You’re scrolling through your billing statements. You see it. One charge is $10.99. Another is $11.99. It feels like a tiny gap, just a dollar, but in the world of subscription services, that dollar is a battleground.
Honestly, it’s annoying. We’ve all been there, trying to figure out why a service we signed up for on our iPhone costs more than what our friend pays on their laptop. Or why a "premium" tier suddenly jumped just enough to be noticeable.
When people ask why 11.99 is more expensive than apple 10.99, they aren't just doing basic math. They’re usually hitting a wall created by the "Apple Tax" or the recent wave of price hikes from competitors like Spotify and YouTube.
The Real Math Behind the 11.99 vs 10.99 Gap
Let's look at the actual numbers. Apple Music currently sits at $10.99 per month for an individual plan. Meanwhile, Spotify—its biggest rival—just hiked its individual Premium tier to $12.99 (as of early 2026), after spending most of 2025 at $11.99.
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Why does this matter? Because for over a year, Spotify was 11.99 more expensive than apple 10.99 by exactly one dollar. That dollar adds up to $12 a year. It's not a fortune, but it’s enough to make people switch.
Apple can afford to keep their music at $10.99 because they own the hardware. They don’t need the subscription to be their sole lifeline. For a company like Spotify, that extra dollar is the difference between a profit and a loss.
The "Apple Tax" and Pricing Discrepancies
Sometimes, the $11.99 price tag isn't about a different service at all. It’s the same service, just purchased through a different "store."
If you subscribe to a third-party app—think YouTube Premium or a fitness app—directly through the App Store, you might see a price like $11.99. But if you go to their website on a browser, it might be $10.99.
Why? Because Apple takes a 15% to 30% cut of every transaction made through their billing system.
Developers aren't always willing to eat that cost. Instead, they pass it on to you. They essentially say, "If you want the convenience of paying with your FaceID, you're going to pay the 'convenience fee'."
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The Hidden Trap of $11.99 vs $10.99
It’s a psychological trick. $10.99 feels like "ten bucks and some change." Once you hit $11.99, you’ve crossed into the "twelve dollar" mental territory.
We’ve seen this play out with iCloud storage and Apple TV+ too. Apple TV+ recently jumped to $12.99, leaving its old $9.99 price in the dust. Suddenly, that $10.99 Apple Music subscription feels like the "budget" option in the ecosystem.
What You Can Do About It
If you’re tired of seeing $11.99 on your bill when you know a cheaper version exists, stop paying through the App Store.
- Check the Web: Go to the service's official website. Often, the "direct" price is $1 or $2 cheaper because they don't have to pay Apple’s commission.
- Bundle Up: If you’re paying $10.99 for music and $12.99 for TV+, you’re already at $23.98. The Apple One bundle starts at $19.95. You’re literally throwing money away by paying for them separately.
- Annual vs. Monthly: Many $12.99 services offer an annual rate that averages out to less than $10 a month.
At the end of the day, 11.99 more expensive than apple 10.99 is a sign of a shifting market. Inflation, licensing fees, and platform commissions are squeezing every cent out of our digital lives.
Take five minutes today to audit your "Subscriptions" tab in your iPhone settings. Look for any $11.99 charges and see if you can find the $10.99 (or cheaper) version on a web browser. Most of the time, your login will still work on the app even if you pay outside of it. It’s the easiest $12-a-year raise you’ll ever give yourself.