When it comes to watching videos on the internet, YouTube remains the most common place to do it. It’s been around since 2005, delivering a hub for video content and includes everything from the newest music videos, to live-streaming events. While the website itself is free to use, its filled with ads that have a tendency to interrupt your videos at the worst possible time. However, with YouTube Premium you can eliminate those pesky ads, and get back to watching the content you want to see — without interruptions.
The YouTube family of products can be a bit confusing, however. In addition to YouTube Premium, there are other paid services like YouTube Music, YouTube TV, and the now-defunct YouTube Go, plus some free movies on YouTube you don’t want to miss. The price of YouTube Premium has changes since launch, and with new services like YouTube Premium Lite, its worth considering which option is right for you. There are even bundling options that could save you some money like the YouTube Premium family plan, or the free trial.
If you’re thinking about paying for YouTube, but you’re not sure what the best option is, then our guide has the essential information you need to know about the YouTube Premium service, such as what it includes and how much it costs.
What is YouTube Premium?
YouTube Premium is a subscription-based service (it debuted as “Music Key” in 2014 and, as with many Google services, was eventually rebranded to YouTube Red before arriving at its current name) that adds several features to the basic YouTube experience.
Unlike Spotify or Apple Music, it’s not a dedicated music streaming platform. Rather, it’s a multifaceted offering that boasts a number of small benefits to improve your YouTube experience, including ad-free YouTube video and YouTube Music streaming, offline playback, and access to exclusive, paywalled content. (Most of this content is created by well-known YouTubers and influencers.)
What is YouTube Premium lite?
YouTube Premium Lite is a new pilot program from YouTube that delivers some videos ad-free for a price of $8 each month instead of the usual $14 price tag on YouTube Premium. It was released in the US in March 2025 as a cheaper alternative to the normal subscription, but comes with a few caveats that may be deal breakers for some users.
Unlike YouTube Premium where you trade a subscription cost for never dealing with ads, users can expect limited ads depending on the content they search for with YouTube Premium Lite. However, YouTube hasn’t exactly been transparent about exactly what content will be ad-supported, and what content will be ad-free. Gaming, fashion, beauty, and news segments are all supposed to be ad-free, while Shorts and music content will include ads. Past that though, its unclear exactly what content will be free from ads as you watch.
YouTube Premium Lite has a number of drawbacks compared to YouTube Premium as well. YouTube Music is not included, there is no support for downloading videos to watch offline, and background play isn’t supported either. That means that the app will need to be actively open, or used in split screen, or your video will stop playing.
Keep in mind that this is also currently a pilot program in the US. That means that the specifics, including price may shift down the line, and if it isn’t successful enough YouTube may pull the plug on this tier entirely.
How much does YouTube Premium cost?
Considering that the vast majority of YouTube content is free, the first thing that likely comes into your mind is, “OK, so how much does it cost?” Well, unfortunately, it’s now a little more expensive than it was at launch.
An individual plan is $14 per month after a one-month trial. The family plan will run you $23 per month, and allows for up to six accounts total. That makes it a budget-friendly offering, especially if you’re sharing it with friends or family members.
Students can also subscribe to YouTube Premium for $8, although they’ll need to verify their student status once a year.
If you’re interested in YouTube’s original programming, YouTube Originals are free to watch and are also ad-free for Premium subscribers. However, non-Premium subscribers can still watch YouTube Originals free with ads.
What do you get with YouTube Premium?
As mentioned, YouTube Premium comes with a slew of benefits. We’ll run them down to simplify things for you.
Ad-free viewing
As mentioned above, a YouTube Premium subscription removes all advertisements from YouTube. This includes both banner ads and video ads (whether you’re in a desktop browser or on mobile) and extends to the YouTube Music app. For many, the default ad load isn’t too heavy, but YouTube brass has let on that those who “use YouTube like a paid music service” might encounter increased ad density.
Ad-free viewing extends to any platform on which you use YouTube Premium, including the web, smartphones, Roku, or any other streaming device.
YouTube Originals
YouTube Originals is dead insofar as you shouldn’t expect to see any new content under that branding. The YouTube Originals channel still remains, however, with more than 6.7 million subscribers and a host of shows and various other videos.
YouTube Music Premium
Originally, a YouTube Premium subscription got you access to Google Play Music, but Google has streamlined its music offerings down to just YouTube Music. With YouTube Premium, you’ll also get access to YouTube Music Premium (normally $11 per month). Like YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium offers ad-free playback, offline viewing, and background play on mobile.
Background play on mobile
With a YouTube Premium subscription, you can lock your phone (or switch to a different app), and videos will continue to play in the background. This is a nice feature for listening to podcasts and the like or if you just want to listen to a song but can’t find it on any other platform. It works in the YouTube app and the YouTube Music app. Check out our full explainer on how to play YouTube in the background on iPhone and Android devices.
Offline viewing
You can download videos (and whole playlists) for offline viewing with YouTube Premium, a very useful feature for plane flights (or, really, any time you want to save mobile data or expect to have poor service). You will need to have a fair bit of free space on your phone, but downloading songs via YouTube Music instead of the default YouTube app mitigates this to a degree.
Can you get a free trial of YouTube Premium?
Even if you watch a lot of YouTube, you might wonder whether it’s really worth spending more than $10 a month on a Premium subscription. Sure, no ads sounds nice, but will it make a difference to your watching experience? And if you haven’t used YouTube Music before and you currently use another service like Spotify, you might want to test out whether you like the new service before deciding to pay for it.
Fortunately, there is an option to get a free trial of YouTube Premium so you can see if it’s worth it for you to pay the subscription price. As long as you’re a new customer, anyone can get a one month free trial of the Premium service. You don’t need to pay any money up front for the first month, but you do need to hand over payment information. If you decide to keep the subscription, you’ll be automatically charged the regularly monthly subscription fee once your trial ends. If you decide it isn’t worth paying for, you can cancel your Premium trial and not have to pay anything.
It’s also worth keeping an eye out for free trials of YouTube Premium that come bundled with other services. If you get a subscription to Discord Nitro, for example, you can get a three month free trial of YouTube Premium (but only if you’re not already a Premium subscriber). You’ll get a code from within Discord which you can then enter into YouTube to start the free trial of Premium.
Given how many different companies Google has interactions with, there are often free YouTube Premium deals bundled with other subscriptions so it’s worth looking around for options if you want to try out the service for free.
Is YouTube Premium worth it?
All music streaming services have different value for different people. If you’re not a big YouTube consumer, you don’t need YouTube Premium — especially if you’re already happily subscribed to Spotify or Apple Music and don’t need the YouTube Music bonus.
But if you use YouTube religiously, have specific creators you love, and want to consume as much original content as you can, the $14-per-month price tag might be worth it. It’s about the same as most traditional streaming services, after all. Plus, you can cut down on the price by splitting a $23-per-month family plan with just one other person.
