Spotify review

Spotify is the easiest service to live with every day, and it has closed much of its sound quality gap. Premium Individual costs $12.99 a month after a one-month trial and now includes lossless music up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz, which is CD-grade resolution at a higher bit depth, though not the 192 kHz Hi-Res that Apple, Tidal, Qobuz and Amazon offer. Premium also adds ad-free listening, downloads, any-order playback and 15 hours a month of audiobooks from a catalog Spotify puts at over 700,000 titles. Social features are its strongest point: Jam lets friends add to one queue in real time, Blend merges tastes into one playlist, and daylist and the DJ build personal mixes. Spotify says it runs on over 2,000 devices. Pricing is its weak spot. At $12.99 it costs a dollar more than Apple Music or Tidal, and Family is $21.99. The free tier remains a real advantage for casual listeners.

Who it is for

Listeners who value playlists, discovery, podcasts and audiobooks in one app and want broad device support.

Price

Premium Individual $12.99 per month; Student $6.99; Duo $18.99; Family $21.99.

$0 for 1 month, then $12.99 per month after.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 8, 2026.

Key features

• Lossless music up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz on Premium
• 15 hours a month of audiobook listening on Premium plans
• Jam for live group listening and Blend for shared playlists
• Works on over 2,000 devices, including CarPlay and Android Auto
• Free ad-supported tier alongside Premium

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free tier for listeners who do not want to pay
• Strength: The easiest app on this list for discovery and shared listening
• Strength: Audiobooks and podcasts included in the same app
• Weakness: Most expensive individual plan among the big services at $12.99
• Weakness: Lossless tops out at 24-bit/44.1 kHz, below Hi-Res rivals
• Weakness: Family plan costs $21.99, more than Apple and Tidal

Key facts

• Individual plan: $12.99 per month
• Top audio quality: Lossless up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz
• Free tier: Yes, ad-supported
• Audiobooks: 15 hours per month
• Free trial: 1 month for new Premium users

Where it ranks

Spotify is No. 2 in our Best Music Streaming Services verdict and No. 6 in Best Podcast Apps.