YouTube Premium — Overview & Pricing

YouTube Premium is the paid subscription that removes ads from YouTube and YouTube Music, unlocks background play and offline downloads on mobile, and bundles full YouTube Music Premium access into the same subscription. The service is operated by YouTube (a Google LLC business unit and subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., NASDAQ: GOOG / GOOGL), headquartered in San Bruno, California. YouTube Premium launched in May 2018 as the rebrand of YouTube Red. US pricing anchors at $13.99/month for Individual, $22.99/month for Family (up to five household members), and $7.99/month for Student with verification.

Quick facts · Operator: Google LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG / GOOGL (parent Alphabet)) · Headquarters: San Bruno, California, United States · Launched: 2018 · Pricing anchor: $13.99/month for YouTube Premium Individual, $22.99/month for Family · Bundles full YouTube Music Premium · Up to 5 household members on Family · 1080p Premium higher-bitrate video added 2024.

What is YouTube Premium?

YouTube Premium is the paid subscription tier of YouTube, the world's largest video platform. The service removes ads from all YouTube videos (including in-video ads in long-form content), unlocks background and picture-in-picture playback on mobile, allows offline downloads to phones and tablets, and bundles full YouTube Music Premium access — equivalent to a standalone music streaming subscription. YouTube Premium launched in May 2018 as the rebrand of YouTube Red (October 2015), and is operated by YouTube as a subsidiary business unit of Google LLC under Alphabet Inc.

Why choose YouTube Premium

Privacy and data handling

YouTube Premium's data-handling practices are published by Google LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. in the privacy policy linked from the YouTube site. As a video streaming service operated from San Bruno, California, United States, YouTube processes account, billing, and usage data under the data-protection regime applicable to its headquarters jurisdiction. Consult the published policy for the authoritative current statement on collection, retention, and third-party sharing.

Features and product surface

YouTube bundles a specific feature set into the YouTube Premium subscription:

• Ad-free YouTube — no in-video ads, pre-roll, or banner ads on any YouTube video on any device
• Background play and picture-in-picture — keep audio playing when the screen turns off or switches apps on iOS and Android
• Offline downloads — save videos to mobile devices for offline playback (download cap by device storage)
• YouTube Music Premium — full music streaming with on-demand listening, downloads, and background play; equivalent to a standalone Music subscription
• Higher-quality audio on Music — 256 kbps AAC plus lossless audio rollout in progress through 2025
• YouTube Originals — limited access to YouTube Originals content where still produced
• 1080p Premium video bitrate — Premium subscribers get the higher-bitrate 1080p stream Google added in 2024

Bundle value and ecosystem fit

YouTube Premium's main argument over standalone music streaming subscriptions is the bundle: $13.99/month buys ad-free YouTube plus full YouTube Music Premium, where most competing services charge $10.99/month for music alone with no video benefit. Family at $22.99/month splits across five household members each with private listening data. Where YouTube Premium is weaker is music-library depth — YouTube Music inherits a broad catalogue from YouTube uploads but the editorial curation, lossless rollout, and offline-app polish lag the music-first services. The 2025 pricing rounds put YouTube Premium broadly in line with the market for ad-free video bundles.

Pricing in 2026

YouTube Premium sells access across 5 published tiers: Individual, Family, Student, YouTube Music Premium, Premium Lite. The headline anchor is $13.99/month for YouTube Premium Individual, $22.99/month for Family. YouTube Premium bundles full YouTube Music Premium into the same subscription — making it one of the few streaming services that effectively bundles video and music streaming for one price. Since 2024 YouTube has also been folding YouTube Premium Lite (cheaper, ad-free for most non-music videos but without Music Premium) into more markets as a lower-priced entry point. The 2025 pricing increase brought US Individual to $13.99/month from $13.99 and Family to $22.99 from $22.99 — small moves but the latest in a year-on-year creep.

YouTube Premium apps and platform support

YouTube Premium benefits apply on every device where YouTube runs: iOS, Android, web, smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Sony), Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Xbox, PlayStation, and the YouTube Music apps on iOS, Android, web, Sonos, and select smart speakers.

Who operates YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium is operated by YouTube LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Google LLC under Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG / GOOGL), headquartered in San Bruno, California. YouTube was founded in February 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, and acquired by Google in November 2006. YouTube Red, the original paid tier, launched in October 2015 and was rebranded to YouTube Premium in May 2018. YouTube Music Premium followed the same rebrand timeline. Neal Mohan has led YouTube as CEO since February 2023.

Use cases YouTube Premium fits

• Heavy YouTube viewers tired of ads — Individual at $13.99/month removes all ads across every device and platform, plus mobile background play and downloads
• Households watching YouTube together — Family at $22.99/month covers up to five household members with private accounts, watch history, and Music libraries
• Music listeners on a video platform — the bundled YouTube Music Premium is equivalent to a standalone music subscription, making Individual cheaper than separate Spotify + ad-free YouTube
• Mobile users who multitask — background play and picture-in-picture make YouTube usable while phone is in pocket or another app is in focus
• Frequent travellers — offline downloads work on mobile and select tablets for plane and subway viewing
• Students — Student tier at $7.99/month with SheerID verification halves the Individual price for the duration of full-time enrolment

Frequently asked questions

How much does YouTube Premium cost in 2026?

Individual is $13.99/month, Family (up to 5 household members) is $22.99/month, and Student is $7.99/month with SheerID verification. YouTube Music Premium standalone is $10.99/month. Some markets also have a YouTube Premium Lite tier at around $7.99/month. Subger tracks live country rates in the pricing table on this page.

Does YouTube Premium include YouTube Music?

Yes — every YouTube Premium subscription includes full YouTube Music Premium at no extra charge. That covers on-demand music streaming, ad-free music, offline downloads, and background play on mobile, equivalent to a standalone Music Premium subscription.

Can I share YouTube Premium with family?

YouTube Premium Family at $22.99/month covers up to five household members, each with their own YouTube and YouTube Music accounts, separate watch history, and private libraries. Google verifies that members share a household via a periodic check.

Does YouTube Premium remove all ads?

Yes for ads served by YouTube — including pre-roll, mid-roll, banner, and video-overlay ads. Premium does not remove product placements, sponsorships, or affiliate links inside the video content itself, since those are placed by the creator, not by YouTube's ad system.

What is YouTube Premium Lite?

Premium Lite is a lower-priced tier rolled out in several markets through 2024-2025. It removes ads from most non-music YouTube content but excludes ad-removal on music videos and does not include YouTube Music Premium. Availability varies — check the YouTube site for your country.

How does Premium 1080p video work?

In 2024 YouTube added a higher-bitrate 1080p stream available only to Premium subscribers. The standard free 1080p stream is unchanged; Premium 1080p uses a higher bitrate that delivers noticeably less compression artefacting on fast-motion content.

How do I cancel YouTube Premium?

Cancel from the YouTube Premium membership section at youtube.com under your account settings. The membership stays active through the end of the billing period. If you subscribed via Apple or Google Play billing, cancel through that platform's subscription settings. See Subger's YouTube Premium cancellation guide.

Is there a free trial?

YouTube Premium generally offers a 1-month free trial for new subscribers. Trial availability and length vary by country and have changed periodically — check the YouTube Premium signup page for the current offer.

Does YouTube Music support lossless audio?

YouTube Music has been rolling out lossless audio (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) through 2025 in select markets and on select devices. The rollout covers premium subscribers at no extra charge. Check the YouTube Music app settings for your current available audio quality.

Is YouTube Premium worth it?

For viewers who watch more than a few hours of YouTube per week and listen to music separately, the bundle is generally cheaper than paying for ad-free video and a music subscription independently. Light viewers may find the $13.99/month hard to justify versus tolerating ads.

How to get started with YouTube Premium

To subscribe to YouTube Premium, the pricing table above this section shows current Subger-tracked rates for your country. For the vendor's own checkout flow, sign up at the YouTube site. For renewal-vs-introductory math, see Subger's true-price tracker for YouTube Premium.

Related Subger guides

• How to cancel YouTube Premium — step-by-step cancellation walkthrough plus refund-process specifics
• YouTube Premium deals — current promotional offers and partnership campaigns
• YouTube Premium promo codes — active discount codes
• YouTube Premium true-price tracker — intro-vs-renewal math
• Video streaming category hub — Subger's broader video streaming catalogue