Your price may vary
The Pandora website shows a price of $9.99 a month for Pandora Premium with a 60-day free trial, but the mobile iOS app might show a price of $12.99 a month for the same plan with a shorter, 30-day trial period.
We value our editorial independence, basing our comparison results, content and reviews on objective analysis without bias. But we may receive compensation when you click links on our site. Learn more about how we make money from our partners.
Pandora Premium review: Pricing, features and devices
Last updated:
Find more jams without ads and create playlists to suit any mood.
Your listening experience should be a customized uninterrupted one, and Pandora Premium seeks to fill that need. Just be cautious of price differences and know that even if you’re signing up for premium, you’ll have to disclose some information you might not have to with other streaming music services.
60 Days
Free trial length
$9.99
Individual plan price
30 Million
Library size
Details
| Streaming quality |
160 kbps |
|---|---|
| Available offline |
Yes |
| Library size |
30 Million |
| Basic subscription | $9.99 |
|---|---|
| Free trial |
Yes |
| Free trial length |
60 Days |
| Family plan offered |
Yes |
|---|---|
| Family plan device limit | 6 |
| Family plan price | $14.99 |
Expert review
Review by
Rhys Subitch
rhys.subitch@findercrew.comRhys Subitch is a writer and editor at finder.com who tackles topics across the site. With half a decade of experience researching, editing and writing for a Fortune 500 company, university and several independent publications, Rhys brings readers the most up-to-date and curated info on all things finance.
Expert review
Listeners keen on a customizable, ad-free experience will likely appreciate what Pandora Premium has to offer. With its unlimited offline listening and customizable playlists, as well as an extensive library, Pandora Premium may have just what you need. It comes at a price though, and one that can vary based on which app or website you purchase it through.
What's in this guide?
Pros and cons
Pros
- Ad-free experience. Listen to any song on demand without having to sit through an ad first.
- Playlists you can custom create and share. You can have up to three ESPN+ streams at once.
- Offline listening. Download as many songs, stations and podcasts as your device can hold and listen offline anytime.
Cons
- Prices and trial offers can vary by device. You may receive a higher price or shorter trial period based on the device you’re using to upgrade your account.
- Have to disclose demographic info on signup. Your birth year and gender are required information upon sign up, and Pandora doesn’t offer non-binary or nondisclosure options for gender.
What features does Pandora Premium offer?
While it shares some features with Pandora Plus, Premium comes with a few more perks that may be worth the extra cost depending on how you like to listen.
Personalized playlists
One of the features that isn’t shared with Pandora Plus is the ability to make your own playlists. You can create, download and share playlists of your favorite artists for any mood.
Unlimited offline listening
Another exclusive feature is unlimited offline listening. Where Pandora Premium allows you to listen to stations and playlists offline, Pandora Plus only offers up to four offline stations.
Search and play any song
While you can search anything with the basic and Plus plans, only Pandora Premium allows you to play any song on demand without watching an ad. All Pandora users can use the voice search function in the Android and iOS apps.
What music is available on Pandora Premium?
Sirius XM fully acquired Pandora in early 2019, and since then it has given Pandora users access to 24 radio shows in podcast form. The Hoda Show, Straight from the Hart with Kevin Hart and Sway in the Morning are included among the shows now available through Pandora.
What devices is Pandora Premium compatible with?
Make playlists and listen on the go or at home using any of the many compatible devices.
Mac and PC
- Support for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari
- Desktop app for Mac OS 10.10 Yosemite or later
- Desktop app for Windows 10 or later
Android and iOS
- Pandora mobile app for Android devices with Marshmallow 6.0 or later
- Pandora mobile app for iOS devices with 11 or later in the US
Other
- Amazon Fire TV and Kindle
- Android TV
- Cox Contour
- Some Roku devices
- Some Samsung, LG and Vizio devices
- Xbox One
- Xfinity X1
Smart home devices
- Google Home devices
- Sonos devices
- Echo
- Alexa
How much does Pandora cost?
Subscriptions all automatically renew unless canceled, except for the student plan which lasts for a maximum of four years.
| Tier | Monthly cost | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Pandora | Free |
|
| Pandora Plus | $4.99 |
|
| Pandora Premium | $9.99 |
|
| Pandora Premium Family Plan | $14.99 |
|
| Pandora Premium Student Plan | $4.99 |
|
| Pandora Premium Military Plan | $7.99 |
|
Is the Premium service worth it?
With the option of a Basic plan, upgrading depends on how much you want to curate your listening and how much you listen to music offline. The Premium plan gets you unlimited offline listening and lets you search and play any song. You can also personalize your playlist. Pandora gives you lots of time to find out if the Premium upgrade is worth it with a 60-day free trial.
Compare over 10 music streaming services
Updated November 18th, 2019
Case study: Jon's experience
Jon Brodsky
Author
I was a Pandora Premium subscriber for a number of years, before it had its playlist feature. I really loved Pandora’s algorithm, suggesting songs I’d never heard. But I hated how I couldn’t pick the exact song I wanted to listen to or set a song to repeat (something I find really useful for deep work). So I took my wife’s suggestion and switched to Spotify.