Pandora Price Increase: Plus $5.99 and Premium $11.99 From October 22, 2026

Pandora has raised every paid plan by $1 to $2 a month: Plus is now $5.99 (from $4.99), Premium $11.99 (from $10.99), Premium Family $19.99 (from $17.99), Student Premium $6.99 (from $5.99), and Military Premium $9.99 (from $8.99), with the annual plans up by the same proportion. Pandora’s own rate change FAQ says the new rates are “effective as of September 22, 2026” for new purchases and that for current subscribers “Your new rate will appear for any billing that takes place on or after October 22, 2026.” This guide lays out every plan’s old and new price, what the same plan costs through Apple and Google Play, the two dates in Pandora’s FAQ and how to read them, and the switch, cancel, and refund rules in Pandora’s own words.

The quick answer

• New website prices: Plus $5.99 a month or $65.89 a year, Premium $11.99 or $131.89, Premium Family $19.99 or $219.89, Student Premium $6.99 or $83.88, Military Premium $9.99 or $109.89
• Who pays when: new sign-ups since September 22, 2026; existing subscribers at their first billing on or after October 22, 2026. Annual plans move at the yearly renewal, and “You will not be charged the updated price before your current billing cycle ends.”
• App stores charge more: through Apple, Plus is $6.99 and Premium $14.99; through Google Play, $6.99 and $12.99. Family, Student, and Military plans are sold only on the website
• Your choices: switch to a cheaper tier or to annual billing (changes apply at the next billing date), move billing from a store to the website, or cancel at least 24 hours before renewal and keep access to the end of the paid period
• Refunds: pro-rated refunds only for annual plans bought on Pandora’s website; none for monthly plans
• The gap Pandora lost: Premium at $11.99 now costs the same as Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Tidal. Our music streaming price guide has all six services side by side

Key facts at a glance

Plan	Old website price	New website price	New annual (website)	Through Apple	Through Google Play
Pandora Plus	$4.99 a month	$5.99 a month	$65.89	$6.99 a month	$6.99 a month
Pandora Premium	$10.99 a month	$11.99 a month	$131.89	$14.99 a month	$12.99 a month
Premium Family (up to 6 accounts)	$17.99 a month	$19.99 a month	$219.89	Not sold through Apple	Website only
Student Premium (up to 4 years)	$5.99 a month	$6.99 a month	$83.88	Website only	Website only
Military Premium	$8.99 a month	$9.99 a month	$109.89	Website only	Website only
Free (ad-supported)	$0	$0	n/a	n/a	n/a

The old Plus and Premium prices are what Pandora’s plans page showed when we read it on September 6, 2026; the old annual, Family, Student, and Military prices are from the earlier text of Pandora’s subscriptions FAQ. Every new price is from the plans page, the subscriptions FAQ, and the upgrade article as read on October 6, 2026.

What changed, in Pandora’s words

The 2026 Pandora Subscription Rate Change FAQ gives the reason as investment in the service: “We’re making this update so we can continue investing in the personalized listening experience Pandora is known for”. On timing, it says the new rates are “effective as of September 22, 2026” and apply to “New subscription purchases made on and after that date” and to “Renewals of existing subscriptions processed on and after that date”. It then spells out the mechanics by plan type: “Monthly plans: Updated price applies at your next monthly billing date” and “Annual plans: Updated price applies at your next yearly renewal date”, with the reassurance that “You will not be charged the updated price before your current billing cycle ends.”

For current subscribers the operative sentence comes further down: “Your new rate will appear for any billing that takes place on or after October 22, 2026.” The FAQ also tells subscribers to “Please see your emailed or mailed notification for your specific plan changes.” and lists the two paid tiers at their new prices, Premium at $11.99 a month and Plus at $5.99 a month, adding that “Discounted Family, Student and Military Premium plans continue to be available.”

The plans page now shows Premium at $11.99 a month with “Get 60 Days Free” and Plus at $5.99 a month with “Get 30 Days Free”; when we read the same page on September 6, 2026, it showed $10.99 and $4.99. The subscriptions FAQ adds the annual and discounted prices: Plus is “$5.99/month or $65.89/year when upgrading directly from the Pandora website”, “Premium Family is $19.99/month or $219.89/annually”, Student Premium is “$6.99/month or $83.88/annually for up to four years”, and Military Premium is “$9.99/month or $109.89/annually”.

Where Pandora’s documents disagree

Two dates in one FAQ. The rate change FAQ first says the new rates apply to “Renewals of existing subscriptions processed on and after that date”, meaning September 22, then says “Your new rate will appear for any billing that takes place on or after October 22, 2026.” Read together, the September date is when the price list changed and the October date is when a current subscriber’s bill changes; subscribers posting on Pandora’s own community forum on September 22 and 23 described receiving notice emails that week, which fits a 30-day notice ending October 22. If your renewal falls between the two dates, your account’s Settings > Subscription screen and your notice email are the documents that settle it.

The upgrade article updated some lines and not others. The upgrade article carries the new website prices and says “Plus is $6.99/month and Premium is $14.99/month when purchased through Apple.” and “Plus is $6.99/month and Premium is $12.99/month when purchased through Google Play on an Android device.” Its Roku and Amazon Appstore sections still read “You can upgrade to Plus ($4.99/month) or Premium ($10.99/month) directly from your Roku device.” and “Pandora Plus is $4.99/month when purchased through the Amazon Appstore on an Android device.” Those are the old prices. Whether Roku and Amazon buyers really still pay them, or the lines were simply not rewritten, is not something the page says; the price shown at checkout on those devices is the one that binds.

The plans page prints monthly prices only. The $65.89 and $131.89 annual prices, and the Family, Student, and Military plans, appear in the help center, not on the plans page.

Web vs Apple vs Google Play: the same plan, three prices

For Premium, the gap is $3 a month through Apple ($14.99 against $11.99) and $1 through Google Play ($12.99); for Plus it is $1 either way. Over a year, the Apple Premium subscriber pays $179.88 against $143.88 on the website’s monthly plan, or $131.89 on its annual plan (our arithmetic). The upgrade article also says “Annual subscriptions and Premium Family are not available for purchase through Apple.” and “Student and Military discounts and the Pandora Premium Family plan are available for purchase only through the Pandora website.”

Moving your billing from a store to the website is not a switch inside the account. Pandora’s billing article says that if you bought through another store, “you’ll first need to complete the steps to cancel your subscription through the store that is charging you and let your subscription expire”, and then subscribe on the website. Direct-billed subscribers can change plan or billing frequency in Settings > Subscription, and “Any changes you make to your billing information or subscription plan will take effect upon the next renewal date.”

The annual plan is priced at eleven months: $65.89 against twelve monthly payments of $5.99 ($71.88) for Plus, and $131.89 against $143.88 for Premium (our arithmetic). Because the FAQ puts renewals processed on or after September 22 at the new rates, expect the new annual price if you switch now.

Your options before your October bill

This is a procedure, not a recommendation to stay or go:

1. Find out who bills you. Pandora’s cancel article opens with “please refer to your bank statement to confirm how you are being charged for Pandora”. A charge from Apple or Google Play means that store, not Pandora, manages the plan
2. Check your renewal date. The FAQ’s path is “Simply sign in and click the icon (initial or picture) in the upper right corner > Settings > Subscription.” A direct-billed monthly plan renewing on October 21 pays the old price one more time; one renewing on October 22 pays the new one
3. Switch tiers or billing frequency if you want to. “You can switch plans at any time in your account settings. Changes will take effect at your next billing cycle.” Premium to Plus saves $6 a month on the website; the annual plan saves one month a year
4. If you are leaving, cancel with the right vendor and in time. “Uninstalling the Pandora app from your devices does not automatically cancel your subscription for you.” Cancel “at least 24 hours beforehand”, meaning before the renewal date. Direct-billed on a computer: sign in, open the Subscriptions page, then “Select Switch Plans and click Cancel Subscription in the bottom corner of the screen.” Apple and Google Play plans are canceled in those stores; our guides to canceling subscriptions on iPhone and on Google Play cover the steps. The FAQ says you keep access to the end of the paid period and “After that, your account would return to the free, ad-supported experience.”
5. Know the refund rule before you ask. Pandora’s refunds article says “We offer pro-rated refunds for annual subscriptions purchased directly through the Pandora website.” and “We do not offer refunds for any monthly subscriptions.” For plans bought through Apple, Amazon Appstore, or Roku, Pandora says it cannot issue refunds and you ask the store
6. Put the new price in your budget. Our free Subscription Tracker carries the Pandora plans with the October 22 date, so it flags the increase against the price you enter. Our guide on what to do about a subscription price increase covers the general playbook, and the October 2026 increases tracker lists Pandora alongside Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, ESPN, and Apple

What $11.99 buys elsewhere

Until this change, Pandora Premium was the cheapest on-demand music plan among the six major US services. At $11.99 it now matches Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Tidal, sits $1 under Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited at $12.99 (Amazon is $11.99 for Prime members and bundles an audiobook), and keeps two things the others do not offer in the same way: a $5.99 radio-style Plus tier and a 60-day Premium trial. The comparison, with family and student plans, is in our music streaming price guide.

Quick answers to what people search

How much is Pandora Premium now? $11.99 a month or $131.89 a year on the website, $14.99 a month through Apple, $12.99 through Google Play.

How much is Pandora Plus now? $5.99 a month or $65.89 a year on the website, $6.99 through Apple or Google Play.

When does the Pandora price increase start? September 22, 2026 for new sign-ups. For existing subscribers, the FAQ says the new rate appears “for any billing that takes place on or after October 22, 2026.”

Will I be charged mid-cycle? No. “You will not be charged the updated price before your current billing cycle ends.”

Does the Pandora Family plan cost more? Yes: $19.99 a month or $219.89 a year, from $17.99, for up to six accounts, website only.

Is Pandora cheaper on the web than in the App Store? Yes. Premium is $11.99 on the website against $14.99 through Apple; Plus is $5.99 against $6.99.

Can I get a refund from Pandora? Only a pro-rated refund on an annual plan bought on Pandora’s website. Monthly plans are not refunded, and store purchases are handled by the store.

How do I cancel Pandora? With whoever bills you, at least 24 hours before renewal. Direct-billed: Settings, Subscription, Switch Plans, Cancel Subscription. Access runs to the end of the paid period.

Bottom line

As of October 6, 2026, Pandora’s paid plans cost $1 to $2 a month more than they did in early September, new sign-ups have paid the new prices since September 22, and current subscribers see them at their first billing on or after October 22. The website is still the cheapest place to buy, by $3 a month on Premium against Apple, and the annual plan still equals eleven monthly payments. Check who bills you and when, decide before that date, and if you leave, cancel at least a day ahead and keep the rest of the period you paid for.

Prices, dates, and wording quoted from Pandora’s rate change FAQ, plans page, subscriptions FAQ, upgrade, billing, cancellation, and refund articles, read on October 6, 2026; the September 6 prices are from our own reading of the plans page that day. Prices exclude tax and can differ by billing provider, so the price in your account settings or your notice email is the authority.