Spotify confirmed on January 15 that it will raise subscription prices for U.S. users starting in February 2026. This is the third price increase for American customers in three years.
The company said the changes are needed to support continued investment in the platform. Spotify pointed to new features, including the recent addition of lossless audio to its standard Premium tier.
The price hikes affect all major plans. The individual plan will rise from $11.99 to $12.99 per month. The student plan will increase by $1, reaching $6.99.
The Duo plan will see one of the largest jumps. It will increase by $2, moving from $16.99 to $18.99 per month. The Family plan will also rise by $2, reaching $21.99 per month.
New subscribers will pay the higher prices immediately. Existing users will see the new rates applied on their first billing date in February 2026. Spotify said it is emailing customers 15 to 30 days before the change takes effect.
While the announcement focuses on the United States, Spotify confirmed that users in Estonia and Latvia are also seeing similar increases. Other global markets faced price hikes throughout late 2025.
With the new pricing, Spotify becomes the most expensive major music streaming service in the U.S. Rivals such as Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Tidal currently charge $10.99 for their individual plans.
The decision comes during a leadership transition at the company. Founder Daniel Ek became Executive Chairman on January 1, 2026, while Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström took over as co‑CEOs.
Analysts say the higher prices may help boost profits and address long‑standing concerns from record labels about streaming revenue.
