Spotify Premium review

Spotify now belongs on a hi-fi list, with limits. Its support page lists a Lossless setting equivalent up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC on desktop, mobile and tablet for Premium subscribers, and Spotify's Premium page describes sound quality up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz. That is better than CD resolution in bit depth, but it stops at 44.1 kHz, so the 96 kHz and 192 kHz masters on Qobuz, Tidal, Apple Music and Amazon are not available here. The web player streams AAC at 256 kbit/s for Premium. Premium Individual costs $12.99 a month after a free month for people who have not tried Premium before, Duo is $18.99 and Student is $6.99. You also get offline downloads and 15 hours a month of audiobooks. The case for Spotify is the app itself: if your playlists, shared listening and podcasts live there, turning on Lossless gives a real upgrade without a migration. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not test it.

Who it is for

Listeners who want CD-quality and better without leaving Spotify's playlists, social features and podcasts.

Price

$12.99 a month for Premium Individual after a free month.

$0 for 1 month, then $12.99 per month after.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Lossless setting up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC
• Very high setting at about 320 kbit/s
• Offline downloads and Offline Backup
• 15 hours a month of audiobook listening
• Student plan at $6.99 a month

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Lossless comes with Premium at no extra charge
• Strength: Best-known playlists and discovery tools
• Strength: Free tier available, though without lossless
• Weakness: Tops out at 44.1 kHz, below the 192 kHz of Qobuz, Tidal, Apple and Amazon
• Weakness: Web player streams AAC at 256 kbit/s, not lossless
• Weakness: Individual plan costs $1 more than Apple Music or Tidal

Key facts

• Top quality: FLAC up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz
• Individual price: $12.99 a month
• Free trial: 1 month for $0 if new to Premium
• Duo plan: $18.99 a month
• Free tier: Yes, without lossless

Where it ranks

Spotify Premium is No. 5 in our Best Hi-Fi Music Streaming Services verdict.