For music lovers, Spotify has long been a part of daily life—whether on the commute or during moments at home, it’s always there. However, as your listening time increases, a question inevitably arises: stick with the Spotify free version, or upgrade to Premium for the full experience?
This article will break down the key distinctions between the two versions, explore Premium’s main features and money-saving tips, and help you decide if the upgrade is worth it—so you can find the listening option that truly fits you.
Table of contents
Spotify Free vs Premium: What Do You Get?
Before deciding whether to upgrade, let’s first look at the specific differences between the two versions.
From the comparison, it’s clear that Premium offers significant improvements in audio quality, playback control, and overall user experience. However, the $11.99 monthly price is not exactly cheap, which is one of the main reasons many users hesitate before upgrading.
Fortunately, paying full price isn’t the only option. If you want to keep up all the features while cutting costs, you can do what I do—subscribe to Spotify Premium through GamsGo.
GamsGo is a shared subscription platform where users split the cost with others, making it possible to enjoy paid services like Spotify Premium at a much lower price.
From my own experience, what I pay for Spotify Premium on GamsGo is less than one-third of the official price, yet I still get exactly the same benefits as the official subscription—ad-free listening, offline downloads, high-quality audio, and more. It’s an incredible value for the money.
Spotify Free vs Premium Features
Beyond just the price, the feature experience of Premium is a key factor in deciding whether to subscribe. Let’s break down a few core advantages and see how they perform in real-world use.
Spotify Free vs. Premium: Content Access
The first major difference between Spotify Premium and the free version is content access.
While nearly all of Spotify’s 100 million tracks and 6 million podcasts are technically available to free users, Premium subscribers get early access to new albums and trending tracks, often before they’re released to everyone else. Premium also unlocks exclusive content and unlimited playlist creation.
Another standout perk is audiobooks. Free users can only enjoy public-domain works, whereas Premium members receive 15 hours of paid audiobook listening each month, with access to a catalog of over 375,000 titles.
Spotify Free vs. Premium: Ads
Free users encounter 15–30 second audio ads every few songs, along with various banner ads while browsing the app. Even worse, these ads often interrupt during the most powerful moments of a track—imagine being fully immersed in a song’s emotional peak, only to have it cut off by an ad.
Spotify Premium completely eliminates all forms of advertising. From the moment you press play, your music flows without interruption, allowing you to fully enjoy a seamless listening experience.
Spotify Free vs. Premium: Playback Controls
On the free mobile version, you can only skip six songs per hour. Once you hit that limit, you must listen to the entire track before moving on. This means you might get stuck with a song you don’t like, unable to switch immediately.
More importantly, free users cannot listen to an album in the artist’s intended order—on album and playlist pages, the only prominent button at the top is “Shuffle Play,” completely disrupting the flow of concept albums or carefully curated track sequences.
The limitations are equally obvious in the app interface, where many playback control features are intentionally disabled—a design choice meant to nudge users toward upgrading. Premium removes all these restrictions, offering unlimited skips, full forward/back navigation, the ability to repeat any segment, and the freedom to toggle between shuffle and sequential play. You gain complete control over your music playback.
Spotify Free vs. Premium: Offline Listening
Premium users can download songs, albums, playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks for offline use—up to 10,000 tracks per device, on as many as five devices simultaneously. Offline playback consumes no mobile data, making it invaluable for users with limited data plans, frequent travelers, or those in areas with unstable internet connections.
Free users face a very different reality: once the connection drops, playback stops immediately. Whether you’re on the subway, on a flight, or experiencing a temporary home internet outage, your music experience comes to a complete halt—often at the moments you need it most.
Spotify Free vs. Premium: Audio Quality
Spotify Premium supports audio quality up to 320 kbps, while the free version is capped at 160 kbps. For listeners sensitive to sound or those who value audio detail, this difference is significant—160 kbps is near the lowest standard among today’s streaming platforms, and in some cases, its quality falls short of high-quality audio content available on YouTube.
Premium users can adjust audio quality settings (Low 96 kbps / Normal 160 kbps / High 320 kbps) and set different quality levels for streaming and downloads. While 320 kbps is not true lossless audio, it’s a substantial improvement over the free version. As things stand, Premium is undoubtedly the better choice for anyone who cares about sound quality.
Is Spotify Premium Worth It?
For heavy music listeners, Spotify Premium is absolutely a worthwhile investment. It delivers full playback control, an ad-free experience, offline downloads, and higher audio quality—bringing music back to pure enjoyment. For anyone who listens for more than an hour a day, these features are not luxuries but essentials.
That said, the official price of $11.99 per month isn’t exactly cheap. This is where shared subscription platforms like GamsGo become the smarter choice—you can save 60%–70% of the cost while still enjoying the exact same Premium experience as the official plan, making it cost-effective without sacrificing any features.
FAQ
What are the disadvantages of Spotify Free?
Spotify Free on mobile forces shuffle play with only 6 skips per hour, plus frequent ads that interrupt listening. Offline music downloads aren’t available. You’ll need Premium for that.
Can you make playlists on this platform?
Yes. Free users can create and edit playlists on both mobile and desktop. However, on mobile you’ll be limited to shuffle playback and can’t always choose exact songs to play.
How many songs are on the platform?
You can stream Spotify’s full library for free, but only podcasts can be downloaded. Premium lets you save up to 10,000 songs on each of 5 devices for offline listening.
How does GamsGo make Spotify Premium cheaper?
GamsGo uses a carpooling model, splitting the cost of Premium plans among users. You get your own account with full Premium features at 60–70% less than Spotify’s official price.
