Spotify now has a huge advantage over Apple Music for students

The price of Apple Music has quietly been raised for students in the UK, U.S., and Canada this week with no warning or explanation from Apple.

Following news last month that Apple was raising the price of its Student plan in Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Indonesia, Israel, and Kenya, the price rises now seem to have hit some of Apple’s biggest markets, namely the U.S., the UK, and Canada.

That change was first spotted by Michael Burkhardt on Twitter:

iMore can confirm that a quick glance at WayBack Machine shows that the price on Apple’s official website was updated in those three respective countries sometime after June 22. At the start of the week, the price was listed as either £4.99 or $4.99, now the price is $5.99 or £5.99.

Apple had previously offered a generous 50% discount on the regular price of Apple Music for its student customers, sadly this is now only 40%, although still hefty.

In the UK, streaming rival Spotify offers its services for £5.99 (it used to be just £4.99), however in the U.S. Spotify now looks like an infinitely more attractive deal, as it only costs $4.99 and includes not only Spotify Premium but also Hulu (ad-supported) and SHOWTIME.

Apple Music might be one of the best iPhone apps for streaming and listening to music, but being a student means that every penny counts, and some might find themselves looking sideways at Spotify as the cheaper option, at least on U.S. shores. The service is also only $4.99 in Canada. If you’re a student desperate to hang on to Apple Music but you don’t want to fork out the extra $12 a year, Apple Music’s Voice Plan gets you music for the same price but can only be used with Siri. Another excellent way for students to save money in this regard is to attach themselves to a Family Sharing plan, either as part of their actual family, or an “Apple family” of up to five other individuals who could share an Apple One bundle.

If you are a student looking to save money this summer, Apple’s upcoming Back to School promotion and these Prime Day Apple deals are a great way to get your hands on tech for less.