Key Takeaways
- YouTube is increasing subscription prices outside the US, affecting both individual and family plans.
- The price hike ranges from 30% to 50% in most countries.
- The price hike makes YouTube more expensive than Spotify Premium and Apple Music.
YouTube has raised its prices several times over the last three years. The last major price bump in the US happened in July 2023, followed by an international price hike in November 2023. Less than a year later, YouTube is again hiking its membership fees for subscribers outside the US.
Several users on Reddit (2) report receiving an email over the weekend informing them of a significant increase in their YouTube subscription fee. In some cases, the hike is as much as 50%. The higher prices will go into effect in November.
The higher subscription fee applies to both individual and family YouTube Premium plans. In Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy, YouTube’s Family plan will cost €26 from November, up from €18 — an increase of €8. The individual plan is also getting expensive by €2 to €14 in these countries.
In Switzerland, the Family subscription cost is rising to 34 CHF from the current 24 CHF. The individual plan is also getting more expensive at 18 CHF, up by 2 CHF. Similarly, in Sweden, the YouTube Family subscription fee will increase from 179 SEK to 279 SEK.
While most of the Reddit reports are from European users, Google is also jacking up YouTube Premium prices in the Middle East, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. YouTube already hiked its subscription prices in India by 15-20% in late August.
Do note that if you pay for YouTube Subscription through the iOS App Store, you might see an even higher price bump from the November billing cycle.
We have reached out to YouTube to get a full list of countries where the prices are increasing.
Price increase makes YouTube costlier than its competitors
If you are unhappy with YouTube’s latest price hike, you might want to check Spotify or Apple Music as an alternative for your music streaming needs. Many Redditors claim the revised subscription fee makes YouTube the most expensive streaming service among its competitors.
YouTube’s latest price increase comes as it explores new ways to push ads to regular users. After rolling out unskippable ads on smart TVs last year, the company recently announced Pause ads. They will appear on your TV screen when you pause a video.
