I watchYouTubemore than any otherstreaming platform. You name it – Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Max – none of them beat the amount of time I spend watching YouTube videos. I grew up during the YouTube boom in the late 2000s, and at this point, YouTube has been a part of my life longer than it hasn’t. There are so many creators I watch on the platform now, and so many new interesting videos all the time, that leaving seems impossible – and so does cancelingYouTube Premium.
YouTube Premium
No ads is the icing on the cake
Some people argue that Premium is pointless due to ad blockers, but if you don’t use an ad blocker or often access YouTube on a device that doesn’t support them, like your phone or TV, the value of Premium increases significantly. Furthermore, with Premium, you’re supporting YouTube creators who invest their time and resources into producing meaningful content. Additionally, YouTube is taking a strong stance against ad blockers, so very few of them function effectively anymore.
Since subscribing to YouTube Premium, I’ve watched nearly 1,400 hours of ad-free videos.
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I fear a YouTube Premium price hike
YouTube should add a mid-tier Premium subscription
The last time YouTube Premium got a price hike was in the summer of 2023, when it went up $2 a month from $12 to $14. I was angry at this hike, but I dealt with it since I enjoyed the ad-free experience and the offline downloads, as I traveled quite a bit in 2023 and 2024. However, I fear what will happen if YouTube Premium gets another price hike. If it does, depending on its severity, it will become harder to justify the price of the service. It’s already on the steeper end now, considering it’s just an ad-free experience with a few exclusive quality-of-life features. But a new option will soon be on the table.
YouTube recently announced its revival ofPremium Lite, which will soon be available in the US and costs $8 a month. However, for some odd reason, it is not yet available for purchase. Premium Lite is said to offer “most videos ad-free.” Ads will still be on music videos, some Shorts, and the YouTube Music service. The extra features, such as offline downloads and background play, are not included. Essentially, it just offers an ad-free experience without any additional perks.
If you don’t care about the extra premium perks, I would 100 percent recommend Premium Lite to most users.
Currently, YouTube Premium is a subscription that I find hard to give up. After watching 1,360 hours of ad-free videos over the past two years, I feel there is no turning back now. The price is steep at $14 per month, and a mid-tier option between Premium Lite and Premium would appeal more to someone like me. But for now, I find the service so valuable that I’ll let YouTube keep taking my money, but admittedly, if YouTube tries to raise the price again, I might have to re-evaluate things.
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