Hey friend! With so many music streaming options out there nowadays, you may be wondering if Pandora‘s relatively new Family Plan offers decent enough value to justify upgrading or even switching services.
Well you‘ve come to the right place! I‘ve dug into all things Pandora Family Plan related so you can armed with all the details needed to determine if it fits your family‘s listening preferences:
Quick Refresher: Pandora‘s Background and Paid Subscription Tiers
Let‘s start with some quick history on Pandora itself:
Pandora originally made a name for itself as an online music discovery platform when launched by founders Tim Westergren, Will Glaser and Jon Kraft back in 2000.
Powered by what they called the Music Genome Project (MGP) – an AI algorithm that deconstructed songs into 450 unique attributes to capture the musical essence – Pandora pioneered the concept of personalized internet radio stations tailored to each specific listener.
Flash forward to today where Pandora touts over 55 million active monthly users and continues that personalized approach but now as a full featured music streaming option offering both free (ad-supported) and paid subscription tiers including:
- Pandora Plus – $4.99/month – Ad-free stations, unlimited skips
- Pandora Premium – $9.99/month – Unlimited on-demand plays, offline listening
- Pandora Family Plan – $14.99/month – Premium features for up to 6 household members
It‘s this last Family Plan tier we‘ll be focusing on today – from pricing and features to whether it‘s actually worthwhile…
Pandora Family Plan Overview
Pandora launched its Family Plan option relatively recently in May 2018 as means for up to six people within a single household to each enjoy premium features for just $14.99 monthly.
Here‘s an at-a-glance breakdown of what the Family Plan delivers from pricing to supported member accounts:
| Pandora Family Plan | |
|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $14.99 |
| Annual Price | $164.89 |
| Number of Accounts | Up to 6 |
| Simultaneous Streams | 1 per account |
| Features | – Ad-free listening – Unlimited skips – 6 separate listener profiles – Offline mode |
The key highlights are enjoying ad-free radio plus unlimited daily skips for as many as six household members while only paying $2.50 per person each month.
Additionally, each user sets up their own standalone listener profile powered by MGP capturing their personalized preferences.
Now how exactly does this compare against Pandora‘s existing subscription options? Let‘s check it out…
How The Family Plan Compares to Other Pandora Tiers
Here‘s a detailed features matrix of Pandora‘s three paid listening tier options today:
| Free | Plus | Premium | Family | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $4.99 per month | $9.99 per month | $14.99 per month |
| Ads | Yes | No Ads | No Ads | No Ads |
| Offline Mode | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| On-Demand Plays | No | Yes (After Ads) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Skips Per Hour | 6 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Profiles Per Plan | 1 | 1 | 1 | Up to 6 |
Analyzing this matrix, you can see where the Family Plan delivers strong value especially for bigger families.
At roughly $2.50 per member, it unlocks ad-free listening with unlimited daily skips for up to six people. That‘s much cheaper than everyone paying for their own Plus and Premium plans.
However, there is a catch to be aware around the number of simultaneous streams allowed:
- Each Family Plan profile = 1 concurrent stream
- Premium allows 3 concurrent streams
So if you have a family of 5 who all frequently listen at same time, Premium may be the more flexible option in this case.
Next, let‘s see how Pandora Family Plan value stacks up to alternatives like Spotify or Apple Music family offerings…
Compare Pandora Family Plan to Competitors
When assessing the Family Plan value for your household, important to also consider how it compares against competitors like Spotify or even Apple Music in terms of family pricing.
Here‘s a head-to-head look:
| Pandora Family | Spotify Family | Apple Music Family | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $14.99 | $15.99 | $14.99 |
| Members Allowed | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Simultaneous Streams | 1 per member | No limits | No limits |
As you can see, Pandora and Apple Music match up very closely on family plan monthly pricing and six member allowances.
However, Pandora imposes stream restrictions (1 at a time) unlike Apple and Spotify‘s family offerings. This makes Spotify the most flexible family option albeit at a slightly higher $15.99 monthly price point.
Bottom line – when choosing between family plans, consider your typical simultaneous streaming needs against any platform limits.
Now that we‘ve covered pricing and feature comparisons in depth, let‘s get into the all important question of whether opting for a Pandora family plan makes sense for your household…
Is Pandora‘s Family Plan Worth It For You?
So friend, given your family‘s size and music listening patterns, does it make sense to upgrade to a Family Plan subscription?
The true answer depends on a few key factors:
How many frequent listeners are in your household?
If your household only has say 3 regular Pandora listeners, continuing with cheaper Plus individual plans likely saves you money.
But 5 or 6 active users? The ~$2.50 per person per month Family Plan rate provides compelling savings.
Do you stream music simultaneously or in staggered patterns?
Bear in mind the Family Plan limits you to 1 concurrent stream per member profile. If you‘ll often hit that ceiling with overlapping listens, Spotify provides more flexibility.
Mobile vs WiFi listening habits?
The unlimited skips and downloads for offline listening provide nice value for families always on the move. Less critical if you primarily listen at home on WiFi instead.
To drive this home, let me give you a couple real world examples:
- Family of 5 where 3 members stream constantly in evenings = Family Plan limitations could be frustrating
- Family of 4 with listening shifts for commutes = Solid per person savings from Family Plan
See how actual usage patterns determine where the value lies?
At the end of the day, tally up how many monthly listeners you have, when your family actually tunes into Pandora, and assess any feature limitations against those habits to gauge the overall value.
Other Key Family Plan Considerations
Before locking in a Pandora Family subscription, keep these other common questions in mind:
Can I share my subscription outside my household with friends?
Pandora explicitly prohibits sharing outside your household, so best not risk an account ban by doing so.
Can the family plan owner control what others listen to?
Nope! Each member profile allows full personal control over their customized Pandora stations.
If we cancel the Family Plan, what happens to our accounts?
Cancelling means reverting to free, ad-supported listening (unless you hold a separate Plus/Premium membership).
Hopefully breaking down all aspects of Pandora‘s Family Plan pricing, features limitations and value comparisons to other options helps settle the question of whether it‘s a fit for your family‘s listening needs!
Let me know if any other questions come up around optimizing your streaming subscriptions! Happy listening my friend 🙂
