There are a number of different streaming music services available, and the prices can vary quite a bit. Here are some of the most popular options: Netflix: $8.99 per month Apple Music: $10 per month Pandora Radio: $5 per month Spotify: $8.99 per month (or $11 for a year)
Free Streaming Music Plans
The cheapest streaming music service is the one you don’t have to pay for. If you don’t mind a few ads, there are several streaming music services that offer free tiers.
Spotify is one of the most popular streaming music services, and it has an ad-supported free tier. How many ads do you have to sit through? Some users have reported up to three 30-second ads in a row every three or four songs. There are other limitations with Spotify free, too.
RELATED: What Is Spotify, and Is It Free?
Pandora is another popular choice if you’re looking for a free music streaming service. The free plan is ad-supported—around four minutes of ads per hour—and you only can use the streaming “radio” feature.
Cheapest Streaming Music Plans Without Ads
Similarly, Apple offers the “Apple Music Voice” plan. For $5 per month, you have full access to Apple Music, but only through Siri-enabled devices. You can only use the service with Siri and your voice.
Cheapest Streaming Music Service for Families
The services mentioned all support up to six family members. There are really no discernable differences between the family plans; it just comes down to which service you prefer. If you’re looking for the platform with the most songs, you’ll want to go with Apple Music.
Spotify has a multi-user plan that no other service offers called “Premium Duo.” It’s for two people—which is perfect for couples and friends—and only costs $13 per month. If six people is more than you need, the Duo plan is a nice choice.
RELATED: What Is Spotify Duo, and Is It Right for You?
Cheapest Streaming Music Service for Students
Most of the popular music streaming services offer discounts to students. Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music offer $5 student plans, but Spotify has the best benefits.
In addition to the Spotify Premium subscription, the student plan includes access to Hulu (ad-supported) and Showtime. That puts the value of Spotify’s student plan around $28, which is a very good deal.
That’s the rundown on streaming music services and their pricing models. In a way, it’s nice that the popular services all cost about the same, but it does make it more difficult to save money if those prices aren’t good enough. If you’re industrious, you can make your own streaming music service.
RELATED: How to Create Your Own Music Streaming Service with Plex
