YouTube Premium: Is It Worth the Switch?

Formerly known as YouTube Red, YouTube Premium is an ad-free streaming service. Users who are up to switch to YouTube Premium will be able to watch all the content and listen to music without ads and save the videos for offline for only $12. But is it actually worth it? Let’s figure this out together.

What do you get once you switch to YouTube Premium?

Since YouTube is generally a free video sharing service, a reasonable question arises: what will I get if I switch to the paid version? Here are the features of YouTube Premium:

• No ads

This is the main feature of the Premium subscription. For some of the YouTube users, this is the one and only reason for buying it. Sometimes, ads in the videos are as long as the videos themselves, so it’s a big issue for viewers. No need to tell that if earlier ads popped up only at the beginning of a clip, now they appear through the whole timeline. If you’re tired of constant annoying commercials and interruptions while watching your favorite blogger, you should try the YouTube Premium.

Moreover, if it’s possible to switch off the ads on the desktop with special browser extensions, the YouTube app gives no such an opportunity. YouTube Premium turns off all the ads, including banners.

• YouTube Originals

Recently, we’ve talked about YouTube Originals going free for all YouTube users. Until September 2019, YouTube Originals was available only for Premium members. Now the vertical is ad-supported, which means that it’s free for everyone, but Premium subscribers will enjoy original content without ads. But still, because the Originals is now generally free, there’s no exclusivity in this service any longer.

• YouTube videos downloading

Since recently, YouTube Premium allows downloading videos and playlists in 1080p. Until this year, users could download videos in 720p only. The feature is useful, especially for flights or underground commutes where cellular service is poor. But again, you need to remember that the billing for YouTube Premium is recurring. So if you download loads of YouTube videos or, on the contrary, save a few in years, it’s better to utilize cheaper (or free) alternatives where you don’t need to be charged monthly.

• YouTube Music

This service is also available for free usage, but as you may already guess, with ads. The ad-free version of YouTube Music is open to Premium users. Premium subscription allows you to listen to tracks in the background on your device. The library is rather extensive, and if YouTube doesn’t find the song you’re looking for, the app searches for it in the YouTube native app and plays it there.

Another interesting feature of YouTube Music is the location data. That being said, that when you permit the app to use your location, it picks you place-specific compilations like workout tracks if you’re in a gym.

• Background play on smartphone or tablet

When you open another app on your mobile without turning off YouTube, the video you’re watching will be played in the background on your device. This feature works both on YouTube app and YouTube Music app.

Another side of the feature is that videos’ audio is played even if you turn off the display on your phone. Nice add-on for those who like playing their favorite channels as a backdrop while walking or jogging, for instance. Without a Premium subscription, the video turns off.

How much does YouTube Premium cost?

If you decide to subscribe to YouTube Premium, after your free month trial you are offered to either pay $12 per month for a personal plan or $18 adding not many than five of your family members older than thirteen years of age. Students are exceptionally lucky, because their monthly billing is almost half cheaper than the basic plan - $7 per month.

Is it worth the switch, really?

Only if you’re bone-tired of ads. Analyzing all the features offered by YouTube Premium, it’s clear that it all boils down to the lack of commercials, which is very convenient and nice, in fact, but everyone is up to decide if $12 monthly is worth it.

YouTube Premium may be useful for those of you who like listening to music on YouTube or playing favourite channels in the background online. If that’s what you do on a regular basis, a paid YouTube plan will please you. But if you’re thinking of switching to Premium only because of the saving for offline feature, you may freely dismiss it. 4K Video Downloader and 4K YouTube to MP3 are free alternatives for downloading YouTube content.