You are most likely going to pay extra for Spotify in 2026

In the event you’re a Spotify Premium subscriber, be ready for a value hike in early 2026 that might hit your pockets.

In accordance with The Financial Times, Spotify plans to lift the worth of its Premium subscription within the US within the first quarter of subsequent 12 months, citing sources accustomed to the matter. How a lot the rise will probably be is unknown, however JBMorgan analysts have reportedly projected {that a} $1-a-month rise within the US would generate $500 million in further annual income for Spotify.

At the moment, a person Spotify Premium plan within the US prices $12 a month. Spotify final raised its subscription value in July 2024, when it elevated from $11 to $12.

The rationale behind Spotify’s determination to hike costs within the US within the new 12 months is reportedly tied to market strain, as the corporate goals to enhance its inventory and display indicators of profitability. Spotify’s inventory value has grown by 30 p.c this 12 months, and Wall Avenue analysts see a US value enhance as “important to Spotify’s inventory,” as reported by The Monetary Occasions.

Spotify has already increased prices in countries around the world earlier this 12 months, together with in Europe, South Asia, the Center East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific area. In lots of European markets, Spotify’s value rose by €1 to €12 a month. The US prevented this value hike, but it surely appears its flip is coming in 2026.

Spotify has solely elevated its value within the US twice

Spotify can also be dealing with strain from main file labels to extend costs

Spotify initially launched within the US 14 years in the past at $10 a month, and through its time working within the US, it has solely elevated costs twice: as soon as in July 2023 by $1 to $11 monthly, and, as I discussed earlier, as soon as in July 2024 by $1 to $12 monthly.

In comparison with video streaming providers like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max, which have constantly increased their prices, I’ve to confess that Spotify’s $2 month-to-month enhance over 14 years is kind of stunning. To be clear, I am not complaining about it; I take pleasure in my $12 Spotify Premium.

Taking a look at Disney+, for instance, it solely launched in 2019, but in six years, its value has already risen a number of occasions, and fairly considerably. Disney+ initially price $7 a month and was ad-free. Now, for its ad-free plan, it is $16 a month, and for its ad-supported plan, it is $8 a month. I do know music streaming and video streaming aren’t precisely the identical, but it surely’s nonetheless attention-grabbing to see how rapidly video streaming costs have elevated whereas music streaming costs have not moved a lot.

This results in another excuse Spotify may increase costs subsequent 12 months: it’s reportedly below strain from main file labels to extend costs, as they argue the price of music streaming providers like Spotify, Apple Music, and others has fallen behind inflation and that “subscriptions stay low-cost” in comparison with video streaming providers like Netflix, in accordance with the Monetary Occasions.

In its Q3 2025 earnings call earlier this month, Spotify’s co-president and incoming co-CEO, Alex Norström, spoke about US pricing, saying the corporate “will act when the time is true for every particular market, and we’ll do it on the acceptable value primarily based on these market dynamics.”

Spotify hasn’t commented on the Monetary Occasions report, and no US value enhance has been formally introduced by the corporate. Nevertheless, given the strain Spotify is below, and the way it’s already raised costs world wide, it is onerous to see the US, its greatest market, not getting hit with a value hike within the new 12 months.