Spotify has a lot of different plans, and with the recent price increase, picking the right one is more important than ever. If you're using the Individual plan in the U.S., you've probably noticed it costs more now. And if you're sharing your account with someone else, it might be time to switch to a Duo or Family plan. Even better, there's now a new option called Basic, available for individuals, couples, and families. It gives you most of the Premium features but removes audiobook access—so you can save a bit if you don't need it.
Not sure if Spotify Family is right for you? This post will walk you through what it is, how to set it up, how to invite family members, and how to manage everything. Let's take a look.
Part 1. How Does Spotify Family Plan Work?
What is a family plan on Spotify?
It's important to know that all members must live at the same address. These plans are not meant for sharing with friends or family who live apart. You may be asked to confirm your address from time to time to keep the plan valid.
How does a family plan work on Spotify?
With the Family plan, you don't have to share one account or deal with mixed playlists and confusing suggestions. For example, your teen can listen to pop music, and you can enjoy jazz at the same time on different devices.
The person who manages the plan (the family manager) gets a little extra. While everyone gets ad-free and offline listening, the manager can set filters to block explicit songs and has 15 free hours of audiobooks each month.
How much is a family plan on Spotify?
How many people can be on a Spotify Family?
What can I get on a Spotify Family plan?
- Ad-free music and podcasts: No ads, just your favorite songs.
- Offline listening: Download music and playlists to listen without the internet.
- Separate accounts and recommendations: Everyone keeps their own music and playlists.
- Family Mix playlist: A shared playlist based on what everyone listens to.
- Parental controls and Spotify Kids: Block explicit songs or use the kid-friendly app.
- Audiobooks: Only the main account holder gets 15 free hours of audiobooks every month. Other members can listen too but must pay for extra hours.
Part 2. Spotify Premium Individual vs. Duo vs. Family
When choosing between Spotify's Individual, Duo, and Family plans, it mostly depends on how many people will use it. All three give you the same Premium features—like no ads, offline listening, and unlimited skips—but the difference is in how they handle sharing.
Let's break down each one:
Spotify Premium Individual
The Individual plan is for one person who wants a fully personalized music experience. It costs $10/month and includes all the Premium features. Audiobook access is also included for you as the only account holder.
It's all about you—your playlists, recommendations, and Wrapped reflect only your music tastes. No need to clean up your Top Songs at the end of the year! You can also download music on up to five devices. But if you try to share your account, things can get messy—only one person can listen at a time. And if someone else starts playing music using the Connect feature, your session might suddenly stop.
- Best for: Solo listeners who don't plan on sharing
- How much it costs: $10/month
- Device limits: Download on up to 5 devices
- Audiobook access: Included for the account holder
- Cost efficiency: Best for individuals only
- What you get: One account, ad-free listening, unlimited skips, offline downloads
- Free trial: 30 days
- Basic plan: Available to returning Premium subscribers
Spotify Premium Duo
The Duo plan is made for two people living at the same address. It costs $16.99/month, and both users get their own Premium account with separate music libraries and ad-free listening—online or offline, with no skip limits. Both users can download music across devices, though not as many as the Family plan, since Duo is only for two. Audiobook access is the same as with Family: the main account holder gets 15 hours for free each month, while the second member can buy more time.
Duo is great for couples or roommates who want to save money while keeping their music separate. But it's less cost-effective now. Since the Family plan isn't much more expensive, it's often a better deal—especially if you have three or more people in your household.
- Best for: Couples or roommates
- How much it costs: $16.99/month
- Device limits: Downloads across devices for 2 users
- Audiobook access: 15 hours/month for the manager only; others can buy more
- Cost efficiency: Good for two people; less value for bigger households
- What you get: Two accounts, ad-free music, offline downloads, Duo Mix playlist
- Free trial: 30 days
- Basic plan: Available to returning Premium subscribers
Spotify Premium Family
The Family plan is the best choice for households with up to six people. It costs $19.99/month and solves the headache of sharing a single account. Each family member gets their own separate Premium account, so everyone can listen at the same time, build their own library, and get a personal Wrapped.
You can download music on up to 25 devices across the group—plenty of space for everyone's favorites. Because each account is separate, the Connect feature works smoothly without interruptions. Audiobooks are the only limitation: only the main account holder gets 15 hours free per month. Others can buy more time or ask the manager to play audiobooks for them.
Just manage the family group—or stay in one—and split the flat fee. Instead of paying $12 per person, the Family plan usually ends up being a better deal than Duo or multiple separate accounts, even if you don't use all six spots.
- Best for: Households with 2–6 people
- How much it costs: $19.99/month
- Device limits: Up to 25 devices total
- Audiobook access: 15 hours/month for the manager only; others can buy more
- Cost efficiency: Best value for groups
- What you get: Up to six accounts, ad-free listening, offline downloads, Family Mix playlist, Spotify Kids app
- Free trial: 30 days
- Basic plan: Available to returning Premium subscribers
Should I try a Family plan on Spotify?
If more than one person at home uses Spotify, the Family plan is a great deal. Everyone gets their own Premium account, and the only thing shared is the monthly bill. It's easy to set up and manage—once it's done, each person just logs into their own account and listens like normal, with no need to switch or share logins.
Just keep in mind: each account can still only play music on one device at a time. So if someone tries to use the same account on both their phone and a smart speaker at once, it won't work. But this is true for all Premium accounts—not just Family plans. What the Family plan avoids is the hassle of using one account for multiple people. For example, you can play music for your kids on a smart speaker while still enjoying your own playlist on your phone or work device.
In short, the Family plan is a smart way to save money while keeping everyone's music separate and easy to manage.
Part 3. Spotify Basic Family vs. Premium Family
Spotify Basic Family
The Basic Family plan supports up to six people living at the same address for $16.99 a month, which is the price point where the Premium Family plan was recently raised after staying the same for many years. Each person gets their own account with no ads, the ability to skip songs, create personal libraries, but no offline downloads.
Sounds good? One important thing to remember is it's not available to everyone. Only previously existing Premium subscribers in the U.S. see this option when browsing subscription plans. If you see it, you and your family can jump right in, and current plan members automatically move over to Basic.
What it doesn't include is audiobook access. So everyone in the plan needs to focus on music and podcasts or choose to purchase audiobooks separately. If your family mainly streams online and doesn't care about audiobooks, this is a more affordable option.
- Best for: Households with 2–6 people
- How much it costs: $16.99/month
- Audiobook access: Not included; members can buy audiobooks separately
- Cost efficiency: Good value for groups who don't need downloads or audiobooks
- What you get: Up to six accounts, basic Premium features
- Free trial: May not be available
Spotify Premium Family
The Premium Family plan gives you all the same perks as Basic Family, plus more, for $19.99 a month after the recent price hike. You can download songs on each account for offline listening, and the plan manager gets 15 hours of audiobook listening per month—this might be the deciding factor if your family enjoys audiobooks. It also includes access to the Spotify Kids app, designed for children ages 3–12, with filtered content, singalongs, and kid-friendly playlists. Each Kids profile counts as one of the six included accounts in your plan.
However, if you want to stick closer to the previous $16.99 price, the Basic plan is worth considering if you're okay giving up audiobooks.
- Best for: Households with 2–6 people
- How much it costs: $19.99/month
- Audiobook access: 15 hours/month for the manager only; others can buy extra
- What you get: Up to six accounts, full Premium features for music, podcasts, and audiobooks, plus Spotify Kids app
- Free trial: 30 days
Part 4. How to Set Up and Join a Spotify Family Plan
Joining a Spotify Family Plan is straightforward, and you have two options based on your preference. Here's how to do it step by step:
Option 1: Subscribe to Premium Family
- Go to spotify.com/family. On the landing page, click the Get Started button.
- If you already have a Spotify account, log in using your credentials.
- If you don't have an account, select the option to create a new one.
- After logging in, you'll be directed to the order page. Here, you can select your preferred payment method.
- Input your card details or any other necessary information for the subscription.
- Review the Summary section and Subscription terms. Click the Complete purchase button to finalize your subscription.
- Once subscribed, you'll become the account owner. You can now invite up to 5 family members to join your plan. They will need to have their own Spotify accounts or create them if they don't already.
Option 2: Subscribe to Basic Family
The Basic Family plan is a bit less visible and may not be accessible directly through the Spotify website. To explore this option, you might need to try downgrading your current plan or contacting Spotify support for assistance. They can provide the most accurate and professional help regarding this lesser-known plan.
Part 5. How to Manage Your Spotify Family Plan
Option 1: Invite Family Members
- Go to the Spotify website and log into your account.
- Click on your profile in the top right corner, then select Account from the dropdown menu.
- Under Subscription, choose Manage members.
- Click on Add Members. Enter the email addresses of the family members you want to invite.
- Each invited member will receive an email with a link to join your Family Plan. They need to:
- Log in to (or create) their own Spotify account.
- Confirm their full address, which must match the plan manager's address.
Note: If the manager and member are using the same device, ensure the plan manager logs out before anyone opens the invite link.
Option 2: Remove Family Members
- Go to the Spotify website and log into your account.
- Click on your profile in the top right corner and select Account.
- Under Subscription, select Manage members.
- Locate the family member you want to remove and click on the Remove button next to their name.
- Confirm the action when prompted. The removed member will no longer have access to your Family Plan.
Option 3: Switch Family Manager
- Go to the Spotify website and log into your account.
- Click on your profile in the top right corner and select Account.
- Under Subscription, choose Manage members.
- If you want to change the Family manager:
- The current family manager must remove themselves from the Family Plan.
- The new family manager can then sign up for the Family Plan using their own account.
- After becoming the new family manager, invite any remaining family members as described in Option 1.
- Only the family manager can invite or remove family members.
- Ensure all family members live at the same address, as Spotify's family plans are intended for households only.
- Family plan members can change plans once every 12 months.
- If the invite link isn't working, try opening it in an incognito/private window or ensure the member is logged into their account.
Part 6. How to Share Spotify with Family
Option 1: Use Collaborative Playlists
- Go to Your Library and select Playlists.
- Choose a playlist you want to make collaborative, or create a new one.
- Click on the three dots next to the playlist title.
- Select Collaborative Playlist. This allows your family members to add songs to the playlist.
- Once the playlist is collaborative, share the link with your family members so they can join in and contribute their favorite tracks.
Option 2: Share Playlists as MP3
Spotify Family lets you share a subscription with up to six people, but the playlists and songs stay inside the app. This means you can't access the actual music files on your device to share outside Spotify, which can make sharing your favorite music with family members a bit limited.
A good way to fix this is by using a tool like ViWizard Spotify Music Converter. It can download your entire Spotify library—including playlists, albums, and even podcasts—and save the songs as MP3 files on your computer. With these files, you can easily share your music with family members however you want, without everyone needing a Spotify account. It also lets you listen to your music anytime, anywhere, even without internet or the app.
Key Features of ViWizard Spotify Music Converter
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- Download Spotify songs, playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks extremely fast at up to 15x speed
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- Lets you play Spotify tracks offline on any device without restrictions
- Works seamlessly on Windows and macOS, supporting the built-in Spotify Web Player
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Adam Gorden, the digital media specialist at ViWizard, is dedicated to providing the best solutions for digital media management, including audio and video conversion, file optimization, and media workflow enhancements.
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