Pandora works as a digital radio station that curates songs for listeners based on their musical palate. The streaming service offers three membership tiers: one free, the others paid.
Here is everything you need to know about Free Pandora, then a comparison of Pandora Plus versus Pandora Premium.
Free Pandora
Free Pandora is a digital ad-supported radio service. Music stations are curated based on genre or music artist. This tier includes a limited number of song skips, but you can earn more as you listen to radio ads during your experience. You can also adjust each station to play more of your favorite tunes by rating them as you steam.
Pandora Plus
Pandora Plus offers subscribers ad-free stations with access to music and podcasts. You will have the ability to replay tracks and listen to a certain amount of music offline, in addition to unlimited track skipping. Pandora Plus also offers higher audio quality and extended timeout periods (the prompt which appears to check if you're still listening).
Pandora Plus costs $4.99/month or $54.89/year.
Pandora Premium
Pandora Premium offers all the benefits of Pandora Plus and the ability to search and play any song you want. Premium subscribers have access to an unlimited amount of music offline and customizable playlists that can be shared. You will have longer timeouts than Pandora Plus users and higher audio quality.
Pandora Premium costs $9.99/month or $109.89/year.
Pandora Premium for Families, Students, and Military
Pandora Premium offers special discounts for family, student, and military subscriptions.
Pandora Premium for Family
Family Premium allows up to six individual premium accounts for $14.99/month or $164.89/year.
Pandora Premium for Students
Student Premium offers a lower-priced premium subscription for students, costing $4.99/month or $59.88/year for up to four years. This feature is only eligible for students enrolled in higher education institutions in the US and requires annual verification. You must be 18 years or older.
Pandora Premium for Military
Military Premium offers the premium tier at a discounted rate for US residents actively involved in the US Military, National Guard, and Reserves. This subscription runs at $7.99/month or $87.79/year. It requires an eligibility check.
Pandora Plus vs. Pandora Premium: Worth the Subscription?
Before choosing a Pandora subscription, consider trying Free Pandora, which you can use on mobile and desktop.
Pandora's mobile app offers fun features like voice control. If you like to consume music from your computer, you can download Pandora's handy native desktop app. Given these features and the free option, Pandora is certainly worth the trial.
If you fall into a discount group, Pandora Premium is worth your money. Otherwise, unless you are a big user of the platform, you might be better off with Pandora Plus.