YouTube Music’s individual plan is the cheapest, while Spotify and Apple Music’s plans are the most expensive.
For most people, music is part of everyday life, and some cannot complete certain activities without it playing in the background. In the past, music could be downloaded online for free.
But today, capitalism reigns, with a few big companies controlling the music app market. As a result, people now pay subscriptions to listen to music or podcasts on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.
According to information gathered from the three platforms’ websites, YouTube Music’s individual plan is the cheapest, while Spotify and Apple Music’s plans are the most expensive.
The world’s most popular audio streaming platform, Spotify, announced it will be increasing its subscription fee in certain countries, including South Africa.
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Spotify increases prices
In a statement, the Swedish music streaming company stated it will increase prices from September for premium subscribers.
Spotify will hike subscription by €1 (R20.69), and subscribers will soon receive an email with information detailing the increase.
Places that are set to be affected by the increase are South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.
Spotify’s plans
In SA, Spotify premium prices vary depending on the plan you are on. Below are the new prices subscribers will have to pay:
- Premium Individual plan costs R69.99 per month
- Premium Duo plan costs R94.99 per month
- Premium Family plan costs R119.99 per month
- Premium Student plan costs R37.99 per month.
Spotify was launched in 2008, and it entered the audiobook market in 2022. The platform has more than 696 million users, including 276 million subscribers.
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How much does Apple Music cost?
Spotify competitors in the music app market include Apple Music, which offers the same features. However, the two platforms do not always have the same music or podcasts.
According to Statista, Apple Music had 95 million subscribers in June 2024, up by 2 million from 2023. It was launched in 2015 by tech giant Apple.
Just like Spotify, prices paid by subscribers vary depending on the plan you are on.
- Individual plan costs R69.99 per month
- Family plan costs R109.99 per month
YouTube Music
Google launched YouTube Music to replace the Google Play Music service. YouTube also offers a premium plan, which allows people to use the platform without interruptions from ads.
As of March 2025, YouTube Music and Premium together have more than 125 million subscribers. A subscription to YouTube Premium includes access to YouTube Music.
According to MyBroadband, Google increased the prices of these two platforms in June 2025. Prices are set as follows:
- YouTube Music’s individual plan costs R64.99 per month
- YouTube Music Family plan costs R99.99 per month
- YouTube Premium’s individual plan costs R81.99 per month
- YouTube Premium Family plan costs R149.99 per month
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