YouTube Premium isn't worth it anymore

Key Takeaways

Streaming services are increasing prices for ad-free tiers to make ad-supported plans more enticing.
YouTube Premium’s price increase to $14/month may not be justifiable for many users.
Despite rising prices, YouTube Premium boasts over 100 million subscribers, suggesting price hikes may not deter users.

As time goes on, ads are nestling even deeper into our lives. So, if and when you can, it’s nice to look for ways to avoid them. Streaming services are constantly jacking up their prices for the ad-free tiers in an effort to make those ad-supported plans more valuable. It’s paid off in some regards, as keeping up with all the streaming services is expensive, so you have to cut costs where you can. For some, that means paying for ads as those tiers are typically cheaper on every streaming service.

I ran into a similar problem with streaming services, and it led me to make a choice. I decided that YouTube Premium was what had to go, and while I really enjoyed having no ads on YouTube, it’s what made the most sense to me.

YouTube Premium

What’s included?: YouTube and YouTube Music add-free and in the background
Price: $14 a month
Live TV: No

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YouTube Premium has many features you might not even know about.

YouTube Premium is nice, but it’s losing value over time

It’s tough to justify

A Galaxy Z Fold 5 playing a YouTube video in Flex Mode.

When YouTube Premium was available for $10, it was a much easier price to pay. For the uninitiated, YouTube Premium offers ad-free viewing on YouTube along with ad-free listening on YouTube Music. It’s not a bad deal if you use YouTube a ton and don’t have a subscription to Apple Music or Spotify. The problem is, along with all streaming services really, is the constantly increasing price.

At the time of this writing, YouTube Premium costs $14 a month, and the cost rises to over $20 for a family plan. Getting rid of ads is nice, but is anybody actually fine with paying the price of an entire streaming service just to have ad-free watching? I got started on YouTube Premium through a free trial, and the allure of no ads eventually led me to pay for a few additional months, but I had to ask myself if the price was worth it at a certain point.

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I do most of my YouTube viewing on my Apple TV 4K, and it wasn’t until then I realized how invasive the ads were once I dropped my subscription. I had the annoying Apple TV 4K issue of a flashing black screen any time ads popped up, but instead of resubscribing to Premium, I just watched YouTube less. For what it’s worth, I eventually found out how to fix the issue, but it hasn’t made me watch YouTube more often. Personally, I don’t take advantage of features like downloading videos or listening to music, so while that adds value for some people, it’s not a selling point for me. At the end of the day, I was paying $14 a month just to have no ads. It might be worth it for people who have large disposable incomes, but anybody who has to limit their spending won’t be able to find a lot of value here.

Subscription prices keep rising and rising

It’s not just YouTube Premium

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The main issue here is rising prices. I would have a much easier time convincing myself to pay a lower price for YouTube Premium if that existed, and it seems like there might be some hints of a plan like that returning. While I’d likely welcome a Premium Lite with open arms, it doesn’t solve the bigger problem plaguing all streaming services. YouTube Premium isn’t the only streamer that’s lost value with the price hikes. Unlike Netflix or Max, YouTube doesn’t have a wide assortment of exclusive movies or shows to keep me subscribed. Instead, I was simply paying for a better viewing experience.

YouTube Premium Lite is currently just a rumor.

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When other services also increase their prices at the same time, it makes you think about what’s truly important to you. In 2024, it felt like every streamer went up in price. For me, that meant getting rid of Premium. I’m not sure what YouTube can do to win me back outside a free trial or discounted price. In fact, I find myself canceling more and more services due to the rising prices, and I know I’m not alone. However, YouTube Premium seems to be doing just fine without me. In February 2024, YouTube reported it had over 100 million Premium subscribers. No matter how you slice it, those are impressive numbers for the video platform, and it seems like the price increases aren’t having much of an effect. At that time, Premium only costed $14 a month, so the price has increased by two dollars since then and the numbers might not be the same as they were.

The pricing of services like YouTube Premium is becoming a big issue, and that’s the case even if you don’t take traditional streaming services like Netflix into account. YouTube Premium has competition from Apple Music and Spotify that it has to ward off. With the price increase, it’s just as expensive as those services, and while ad-free music is nice, it’s unlikely YouTube could overcome Spotify’s built-in audience. It leaves me wondering exactly who YouTube Premium is for. From where I’m standing, it seems like a service that’s focused on removing ads first and foremost, and I don’t think I can justify forking over $14 a month for that anymore.