Following the lead of streamers everywhere, Pandora is instituting a price hike. In a September 2026 email, the music streamer announced that their subscriptions would increase by at least a dollar per month beginning in October. The announcement prompted a mix of surprise and outrage from many of Pandora's millions of paid subscribers. The change comes just months after Spotify, one of Pandora's fiercest competitors, instituted a similar price hike.
On its support page, Pandora stated, "We're making this update so we can continue investing in the personalized listening experience Pandora is known for." Whether this ad-speech can be translated into a suite of AI features or that Pandora simply needed to keep the lights on is unclear. The company assures its subscribers that "we haven't made this decision lightly."
Pandora Plus now costs $5.99 per month, and Pandora Premium costs $11.99 per month or $131.89 per year. Premium Family subscribers will now pay $19.99/month. Those who subscribe through third-party vendors like Apple or Google Play may pay a different price.
New subscribers began paying the higher prices as of September 22, 2026. Current subscribers will be charged the newest rates starting October 22, 2026.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing