Have you signed up for Spotify Premium (or are considering it), and are wondering how many devices you can use it on?
The truth is, there is a difference between the number you can have Spotify installed on, and the amount that you can actively stream on at one time.
So, in this article I’ll be breaking down what’s allowed on each plan that Spotify offers, how you can save money while streaming on a large number of devices, and why Spotify even puts these limits in place at all.
Let’s get started!
How Many Devices Can You Use On Each Spotify Premium Plan?
When it comes to what’s allowed on Spotify, it’s important to keep in mind that the number of devices and the number of devices simultaneously streaming are different.
Spotify allows you to install and login to Spotify on an unlimited number of your devices. However, you can only stream on a single Spotify account from one device at a time.
If you try to stream on multiple devices simultaneously, one of them will pause so that the other one can play.
That being said, Spotify has multiple plans available, that give you a different number of accounts that you can use for one monthly fee.
Currently, the list is as follows:
- Student plans are $4.99 a month, and offer 1 account.
- Individual accounts are $9.99 a month, and also offer 1 account.
- Duo plans cost $12.99 a month, and offer 2 accounts.
- Family plans cost $15.99 a month, and offer 6 accounts.
While you’re more than welcome to purchase larger plans and use the extra accounts themselves, it is hard to keep multiple music tracks in sync – even if you press play on both devices at the same time!
Spotify’s Family Plan – A Better Alternative
As you can see, the family plan mentioned above is by far the best value, as long as you have at least 3 people who want to use Spotify in your household.
This is because with a maxed out family plan, the cost for Spotify Premium only ends up being about $2.67 per person! This is incredibly cheap for what Spotify offers, and allows everyone in your household to have their own separate account, playlists, and saved songs library.
The duo plan is also quite a good discount over an individual account, unless you are eligible for the student discount.
So, don’t be afraid to keep multiple household members under the same plan – it really adds up to a lot of savings!
Why Does Spotify Limit The Number Of Devices?
So, why does Spotify put a limit on the number of devices you can use or stream from at all? Why does it really matter how many that you use?
It really comes down to just a few reasons.
First of all, there is little practical reason why somebody would need to actively stream on multiple devices at the same time, even under the same account.
You only need one device to listen to music, and even if you intend to use Spotify to power a larger sound setup (like for an event, for example), this can all run off of one device.
Running multiple devices at the same time can lead to the audio ending up out of sync, even if Spotify allowed it.
Perhaps the most important reason that Spotify only allows one device to stream at a time however, is to prevent account sharing.
If you could stream simultaneously on multiple devices, then someone could share their Spotify password with someone else, which would discourage them from signing up for their own Spotify Premium account.
Therefore, it’s in Spotify’s best interest to take steps to preventing this.
If you try to stream on two devices at once, Spotify will pause the audio on the other device, and allow you to select which device you’d like to stream on.
Pretty useful!
Conclusion
Depending on the plan that you’ve purchased, you can stream music on one device at a time (individual or student plans) all the way up to six devices at one time (family plan.)
Ultimately, the plan that you choose will allow you to have 1-6 accounts, all paid for under the same plan. While you can sign in on as many devices as you’d like, each account can only stream on one device at a time.
Therefore, consider your needs to determine which plan is right for you – but keep in mind, the family plan offers the greatest savings if all of the accounts are being utilized.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful, and that it’s answered all of your questions.
If you have any other questions about Spotify, please ask them below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister
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