Spotify is increasing its prices again in the USA – what that means for us

Spotify announces its third price increase within three years for February 2026 – German users are likely to follow soon.

Swedish streaming giant Spotify announced on January 15, 2026 that it would increase subscription prices in the USA, Estonia and Latvia. The company thus confirms rumors from last November.

From February 2026, the individual subscription will increase from $11.99 to $12.99 per month. Duo and family plans even increase by two dollars to $18.99 and $21.99 respectively. Students will also pay one dollar more in the future, namely $6.99 instead of $5.99. It is the third price increase for US customers since July 2023 – and things are not looking good for us in this context either.

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Price increases (almost) every year

The company’s reasoning is brief: “Occasional price adjustments in our markets reflect the value that Spotify delivers and allow us to continue to provide the best possible experience and support artists,” says an official statement (via The Verge).

In emails to subscribers, Spotify puts it a little more directly: the increase is necessary “to continue to provide a great experience.” Existing customers will be informed by email about the change, which will come into effect with the next billing period in February 2026. New customers pay the higher prices immediately.

Spotify launched its US service in 2011 with a monthly price of $9.99 for the premium subscription. This price remained unchanged for twelve years. But since July 2023, the company has been regularly increasing prices:

• In the summer of 2023, the individual tariff rose to $10.99, in June 2024 to $11.99 and now in February 2026 to $12.99. This corresponds to a total increase of 30 percent within just over two and a half years. Family subscriptions rose in price from $14.99 to $21.99 in the same period – an increase of 47 percent.
• Spotify has also already made significant gains in Germany: After an increase in September 2023, the service increased the prices for all subscription levels in August 2025. The individual subscription previously cost 10.99 euros, but since August it has been 12.99 euros. Duo users now pay 17.99 instead of 14.99 euros (plus 20 percent), family customers 21.99 instead of 17.99 euros (plus 22.2 percent).

Increase in Germany is probably only a matter of time

For Germany and other markets, there is still no statement from Spotify as to whether and when higher prices for subscribers are planned. In view of previous experience that the US market is a kind of pioneer for us in this context, an imminent price increase in this country is likely to be firmly in the program for 2026. In view of the recent increase, a possible tiering of tariffs should look like this:

• Individual: 13.99 euros (currently 12.99 euros)
• Duo: 19.99 euros (currently 17.99 euros)
• Family: 24.99 euros (currently 21.99 euros)
• Student: 7.99 euros (currently 6.99 euros)

A family subscription would thus reach the psychologically important mark of 25 euros – almost 300 euros per year for music streaming alone. Spotify’s next quarterly reports for Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 will show whether the price increases have actually led to waves of cancellations. So far, Spotify has said that churn rates have remained “steady” following price increases in over 150 markets.