Spotify Premium occasionally offers free trials to new users, allowing access to all premium features for a limited time. These trials typically last 1 to 3 months, depending on the promotion, and provide an opportunity to experience ad-free listening, offline downloads, and high-quality audio streaming. A 2023 study revealed that 12% of Spotify Premium users initially subscribed after trying a free trial.
Spotify also runs special campaigns on occasions like Black Friday or at the holiday season when extended free trials or heavily discounted rates, like three months for $0.99, are in place. These promotions attract millions of users annually and grow Spotify’s global subscriber base, currently standing at 225 million subscribers as of 2024.
Spotify Premium for students has a discount plan that costs $4.99 per month. While not free, the plan is usually combined with other services such as Hulu and Showtime. According to Spotify’s internal data, students comprised 25% of Premium subscribers in 2023, which suggests that offers like these are popular.
Although some third-party apps and websites claim to provide spotify premium for free, such methods violate Spotify’s terms of service and expose users to security risks like malware or data theft. Spotify continually monitors and disables unauthorized accounts to protect both its platform and user base. According to a 2024 report in Forbes, modified apps come with a very real security risk: Security breaches associated with unofficial software were up 35% higher in that report.
As a less expensive option, Spotify Free provides the service’s musical library with certain limitations. Although not in a league with Premium, it legally and safely gets the use of Spotify for free.
Spotify periodically partners with companies to offer free trials of Premium. For example, in 2023, Spotify partnered with Samsung to offer six months of free Premium to buyers of select Galaxy devices. These kinds of partnerships demonstrate that free Premium is available through legal avenues.
In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” Free trials and promotional subscriptions may be great in the short run, but longer Premium subscriptions provide a continuity to the features and support one has become accustomed to with regard to the artists.