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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

Spotify

60
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Spotify remains a popular music streaming service with a vast library and good integration with car systems, but recent updates and the free tier experience are frustrating many users due to excessive ads, limited control over music playback, and app performance issues.

4.8★ lifetime (40,844,647) Free to download since 2011 by Spotify updated 0.1 mo ago recent negative 20% 120 reviews across 4 regions
Ads & Free Tier App Performance Content & Recommendations Premium Value User Interface
5★609
4★107
3★81
2★47
1★156
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.8★ lifetime average

Spotify offers a wide selection of music, podcasts, and audiobooks, with many users praising its comprehensive library and integration capabilities. However, recent user reviews highlight significant dissatisfaction with the free tier's ad frequency and playback restrictions, along with app glitches and concerns about AI-generated content.

What users like

  • Vast music library, including exclusive content not found on other platformsR8R12R14R19
  • Good integration with Apple CarPlay and steering wheel controlsR10
  • Offers podcasts and audiobooks in addition to musicR25R42R291
  • Music continues to play when exiting the appR33

What users complain about

  • Excessive and repetitive ads on the free tier, often long and frequentR18R33R45R51
  • Limited control over music playback for free users, including forced shuffle and inability to select specific songs or skip freelyR9R15R20R22
  • App performance issues, including stuttering, skipping, slow loading, crashes, and connectivity problemsR1R11R31R60
  • Concerns about AI-generated content and poor music recommendationsR3R38R317
  • User interface is cluttered and lacks customization optionsR32R413
  • Premium features are considered too expensive or limited, with some users reporting ads even with a family planR17R60R76R129
  • Repetitive songs in shuffle mode or DJ featureR58R68R103

Latest update · v9.1.62

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

We’re always making changes and improvements to Spotify. To make sure you don’t miss a thing, just keep your Updates turned on.

Recurring themes

Ads & Free Tier negative
Many users are highly frustrated with the number, length, and repetitiveness of ads on the free tier, describing them as excessive and disruptive. The free experience is also criticized for severely limiting user control over music playback, such as forced shuffle and inability to choose specific songs or skip tracks freely.R9R15R18R20
App Performance negative
A significant number of recent reviews report various technical issues, including music stuttering and skipping, the app being slow or laggy, failing to load content, crashing unexpectedly, and persistent connectivity problems even with good internet.R1R11R31R60
Content & Recommendations mixed
While many users praise Spotify's vast music library and the availability of podcasts and audiobooks, there are growing concerns about 'AI slop' filling suggested playlists and a decline in the quality of new music recommendations, which are perceived as too similar to existing listening habits.R3R8R12R14
Premium Value negative
Some users feel that the premium subscription is too expensive, especially given perceived limitations like having to pay extra for audiobooks or still encountering ads on family plans. Others lament that basic features like looping songs or queuing are now behind a paywall.R17R37R60R76
User Interface negative
Reviewers describe the app's interface as cluttered with irrelevant content, slow, and sometimes difficult to navigate, with requests for a cleaner design and more control over default views.R1R26R32R163

Who it's for

Spotify is for users who value a massive music library, enjoy podcasts and audiobooks, and appreciate good integration with car systems like Apple CarPlay R10R25R42. It is particularly suited for those willing to pay for a premium subscription to avoid ads and gain full control over music playback . It is not for users who are on a tight budget and expect a seamless, ad-free experience on the free tier, nor for those who are easily frustrated by app performance issues or repetitive content R18R31.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew significantly negative, focusing heavily on issues with ads, free tier limitations, and app performance. While the lifetime rating is very high, the recent sentiment indicates a downward trajectory in user satisfaction. The developer's notes are generic and do not address specific issues raised in reviews.

Frequently asked

How much does Spotify Premium cost?
Based on reviews, Spotify Premium costs $12.99 R17.
Can I listen to specific songs on Spotify for free?
No, free users often report being unable to select specific songs and are forced to listen to shuffled playlists, with limited skips R9R15R20R22.
Does Spotify have a lot of ads on the free version?
Yes, many users report an excessive number of long and repetitive ads on the free version, sometimes occurring every 2-3 songs R18R45R51R53.
Are there issues with Spotify's app performance?
Yes, recent reviews indicate issues such as music stuttering, skipping, slow loading, app crashes, and connectivity problems R1R11R31R68.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R8] 5/5 · US BETTER THAN APPLE MUSIC: IT HAS MUSIC THAT APPLE MUSIC DOESNT HAVE 🥹✌️
  2. [R12] 5/5 · US I love all your music: I love all the music
  3. [R14] 5/5 · US Amazing!: All my favorite artists in one place! I love it!
  4. [R19] 5/5 · US Spotify: Has wonderful music
  5. [R10] 5/5 · US Very happy with Spotify: Integrates with Apple CarPlay better than other music apps. Integrates with steering wheel controls better than other music apps, whether it’s music or an audio book. My favorite feature: Just hold the steering wheel *next or previous* meaning the left/right arrow buttons and you rewind/ff 15 seconds. So easy. Spotify just does it better.
  6. [R25] 5/5 · US They over deliver: They got podcasts, the newest music and even audiobooks. Can’t beat the value
  7. [R42] 5/5 · US Place of freedom: Able to make your own playlist, listening to books, podcasts Gota have my Spotify
  8. [R291] 3/5 · GB Good AND Bad: So many adssss ahh it won’t actually let me shuffle/ skip / search a song if I’ve searched afew already??? Tbh probs would have deleted but the podcast r good so that’s why im still here lol …kk
  9. [R33] 3/5 · US Alright: I love how I can exit the app but the music still plays! But I think they added more adds🥲
  10. [R18] 2/5 · US The semi great Spotify.: Spotify is great in many ways, but the things that really bother me are the repetitive ads of the same ridiculous commercials, and the amount of commercials that interrupt the music
  11. [R45] 3/5 · US review: so many ads
  12. [R51] 3/5 · US Ads: This is an overall good app but when I’m listening to music then get 5 10 minute long ads it’s kinda annoying.
  13. [R9] 4/5 · US i’m starting to not like it but i still like it PLEASE READ: i like this app but it’s getting to a point where i think it’s annoying bc why would you need premium for clicking a song like i want to play a song that is not on my playlist but instead i have to pay to hear a song that i’m not listening to but no i have to pay and yes ik that premium is better content compared to the basic but i wish
  14. [R15] 5/5 · US Really good!!!!: Look this app is SO wonderful but some con’s is that you can only skip 6 times a hour free and for free you can choose 15 songs a day otherwise Amazing app! It’s really worth it.also for free it has add’s BUT Spotify premium removes all the cons and adds so ….worth it???? Thanks for reading this and bye for now (deltarune music is fire and free music) (Demon slayer is a wonderful
  15. [R20] 3/5 · US Dictating the music order for free account: Can you guys please dont dictate the order of our music while were using free account because it gets kind of frustrating when we try to listen to our songs in the order of our choosing and you guys choose to dictate it.
  16. [R22] 4/5 · US Spotify: Spotify is good but sometimes you can’t choose your own song and that’s kinda not good about it but other wise it’s good
  17. [R1] 1/5 · US Remove create button: There is no point in this remove it right now. Or I’m going to Apple Music. The si features. Nothing loads anymore.
  18. [R11] 2/5 · US Connectivity issues: This past year my Spotify music has been spuddering and skipping. I checked with my service as well as WiFi both issues did not seem to be connected to the issues I was facing. I followed online suggestions of clearing cash on the app and messing with setting to lower the quality of the music for better loading. Nothing has seemed to fix the issue. I was always a download your
  19. [R31] 1/5 · US Very disappointed: Well I already had a whole paragraph and some written out but it just got deleted. Been using Spotify for awhile started not working. I’ve tried everything and I mean EVERYTHING (from just waiting to see if it was a temporary problem to deleting the app in general and redownloading) and nothing works. Whenever I try to open the app it instantly says “something went wrong check y
  20. [R60] 1/5 · US Cuts out in the car / still have ads after upgrading: App cuts out in the car and one of our subscribers on our plan still has ads even though we have the family plan.
  21. [R3] 3/5 · US AI Slop: Spotify keeps filling my suggested play lists with AI slop. Bummed because I used to enjoy this app a lot, seems like now the suggestions aren’t great and I wish I could opt out of AI music.
  22. [R38] 1/5 · US Disgusting filth: Moving their new ai slop chatbot to where the comment bar was to trick people into accidentally using the ai features on the app is the most disgusting foolish thing they could have done. I will be canceling my plan and moving to Apple Music or just start pirating my music from now on.
  23. [R317] 3/5 · GB New music recommendations: What i used to love about Spotify is that it was amazing for finding new music that you may not have found on your own. I’m not sure what’s changed in the back end but Spotify now only seems to recommend songs that are already very similar to what you listen to. I could get that anywhere, may be time to switch to YouTube music.
  24. [R32] 4/5 · US Poor App UX: This app is so cluttered with junk that I don’t care to see. Makes me not want to use it. Most of it is either irrelevant or redundant. Please clean it up.
  25. [R413] 3/5 · GB Let me focus on music please: Spotify has a lot going for it - massive music library being the most important one. On the UI side things have been reasonably smooth but I would really really appreciate if I could set the default view on music. The ”All” view now takes to a view with podcasts that are often work-related. I come to Spotify to relax with music and don’t want to be reminded about work
  26. [R17] 1/5 · US Price: $12.99 is ridiculous
  27. [R76] 2/5 · US Not satisfied: Cost is too high, ads are too repetitive, the creators program is trash since they took out the music part, the free plan is just dumb with the shuffle on playlist, it was a lot better a few years ago the only reason I pay for it is only cause Apple took out its EQ option and you guys haven’t if you did I would just go to back to Apple Music
  28. [R129] 1/5 · US Disappointed: The fact that I am already paying for premium, and I barely have any time for audiobook included and have to pay extra listen to more audiobooks it’s ridiculous.
  29. [R58] 1/5 · US Repeat: When I shuffle my playlists you guys just replay the same songs everyday shuffle better
  30. [R68] 1/5 · US Glitchy: Very glitchy and slow. Randomly stops playing music and will not start back until hours later. DJ does nothing but replay the same 30 songs. The only reason I even have this is because it links to my Discord. Apple Music is Far superior. And if changes aren’t made soon, I am canceling my subscription.
  31. [R103] 1/5 · US Music: I hear the same song every three skips
  32. [R37] 1/5 · US Ruined by update: Cant loops songs or que anything unless u pay now makes them look money hungry
  33. [R26] 3/5 · US Liquid Glass Redesign: Needs a major update with iOS 26 Liquid Glass design.
  34. [R163] 3/5 · US It’s unbearable: The interface is unbearable and laggy!!! Has limited memory of a playlist it creates from Release Radar that it’s constantly lagging and then doesn’t even know what songs were on there during the same release week!!!
  35. [R53] 4/5 · US Ads: The adds are too close together and too many

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store