The fastest way to end up paying too much for SoundCloud is to tap “Subscribe” inside the iPhone app. Do that and you can pay roughly 30% more than someone who signed up on the website for the exact same plan. So before you buy anything, the short version is this: open a browser, go to soundcloud.com/go, and subscribe there. This guide walks through the whole thing, from confirming your email to getting the subscription working on a TV or Xbox.
Confirm your email first
You cannot buy a SoundCloud Go subscription until you have a confirmed email on the account. This trips people up more than it should. SoundCloud’s own setup instructions say plainly that “you will need to have already confirmed your email address at sign-up before your SoundCloud Go purchase,” per the Get Started with SoundCloud Go+ help page.
If you just made the account, check your inbox for the verification message and click the link. If you signed up ages ago and never confirmed, go to your account settings, resend the confirmation, and click through. Once that’s done, the payment screen will actually let you complete a purchase instead of stalling.
Subscribe on the web (the cheapest way to buy SoundCloud Go)
Web signup is the move. Here’s the flow:
- Open a browser on any device and go to soundcloud.com/go.
- Sign in to the account you want to upgrade (the one with the confirmed email).
- Choose your plan: SoundCloud Go at $4.99/month or Go+ at $10.99/month. More on which to pick below.
- Enter a payment method and confirm.
SoundCloud accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, and Discover on the web. Go comes with a 7-day free trial and Go+ comes with a 30-day free trial, but both need a valid card on file to start, and both auto-renew into a paid plan when the trial ends unless you cancel first. Trials are for new subscribers only. If you had a paid plan before, you probably won’t be offered another free one.
One note on pricing before you commit. SoundCloud raised Go+ pricing in April 2026, applied to existing subscribers on their next billing date. They didn’t publish exact new figures, and reporting pegged the bump at roughly $1 to $2. So treat $10.99 as the recent standard monthly price and confirm the live number at soundcloud.com/go before you check out. Prices can change and vary by country and by where you subscribe. For a fuller breakdown of every tier and trial, see the SoundCloud Go price page.
Subscribing in the iOS or Android app (and why not to)
You can buy inside the app. In the SoundCloud app for iPhone or Android, open Settings and tap the SoundCloud Go purchase button. It works. It’s just more expensive on Apple.
When you pay through the Apple App Store, Apple takes a cut and that cost gets passed to you, so the App Store price runs about 30% higher than the same plan on the web. SoundCloud says as much on its own get started page. Google Play pricing can also come in higher than web. There’s no benefit to paying the surcharge, since the subscription is identical no matter where you bought it. The features, the catalog, the offline downloads are all the same. You just pay more for the convenience of tapping one button.
The practical rule: subscribe once in a browser at the web price, then sign in to the app with that same account. The app instantly recognizes you as a paid subscriber. You never needed to buy inside the app at all.
Student pricing makes this even clearer, because the student plan is only sold directly through SoundCloud and isn’t offered through the App Store or Google Play at all.
Choosing between Go and Go+
This is the decision that actually matters, because the two tiers are not close in value.
SoundCloud Go is $4.99/month. It removes ads and lets you download for offline listening on mobile, but it runs on a limited, mobile-focused catalog. It does not unlock the full SoundCloud library. That single limitation is why most people find Go the weaker deal.
SoundCloud Go+ is $10.99/month and is the real premium tier. You get the complete catalog (SoundCloud states over 135 million tracks in full), ad-free listening, offline downloads on both mobile and desktop, higher-quality audio up to 256 kbps AAC, and DJ app integrations with Serato, rekordbox, and Native Instruments. Go+ is also available annually, which works out cheaper per month than paying monthly. If you DJ, or you just want everything you search for to actually play, Go+ is the tier. Go’s smaller catalog means tracks you want will sometimes just not be available.
If you’re weighing the two, read the full SoundCloud Go vs Go+ comparison before you pick. And if you’re enrolled in school, don’t buy Go+ at full price. There’s a student rate at roughly $5.49/month, about half the standard Go+ price, verified through SheerID. The SoundCloud Go student discount page covers eligibility and the document upload step. A quick heads up: the student plan is direct through SoundCloud only, so start it on the web, not in an app.
Using your subscription across devices
Your subscription follows your account, not your phone. Once you’ve subscribed, sign in with the same login anywhere and the premium features come with you.
On mobile, open the SoundCloud app for iOS or Android and log in. Ad-free playback and offline downloads turn on automatically. On desktop, use the SoundCloud web player in a browser at soundcloud.com. Go+ subscribers get offline listening on desktop too, which Go does not include. There’s nothing extra to “activate” for phones, tablets, or computers. Signing in is the whole step.
Connected devices are where it gets a little different.
Activating on a TV, Xbox, or other connected device
Smart TVs, game consoles like Xbox, and similar devices can’t easily show you a full login screen with a keyboard. So instead of typing your email and password on a remote, SoundCloud uses a code-pairing flow. The device shows a short code, and you enter that code on your phone or computer to link the two.
The path is: on the connected device, open SoundCloud and look for the option to sign in, which displays an activation code. Then, on a phone or laptop, go to soundcloud.com/activate, sign in to your subscribed account, and type in the code the TV is showing. Once it matches, the device is paired and your Go or Go+ subscription is active there.
The steps vary a little by device, and a wrong or expired code is the most common snag. We keep a detailed, device-by-device walkthrough (including what to do when a code won’t work) at the SoundCloud activate code guide. If you’re setting up a TV or Xbox, start there.
Managing your subscription and switching plans
Everything about your plan lives on the Subscriptions page when you’re signed in on the web. That’s where you change tiers, update your card, or cancel.
Switching from Go to Go+ is straightforward. Sign in on the web, open your Subscriptions page, and upgrade to Go+. Because Go+ is the higher tier, the upgrade takes effect quickly and you’ll be billed at the Go+ rate going forward. Going the other direction, from Go+ down to Go, works the same way through the same page. Switching plans is not the same as canceling. You keep an active subscription the whole time, just at a different price.
One important catch: you manage the subscription wherever you bought it. If you subscribed on the web, you change and cancel on the web. If you subscribed through the Apple App Store, you have to manage and cancel it in Apple’s settings (Settings, your name, Subscriptions), because SoundCloud can’t touch an App Store subscription. Google Play purchases are managed in the Play Store. This is one more reason to subscribe on the web in the first place, since it keeps billing control in one place. SoundCloud’s cancel your subscription page spells out the location rules.
If you cancel, you keep premium features until the end of the current billing cycle, then the account drops back to Free. SoundCloud does not refund delivered subscriptions, so if you’re only trying the service, cancel before the trial or billing date to avoid the charge. Our full guide to canceling SoundCloud Go covers every device.
FAQ
How do I subscribe to SoundCloud Go?
Open a browser, go to soundcloud.com/go, sign in to an account with a confirmed email, pick Go ($4.99/month) or Go+ ($10.99/month), and enter a payment method. The web is the cheapest place to sign up. After that, just log in to the app with the same account.
Is SoundCloud Go cheaper on the website than in the app?
Yes. Buying through the Apple App Store costs about 30% more than subscribing on the web, and Google Play can also run higher. The plan itself is identical no matter where you buy it, so there is no reason to pay the app surcharge. Subscribe at soundcloud.com/go, then sign in to the app.
How do I activate SoundCloud on my TV?
Open SoundCloud on the TV, choose to sign in, and it shows an activation code. On your phone or computer, go to soundcloud.com/activate, sign in to your subscribed account, and enter that code. The device pairs and your subscription turns on. For step-by-step help by device, including Xbox, see our SoundCloud activate code guide.
Can I switch from Go to Go+?
Yes. Sign in on the web, open your Subscriptions page, and upgrade to Go+. It takes effect quickly and you are billed the Go+ rate from then on. You can switch back to Go the same way. Switching plans keeps your subscription active, so it is different from canceling.