• YouTube Premium costs $11.99 per month.
  • It allows you to watch YouTube videos without ads, as well as download content for watching offline.
  • A YouTube Premium subscription also comes with a YouTube Music Premium subscription.
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If you love watching content on YouTube but hate having to sit through ads, or you're annoyed by the fact that YouTube videos stop playing when you open another app or lock your phone screen, a YouTube Premium subscription might be for you.

In this article, we go over how much it costs, its key features, and whether or not it's worth it. 

What is YouTube Premium?

YouTube Premium (formerly known as YouTube Red) is a paid subscription service that allows you to watch YouTube videos without ads, as well as download content for watching offline.

A YouTube Premium subscription also offers the capability to listen to YouTube videos in the background, even while you're using other apps.

Lastly, a Premium subscription includes access to YouTube Music, the company's music streaming service, ad-free, offline, and even with the screen locked.

How much does YouTube Premium cost?

YouTube offers a 1-month free trial for Premium, and after that it costs $11.99 per month. Billing is recurring and can be canceled at any time.

Purchasing an annual plan costs $119.99 and saves you a little over $20. The family plan costs $17.99 per month and allows you to add up to five family members (ages 13 and up) in your household, and the student plan costs $6.99 per month and requires an annual verification.

You can try YouTube Premium for a month for free. Foto: Abigail Abesamis Demarest

Is YouTube Premium worth the cost?

Whether or not YouTube Premium is worth the cost depends on how useful its features are to you. While there are other ways to prevent ads from playing on YouTube videos, a paid Premium subscription allows you to support your favorite creators without watching ads. 

A YouTube Premium subscription also offers full access to YouTube Originals, original series and movies from YouTube. While some YouTube Originals content is available to everyone, videos marked Premium are only available to paid subscribers.

YouTube Music is similar to other music streaming services out there, like Spotify and Pandora, and a Premium subscription allows for ad-free streaming and offline play. 

Purchased on its own, YouTube Music Premium costs $9.99 a month, so if you aren't already subscribed to another music streaming service, YouTube Premium is a pretty good deal.

If you have a long commute to work or have air travel plans, the ability to download videos to your mobile device for offline viewing is a helpful feature.  

Once subscribed to YouTube Premium, you can manage your membership in "Purchases and memberships." Foto: Abigail Abesamis Demarest

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