Is it worthwhile to pay for YouTube Premium? Here’s everything the YouTube Premium subscription plan has to offer and whether you should sign up.
You may have considered subscribing to YouTube Premium if you enjoy watching videos on YouTube. Is YouTube Premium, however, worthwhile?
Let’s look at what YouTube Premium has to offer, what you need to know about it, and how to decide if it’s worth paying for you.
1. What is the price of YouTube Premium?
After a one-month free trial, YouTube Premium (previously YouTube Red) costs $11.99 per month. Families and students can also choose from two alternative plans.
YouTube Premium’s Family package is $17.99 per month. It allows you to add up to five additional persons (total of six members) who are at least 13 years old and live in your household to receive the same benefits. These folks must live at the same address as you, according to YouTube’s rules.
The Student YouTube Premium plan is $6.99 a month if you’re a student who can provide verification (which is required each year).
Whether or not the cost of YouTube Premium is worthwhile depends on how many of the features are used. Keep this in mind when we examine them further down, especially in comparison to what other services, such as Spotify Premium and Netflix, have to offer.
2. There are no advertisements in YouTube videos.
The most compelling feature of YouTube Premium is that it removes ads from all YouTube videos. Other solutions to prevent adverts on YouTube exist, but they aren’t officially sanctioned and deprive artists of cash. Furthermore, there are no advertisements on any platform, including smart TV apps, game consoles, and your phone.
One of the driving motivations behind YouTube Premium, it turns out, is the prominence of ad-blocking. YouTube has long been the king of free videos, but hosting and streaming those videos is costly. If users continue to block advertisements, YouTube will have no choice but to look for other ways to make money.
We understand how irritating advertising can be, especially when you have to suffer through a 15-second commercial in order to watch a 30-second YouTube video. Are you looking for a way to get rid of them? YouTube Premium allows you to do so in a way that supports both the service and the creators you watch.
YouTube notes that the money it receives from Premium subscribers is shared across the channels that those subscribers watch. As a result, by watching your favorite channels with Premium, you’re helping them earn money that they wouldn’t have been able to earn otherwise through advertisements.
3. Unrestricted access to all YouTube Originals
Even if you don’t mind watching commercials on YouTube, there are a few extra advantages that could make YouTube Premium worth the money. One of the first benefits of YouTube Premium was access to YouTube Originals, a selection of YouTube-produced original shows.
YouTube, on the other hand, has recently made numerous YouTube Originals available to everyone. Free users can now watch YouTube Originals material with advertising in the same way they can watch any other video. Although the business vaguely notes that “only select episodes may be available for streaming at any given time,” the majority of Originals content is, in our view, open to all.
However, there are some benefits to becoming a YouTube Premium member when it comes to Originals. Subscribers can watch all available episodes of a series as soon as it premieres, in addition to ad-free access. They also have access to special features such as deleted sequences and director’s edits.
To view what’s available, go to the YouTube Originals channel. Some Premium videos are only available to paid subscribers.
4. YouTube Music Premium is a part of the package.
YouTube Music Premium is included with a YouTube Premium subscription. YouTube Music is Google’s music streaming service, in case you didn’t know. It took the position of Google Play Music, which will be phased off in late 2020.
YouTube Music, like Spotify and other music streaming services, is free to use. You also receive ad-free access, the ability to play music in the background, and the opportunity to download music for offline listening with YouTube Music Premium.
YouTube Music Premium is already $9.99 per month, thus it adds a lot of value to YouTube Premium. If you don’t currently have a Spotify, Apple Music, or comparable subscription, you can get two memberships for the price of one.
5. Video Downloads and Playback in the Background
The perks of YouTube Premium are available anywhere you browse YouTube. However, there are a few advantages to watching on a mobile device.
One advantage of YouTube Premium is that you may download videos to your iPhone or Android phone and watch them offline. This is ideal for watching films on the move if you just have a limited data plan, as well as in places where there is no internet access, such as on a plane.
The ability to play videos in the background is now available on YouTube’s mobile apps. Your video will continue to play even if you switch to another app or turn off your screen. This is useful if you frequently watch long YouTube videos and are only interested in the audio. Keeping your phone’s screen off will also save battery life.
If you have children, you’ll be relieved to learn that the ad-free and offline features extend to the YouTube Kids app as well.
6. YouTube Premium Isn’t the Same Thing As YouTube TV
Because the names of YouTube’s premium services are so similar, it’s easy to get them mixed up. We’ve mentioned that YouTube Premium includes YouTube Music Premium, as well as the fact that YouTube Music Premium can be purchased independently of YouTube Premium.
However, you should be aware that these two services are not the same as YouTube TV. YouTube TV is a live television streaming service that allows you to view live broadcasts. It comes with a DVR and other TV-streaming-related functions.
YouTube Premium does not grant access to YouTube TV, and YouTube TV does not grant access to YouTube Premium. Subscribers to YouTube TV, on the other hand, have full access to YouTube Originals, as explained above.
Channel subscriptions are a different type of YouTube subscription than Premium. These allow you to directly support a channel while also gaining a few benefits. However, the perks of YouTube channel membership do not include the ability to remove adverts from a channel.
7. You Don’t Need YouTube Premium
YouTube Premium has been around for a long time and hasn’t really changed the way YouTube operates. If you don’t want to pay, you can still watch videos on your favorite channels for free.
The top perk of YouTube Premium is, without a doubt, the removal of all advertisements. If you watch YouTube on a daily basis, it may be worth the money just for that reason. If you want to catch up on your Watch Later list offline on a trip or flight, you might wish to sign up for a month and then cancel. If you don’t currently have a subscription music service, getting YouTube Music Premium is a good idea.
Otherwise, YouTube Premium isn’t really appealing. The majority of the Originals no longer require a subscription. Cobra Kai, the most popular YouTube Original, is now available on Netflix. And if you generally follow lesser channels, there’s a slim chance that one of them will be chosen to create a YouTube Original that isn’t available for free.
Netflix subscriptions give significantly higher-quality episodes and movies than YouTube Originals for around the same price. When you pay for Amazon Prime annually, you get access to Prime Video, Prime Music, free shipping, and other perks. In comparison, YouTube Premium appears to be a lot less appealing.
There’s also a case to be made that paying for YouTube Premium helps YouTube seize control of traditionally user-generated material, which is what YouTube was founded on in the first place.
Should You Become a YouTube Premium Member?
In reality, YouTube Premium is a mixed bag that will only appeal to a select group of individuals. You don’t require Premium if advertising don’t bother you. Premium isn’t worth it unless you’re a big fan of YouTube Originals. You won’t appreciate all of the Premium features if you don’t use YouTube’s mobile apps frequently.
However, if you want to avoid YouTube advertisements and use YouTube Music Premium on a daily basis, YouTube Premium is an excellent investment. Whether you subscribe to the service or not, you can take use of some helpful YouTube hints to get the most out of it.
