Spotify has long been the highest profile music streaming service around, but while it was entirely free when it launched you’ll now have to pay to make the most of the service through Spotify Premium. That’s not the only option though, and there’s both a free version of Spotify to try and a free trial of Premium to take advantage of, with occasional offers that provide other ways to get free Spotify if you’re fast.
Spotify Free vs Spotify Premium
Spotify’s £9.99/$9.99 Premium subscription lets you listen to all of the 30 million+ tracks available, as well as podcasts and videos. You’ll be able to travel abroad with your music, get on demand mobile access and the ability to listen offline. You’ll also have unlimited skips and no ad interruption.
However, there is a ad-supported option, called Spotify Free, which (you guessed it) is completely free of charge.
The free version of Spotify still lets you access all 30 million songs, but you’ll be interrupted by ads every few tracks. You also have a limited number of skips on mobile, and you can only travel abroad with your music for up to 14 days. The free account doesn’t offer offline listening, either.
It’s well worth starting with Spotify Free to see whether you are happy with the limitations before you commit to £9.99/$9.99 per month. Several Spotify users in the Tech Advisor office still use the Free version and have done for years.
Spotify free trial
The other way to get Spotify for free is to take advantage of the free trial for Spotify Premium, which now lasts a whole three months. You’ll still need to enter your card details though, and when the trial is over you will be charged unless you remember to cancel before its end date.
Take a look at our comparison between Spotify and its rival music streaming services here.
Author: Ashleigh Macro, Head of Affiliate
Ashleigh is Tech Advisor's Head of Affiliate. Providing expert buying advice you can trust is her forte, helping you to find the most reputable consumer tech products and services, and ensuring you don't spend a penny more than you should.