Is Pandora Free? What the Free Tier Gives You

Pandora is built around stations: you pick a song or artist and it plays similar music. That's what the free tier is designed for. Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium take the ads away and give you more control, and both come with a free trial. Here's how the three tiers compare and the one rule that applies to all of them.

Free vs Plus vs Premium at a glance

Feature	Free	Plus	Premium
Personalised stations	Yes, with ads	Yes, ad-free	Yes, ad-free
Podcasts	Yes	Yes	Yes
Search and play what you want	After viewing an ad	After viewing an ad	Yes
Unlimited skips	After viewing an ad	Yes	Yes
Offline listening	After viewing an ad	Yes	Unlimited
Make and share playlists	After viewing an ad	After viewing an ad	Yes
Free trial	Not needed	30 days	60 days

The table follows Pandora's plans page, which marks the ad-gated features with an asterisk and a note that you open them by viewing an ad.

The catch: ad-gated features

On the free tier, the features that make Pandora feel like an on-demand app are there, but each one opens after an ad. That works well if you mostly let stations play, and less well if you want to pick song after song.

There's also a rule that applies to every tier. Pandora's plans page says skips are limited by certain licensing restrictions, so even on Plus or Premium you may find a track you can't skip.

How the Plus and Premium trials work

• Pandora Plus comes with 30 days free.
• Pandora Premium comes with 60 days free.
• Both renew automatically after the trial unless you cancel in advance, according to Pandora's plans page.

If you're only curious about ad-free stations, Plus is enough. Premium is the one to try if you want to search and play any song and build your own playlists without watching ads.

How to start on Pandora's free tier

1. Go to Pandora and choose Sign Up For Free.
2. Create your account.
3. Search for an artist or song to start your first station.
4. Use the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons to shape what the station plays.
5. Watch an ad when you want a feature like extra skips or offline listening.

Getting more from free stations

Pandora's stations improve the more you rate songs, so a few minutes of thumbs up and thumbs down early on makes a big difference. Starting several stations from different artists also gives you more variety than relying on one.

If you're weighing up music apps for your phone, my guide to the best music players for Android covers apps for music you already own, and my roundup of SoundCloud alternatives covers other streaming options.

Who Pandora's free tier suits

It suits people who want background music without effort: put a station on while you work, cook or drive, and let it run. If you want to pick every track, you'll hit the ad-gated features often, and that's when a trial of Premium makes more sense.

Plus or Premium: which trial to take

The two trials are built for different listeners, so pick based on how you listen now.

• Take the Plus trial if you like stations and only want the ads gone, plus skips and offline listening without watching ads.
• Take the Premium trial if you want to search for any song and play it straight away, build your own playlists, and listen offline without limits.
• Stay free if you mostly leave a station running and don't mind ads.

Premium also gives you the longer trial, at 60 days against 30, so it's the better way to find out whether you'd use on-demand listening at all. Whichever you choose, make a note of the end date, because Pandora's plans page says both renew after the trial unless you cancel in advance.

What free Pandora is best at

Pandora's free tier is at its best as a radio replacement. Pick an artist you love, let the station find similar music, and give it a few days of ratings. It's also handy for podcasts, which Pandora lists on every tier, including free.

Before you start a trial

1. Use the free tier for a week first, so you know which ad-gated features you reach for most.
2. If it's skips and offline listening, try Plus.
3. If it's choosing songs and building playlists, try Premium.
4. Set a calendar reminder a few days before the trial's end date.
5. Cancel before then if you'd rather stay on the free tier.

Doing it in that order means the trial tells you something useful, rather than running out before you've formed a habit.

If you're not sure which tier you'd use, the free one asks nothing of you except a few ads, so it's a safe place to start.

My verdict: Pandora is free, and the free tier is a good fit if you like stations and don't mind ads. If you want control over every song, take the 60 day Premium trial before deciding, and set a reminder before it renews.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pandora completely free?

Pandora has a free tier with personalised stations and podcasts, supported by ads. Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium remove the ads and add more control.

Does free Pandora have unlimited skips?

Pandora's plans page lists unlimited skips on the free tier as a feature you open by viewing an ad. Skips on every tier can also be limited by licensing restrictions.

How long is the Pandora free trial?

Pandora's plans page offers 30 days free on Pandora Plus and 60 days free on Pandora Premium. Both renew automatically unless you cancel in advance.

Can you listen offline on free Pandora?

Pandora lists offline listening on the free tier as a feature you open by viewing an ad. Plus includes offline listening, and Premium includes unlimited offline listening.

Which Pandora trial is longer?

Pandora Premium has the longer trial, with 60 days free, while Pandora Plus has 30 days free.

Do Pandora's trials renew automatically?

Yes. Pandora's plans page says plans renew automatically after the trial unless you cancel in advance.