Spotify is probably the best known music streaming service in the world, but that doesn't mean it's the best for you. Rivals have caught up in terms of usability and the music catalogues they offer, while surpassing Spotify in terms of audio quality (which is why we recently docked Spotify a star when we updated our review). Which could leave you thinking: Is Spotify still worth paying for?
We're here to help you answer that question. And if you decide that actually you want to cancel Spotify Premium (whether in favour of another of the best streaming services around, or just to save some money), we'll show you how to do so in a few easy steps.
Let's get started.
How to cancel Spotify Premium
To cancel your Spotify Premium subscription you will need to be signed into your account either on one of Spotify's apps (such as its iOS, Android or desktop apps) or via its website, so you can access its settings. This is best done on a computer, tablet or smartphone. If you're choosing to go via the web, you can go directly to spotify.com/account to get started.
Firstly, go to your Account Overview and then scroll down to Manage Your Plan. Select Change Plan and scroll down to Available Plans. Here you will have an option to select Cancel Plan. Select this, hit Yes to confirm, and you're out and free. Easy!
Your Premium benefits remain until your next billing date, after which your account switches to the free, ad-supported Spotify tier.
Should you cancel Spotify Premium?
So you now know how to cancel Spotify Premium. But should you?
The free version of Spotify lets you listen to all the same music, and the adverts it introduces into the experience aren't all that regular. But you do miss out on some features.
Free Spotify won't let you 'download' tracks or albums on your device for listening when you are offline, which is a really useful feature if you're travelling or generally want to save on data when out and about. Your songs will play in shuffle mode, too, so if you like to work through an album as the artist intended then you may be left wanting. And then there's the audio quality you get, which is as basic as it comes, topping out at 128kbps on web player and 160kbps on app.
So what you may miss if you ditch the Premium option is offline playback, correct order playing, higher sound quality (256kbps on web player and 320kbps on app), the ability to block explicit music, and access to Spotify Kids (a standalone, child-friendly version of the app available with Spotify Premium Family subscriptions).
Want to try something new? Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Qobuz and Deezer offer CD and/or hi-res audio quality which are both significantly better than Spotify Premium's maximum 320kbps option. A new Spotify Hi-Fi subscription tier was due to bring CD-quality streams to the service years ago, but frustratingly it still hasn't appeared. More frustratingly, there's no sign of it in the immediate future.
Interested in making a switch? Read our hi-res streaming services comparison for all the pricing, library and usability information.
And hey, if you cancel Spotify Premium and regret it, you can always sign back up for it if you change your mind at any time. What have you got to lose?
MORE:
What is high-resolution audio? And is hi-res music worth it?
How to transfer Spotify playlists to Apple Music
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Read the full Tidal review here
