Apple Music price hike in India: New subscription prices compared

Apple Music used to be one of the most affordable music subscriptions in India, making it a fan favorite among users. It also offered superior audio quality compared to popular alternatives like Spotify, which was a double win. However, Apple has now increased the prices of all subscription tiers, bringing its base plan in line with Spotify?s pricing.This is Apple's second-largest price hike after raising MacBook and iPad prices in June 2026. In this article, you will find the updated pricing for all Apple Music subscription tiers and how they compare with those of other platforms.Apple Music price now costs the same as SpotifyThe Apple Music app on Android (Image via Apple || Google)On July 18, 2026, Apple announced a price hike for all Apple Music subscription tiers, which now start at ?139/month. Here are the updated pricing for all tiers:Individual: ?139/month (?119 before)Family: ?229/month (?179 before)Student: ?69/month (?59 before)This marks the second price hike in India. Apple Music originally launched in the country starting at just ?99/month. While Apple increased prices globally in 2022, rates in India remained unchanged until November 2024. That was when Apple introduced its first local price hike, raising the starting price to ?119/month.In 2026, Apple Music now starts at ?139/month. Here's how it compares to popular music streaming platforms, such as Spotify, YouTube Music, JioSaavn, and Gaana, in India:Individual planApple Music: ?139/monthSpotify: ?139/monthYouTube Music: ?119/monthJioSaavn: ?99/monthGanna: ?99/monthFamily planApple Music: ?229/monthSpotify: ?229/monthYouTube Music: ?149/monthJioSaavn: ?149/monthGanna: No family planRead more: Apple's M7 Ultra reportedly supports up to 1.5TB unified RAMStudent planApple Music: ?69/monthSpotify: ?69/monthYouTube Music: ?89/monthJioSaavn: ?49/monthGanna: ?149/year (Yearly plan)For individual plans, JioSaavn and Ganna offer the most affordable prices, but if you need a more mainstream platform, then YouTube Music is currently the most affordable. This is also true for family plans.However, when it comes to student plans, Gaana is the most affordable, followed by JioSaavn. Apple Music and Spotify cost 20 rupees more, while YouTube Music is the most expensive.Apple Music now costs just as much as Spotify, but it is still the better option, thanks to Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio, even on Android smartphones. However, the Spatial Audio quality on Android is not as good as on iPhones.