YouTube isn’t just the most popular video-sharing platform globally. It’s also a multibillion-dollar business and, as such, it has to generate revenue.
Most of that revenue comes from advertising, but an increasing amount of money flows in from YouTube’s $14-per-month subscription plan, YouTube Premium.
YouTube Premium’s primary perk is the lack of ads. You also get YouTube Music Premium, Picture-in-Picture mode, playback with the screen off, and more.
And yet, the concept of paying for YouTube may seem baffling to many, not only due to Premium’s considerable cost and questionable value, but also because anyone can still, technically, enjoy YouTube without paying a dime.
However, after being a subscriber for over two years, I’d argue that YouTube Premium is worth the investment.
It isn’t worth it if you barely watch anything, but as someone who regularly spends at least two hours daily on Google’s video platform, I can’t imagine myself going back to regular YouTube. Here’s why.
YouTube Premium is an ad-free experience
And time is too precious to spend watching ads
Like many other things on the internet, YouTube isn’t exactly free.
Sure, you don’t pay with your money, but you do have to watch an ad or two – that is, to sacrifice some time and attention. In the age we live in, these assets are more valuable than ever.
The numbers will vary from person to person and from country to country, but let’s assume that, on average, YouTube serves three minutes of ads per one hour of YouTube content.
If you are like me and watch two hours of YouTube each day, that amounts to three hours per month spent watching ads.
Taking that into perspective, I would gladly pay Premium’s fee to get my time back and not have my mind numbed by the same five looping ads for stuff I probably don’t need.
And you know who else doesn’t need ads in his life? My 5-year-old son.
Premium clears ads from YouTube Kids as well. The day I got ad-free YouTube was when, instead of PAW Patrol, my kid asked to see more of those cursed mobile game ads.
If you’re a parent, getting Premium makes a lot of sense.
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You get YouTube Music Premium for free
A Spotify rival bundled with your YouTube Premium subscription
YouTube Music Premium, which costs $11 per month on its own, is a Spotify Premium alternative that comes bundled with YouTube Premium.
It offers an identical set of core features, including a library of 100+ million songs, music playback uninterrupted by ads, and the option to download media for offline listening.
And yes, I get it. Switching platforms can be a nuisance when all your playlists and favorites are sorted and starred, but if you’re already paying for Spotify, you will be compelled to at least give YouTube Music Premium a try.
After all, why pay Spotify’s $12 monthly fee if you can get your music — and a lot more — from Google’s Premium package?
Download videos offline to watch anytime
No Wi-Fi or 5G? No problem!
YouTube Premium unlocks the option to download videos for offline viewing.
This might not seem like a big deal with today’s unlimited plans and 5G speeds, but I can tell from experience that it comes in handy while traveling.
A 13-hour flight from Istanbul to Houston? I’ve survived multiple of those thanks to offline YouTube entertainment.
If your city’s subway system has spotty or no cellular coverage, YouTube downloads make the trip much easier.
Speaking of offline videos, YouTube Premium adds Smart Downloads as well.
These will download automatically via Wi-Fi, so if you ever find yourself offline unexpectedly, you’ll have something fun to watch.
Mind you, these videos are not random. They’re picked depending on your preferences and watch history, just like the recommendations you’re likely to see on your YouTube home page.
Smart Downloads are disabled by default. You can enable them by going to Settings > Background and downloads in the YouTube app.
Multitask with Picture-in-Picture mode
Videos hover in a window over other apps
I was tempted to put Picture-in-Picture mode much higher up the list since I use it more often than I initially expected to.
PiP lets a video hover in a window over other apps. It is neat, especially on one of the best foldable phones for multitasking, the OnePlus Open.
My top use case? I’m into board games, and playing these online involves waiting for other players to take their turn. That’s why I’d usually leave a YouTube video running while I play to fill the gaps.
So again, Premium helps me spend my leisure time more efficiently.
Videos play even when the screen is off
Saving battery without interruptions
I admit that having this feature enabled was mildly annoying at first.
I had to get used to pausing videos before putting my phone away, unless I really wanted sounds and voices to keep playing from my pocket.
However, I quickly discovered how convenient it was to just listen to certain videos, especially long-form content that didn’t require much visual attention, without a constantly lit display draining my phone’s battery.
Chances are, if I’m driving or doing work around the house, I’d have an essay or a podcast playing to keep me entertained without being too much of a distraction.
Queue up your videos
Playlists on the fly
One of the more unexpected benefits of YouTube Premium is the ability to add videos to an active queue.
While anyone can create playlists, it’s only Premium users who can do so on the fly, without having any extra steps other than tapping the Add to queue button. That may seem a little underwhelming, but it’s actually excellent.
Listening to a music video and see something you want to play afterward? You can add it to your queue, and it’ll start automatically when your current song is done.
Or, do the same for video essays when you’re getting on with your chores. It’s quick, efficient, and I love it.
What about YouTube Premium Lite?
There’s a big elephant in this room, and it’s YouTube Premium Lite.
YouTube’s newest Premium tier is still in a slow rollout phase, and it’s not available to everyone just yet. It’s not even available to everyone in countries where it’s nominally available.
But what is it? Essentially a low-fat version of YouTube Premium, Lite eschews access to YouTube Music Premium, Picture-in-Picture, offline downloads, and pretty much every other fringe benefit of full-fat Premium.
It basically just offers ad-free viewing for a lower price of $8 a month — but it’s not true ad-free viewing.
YouTube Shorts, music videos, and in the sidebar and search when looking for videos. So all those video essays, educational videos, or Let’s Plays? They’re all ad-free.
Whether this is worth the money for you is a very personal question.
Do you basically spend all your time on YouTube watching videos that would be ad-free? Then it might be worth the Lite experience, when you’re able to get it.
But if you’re swayed by the other benefits, the full $14 a month YouTube Premium experience is hard to resist.
After two years of YouTube Premium, it’s hard to go back
These aren’t all the advantages you get with YouTube Premium.
There’s also enhanced bitrate for 1080p videos and the option to keep watching where you left off when you switch devices, among other perks.
But I believe that’s plenty to support my point. YouTube Premium is well worth the monthly fee if you spend a considerable amount of time on YouTube.
If you still think that $14 per month is a steep price to pay, there’s always YouTube Premium’s Family plan (which I happen to be on).
It may cost more at $23 per month, but it can be shared among up to six family members, making the cost per individual more bearable.
Or perhaps the anticipated new YouTube Premium plans would suit your needs better.
