We all know about YouTube and likely use it every single day. But what about YouTube Premium? That’s YouTube’s paid, subscription service, and it’s not as popular as YouTube itself is. Which is not a surprise, since it is paid. But what all is included in YouTube Premium, and what exactly is it?
Well, in this article, we are going to go over everything you need to know about YouTube Premium. Including what is included, pricing, what countries it is available in, and so much more. So you can make a better, more informed decision about whether you should sign up.
What is YouTube Premium?
YouTube Premium was born, originally in November of 2014, as YouTube Red. It was rebranded a few years later (in 2018) as YouTube Premium. Which added more perks, and also included YouTube Music. Which was not even a service in 2014 when YouTube Red came out.
Originally, YouTube Red was really just a place for some YouTube Originals and included a subscription to Google Play Music.
When YouTube Premium launched in 2018, Google added a number of other features and swapped out Google Play Music for YouTube Music. It also raised the price to $11.99 per month, and given everything that is included, it is well more than worth that price.
What benefits are included with YouTube Premium?
There are five main features with YouTube Premium:
- Ad-free videos
- Background Playback
- Offline playback
- YouTube Music Premium
- YouTube Originals
The first three features are what most people sign up for YouTube Premium for, especially the ad-free experience. Since YouTube has really littered its platform with a ton of ads, making it impossible to watch a ton of videos on the platform.
Being able to download videos to watch offline is also a really popular feature. Especially if you do a lot of traveling. Downloading videos to watch you’re on a plane, or on the subway, is definitely very helpful.
How much does YouTube Premium cost?
YouTube Premium costs $13.99 per month.
Like most other streaming services, there are family and student plans available. For students, it’ll cost you $7.99/month, and for a family plan, it’s $22.99/month. With the family plan, you can add up to five other people. Similar to how it works for YouTube TV and YouTube Music.
For the student plan, you will need to do some kind of verification to prove that you are indeed a student. Otherwise, everyone would sign up for the student plan and get that discount. Since it is nearly half the price.
Update: On July 20, 2023, Google announced that the price for YouTube Premium is going up. It’s now $13.99 per month ($2 increase), or $139 per year ($20 increase). YouTube Music Premium is also going up to $10.99 per month.
Can I get YouTube Music Premium only?
While YouTube Music Premium is included in YouTube Premium, you can still buy it by itself. Google offers the service for $10.99 per month, when it is not inside YouTube Premium. Which, if you just want a music streaming service, that’s right in par with the competition. But for $3 more per month, you can get ad-free YouTube, which is honestly worth it.
Keep in mind that Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify and Apple Music are all priced at $9.99/month. So it’s the same as the competition. And it also has a family plan for $14.99/month like the competition.
Where is YouTube Premium available?
According to Google, YouTube Premium is available in nearly 100 countries around the world. All of which are listed below. However, the paid membership may not be available in all states/provinces.
- American Samoa
- Argentina
- Aruba
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Cayman Islands
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- French Guyana
- French Polynesia
- Germany
- Greece
- Guadeloupe
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Norway
- Oman
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- US Virgin Islands
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Can I still use my subscription if I travel to another country?
Imagine you live in the US, and subscribe to YouTube Premium, and you travel to another country for vacation or something. Can you still use YouTube Premium there? It really depends on where you travel to. If you travel to another country that has YouTube Premium, then you can keep using your subscription as usual.
But, if you go to a country that doesn’t have YouTube Premium – like Russia, here’s what happens:
“You won’t be allowed to download videos, videos won’t play in the background, and you may see ads. Any videos that you’ve downloaded before traveling will be available offline for 30 days.”
So the sort answer, is yes you can still use it. But you may not get the same experience if you enter a country where YouTube Premium is not available.
Is it worth it, to sign up?
Yes, totally worth it. Especially if you do watch a lot of YouTube. I know I watch around 3-4 hours a day of YouTube and not having to watch ads is a huge bonus. The other features that this subscription has, I don’t even use. Though, if we ever return to travel like before the pandemic, I’ll likely use the offline playback a lot more.
If you already use YouTube Music, then this bundle is worth the cost. As you’re paying literally two dollars more to get ad-free YouTube. And that alone is worth the extra cost here. Of course, if you’re like me and are not a fan of YouTube Music, then it might be a bit harder of a decision. Paying $12 per month for ad-free YouTube is still quite a bit.
The best way to find out if this is worth it for you is to go ahead and sign up for one of the free trial bonuses. Google typically gives out two to six months of free trials for different things. Giving you plenty of time to try out the service. Then you can tap on your profile picture, then tap on “Your Premium Benefits” in the YouTube app, to see how you’ve used these benefits and whether it is worth the price.