What's the difference between AppleCare+ and AppleCare One?

iPhones, Macs and all of Apple's other products ship with a one-year limited warranty. If you want to extend that and make sure your devices are protected for a longer period, you'll need to get AppleCare. You have a couple of options under the AppleCare umbrella, though, and we're going to compare and examine them in this post. But to summarize: AppleCare+ protects one device per plan, whereas an AppleCare One plan provides protection for multiple devices in one subscription. 

If you only have one Apple device, AppleCare+ is the more cost-effective option despite its recent price hike. Different models have different pricing, with the top of the line devices being the most expensive. AppleCare+ for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, for instance, costs $14 or $140 a year, while it's only $10 a month or $100 a year for the iPhone 17e.

A subscription gets you unlimited repairs for accidents like drops and spills, 24/7 priority support and the ability to get your device serviced at any Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Providers in the world. However, its other benefits depend on what kind of device you own. You can get the batteries of devices like iPhones, iPads and MacBooks replaced for free once their battery health, or their current maximum energy capacity, hits 80 percent. iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches — the devices you're most likely to take with you when you go out — come with theft and loss coverage for up to two claims in one year. Some models also come with an express replacement service that will lend you a device to use before you even send in your broken one.

Since AppleCare is a form of insurance, though, you can expect to pay service fees and deductibles for different types of repair and replacement. Repairing screen or back glass damage of an iPhone will cost you $29, while getting a replacement for theft or loss will set you back $149. You can see the full list of deductibles on Apple's website. 

To get an AppleCare+ subscription, open Settings on your device and then go to General > AppleCare & Warranty. You can also go to the AppleCare & Warranty page, choose your device and then scan the QR code that shows up.  

AppleCare One gives you all the benefits of AppleCare+ for up to three devices under a $20-a-month payment plan. Depending on what your devices are, this option could be cheaper than getting AppleCare+ for each of them individually. That said, AppleCare One is only available in the US, the UK, France, Germany and Australia at the moment.

Say, you have an iPhone 17 Pro Max, a 13-inch iPad Pro powered by M4 and a pair of AirPods Pro 3, and you live in a region where AppleCare One is available. Getting individual plans for them will cost you $27.47 a month. That's already quite a bit more than the base price for AppleCare One, so paying $20 for the subscription would be a no-brainer. Some device combinations will cost you less than $20 a month if you pay AppleCare+ for each them, though, so make sure to check out their pricing on Apple's website before making a decision. 

If you want to protect more than three Apple products, you can add more any time, including ones you already own, for $6 each. Just take note that most devices have to be four years old or newer to be eligible for AppleCare One. Headphones have to be one year old or less to qualify. Also, you can only add devices registered under your Apple account.

In case you were wondering, both AppleCare+ and AppleCare One will give you coverage for any in-box cables and power adapters that came with your product. For iPads, both plans include coverage for accidental damage for one Apple Pencil and one Apple iPad keyboard.