Spotify introduces new lower-cost "Basic" plan for those who don't use audiobooks

Spotify just announced a new subscription tier in the United States called "Basic," providing an alternative for users who don't utilize the platform's audiobook feature. Priced at $10.99 per month, this plan offers all the core benefits of the standard Spotify Premium plan, such as ad-free listening, offline downloads, and unlimited skips, but without the 15 hours of monthly audiobook listening time included in Premium.

This move comes after Spotify increased the price of its Premium plan to $11.99 per month. The price hike was attributed to the recent addition of audiobook support, a feature not all users were interested in. Thus, the new Basic plan caters to those who primarily use Spotify for music and podcasts, offering a more cost-effective option.

In addition to the individual Basic plan, it was spotted that Spotify also quietly introduced a Family version of the Basic plan for $16.99 per month. This gives families the opportunity to enjoy the same ad-free music experience at a lower cost. Existing Premium subscribers can easily downgrade to the Basic plan if they wish to save a dollar per month and don't need the audiobooks feature.