After nearly two years of price stability, Spotify has announced a fresh price hike for its premium subscribers in the United States. The move adds to the growing cost pressure on streaming users, as platforms push for higher revenue amid slowing growth and rising content expenses.
The new prices will apply from the user’s next billing cycle, starting February 2026. Spotify has already begun notifying customers by email.
The most popular Individual Premium plan will now cost US $12.99 a month, up from US $11.99. Student subscribers will pay US $6.99 instead of US $5.99. The Duo plan moves to US $18.99, while the Family plan jumps to US $21.99 per month.
This marks Spotify’s third price increase in the US since 2023. For over a decade before that, the company had kept its flagship plan at US $9.99.
Spotify says the revision helps it invest in product improvements and artist payouts. The company also points to higher operational costs and competitive pressure in the streaming market.
The music streaming business no longer runs on rapid subscriber growth alone. Most major platforms have hit saturation in developed markets like the US. That has forced companies to focus on revenue per user.
Spotify also faces pressure from record labels and artists, who have long criticised low per-stream payouts. Higher subscription prices give the platform more room to negotiate and experiment with new features.
Despite repeated hikes, Spotify has retained most of its paying users. That resilience likely gave the company the confidence to raise prices again.
No immediate action is required from the customer's side. Unless the users cancel or switch plans, the new rates will be applied automatically. Users who hardly ever download music or skip more ads may think twice about the free tier.
Others can weigh the cost against competitors' services before deciding whether to renew. Currently, Spotify is taking a chance that its playlists, podcasts, and discovery tools are powerful enough to warrant the extra dollar.
Whether users concur or not will become apparent over the coming months.