Summary
- YouTube is rolling out its cheaper Premium Lite subscription to all users in the US.
- Premium Lite costs $8 per month, $6 less than YouTube Premium’s $14 monthly fee.
- YouTube Premium Lite offers an ad-free viewing experience on “most videos,” but ads will still be present on music videos and YouTube Shorts. You also can’t download videos for offline use or play videos in the background on the app.
After weeks of speculation, YouTube has finally officially launched its Premium Lite subscription service in the US.
YouTube Premium Lite allows users to watch “most videos” ad-free on YouTube for $8 per month, which is $6 less than YouTube Premium’s $14 monthly fee. Although Premium Lite is a more affordable option, it has some limitations. While the subscription removes ads from most creator videos, including those on gaming, fashion, and news, ads will still appear on music videos and YouTube Shorts.
YouTube Premium Lite is rolling out to all users in the US and will expand to all users in YouTube’s current pilot markets of Australia, Germany, and Thailand in the coming weeks. YouTube says it plans to expand Premium Lite to additional countries later this year. It is still a pilot program, meaning YouTube might change it based on feedback before rolling it out globally.
Though YouTube has said that the Premium Lite tier is
now available in the US
, the option has not shown up as an option just yet on the official YouTube Premium page, so if you’re interested in subscribing, you may need to check back later to access this new option.
YouTube Premium
- What’s included?
- YouTube and YouTube Music add-free and in the background
- Price
- $14 a month
- Live TV
- No
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Ad-free, for the most part
If you want to listen to music uninterrupted, you’ll need full Premium
YouTube
It’s clear that YouTube aims to offer Premium Lite as a more affordable option for users who dislike ads but don’t want to pay full price for YouTube Premium. If you rarely listen to music on YouTube and prefer services like Spotify or Apple Music, then having ads on music videos might not be a significant concern for you.
“We’ve been testing Premium Lite to make sure we have the right balance of features and benefits for those viewers who want to watch most videos ad-free — whether it’s gaming, comedy, cooking or learning,” YouTube said in a blog post. “For users who want ad-free music on YouTube and YouTube Music, plus offline and background play, we recommend the Premium plan.”
Premium Lite also doesn’t let you download videos for offline use or play videos in the background on its app. As someone who has been subscribed to YouTube Premium for over two years, I find this a deal-breaker for Premium Lite. I subscribed to YouTube Premium in the first place to download videos for offline viewing during long flights. I also frequently use background play to listen to YouTube videos, like podcasts, while driving.
With that said, YouTube Premium Lite remains a decent option if the compromises compared to Premium don’t bother you, and you simply want to avoid being overwhelmed by ads on YouTube. Premium Lite is available for $8 a month in the US, and it will expand to all users in its pilot markets of Australia, Germany, and Thailand in the coming weeks. YouTube also notes in its blog post that YouTube Music and Premium have reached over 125 million subscribers, including trial users.
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