Spotify review
Updated October 1, 2026 · LootCue Editorial Team · Facts checked October 1, 2026
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Our verdict
Spotify suits listeners who want music, podcasts and audiobooks on one subscription and expect to keep using it. Premium Individual holds one account at $12.99 a month after a trial of 30 days, with a free tier afterwards, and the trade-off is support, which runs on written channels only.
Key facts
- Best for
- One subscription covering music, podcasts and audiobooks, with downloads that work offline.
- Plan price per month
- $12.99 (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Free trial length
- 30 days (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Free tier
- Yes (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Offline downloads
- Yes (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Student discount
- Yes (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Spotify USA Inc. (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Sweden (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Support channels
- Help-centre, Community (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
- Audio quality
- Standard, Lossless, Hi res
- Official website
- spotify.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- One plan carries several audio quality settings, so moving up does not mean buying a second subscription
- Offline downloads save thousands of songs to the device, or let Offline Backup do it automatically
- Audiobooks are part of the plan rather than sold as a separate subscription
- Eligible students pay less than the $12.99 a month Premium Individual price
- The trial runs 30 days at no charge before the first payment
Cons
- Support runs on help centre and community, so there is no phone line or live chat route to a person
- The trial lasts 30 days, so a long listen is needed before you judge whether $12.99 a month earns its place
- The $12.99 price on Premium Individual is what everyone pays, apart from eligible students who get a discount
Who it suits
- Readers who want music, podcasts and audiobooks in one subscription rather than separate apps
- Students with a verified account who can use the discount to pay less than the $12.99 a month Premium Individual price
- Commuters and flyers who need downloads that keep working without a connection
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants to speak to a person by phone or live chat, since the terms describe written support only
- Listeners who will not pay $12.99 a month and cannot use the student discount, though a free tier is there
- People who want to test a service for longer than 30 days before deciding
Where it sits among rivals
Spotify is the broad streaming subscription most readers arrive with already in mind, so the comparison that matters is what a plan carries and what it costs once a trial ends. Premium Individual is the plan to look at first, with audiobooks folded in and downloads included rather than sold as extras. Rivals here split the same job differently, some putting the weight on sound quality and others on how much catalogue they hold. If sound quality outranks spoken-word listening in your household, Tidal is worth reading alongside this one, and Deezer is a sensible second reading of the same job. The thing to weigh first is renewal cost, since the entry figure you see at the start is not the figure you keep paying.
What it does well
The plan carries more than one kind of listening, and the things buyers check most are all inside it. Offline downloads save thousands of songs to the device, and Offline Backup can do the saving for you, which matters on trains, planes and underground lines. The trial runs 30 days at no cost before the first payment, and a free tier keeps the service usable for anyone who decides not to continue. Eligible students can bring the cost down through the student discount, so what you pay depends on what you can prove. Taken together, these are the parts that decide whether one subscription is enough or whether you end up juggling two.
Who runs it
The service is run by Spotify USA Inc., the company named in the terms you accept as a customer, and its registered home is in Sweden. Accounts are signed in through a local company, which is why the terms you read can differ by market. Support runs on written channels set out in those terms rather than a phone line, so have your account details ready before you open a query and expect to answer in writing rather than talk it through.
How Spotify compares
9.1 vs 9.3Plarium
9.1 vs 9.2- 9.1 vs 9.3
9.1 vs 9.3
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 8.9
Starforged
Crossout
Star Stable
War Thunder
Enlisted
Inn.games EU
Humbrol GB
GGPick
Woodestic
Perfect World RU
Norns
Vertexhub
Where Spotify is available
- Available
- United States
Countries from the brand (Source, checked October 1, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How much does Spotify Premium Individual cost each month?+
Premium Individual costs $12.99 a month for one Premium account, and that is the figure that applies once the trial ends. Audiobooks are part of the plan at no extra charge. Eligible students pay less through the student discount, so the price depends on what you can prove.
Is there a free trial and how long does it last?+
Yes, Premium comes with a trial of 30 days at no charge before the first payment, and the offer is open only if you have not tried Premium before. When the trial ends the plan renews at $12.99 a month unless you cancel first.
Do I have to pay anything to use Spotify?+
You do not have to pay anything to use the service, because a free tier sits alongside the paid plans. If the trial of 30 days does not suit you, you can keep listening on the free tier instead of cancelling outright, and add Premium later if you change your mind.
Can I listen to Spotify without an internet connection?+
Offline downloads are part of Premium, so you can save thousands of songs to the device or let Offline Backup do it for you. On $12.99 a month for Premium Individual they come as part of the subscription rather than an add-on, which is what makes flights and commutes work.
Are audiobooks part of the Premium plan?+
Audiobooks sit inside Premium rather than in a separate subscription, so you get them alongside music and podcasts on the same login. Access is on the plan and terms apply. The $12.99 a month Premium Individual price covers all three.
Who runs Spotify and where is it based?+
Your account is held through a local company, which is why the terms you read can differ by market. Behind the service is Spotify USA Inc., whose registered home is in Sweden. Knowing the contracting company matters if you ever need to raise a billing or account problem.
Is there a student discount and who qualifies?+
There is a student discount for eligible students, and it applies to a verified Premium account. If you can show eligibility, you pay less than the $12.99 a month Premium Individual price that everyone else pays. It is worth checking before the 30 day trial starts.
Sources
- spotify.com/us/about-us/contact checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Headquarters
“Spotify HQ Spotify AB Regeringsgatan 19 SE-111 53 Stockholm Sweden Reg no: 556703-7485”
- spotify.com/us/legal/end-user-agreement checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Legal entity, Support channels
“These Terms are between you and Spotify USA Inc., 4 World Trade Center, 150 Greenwich Street, 62nd Floor, New York, NY, 10007.”
- spotify.com/us/premium checked October 1, 2026
Backs: Audio quality, Free tier, Free trial length, Offline downloads, Plan price per month, Student discount
“Lossless music - Lose yourself in music with sound quality up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz.”
Compiled from 3 source pages, checked October 1, 2026. We did not open an account.
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Reviews
Spotify
One subscription covering music, podcasts and audiobooks, with downloads that work offline.