Apple Music Cost Per Month

Apple Music keeps its pricing structure simple: one plan for individuals, one for students, one for families, and a bundle option that folds music into multiple Apple services. All plans are month-to-month with no annual contract required. Prices below are current standard U.S. rates.

Apple Music pricing seems simple until you start asking follow-up questions: Can I get it free? Is the bundle worth it? What happens to my music if I cancel? Can I use it on Android? The answers below cut through the confusion without burying you in tech-speak.

• 1
  How much does Apple Music cost per month? $5.99/month for students · $10.99/month for individuals · $16.99/month for families up to 6 · Apple One bundles start at $19.95/month

  The standard Individual plan at $10.99/month is what most U.S. subscribers pay. It covers one Apple ID across all your devices — iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Android, Windows, and smart TV. There are no data limits, no ads, and no feature tiers within the plan; you get everything Apple Music offers from day one. The Student plan cuts that in half to $5.99/month, but it requires verifying your enrollment at an accredited college or university — Apple uses a third-party service called UNiDAYS or SheerID to confirm eligibility, and you re-verify each year. The Family plan at $16.99/month is the most underutilized option: it covers up to six people through Family Sharing, each with their own private library. At full capacity, that works out to under $3 per person per month — an almost unbeatable price for ad-free streaming with full features.
• 2
  How do I get Apple Music free — and for how long? Standard trial: 1 month free for new subscribers · Device purchase: 3 months free with eligible AirPods, Beats, iPhone, iPad, or Mac · Up to 6 months with certain partner promotions · Cancel before trial ends — no charge

  New subscribers who have never had Apple Music before can start with a 1-month free trial directly through Apple at music.apple.com. No tricks — just sign up, add a payment method, and cancel any time before the 30 days is up to avoid being charged. If you recently purchased eligible Apple hardware (including AirPods, AirPods Pro, Beats headphones, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, or HomePod), you may qualify for a 3-month free trial instead. The offer appears when you first pair or set up the device — look for a prompt on your iPhone screen within a few days of the purchase. Some retailers like Walmart have also run promotions where certain in-store purchases include redemption codes for several months of free access, regardless of whether you’re a new or returning subscriber. If you’re currently on a PlayStation 5, partner promotions have offered up to 3 months free through Sony’s PlayStation portal (check your console’s PlayStation Plus or services section). The key rule across all trials: cancel at least 24 hours before the trial expires if you decide not to continue. Apple charges the full monthly rate the moment the trial period closes, and they do not refund partial months.
• 3
  Is Apple Music cheaper than Spotify right now? Yes — Apple Music Individual is $10.99/month vs. Spotify’s $12.99/month as of early 2026 · Apple Music Family is $16.99/month vs. Spotify Family at $19.99/month · That’s $24–$36 per year in savings

  Spotify raised its Individual Premium plan from $11.99 to $12.99 per month in February 2026 — its third price increase in three years. Apple Music has held its Individual plan steady at $10.99. That $2/month gap is $24/year, and on the Family plan the gap is wider: Apple Music charges $16.99/month versus Spotify’s $19.99/month, a $3/month or $36/year difference. Beyond price, the two services differ in meaningful ways. Apple Music includes lossless audio and Dolby Atmos spatial audio at no extra charge — Spotify announced its HiFi tier back in 2021 and still hasn’t delivered it as of mid-2026. Spotify, on the other hand, has a free ad-supported tier (Apple Music does not) and is generally considered better for discovering new music through its algorithmic recommendations. Apple Music excels for people already inside the Apple ecosystem — the integration with Siri, CarPlay, Apple Watch, and AirPods is seamless. If sound quality matters to you and you own AirPods Pro or any good headphones, Apple Music’s lossless tracks are audibly better than anything Spotify currently offers.
• 4
  Is the Apple One bundle actually worth it? Worth it if you already use Apple TV+ AND iCloud · Apple One Individual ($19.95/mo) saves ~$9/month vs. buying separately · Apple One Premier saves ~$29/month for families who use all six services · Not worth it if you only want music

  Apple One bundles Apple Music with Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+ storage — and at higher tiers, Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+. Whether it makes financial sense depends entirely on which of those services you’d actually pay for on their own. Apple One Individual costs $19.95/month and saves roughly $9/month compared to subscribing to Music, TV+, Arcade, and 50GB iCloud separately. That’s $108/year back in your pocket. The math gets even more compelling for families: Apple One Family at $25.95/month covers six people across all four services, saving about $11/month versus individual subscriptions. Apple One Premier ($37.95/month) saves approximately $29/month for households that would otherwise pay for all six Apple services separately. The caveat: you cannot cancel individual services within an Apple One bundle. If you cancel, the entire bundle cancels. If you only want Apple Music and nothing else, the standalone plan at $10.99 is the right call — paying $19.95/month for a bundle you only half use is never a bargain.
• 5
  What happens to my music library if I cancel Apple Music? Streaming stops immediately after your billing period ends · Downloaded songs become unplayable · Your personal playlists stay visible but catalog songs in them won’t play · Songs you purchased outright (not streamed) and personal uploads remain yours forever

  This is the question people rarely think to ask until it’s too late, so it’s worth understanding clearly. Apple Music works on a rental model: you pay monthly for the right to stream and temporarily download Apple’s catalog. When you stop paying, that access ends. The playlist structures you built — the folders, the names, the order of songs — remain in your library, but any song that came from Apple’s catalog will appear grayed out and unplayable. What survives a cancellation: music you bought outright through the iTunes Store (purchases, not streams), songs you uploaded from your own CD collection or local files through the iCloud Music Library feature, and any music stored entirely on your device’s local storage. If you have years of playlists you want to keep, it’s worth knowing about third-party tools that can export your library structure to Spotify, YouTube Music, or a spreadsheet before you cancel. Apple itself does not offer a bulk playlist export option in the traditional sense, though your data is accessible through Apple’s privacy request page at privacy.apple.com.
• 6
  Does Apple Music work on Android and non-Apple devices? Yes — Apple Music has official apps for Android, Windows, smart TVs, Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Sonos · Full feature access on Android including lossless audio · No Apple device required to subscribe or use it

  Apple Music’s reputation as “iPhone only” has been outdated for years. The Android app, available on the Google Play Store, supports the full feature set including lossless audio, offline downloads, real-time lyrics, and personalized playlists. It functions virtually identically to the iOS version. On Windows computers, Apple Music is available as a dedicated app from the Microsoft Store (it replaced iTunes for music in Windows 11) or through the web at music.apple.com in any browser. Smart TV support includes Samsung, LG, and Vizio TVs with the Apple Music app built in, as well as Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, and Apple TV. Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers support Apple Music as a default music service through their respective apps. The one genuine limitation: Siri integration on non-Apple devices is limited — “Hey Siri, play my workout playlist” works beautifully on iPhone and HomePod but obviously won’t work on an Android phone. All other features function cross-platform without issue.
• 7
  Is there a senior discount or AARP deal for Apple Music? No dedicated senior discount exists · Best options for older adults on fixed incomes: Family plan shared with relatives ($2.83/person at 6 members) · Carrier bundles through Verizon and T-Mobile may include Apple Music at no extra cost · Apple One bundle if you already pay for TV+

  Apple does not offer an age-based senior discount, an AARP partnership pricing tier, or any fixed-income reduced rate. That said, there are real ways to pay less. The most underused option for seniors is joining a family member’s Family plan — a grandchild, adult child, or sibling who already subscribes to Apple Music can add up to five additional people for no increase in their $16.99/month bill. You’d get full individual access including your own private library and recommendations, at zero additional cost. Several major wireless carriers have also bundled Apple Music into their plans: Verizon’s myPlan and T-Mobile’s Magenta plans have historically included Apple Music as an add-on or free perk — worth checking directly with your carrier if you’re already a customer. If you use iCloud storage ($0.99–$2.99/month) and have tried Apple TV+ before, the Apple One Individual bundle at $19.95/month for all four services often costs less than paying for each separately, even on a fixed income where the math matters more.
• 8
  How do I cancel Apple Music — and are there any fees? No cancellation fees · No contract · Cancel anytime · Access continues through the end of your current billing period · Cancel on iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Apple Music → Cancel

  Canceling is straightforward and penalty-free. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, tap your name at the top, tap Subscriptions, find Apple Music in the list, and tap Cancel Subscription. On a Mac, open the Music app, go to Account in the top menu, and select View My Account — from there, manage your subscription. If you signed up through your wireless carrier (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T), the cancellation must happen through that carrier’s app or account page, not through Apple — this is a common source of confusion for people who find the Cancel button greyed out. After canceling, your service remains active through the last day of the billing period you already paid for. Apple does not issue prorated refunds for partial months. One important note: if Apple Music is part of an Apple One bundle, you cannot cancel just the music portion. Canceling Apple One cancels all six services at once. In that case, you can either cancel the bundle and re-subscribe to Apple Music individually, or switch to a lower Apple One tier that you’re more comfortable keeping long-term.

Use the buttons below to find Apple Stores, authorized resellers, or electronics stores where staff can walk you through subscribing or troubleshooting your Apple Music account in person.