How to Cancel Pandora Premium in 2026 — Free Music Alternatives

Updated February 2026 • 4 min read

Cancel on Website

1. Go to pandora.com/account/settings
2. Click Manage subscription
3. Click Cancel
4. Confirm — you keep access until billing period ends

Cancel Through App Stores

• iPhone: Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions → Pandora → Cancel
• Android: Google Play → Payments & subscriptions → Pandora → Cancel

Pandora Tiers

• Free: Personalized radio with ads, limited skips, no on-demand
• Pandora Plus ($4.99/mo): Ad-free radio, unlimited skips, offline stations
• Pandora Premium ($10.99/mo): On-demand, playlists, downloads, ad-free

Why Pandora Has Lost Relevance

Pandora was revolutionary in 2005. In 2026, it's a worse version of every competitor:

• Smaller library: Pandora has far fewer songs than Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube Music
• US-only: Pandora only works in the United States
• Fewer podcasts: Spotify and Apple dominate podcast content
• No social features: No shared playlists, no friend activity, no collaborative listening
• Owned by SiriusXM: Development has slowed since the acquisition

Free Music Streaming Alternatives

• Spotify Free: On-demand with ads, shuffle play, larger library than Pandora Premium
• YouTube Music Free: Full songs with ads, vast library including live performances and remixes
• Amazon Music (with Prime): If you have Prime, you get ad-supported streaming included
• Tidal Free: Ad-supported tier, good audio quality
• SoundCloud Free: Independent artists, remixes, DJ mixes
• Your library: Many libraries offer Hoopla with music albums, completely free

Transfer Your Music

Moving your Pandora stations/thumbs to another service:

• Soundiiz ($4.50 one-time): Transfers playlists between Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
• TuneMyMusic (free for small libraries): Web-based playlist transfer tool
• Manual: Screenshot your top stations, recreate as playlists on the new service

Get a Refund

• Contact support@pandora.com within 7 days of charge
• Apple/Google: refund through those platforms
• Annual plan: prorated refund within first 30 days