YouTube Premium: Is it worth it? We’ll show you what YouTube Premium offers, and whether or not it is worth signing up.
This app might be worth your consideration if you enjoy watching YouTube videos. YouTube Premium: Is it worth it?
Let’s see what YouTube Premium has to offer, what you need know about it, how it can help you decide if YouTube Premium is right for you, and what it costs.
1. How much does YouTube Premium cost?
YouTube Premium (formerly YouTube Red) costs $11.99 per month, after a one-month free trial. Students and families can also choose from two additional plans.
The Family plan costs $17.99 month and allows you to add up to five other people who live in your household so they get the same benefits. YouTube stipulates that they must share the same address as you. Instead, you can pay $6.99 per month if you are a student and can provide verification.
The number of YouTube Premium benefits you use will determine whether the cost is worthwhile. As we review them below, keep this in mind, especially when compared to other services such as Spotify Premium or Netflix.
2. YouTube videos contain no ads
YouTube Premium’s greatest selling point is its ability to remove advertisements from all YouTube videos. And YouTube ads can be avoided in other ways, but they are not officially supported and could deprive creators. Additionally, ads are not allowed on any platform, even smart TV apps or gaming consoles.
YouTube Premium is a result of the widespread use of ad blocking. YouTube has long been the most popular source of free videos. However, streaming these videos can be expensive. YouTube cannot block ads and must find alternative revenue streams if people continue to block them.
Advertising is annoying. We all know this. Do you want to get rid? YouTube Premium allows you to do this in a way that supports creators and helps YouTube Premium stay in business.
YouTube explained that the company splits the Premium subscription money among the channels it views. You can watch your favorite channels with Premium and earn more than they would have to rely upon ads.
3. Full Access to YouTube Originals
YouTube Premium is still worth the cost, even if you don’t mind watching YouTube ads. YouTube Originals was an exclusive collection of YouTube videos that YouTube Premium users had access to from the beginning.
This app has recently made it possible to access many YouTube Originals, YouTube Originals content is now available for free to all users. While the company states that some episodes might not be available at all times, our experience shows that there is a lot of Originals content accessible to all.
YouTube Premium members still enjoy some perks with Originals. Subscribers can access all episodes of a series immediately after it premieres. Access to bonus content, such as deleted scenes or director’s cut, is also available.
Have a look at the YouTube Originals channel to see what’s available. Some videos, marked as PremiumOnly subscribers can access these videos. We’ve collected the best YouTube Originals shows if you’re not sure what to watch.
4. YouTube Music Premium is Available
A YouTube Premium subscription also includes access to YouTube Music Premium. YouTube Music is Google’s music streaming service. It was replaced by Google Play Music in late 2020.
YouTube Music, like Spotify and other music streaming services, is free. And YouTube Music Premium gives you ad-free, background music play and offline music download.
YouTube Music Premium costs $9.99/month. This adds a lot to YouTube Premium. You can get two subscriptions if you do not already subscribe to Spotify, Apple Music or any similar service.
5. Background Play and Video Downloads
YouTube Premium benefits can be used anywhere you use YouTube. There are also a few perks that can be used to watch YouTube on mobile devices.
YouTube Premium is one option that allows you to download YouTube videos to an Android or iPhone for offline viewing. This is great for viewing videos on the go, especially if you only have a small data plan. It can also be used to enjoy them offline, such as when you are flying.
On YouTube’s mobile apps, you also unlock the ability to play videos in the background. You can still watch your video even if your screen is off or you switch to another app. This is useful if your main focus is on the audio, such as YouTube videos. You can also save battery life by keeping your screen off.
Parents with children will be pleased to learn that YouTube Kids has the same ad-free, offline access benefits as the YouTube app.
6. YouTube Premium Isn’t YouTube TV
YouTube’s paid service have similar names, making it easy to mix them. YouTube Premium also includes YouTube Music Premium. You can sign up separately for YouTube Music Premium.
However, you should know that both of these services are different from YouTube TV. YouTube TV allows you to stream live TV channels. It also offers DVR and other similar features for TV streaming.
YouTube Premium is not available to subscribers. YouTube TV does NOT include YouTube Premium benefits. This app subscribers do have full access, however, to YouTube Originals.
A channel membership is an additional YouTube subscription that you can purchase apart from Premium. These memberships let you support a channel directly, and provide a few benefits. Premium is not connected to memberships.
7. YouTube Premium is not necessary
YouTube Premium has been around since years and has not changed the way YouTube works. You don’t have to pay for YouTube Premium, but you can still access your favorite channels videos as normal.
YouTube Premium’s greatest benefit is removing all ads. This alone could make YouTube Premium worth it if you use YouTube frequently. If you are looking to catch up on your Watch Later lists while traveling or flying, you might consider signing up for a month and then cancelling. YouTube Music Premium is also useful if you don’t use it.
YouTube Premium is not worth the cost. Many Originals no longer require a subscription. Netflix now offers Cobra Kai, undoubtedly the largest YouTube Original. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to watch any of the smaller channels that are behind the paywall.
A Netflix subscription is about the same cost as YouTube Originals, but offers far better quality shows and movies. Amazon Prime, $10/month, when paid annually, provides access to Prime Video and Prime Music, as well as free shipping and other benefits. YouTube Premium looks a lot less appealing.
You can also argue that YouTube Premium allows you to control content that is user-generated. This is exactly what YouTube was created for.
Do You Want to Join YouTube Premium?
YouTube Premium is an incomplete product that is only available to a select few. Premium is unnecessary if ads are not bothersome to you. Premium is not worthwhile unless you have a lot of interest in YouTube Originals. If you don’t use YouTube mobile apps frequently, Premium won’t be worth it.
YouTube Premium is an excellent value if you are looking to remove YouTube ads and use YouTube Music Premium frequently.