You already know YouTube. Google’s video platform is a load-bearing pillar of the internet that houses everything from the dumbest memes to the most radical political content. It’s all there, and it’s all free. However, there's an option to pay for a better version of YouTube. YouTube Premium offers convenient perks such as an ad-free experience and offline viewing on mobile devices, starting at $13.99 per month. However, the benefits are so slight compared with what you get from basic YouTube that we have a hard time recommending it as a video streaming service to anyone who isn't a YouTube die-hard. You're better off paying for one of our more well-rounded Editors' Choice winners such as Hulu, Netflix, or Peacock.
What Can You Watch on YouTube Premium?
Anything you can watch on YouTube, you can watch on YouTube Premium. That’s an unfathomable amount of videos to consider, with uploads from companies, influencers, or regular folks in their living rooms. However, when it comes to content you can only watch on YouTube Premium, the list quickly becomes a lot less enticing.
(Credit: YouTube)Previously, YouTube called its premium tier YouTube Red and launched it alongside a slate of original programming. For the most part, these videos felt like existing popular YouTube shows with slightly bigger budgets, rather than full-on professional shows that other streaming services include as exclusives. It’s telling that one of YouTube’s biggest exclusives, the Karate Kid spin-off series, Cobra Kai, graduated to Netflix. In addition, you can watch PewDiePie freak out while playing a video game or check out Bad Internet, College Humor’s take on Black Mirror.
These days, YouTube seems to put less promotional effort behind its exclusive Premium shows. The YouTube Originals channel doesn’t frequently upload new content. Most shows have ended, including a few original anime series. The target audience seems to be younger viewers primed to enjoy cooking reality shows or documentaries about pop musicians like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato. On the whole, YouTube Premium’s exclusive library doesn’t compete with what you’ll find on Hulu or Max. Editors' Choice pick Tubi lets you watch movies and shows for free. Disney+ is the far better option for families.
Like Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, YouTube lets you subscribe to additional premium channels, such as AMC+, Paramount+, and Starz. Note that these Primetime Channels don't come as part of YouTube Premium; they're each a separate paid subscription.
YouTube Premium Extras
On the upside, YouTube Premium has gradually rolled out intriguing perks. The service includes an ad-free YouTube Music subscription, a welcome addition. It’s not our absolute favorite music streaming service, but it's an excellent option thanks to its music videos, collaborative playlists, lyric searching, and other cool features. Check out our full review for more details.
YouTube Premium now has casual games for desktop and mobile under the YouTube Playables banner. You can fire up familiar hits like Angry Birds, The Daily Crossword, or Solitaire. The launch catalog includes 37 games, playable via mouse or touch screen depending on the platform. This is closer to, say, Netflix's gaming offerings than Google's ambitious Stadia failure, but gaming is so interwoven into YouTube culture that these Playables have appeal. However, as of this writing YouTube only states that these games will be available until the end of March 2024, so maybe don't get too attached.
YouTube Premium subscribers also gain early access to experimental YouTube Studio features. You can be among the first creators to try out new and upcoming AI tools like a video conversation assistant, comment summaries, music recommendations, and image generation.
How Much Does YouTube Premium Cost Per Month?
YouTube knows most viewers are accustomed to using the site without spending a dime, so YouTube Premium offers a one-month free trial. Note that you need to enter payment information into your YouTube account. After that, you can choose between different pricing tiers.
The individual tier now costs $13.99 per month. Given what YouTube Premium ultimately provides, that’s a bit expensive. However, YouTube Music costs $10.99 per month, so YouTube Premium is an appealing way to access that service alongside some extra video features. The $22.99-per-month Family plan (a recent price increase) lets you share YouTube Premium with up to six accounts. The student discount knocks the price down to $7.99 per month.
Note that there are other ways to spend money on YouTube that have nothing to do with YouTube Premium. You can buy and rent popular movies and TV shows a la carte. YouTube also offers YouTube TV, an Editors’ Choice pick for live TV streaming, for $73 per month. Confused? Check out the differences between YouTube Premium and YouTube TV.
YouTube Premium enhances your existing YouTube account, so any platform where you use YouTube can gain these benefits. That includes the web, mobile devices (Android and iOS), video game consoles (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox), smart TVs from all major manufacturers, and media streaming devices (Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku).
(Credit: YouTube)YouTube Premium on the Web and Mobile
YouTube Premium isn’t an app unto itself, just an upgrade to the existing YouTube app. Subscribers see the word “Premium” next to the red YouTube logo upon signing up for the service. As a result, YouTube and YouTube Premium have largely the same interface on the web or mobile.
This isn’t a bad thing, as YouTube is a premier platform for a reason. I experienced smooth video playback over my home Wi-Fi connection (60Mbps download), even with 4K videos. You can easily share videos, like them, clip them, and save them for later. If nothing else, the YouTube commenter community is very passionate and large, but many Premium videos turn comments off.
YouTube Premium adds useful features that make watching YouTube more convenient. For example, YouTube Premium removes YouTube’s commercials. Plenty of YouTubers read ads in the middle of their own content, but now you can watch videos without being randomly interrupted by entirely separate commercials. No more dealing with self-aware ads that talk about the fact there’s a skip button before shaming you into not clicking it.
On mobile, YouTube Premium lets you keep listening to a video in the background even when you turn your screen off. This is great for listening to music, but it has potentially even more uses. I watch many YouTube videos that are more about the discussion than anything happening on screen—podcasts, essentially. Now, I can listen to those videos while doing other things and not waste my phone's battery life by leaving the screen on.
You can simultaneously stream YouTube Premium on two devices with an Individual plan; the Family plan bumps that limit to four per account. YouTube Premium also lets you download videos for offline viewing on mobile, with the new Smart Downloads feature automatically adding recommended videos to your library. Offline downloading supports up to ten devices regardless of plan. This is a cool feature, something we like to see in premium video subscriptions, but with clever workarounds, there are already ways to download YouTube videos without paying.
Other features make the YouTube Premium viewing experience even more convenient. For example, queuing tools empower mobile viewers to decide which videos play next and to watch videos together via FaceTime or Google Meet. In addition, you can easily switch from one device to another for uninterrupted viewing, and watch 1080p videos with an enhanced bitrate.
Although these are nice perks, they feel like the kind of extra features a premium service includes to pump up its overall appeal. They’re not strong enough to be major selling points in their own right, which is the case here.
(Credit: YouTube)Accessibility and Parental Controls
YouTube Premium features the same accessibility options you'll find on regular YouTube, such as customizable subtitles (where applicable) and adjustable playback speed. Premium videos typically have multiple language options for closed captioning.
For parental controls, YouTube already offers a separate app for children, YouTube Kids, where kids can only watch select content (even if that algorithmically served content can get pretty freaky). With YouTube Premium, parents can rest easy knowing their kids won't be exposed to commercials. Offline downloads are useful for ensuring children can watch their favorite shows when a wireless signal isn't available.
YouTube Premium and VPN
Depending on what rabbit holes you stumble down, YouTube is arguably one of the most dangerous places on the internet. The least you can do is keep yourself safe and secure with a VPN. Typically, VPNs don't work with most video streaming services because the geographic location spoofing interferes with regional licensing deals. Still, I suspected YouTube Premium would be a special case, since it is just YouTube.
I tested YouTube Premium with a Windows PC connected to ProtonVPN servers. And lo and behold, I had no issues streaming premium shows no matter what region I virtually traveled to all over the globe. This may change in the future, though. Video streaming services have been known to block VPN traffic after the fact.
Video Streaming Services: What You Should KnowStick With Basic YouTube
If you watch a lot of YouTube, YouTube Premium improves your viewing experience thanks to offline downloads and the lack of ads. You might even find a YouTube Premium show you enjoy, a fun YouTube Playable game, or use the subscription as a gateway to the excellent YouTube Music. However, most YouTube users are better off sticking with the free service as you don't miss out on anything of real value.
If you're looking for a traditional premium streaming subscription, check out our Editors' Choice winners, including Netflix for original shows, Hulu for live and on-demand content, and Peacock for affordable TV shows and movies.
For more on YouTube, check out our picks for the best YouTube channels. For more on general streaming, see our five reasons to ditch your video subscription and keep cable. Learn how to pick streaming services that fit your budget, and enjoy all sorts of reality show trash. Finally, check out our recommended streaming video guides if you don't know what to watch.