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For one listener who is not eligible for student pricing, the Individual plan is the straightforward choice at Apple’s listed U.S. price of $11.99 per month. Verified students can pay less and get Apple TV access, while households can lower the per-person cost with Family if enough members use it. Apple One is worth calculating only if you would also use its other included services.
Apple Music plan prices and differences
Apple’s U.S. page lists these monthly prices and plan details. Prices and offers can vary by country or region.
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$100 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery | $100.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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$15 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery | $15.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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$25 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery | $25.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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Apple Physical Gift Card | $100.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| Plan | U.S. monthly price | Who it suits | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | $11.99 | One listener who does not qualify for Student | Apple Music features for one subscription. Apple’s page lists a first month free for new subscribers at the time of review. |
| Family | $19.99 | Two or more people in one Family Sharing group | Share with up to five additional people; each person has a personal library, recommendations, and playlists. |
| Student | $6.99 | Verified students | Includes Individual features and Apple TV access at no extra cost; student pricing can continue for up to four years while eligibility lasts. |
Apple says all three paid tiers include more than 100 million songs, ad-free listening, offline downloads, Spatial Audio, lossless audio, and Apple Music Classical. Family and Student are not higher music-feature tiers than Individual; the meaningful differences are price, sharing, eligibility, and Student’s Apple TV access. See Apple’s U.S. Apple Music plan page and Apple Support’s Family Sharing guidance.
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Which plan is best for your situation?
One listener: Individual
If you are the only person who will use the subscription and you do not qualify for Student, Individual costs less than Family. Choose it unless Apple One already makes sense for services you use separately.
#1 Best Overall
- For all things Apple - products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud+, and more.
- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
- The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.
- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
Verified student: Student
At $6.99 per month on Apple’s U.S. page, Student is the lowest listed solo price and includes Apple TV access. Apple says verified student membership pricing can last up to four years while you remain a student; after four years, membership continues at the Individual member price. Check the current eligibility verification and displayed terms before subscribing. Apple lists the Student plan and explains student membership duration.
Household: Family, based on actual users
Family costs $19.99 monthly in the United States and supports up to six people total. Divide the monthly price by the number who will genuinely use the plan:
Rank #2
- For all things Apple - products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud+, and more.
- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
- The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.
- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
- Six users: about $3.33 per person per month.
- Two users: about $10 per person per month.
- One user: Individual is cheaper at $11.99 per month.
These are calculations from Apple’s listed price and six-person maximum, not Apple-published per-person prices. The Family plan is only a better household value when enough people in the Family Sharing group use it. Apple says each person retains a personal library, recommendations, and playlists. Apple Support explains how Family Sharing works.
Apple services user: calculate Apple One separately
Apple says Apple One may be a good value for people already using multiple Apple services, but the plan information here does not establish a universal savings amount. Compare the current local Apple One price and included services with what you would actually keep subscribing to individually; do not count services you would not use as savings. Check Apple’s current plan page for Apple One context and local pricing.
Rank #3
- For all things Apple - products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud+, and more.
- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
- The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.
- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
Do lossless audio or equipment change the choice?
Not usually: the music-plan comparison is not an equipment decision, and Apple presents lossless audio among Individual benefits rather than as a separate tier. Apple says Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless use more bandwidth and storage than standard AAC. Hi-Res Lossless is defined as 48 kHz to 192 kHz and requires external equipment such as a USB digital-to-analog converter. Treat that as an optional listening setup consideration, not a reason to buy Family or Student. Apple’s lossless audio support page describes the formats and equipment requirement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check regional prices, trials, and availability
The listed prices above are U.S. dollar prices from Apple’s U.S. page, not global prices. Apple Support cautions that Apple Music, Apple One, lossless, and Dolby Atmos are not available in every country or region. Use Apple’s local plan page and verify the checkout price and trial eligibility before subscribing.
Rank #4
- For all things Apple - products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud+, and more.
- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
- The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.
- Available in $100 and $200, Card delivered via mail.
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
Apple’s page lists one month free for new subscribers for the plans shown, but trial availability can depend on eligibility and may change. Apple also describes a three-month offer tied to eligible audio devices; do not assume you qualify. Apple Support’s availability page covers country and region limits.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
