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YouTube offers YouTube Premium as a subscription, which incurs costs. Depending on the subscription model and the device you are subscribing on, this can be expensive.
YouTube Premium costs: advantages for the price
YouTube’s premium subscription includes other interesting features in addition to video streaming:
- YouTube Premium offers you the option of downloading videos and accessing movies and series marked with the “Premium” tag via YouTube Originals. This costs you 12.99 euros per month (as of October 2024).
- You can also access a large music library for streaming via YouTube Music.
- You can try YouTube Premium for free for a month. Tip: If you don’t want to extend this free membership afterwards, it’s best to cancel it as soon as you’ve signed the contract.
- YouTube Premium also allows you to watch videos on the platform without ad breaks. In addition, you can also keep YouTube running in the background with the subscription. This background playback is otherwise automatically blocked by YouTube.
- If you are only interested in music streaming, you can listen to YouTube Music without commercial breaks for 11.99 euros (as of October 2024) per month. This offer is also available for a free one-month trial.
- In summary: With YouTube Premium, you can enjoy videos ad-free and you can enjoy YouTube Originals. You also benefit from the offline mode – you can download videos and songs.
YouTube Premium as a student: These are the costs
As a student, you get a better deal. You can try YouTube Premium for a month for free and enjoy YouTube and YouTube Music without ads.
You will be informed seven days before the trial period ends.
- If you want to continue using the offer after that, monthly fees of 7.99 euros will apply (as of October 2024). The offer is valid for a maximum of four years.
- To use the student rate, you must be a full-time student at an institution of higher education in countries selected by YouTube. Whether this is the case is reviewed annually. You can check with SheerID to see if your university is recognized by YouTube.
YouTube Premium Family: These are the costs and benefits
With YouTube Premium, you also have the option of a family plan.
- Up to six family members pay a total of €23.99 per month (as of October 2024).
- Individual members must be at least 13 years old. You can also select this offer immediately and then try it out for a month for free.
- If you are only interested in music streaming, the YouTube Music family plan costs €23.99 per month (as of October 2024).
Hidden costs of the subscription
Be careful when subscribing to YouTube Premium on an iPhone or iPad.
- The price will rise to 16.99 euros per month. The family subscription will then cost a whopping 31.99 euros. You pay 14.99 euros for YouTube Music.
- The reason lies with the Apple Store. Apple receives 30 percent of the revenue from the sale.
- Accordingly, the price is higher so that Google still makes a profit here.
What’s behind YouTube Premium
So you know exactly what you get for your money, we explain what is behind the YouTube Premium offer.
- You can stream your favorite music via the YouTube Music app. You can choose from millions of music tracks.
- You can also play music in the background while using other apps. This is not possible without a premium subscription. As a premium user, you can also access music offline.
- Background playback and offline mode also include videos. What’s more, videos are not interrupted by advertising.
- YouTube produces films and series. These YouTube Originals are included in the premium subscription. The YouTube Kids app is designed especially for children and is ad-free.
YouTube Premium is worthwhile for these people
The YouTube Premium subscription can be interesting for music and film fans.
- If you only stream music and value freedom from advertising, you will probably be better off with a different streaming service, such as a Spotify Premium subscription.
- If you use YouTube regularly, the elimination of advertising is certainly an argument in favor of the subscription. You also benefit from the offline mode.
- The subscription is most interesting for families who want to take advantage of the wide range of services. The family plan for up to six people is relatively inexpensive. Whether music, movies or games – the range is extensive and the YouTube Kids app also has something for children.
YouTube Premium – these payment methods are available
If you decide to use YouTube Premium, you can choose from a variety of payment methods.
- It is possible to pay for the contributions via PayPal, with a Paysafecard or with a credit card.
- The same payment options are also available for other YouTube services such as YouTube Music.
- YouTube is part of Google, so you can use your Google Play credit to pay for YouTube Premium. Make sure that you always have sufficient credit, as a subscription is a recurring cost.
