I used to think YouTube Premium wasn't worth it. Here's what changed my mind

Summary

At $14 a month, YouTube Premium is now worth it, with new features like high-quality audio and quick video skipping.
YouTube Premium adds value beyond ad-free viewing, competing with services like Spotify with perks like high-quality audio.
Unique market positioning as a dual music and video service sets YouTube Premium apart, offering vast content variety.

I have a strange relationship with YouTube Premium. Thanks to a discounted price, I jumped on the bandwagon and got a lot of mileage out of the lack of ads on my viewing. When I had to start paying full price for the service, I started to question whether it was worth it.

My conclusion was that YouTube Premium, despite the ad-free viewing, was no longer worth it. At $14 a month, it’s a steep price to pay, and I just think there are better ways to spend my money. After spending time with ads again on YouTube, I can safely say my enjoyment on the platform tanked, but I still can’t bring myself to go back.

The big thing I wanted out of YouTube Premium was additional value on top of the ad-free viewing, and it looks like Google is starting to deliver on that. To be fair, that value was there for a lot of people already thanks to YouTube Music being included in the subscription. The latest rounds of updates bring improvements to the music service, and it has me thinking about giving YouTube Premium another shot.

YouTube Premium

What’s included?: YouTube and YouTube Music add-free and in the background
Price: $14 a month
Live TV: No

Thought YouTube Premium was just for skipping ads? Think again

YouTube Premium has more than a couple perks that make paying worth it.

I’m rethinking YouTube Premium

It might be enough for me

YouTube Premium on a landscape and portrait phone.

Collabstr / Unsplash / Pocket-lint

On January 22, YouTube Premium announced several new features coming to Premium members, and I have to be honest, I’m hovering over that resubscribe button. The big changes for me include the high-quality audio and the “jump ahead” feature on the web browser. I loved being able to skip ahead quickly on videos on my tablet, so seeing it roll out in my web browser is huge. Nobody likes having to sit through a lengthy sponsorship from a YouTuber, and this feature effectively eliminates that.

Perhaps a bigger change is the audio update for YouTube Music. Premium rolled out 256kbps audio for music videos, so it’s a big boon to audiophiles who are looking for the best quality possible without having to buy a physical CD.

Another feature is the 4x speed on mobile, something that’s not quite a game changer, but it’s something that comes in handy for zipping through videos. The value I once thought was lacking with Premium appears to be here now. If you like listening to music and having ad-free viewing, there’s not a service out there that provides better value than this.

YouTube is testing a weird audio feature no one asked for

YouTube is rolling out a new feature to select creators which lets them reply to comments on their videos with their voice.

Big props to Google

Giving credit where it’s due

YouTube / Pocket-lint

I don’t like having to give credit to corporations, but this is a situation where I feel like it’s necessary. I complained about YouTube Premium not having enough features to justify the cost, but that’s not the case anymore.

In a world where Netflix continues to jack up the price while offering the same service, it’s nice to see YouTube Premium add features like this without a price increase — although we’re not far removed from one. Premium used to be much cheaper, and a price like $10 is much easier to justify when it comes to just eliminating ads. If you’re in it just for the ad-free viewing, it’s a tough pill to swallow.

Taking advantage of all the perks Premium has to offer is essential to getting your money’s worth. This means ditching your Spotify subscription in favor of YouTube Music is worth a look. With the high-quality audio rolling out, the gap has closed significantly between the two services. The main difference is Spotify Premium costs $12, while YouTube Premium costs $14. If you don’t use YouTube very much, it’s not a needle mover.

For something I thought was losing value as the price went up, these new features are big changes that have me rethinking things. YouTube Premium promises to add more features down the line, and if those come without another price increase, I don’t think they’ll lose me as a customer any time soon. I’ve been trying to cut out subscription services in 2025, but if there’s something with a lot of value that comes along, I’ll break that rule.

YouTube has a recap feature I didn’t know existed until today

If you’re a YouTube Music subscriber, then there’s a year-in review with your name on it.

YouTube Premium hits a market nobody is going after

A truly unique subscription service

Something that makes YouTube Premium so interesting is what it’s targeting. We complain about the rising costs of services like Spotify, Max, Netflix, and the list goes on, but it’s for good reason. Those services all provide one thing, so it’s upsetting to see the price go up without getting much in return.

In the case of YouTube Premium, it’s both a music service and a video service. Building off that, YouTube offers such a wide breadth of content that you can easily spend hundreds of hours on the platform without even scratching the surface. The same can be said of Netflix, I suppose, but how often do you truly pick something random that you have never heard of? For me, it happens a lot more often on YouTube than it does on Netflix, and that’s why ad-free viewing is huge.

When I can, I like to get the most value I can through bundles or discounted pricing. For example, grabbing Hulu + Live TV comes with Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu all for $83 — the exact same cost of YouTube TV. Although YouTube Premium costs more than Spotify Premium, there’s more value here. If I can find out how to get everything I want for a low price, I’m going to do that.

Whether YouTube Premium offers that varies by person, but I’m now much closer to thinking it’s the case than I was just a month ago. A lower price would be a nice bonus for me, but I realize that’s not the reality we’re in. Services go up in price and don’t ever get cheaper. What could happen is a limited ads option at some point as we see many streamers adopting as of late. It wouldn’t be the perfect solution, but it’d be a way to lower the price while still maintaining a good value. No matter the case, I can envision YouTube Premium finding its way back into my monthly expenses sooner rather than later.