; Spotify has since risen three times, to $12.99, and Apple Music twice, to $11.99. Spotify Student includes access to a Hulu plan, and Apple Music Student access to Apple TV, according to their pages. Prices read on November 1, 2026, before sales tax.
How much has this plan gone up?
Apple Music Individual, Jan 1, 2023 to today
+9%
| Price on Jan 1, 2023 | $10.99 |
| Price today | $11.99 |
| Extra per year at today's price | $12 |
| Increases since | 1 |
Prices read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Plan by plan
| Plan | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | $12.99 | $11.99 | $15.99 |
| Two people | Duo $18.99 | none | none |
| Family | $21.99 | $19.99 | $26.99 |
| Student | $6.99 | $6.99 | $8.99 |
| Annual plan | none | none | $159.99 |
How the three moved
Spotify raised Individual by one dollar between July 2, 2023 and August 1, 2023, again between June 1, 2024 and July 1, 2024 and again between January 2, 2026 and February 2, 2026. Apple Music moved between October 2, 2022 and November 1, 2022 and between July 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026. YouTube Premium went from $11.99 to $13.99 between July 1, 2023 and August 1, 2023, and costs $15.99 in the latest copy. Over the period, the gap between Spotify and Apple Music for one person opened from zero to $1.
How much has this plan gone up?
Apple Music Individual, Jan 1, 2023 to today
+9%
| Price on Jan 1, 2023 | $10.99 |
| Price today | $11.99 |
| Extra per year at today's price | $12 |
| Increases since | 1 |
Bundles that include music
Apple One Individual, $21.95, includes Apple Music with Apple TV, Apple Arcade and iCloud+ storage. Spotify's Individual, Duo and Family plans include 15 hours a month of audiobook listening time, for the plan manager on Family. The family plans page works out the price per person.