Pandora claims 'we haven't made this decision lightly' after raising prices
The SiriusXM service joins a long list of streamers that have increased rates this year.
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. Up until now, Pandora listeners have enjoyed relatively cheap subscription costs. And while many customers are sure to remain loyal to its "Music Genome Project," some are just as likely to judge Pandora's music-curation-juice as no longer worth the squeeze.
The logic behind the SiriusXM company's latest billing structure is somewhat unclear. 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, including better recommendations, improved reliability, and access to the music and podcasts you love." Whether this ad-speech can be translated into a suite of AI features, an expanded software development team, or that Pandora simply needed to keep the lights on, is unclear. And while the company assures its subscribes that "we haven't made this decision lightly," some will inevitably be skeptical that increased prices will translate into a better product.
Pandora's new prices
As it stands, Pandora offers two paid subscription tiers. The first, Pandora Plus, now costs $5.99 per month, or $65.89 per year. Complete with ad-free personalized music, unlimited skips, offline listening, and ad-supported search features, the music genome project subscription is the same price as Spotify's and Apple's discounted student options.
The streamer's music-on-demand tier, Pandora Premium, is more expensive. Now costing $11.99 per month or $131.89 per year, Pandora Premium is more in line with its competitors' prices. The Ad-free service, with unlimited skips, offline listening, shared playlists, and search and play features, is much closer to the service offered by top on-demand music streamers like Apple, YouTube, Spotify, and Qoboz. And while access to the company's famous curation algorithm helps differentiate Pandora Premium from the competition, Engadget found that the service offered fewer premium features and more compressed streaming quality than its competitors. Meanwhile, Premium Family subscribers, who can grant access to Pandora Premium to six family members, will now fork up $19.99/month or $219.89/annually.
Those who subscribe to Pandora Free will continue to have access to personalized music stations, podcasts, and ad-supported unlimited skips. If you decide to cancel your paid subscription, you will return to the free curation station service.
If you subscribe to Pandora through third-party vendors, like the Apple or Google Play store, you may pay a different price. Pandora Plus and Premium users who subscribe via Apple, for instance, will see their monthly music streaming bill rise to $6.99 and $14.99, respectively. Google Play store listeners, meanwhile, will pay $6.99 and $12.99 per month for Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium. Amazon Appstore subscribers will find that their Pandora Plus subscription remains at $4.99 per month, while Roku customers can subscribe to the service's paid tiers for $4.99 and $10.99 per month. For the latter two, select annual, Premium, and Premium Family subscriptions remain unavailable.
Managing your Pandora account
New subscribers began paying the higher prices as of September 22, 2026 . Current subscribers, on the other hand, will be charged the newest rates on their next bill, starting October 22, 2026. On its announcement page, the company stated that subscribers can switch to any its three subscription tiers before the start of their next billing cycle.
If you'd like to learn more about your subscription rate, Pandora suggests referring to the notification in your email's mailbox. Alternatively, you can sign in to your Pandora account, tap the profile icon in the upper right corner > Settings > Subscription.
If you would like to change your subscription, you can do so through Pandora's website or app. If visiting Pandora's site via a computer, sign into your account, go to Subscriptions > Switch Plans. To cancel your subscription, follow the same procedure and click Cancel Subscription in the bottom corner. If visiting Pandora's website on your phone, select the three lined menu icon at the top left, tap Subscription, log into your account, and select Switch Plans. From there you can choose to Cancel Subscription. After confirming your choice, you will be returned to Pandora Free.
Critically, if you are signed up via a third party application, you will have to adjust your subscription through your billing provider. As it stands, Pandora Support is unable to help manage these subscriptions. To find billing partner-specific subscription management instructions, visit Pandora's support page.
Notably, any changes must be made at least 24 hours before the end of the billing cycle. If you decide to cancel or change your subscription, you will still have access to your most premium Pandora subscription tier's features through the end of your current billing cycle.