YouTube is the second most-visited website in the world, providing 2.5 billion monthly users with fresh entertainment and information. It hosts videos on almost every topic, and many are of high quality, 4K or beyond, to look amazing on the best Android tablets.
YouTube also serves advertisements to its viewers, a necessary nuisance that keeps the service free and generates revenue for millions of creators. For those who don’t like ads, there’s YouTube Premium. It’s a monthly subscription that hides distractions and adds a bunch of perks, including ad-free access to YouTube Music Premium. However, the plan has been criticized for bundling in a music service many don’t need or like. At $14 a month, it’s expensive.
That’s why the new YouTube Premium Lite tier is guaranteed to draw attention. It does away with most ads and costs about half the price of Premium. What other differences are there between YouTube Premium and Premium Lite? Which one should you go with? Let’s explore.
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YouTube Premium vs. Premium Lite: The features
What do you get with the two Premium tiers?
The biggest YouTube Premium perks: no ads, PiP and background playback, offline downloads, and YouTube Music premium
I’m willing to guess that most YouTube Premium subscribers pay primarily to get rid of ads. However, the list of Premium benefits is much longer. With a full Premium subscription, you can download videos to watch offline. You also get background playback, either with the screen off or in picture-in-picture mode. Additionally, you have full, ad-free access to YouTube Music Premium. If that’s not enough, you can enjoy high-bitrate 1080p videos and test new and experimental features before they’re widely released.
YouTube Premium Lite removes ads from most videos. Lite subscribers will still see some ads: in music videos, in the Shorts feed, and while searching or browsing for videos. They will not get YouTube Music Premium, offline downloads, background playback, or any other perk in the full Premium tier. YouTube clarifies that videos across topics and genres like gaming, comedy, fashion, beauty, cooking, and learning will have no ads, while still generating revenue for creators with monetized channels.
YouTube Premium and Premium Lite work across devices (phones, tablets, TVs, and more) as long as you’re signed in with the same account. Both work for YouTube Kids, removing ads from the kid-friendly version of the YouTube app.
Where in the world are YouTube Premium and Lite available?
For now, you can get Lite only in a handful of countries
YouTube is accessible from almost every country, with a few exceptions, like China and North Korea. Most have access to YouTube Premium. It is available in 119 of the world’s 195-ish countries. If you subscribe in a country where Premium is available and travel to one where it isn’t, you won’t keep your benefits. A way around this may be to use one of the best VPN services.
As for YouTube Premium Lite, it launched in the United States on March 5, 2025, but only as a pilot program, meaning that not all US viewers have access to the tier. Premium Lite also landed as a pilot in Australia, Germany, and Thailand. “We’ll continue to expand our Premium Lite pilots to additional countries this year,” YouTube says in its blog post announcing Premium Lite for the US.
How much do Premium and Lite cost?
And how much do you save with YouTube Premium Lite?
In the US, you can get an individual YouTube Premium subscription for $14 a month. If you’re okay with paying upfront, a one-year subscription costs $140, which saves you 15%. Select users can bundle YouTube Premium with a Google One plan and get a discount of $2 per month. Students can subscribe to YouTube Premium at a reduced rate of $8 a month.
The most expensive tier is YouTube Premium Family for $23 a month. However, picking this over an individual plan can be worth it when you share a Family subscription between up to six accounts. The catch is that these accounts must reside within one household, according to the plan’s terms.
As for YouTube Premium Lite, it costs $8 per month. There are no discounts for paying upfront. No family bundle is available either. These downsides could mean many would be better off sticking with a more expensive plan, especially if sharing it is an option.
YouTube is no stranger to price hikes, and the numbers listed above may go up in the future. In 2024, the cost of a Premium plan rose by 30% to 50% for subscribers globally. In the US, the $14-a-month price came into effect in 2023, marking a $2 increase. All prices listed here are in US dollars. Subscription prices vary from country to country, with some paying significantly less and others a lot more.
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Is it worth paying nearly $1,000 per year?
YouTube Premium or Premium Lite?
Which is the better tier for you?
Ads on YouTube have become longer and more frequent throughout the years. It’s no surprise that people are looking for ways to block distractions. The only legal and fair way remains to subscribe to YouTube Premium or Premium Lite. This allows YouTube to stay in business and provide free entertainment while sharing the revenue with over 65 million YouTube creators, many of whom make videos for a living.
Who should get YouTube Premium Lite?
YouTube Premium Lite is the better choice if your goal is to eliminate advertisements. At $8 vs. $14 a month, it is significantly cheaper. You won’t pay for features you don’t need or like, and you’ll support the YouTubers whose videos you enjoy. The occasional ad will pop up here and there, but I doubt that will be an issue unless you only watch music videos.
Who is YouTube Premium for?
I recommend a full YouTube Premium subscription for anyone who finds background playback and offline downloads useful. Playing a video with the screen off lets you enjoy a podcast or a video essay while doing chores. I use PiP mode while playing turn-based online games. Offline downloads are ideal for frequent flyers or to keep kids entertained on road trips. While I think YouTube Music isn’t as great as alternatives like Spotify, you can try it and find out for yourself. If it works well enough in your case, you’ll find YouTube Premium a better deal than paying for Premium Lite and Spotify Premium separately.
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When is Premium Family a better deal?
YouTube Premium Family is the best deal for larger households. At $23 per month, it’s cheaper than two individual Premium plans or three separate Premium Lite subscriptions. Going with Premium Family over YouTube Lite is the most economical approach if you have three or more people at home who can’t stand YouTube ads.
Consider the cost before making a decision
It could be a different story if YouTube’s prices go up again. That won’t come as a surprise since streaming services have been hiking prices steadily, to the point where some users can’t justify paying for Netflix anymore. It seems free access to YouTube is not going anywhere, as long as you don’t mind seeing a couple of ads from time to time.
