Anyone who uses YouTube will repeatedly receive pop-up advertising for the YouTube premium subscription. What is behind it and for whom is the service actually worthwhile? TECHBOOK explains.
Anyone who likes to extensively click through YouTube videos on their smartphone has probably experienced it recently: Suddenly a message appears advertising YouTube Premium. You have the option to choose either “No thanks” or “1 month free”. YouTube (a subsidiary of Google) always seems to be fighting intensely for customers for the subscription model. But do you want an additional streaming subscription if you already have Disney+, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, for example?
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What is YouTube Premium?
YouTube Premium has been offered in Germany since mid-2018. It is a whole package of additional services for (paying) YouTube customers. This includes the following points:
- YouTube Music Premium with millions of songs to stream; join in:
- Offline mode to save music on smartphone
- Background playback to play music even when using other apps like WhatsApp or turning off the screen, unlike the free YouTube app
- Videos are played ad-free
- Videos to download for offline mode
- YouTube Originals (movies and series produced by YouTube)
- There is ad-free content especially for children on the additional YouTube Kids app
On the topic: Music streaming services in comparison
Surprising: The YouTube premium subscription also includes the music streaming service Google Play Music at no extra charge.
For whom is YouTube Premium worthwhile?
YouTube Premium is primarily worthwhile for users who do not yet have a music streaming service or would be willing to switch to YouTube Music (or Google Music) from other services such as Spotify or Amazon Music. However, if you are explicitly only interested in a music streaming service, you can also take out a limited subscription exclusively for YouTube Music and in this case only pay 9.99 euros per month.
Also interesting: You should know these YouTube tricks
If you use YouTube a lot and like it, you will of course also benefit from the elimination of commercials before and during video playback. If you also travel a lot and want to have your content available on your smartphone to save data volume, you also have an advantage with the subscription version.
However, YouTube Premium is most worthwhile for families and friends who live under one roof. Because up to five people can use the cheap family tariff for 17.99 euros.
How much does YouTube Premium cost?
After the two-month free trial period, the premium subscription costs EUR 11.99. The family subscription costs EUR 17.99, with up to six members having their own account and being able to access the services independently of one another. That’s around 3 euros per person when you use it to the full. Requirement: All members must have the same residential address and be at least 13 years old, but not necessarily related. The family tariff can therefore also be worthwhile for a flat-sharing community.
There is also a special rate for students: If you are enrolled at a university, you can only test for one month, but only pay 6.99 euros.
Different price for iPhone users
iPhone users, on the other hand, should under no circumstances complete the subscription on their iPhone or via the Apple App Store. Because they pay 15.99 euros per month. That’s 4 euros more per month, or 48 euros per year. The reason for this is the 30 percent share that Apple requires for purchases via the App Store. The family membership is then 22.99 euros, whereby the difference here is only 83 cents per month and person – but that is already 10 euros per year.
Our tip
If you want to take advantage of YouTube Premium, then you should subscribe on an Android phone or computer (not iPhone or iPad) to save costs. You can really benefit from the family subscription if several people live in one household and share the costs.