Spotify Tests $0.99 Subscription Tier With Ads But Fewer Playback Limitations

Spotify is experimenting with a new ad-supported subscription tier that gives listeners more freedom over what they listen to compared to the existing free ad-based plan.

spotify plus plan
Called Spotify Plus, the tier costs $0.99 per month and lets users pick which songs they want to stream between ads, with unlimited skips and on-demand listening.

That's in contrast to Spotify's free ad-based tier, which limits users to skipping no more than six tracks every hour, and only lets them listen to tracks from 15 pre-selected playlists. If they don't want to listen to the playlists, they're limited to shuffling between tracks.

The streaming service confirmed to The Verge that it was piloting Spotify Plus with a limited number of users, but cautioned there was no guarantee that it would get a full rollout and that it "routinely conduct[s] tests to inform our decisions."

Spotify in February announced plans to introduce a new "HiFi premium" tier later this year, but despite some indications that it's been in testing, we've still to see the high-definition plan go live. Since then, Apple Music has launched Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ Lossless, two features that became available to subscribers in June for no additional fee.

Tag: Spotify

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Friday February 20, 2026 3:21 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone this year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that Apple will release its first foldable device in 2026. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that have been leaked about ...
Apple Watch 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know Feature

Apple Watch: 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know

Thursday February 19, 2026 7:38 am PST by
Apple Watch is now eleven generations in, and packed with useful features that are easy to miss at first glance. To help you get more out of your new device, we've rounded up 15 practical tips you might not have discovered yet, including a few that long-time users often overlook. Bounce Between Two Apps On your Apple Watch, double-press the Digital Crown to see a deck of all currently...
Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Reportedly Plans to Unveil at Least Five New Products Next Week

Sunday February 22, 2026 9:48 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple will have a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4. In total, he expects Apple to introduce "at least five products." A week ago, Apple invited selected journalists and content creators to an "Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai on Wednesday, March 4 at 9...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Three Upcoming Apple Products Seemingly Spotted in macOS 26.3 Code

Friday February 20, 2026 7:36 am PST by
macOS 26.3 hints at Apple's rumored lower-cost MacBook, and two new Studio Display models, according to Macworld's Filipe Espósito. Espósito found the following codenames within macOS 26.3's source code, and he revealed the upcoming products that they likely correspond with, based on previous reporting from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and others. The codenames:J700: Lower-cost MacBook J427:...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

10 Reasons to Wait for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:12 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

BvizioN Avatar
60 months ago
Ads don't bother me as much as not being able to choose what to listen to next. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BigKahunaBurguer Avatar
60 months ago
I think this is a first step to remove the free tier.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darkcompass Avatar
60 months ago
"pick which songs they want to stream between ads"

Sounds like you're going to get more ads than music with that statement.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JippaLippa Avatar
60 months ago
I don't get using the free tier...it's quite a miserable experience.
I prefer the Apple Music approach, being one thing only at one price for it all.
It makes it feel more serious and premium, instead of splitting the offer into various tiers (from hi-fi to free) each vorse than the previous one...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
60 months ago

It sounds like it would be a solid value for some people; however, I feel like the market might be small for this type of product. I know the cost difference from $.99 to $9.99 is small I feel like if someone is going to pay for music they would more likely just go all in. But maybe the .99 plan could tease people with just enough features to convert more previously free users to paid subscribers?
This is right in my wheelhouse. I don't listen to enough music to justify unlimited access to everything. I bounce around between Amazon Music (with Prime Sub), Pandora, and my own Apple Music library. This sounds like it would give me access to any song I want to hear that might be excluded from my library or Amazon Music basic.

Also, the cost difference from $.99 to $9.99 is 10x. $12/year vs $120/year is a big difference. Given my listening habits, I can handle the ads (I think!)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
60 months ago
Will artists get the subscription rate per play (which is already low with Spotify Premium) or the even lower rate that the free tier pays per play?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)