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YouTube Premium Review: Cost, First-Hand Experience, And More

YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium Review: Cost, First-Hand Experience, And More

YouTube is one of the most popular apps in the world and allows people to watch videos from their favorite creators. Even more, it’s become its own ecosystem of content that has expanded to include music and even television. Part of that ecosystem is the paid subscription offered by YouTube, known as YouTube Premium. Today, we are going to learn a bit about YouTube Premium; namely, find out its cost and if it’s the right move for you. Let’s get started.

YouTube Premium: Overall Thoughts

YouTube Premium is the paid subscription package that users can pay for each month for a slew of benefits, as well as access to various apps and content. It starts off at $11.99 per month and primarily advertises itself as an ad-free version of YouTube. We’ve personally been subscribers of YouTube Premium for over five years and have first-hand experience with what it’s like and how valuable it is.

Overall, the value of YouTube Premium is mostly determined by your ability to use its features. Let’s talk about some of the things that make subscribing to Premium appealing, plus the benefits that are used by us the most.

The Real Cost

Right off the bat, YouTube Premium costs $11.99 a month. As far as digital subscriptions go, this isn’t a small number. Other subscriptions like Amazon, Hulu, or even Netflix are right around the same cost, but is it worth it? Well, that depends. First, it’s important to note that subscribing to Premium through the App Store version of YouTube on iPhones costs more than doing it online (this isn’t a problem on Android devices).

In fact, using an Apple device to subscribe to Premium will cost a total of $15.99 instead of the standard $11.99 a month, with Apple taking an extra $4 right off the top. To avoid this, simply register online using a computer or browser.

Unlike many subscriptions through the years, we’ve never had YouTube increase its price on us. It’s been around five years now and we still pay the same amount that we did when we first started subscribing years ago. The same can’t be said for Netflix, wifi, or other subscriptions regularly paid for. In this regard, it’s a point to YouTube.

Additional Benefits

YouTube Premium
YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube.

Still, when thinking about the “real cost” of YouTube, it’s important to consider the fact that you can actually end up paying less overall if you use the whole suite of features. YouTube Music is one of the benefits that you gain access to when you become a Premium user. If you cancel Spotify and use YouTube Music instead, you can end up paying the same amount as you were BEFORE the subscription. Although we don’t personally use YouTube Music, we still find that the removal of ads, software features, and access to Creator Specials makes the subscription worth it.

The Best (and Worst) Features of YouTube Premium

#1: Ad-free

Without a doubt, the best feature of YouTube Premium is the lack of ads. Pop us are no longer a threat.

#2: Software Unlock

Aside from no ads, Premium also offers some other benefits. Some of the best parts of Premium is the software that unlocks for you. You can play music or videos with Premium while your lock screen is turned off, something that people are always complaining about. Even more, you can download videos to watch later, a feature that you can use every time you step foot on an airplane. So, in the airport lobby, you can download hours and hours of videos to watch while on the plane. Other software unlocks include Picture-in-Picture viewing and background play.

#3: YouTube Music

If there is one thing that seems unnecessary about YouTube Premium, it’s the Music app. If you’re a loyal Spotify user, the YouTube Music app won’t seem all that great. Its library is weird and the algorithm never really figured out what kind of music to recommend.

#4: YouTube Originals

YouTube Premium
YouTube Originals are original series, movies, and events from YouTube.

YouTube creators have the ability to create paywalled content that is accessible to Premium users. Although we don’t use this feature super often, it is something that we REALLY value when we can use it. For example, there’s a science educator called Vsauce that has some amazing original content to look out for. If you have some favorite creators with paid content, you will be able to access it with Premium.

Should You Get YouTube Premium?

YouTube Premium isn’t for everyone, but it is for some people. So, if you:

  • Want no ads
  • Want to download and watch videos offline
  • Have a favorite creator with paid content

… then YouTube Premium is a great option for you. And if you watch hours of YouTube each day, it’s worth your while to pay for the service. If you don’t really care about ads or don’t feel like you will use the software features, YouTube Premium can cost a bit too much for a lot of people. Additionally, we wouldn’t recommend switching to YouTube Music since it’s arguably worse than Spotify and Apple Music.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is YouTube Premium?

YouTube Premium is a paid subscription for YouTube that gives special software and content access to users.

How much does YouTube Premium cost?

YouTube Premium costs $11.99 a month, or $15.99 a month if using an Apple device.

Is YouTube Premium worth it?

YouTube Premium is worth it for people who watch a lot of YouTube and really value an ad-free experience.

What do you get with YouTube Premium?

YouTube Premium gives users access to software features like picture-in-picture playing, offline downloads, ad-free videos, YouTube Music, and more.

Is YouTube Premium better than Spotify?

YouTube Premium gives users access to YouTube Music, a competitor to Spotify. If you are only interested in music, YouTube Premium probably isn’t the best option for you.

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