Apple raised prices on Apple Music and select Apple One tiers effective today, marking the first increase for its music streaming service in almost four years and a sharp reversal of the company’s recent positioning as the price-stable alternative to Spotify.
The Individual Apple Music plan climbs to $11.99 per month, up from $10.99. The Family plan now costs $19.99, up from $16.99, and the Student plan is $6.99, up from $5.99. The Family Apple One plan increased $2 to $27.95 per month, and the Premier plan rose $2 to $39.95 per month. The entry-level Individual Apple One plan remained at $19.95 and saw no adjustment.
Apple attributed the hikes solely to “rising licensing costs,” a rationale that has become standard across the streaming industry as rights holders demand larger cuts. The company last raised Apple Music prices in October 2022, when the Individual plan went from $9.99 to $10.99. That four-year hold is unusually long for a subscription service facing persistent cost pressures, and it created a false sense of stability that makes today’s increase feel more jarring than it might otherwise.
Just five months ago, in February 2026, Apple mocked Spotify’s own price increases on social media, using them as a marketing hook to emphasize Apple Music’s affordability. The company framed itself as the responsible player, willing to absorb costs that competitors were passing to consumers. Now Apple has done exactly what it criticized, except with minimal advance notice. Even with today’s hike, Apple Music remains cheaper than Spotify, but that advantage has shrunk considerably.
The selective pricing strategy shows Apple’s thinking. By leaving Individual Apple One unchanged at $19.95 while raising Family and Premier, Apple is protecting its entry-level bundle as a switching incentive for cost-conscious subscribers. Power users and families, who generate more lifetime value, absorb the increases. With Apple TV+ priced at $12.99 per month and Apple Music now $11.99, the Individual Apple One actually looks reasonable on paper, but only if you want both services, which is the entire point of the bundling strategy.
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