YouTube Premium isn’t worth it anymore

Over time, advertising continues to find ways to penetrate deeper into our lives. So, if and when you can, it’s nice to look for ways to avoid them. Streaming services are constantly raising prices for ad-free tiers in an attempt to make these plans ad-supported more valuable. In a sense, this paid off, as I managed to keep up with everyone streaming services is expensive, so you’ll have to cut costs where possible. For some, that means paying for advertising—these tiers are typically cheaper on each streaming service.

I encountered a similar problem with streaming services, and this prompted me to make a choice. I decided that YouTube Premium it was something that needed to be done, and while I really liked the lack of advertising on YouTube, it was what made the most sense to me.

YouTube Premium is good, but it loses its value over time.

It’s hard to justify

When YouTube Premium was available for $10, paying was much easier. For the uninitiated, YouTube Premium offers ad-free viewing on YouTube, as well as ad-free listening on YouTube Music. This isn’t a bad deal if you use YouTube a lot and don’t have an Apple Music or Spotify subscription. The problem is that, as with all streaming services, prices keep rising.

At the time of writing YouTube Premium costs $14 per monthand the cost of a family plan rises to more than $20. Getting rid of ads is good, but is anyone willing to pay for an entire streaming service just for an ad-free experience? I started using YouTube Premium with a free trial, and the appeal of no ads eventually got me to pay for a few more months, but I had to ask myself if the price was worth it at some point.

I spend most of my time watching YouTube on my Apple TV 4K, and it wasn’t until I realized how intrusive the ads were when I canceled my subscription. I had an annoying problem with the Apple TV 4K with a flashing black screen every time an ad appeared, but instead of re-subscribing to Premium, I just watched less YouTube. Whatever it takes, I eventually found out how to solve the problembut it didn’t make me watch YouTube more often.

Personally, I don’t use features like downloading videos or listening to music, so while this adds value to some, it’s not a selling point for me. After all, I was paying $14 a month just to have no ads. It might be worth it for people with more disposable income, but anyone who has to rein in their spending won’t find much value here.

Subscription prices keep going up and up

It’s not just YouTube Premium

The main problem here is rising prices. I’d have a much easier time convincing myself to pay a lower price for YouTube Premium if it existed, and it looks like there might be some hints about it. such a return plan. While I would likely welcome Premium Lite with open arms, it doesn’t address the larger problem that plagues all streaming services. YouTube Premium isn’t the only streamer to lose value due to price hikes. Unlike Netflix or Max, YouTube doesn’t have a wide range of exclusive movies and shows to subscribe to. Instead, I simply paid for a better viewing experience.

When other services increase their prices at the same time, it makes you think about what’s really important to you. In 2024, it seemed like every streamer had gone up in price. For me this meant getting rid of Premium. I’m not sure what YouTube can do to win me back other than a free trial or a discount. In fact, I’m turning down more and more services due to rising prices, and I know I’m not alone. However, YouTube Premium seems to cope just fine without me. In February 2024, YouTube announced that over 100 million Premium subscribers. Regardless of how you slice it, these are impressive numbers for a video platform, and the price hikes don’t seem to have much of an effect. At the time, Premium was only $14 per month, so the price has increased by two dollars since then, and the numbers may not be the same as before.

Prices for services like YouTube Premium are becoming a big issue, and this is true even without taking into account traditional streaming services like Netflix. YouTube Premium has competition from Apple Music and Spotify that it needs to fend off. As prices rise, it’s becoming as expensive as those services, and while ad-free music is good, it’s unlikely YouTube will be able to surpass Spotify’s built-in audience. This makes me wonder who exactly YouTube Premium is for. From where I stand, it looks like a service that is primarily focused on removing ads, and I don’t think I can justify spending more than $14 a month on it anymore.