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Few things are more frustrating than sitting through two non-skippable 90-second ads every five minutes while watching YouTube. If you’re ready to escape advertisements for good, a YouTube Premium subscription might be worth considering. YouTube offers two plans: Premium, which removes all ads and includes a YouTube Music subscription, and Premium Lite—a more affordable option that reduces ads but doesn’t include YouTube Music.
Also: YouTube Premium is getting a price increase in June—but you can save $32 with one change
Both tiers support offline downloads and picture-in-picture mode. YouTube Premium costs $13.99/month, while YouTube Premium Lite recently went up by $1 to $8.99/month. Whether you opt for full ad elimination with Premium or a lighter ad-reduction experience with Lite depends on your needs.
Here’s everything to consider before deciding.
Specifications
| YouTube Premium | Premium Lite | |
| Price | $13.99/month | $8.99/month |
| Ad-free videos | Yes | Most videos |
| Background play | Yes | Most videos |
| Music subscription included | Yes | No |
| Download and play offline | Yes | Most videos |
You should choose YouTube Premium if…
1. You want to combine video and music into one plan
With YouTube Premium, you get ad-free video streaming plus access to YouTube Music. If you’re currently paying $11/month for Apple Music or $13/month for Spotify, switching to YouTube Premium at $14/month could consolidate your subscriptions.
Keep in mind, though, that YouTube Music doesn’t offer lossless audio like Apple Music or a wide audiobook library like Spotify. On the plus side, YouTube Music provides many popular podcasts without ads and lets you stream official music videos ad-free.
2. You simply can’t tolerate ads
If even a few ads ruin your viewing experience—and especially if you spend more time on YouTube than on Netflix or Hulu—YouTube Premium may be the answer. Every video on YouTube, including YouTube Kids, will be completely ad-free. You can also download videos for offline viewing and continue playback even when your phone is locked.
Also: How to download YouTube videos for free—2 easy and reliable methods I always use
Ads on YouTube cover a wide range—from local businesses to political campaigns to oddball mobile games and AI-generated content. At best, you can skip them after 30 seconds; at worst, they run for over a minute. On mobile, two non-skippable ads are common mid-video.
You should choose YouTube Premium Lite if…
1. $14/month feels too steep
Even though you dislike YouTube ads, you might not want to spend $14/month to remove them entirely. At $9/month, Premium Lite offers a compromise: most videos are free of ads, but not all. According to YouTube, only fashion, beauty, gaming, and news content is guaranteed ad-free. Music-related videos and YouTube Shorts may still contain ads. From personal experience, I can confirm this—whether you’re watching a music video or a fan-uploaded live performance, ads often play between clips.
For other types of content, though, Lite delivers a nearly ad-free experience. Watching documentaries or magazine-style series from outlets like the BBC or GQ means hours of uninterrupted viewing.
Background play and offline downloads are also available with Lite—but with restrictions. YouTube Shorts, official music videos, and user-generated clips featuring songs from YouTube’s partners won’t support these features under this plan.
2. You’re not ready to leave Spotify or Apple Music
If you’re happy with your current music streaming service, YouTube Premium Lite is a smart way to upgrade your YouTube experience without paying for extras you won’t use.
Also: Spotify vs. YouTube Music: I paid for both services, and this one was more worth it
While bundling YouTube Premium and Premium Music together is cheaper than maintaining separate music and video subscriptions, you might prefer to keep your existing service for its unique features.
If you watch YouTube frequently, chances are most of your favorite content qualifies for Lite’s ad-free coverage. And with picture-in-picture mode now supported on Lite, the pricier Premium tier becomes harder to justify.
Writer’s choice
I’m a heavy YouTube user. After resisting paid subscriptions for years, I finally decided to try YouTube Premium Lite. Since most of the videos I watch fall under its ad-free policy, I’ve been very satisfied. I chose Lite over full Premium mainly because it’s more affordable and because I don’t want to give up my Apple Music subscription. For fewer ads without committing to YouTube Music, Premium Lite is the clear winner for me.
