Frustrated with Spotify's recent subscription fee increases? While moving to a rival service is one way to avoid the higher costs, loyal users have an alternative within the platform: a more affordable option focused solely on music streaming that's not prominently featured.
The Basic subscription level from Spotify isn't a recent development—it debuted in the middle of 2024—yet it often goes unnoticed because it's tucked away at the end of the Premium subscription menu. New customers cannot directly subscribe to it.
For a modest reduction in monthly fees compared to Premium options, the Basic plan delivers most core functionalities, such as uninterrupted playback of Spotify's extensive music library, the option to download tracks for offline use, and full control over song sequencing.
The primary distinction between Premium and Basic revolves around audiobook access. Premium subscriptions provide 15 hours of audiobook time, available to solo users or the primary account holder in Family or Duo setups, whereas Basic is limited exclusively to music content.
Additionally, Premium supports high-fidelity lossless audio streaming, but Basic subscribers are restricted to compressed high-quality audio formats.
Although the Basic plan is less expensive than Premium, the exact discount varies. When introduced in June 2024, the solo Basic plan was priced at $10.99 per month, undercutting the then-$11.99 Premium Individual rate. Spotify's recent announcement raised Premium Individual to $12.99 monthly across all regions.
The current pricing for the Basic Individual plan remains $10.99, but confirmation is pending since Spotify omits these details from its main site. Updates will follow once official information is available.
Spotify's support resources mention Basic Duo and Basic Family variants, though pricing isn't disclosed there either. Inquiries have been sent to obtain those figures.
Accessing a Basic plan requires specific steps: it's unavailable for fresh sign-ups on Spotify's website. Existing Premium users must initiate a downgrade, but the option only appears for qualified accounts—some may not even see it listed. Criteria for qualification are under review.
Spotify warns that canceling a Basic subscription prevents any future re-enrollment. This restriction resembles those on legacy plans nearing discontinuation, and archival records show it dates back to at least the beginning of 2025. Further clarification has been requested from the company.