Google is Raising the Price of YouTube Premium in the US

Google has raised the price of YouTube Premium individual subscriptions in the US. Starting today, YouTube Premium now costs $13.99/month instead of $11.99/month, but you can still save money with the $139.99 annual plan, which drops the monthly price of the subscription to $11.66/month.

YouTube Music Premium, which is included for free with YouTube Premium, is also getting a small price bump from $9.99 to $10.99. Back in October 2022, Google also raised the price of its YouTube Premium family plan from $17.99 to $22.99.

In recent months, Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and other subscription services also announced price hikes, with Spotify remaining the rare exception. In a statement shared with 9to5Google, a YouTube spokesperson said that these price increases will allow Google to continue to provide a “great” service to subscribers.

“We’re updating the price for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscribers in the US to continue delivering great service and features. We believe this new price reflects the value of YouTube Premium which allows subscribers to enjoy ad-free YouTube with background and offline play and uninterrupted access to over 100M songs with the YouTube Music app,” the YouTube spokesperson said.

As a YouTube Premium subscriber myself, I still find YouTube Premium to be a good value. The ad-free experience and the ability to watch videos in the background with your screen off on mobile are really nice. YouTube Music also offers some unique features such as the ability to create playlists that mix licensed music, YouTube videos, as well as your own MP3s. While the price hike certainly stings, keep in mind that you can still save $27.89 by opting for the annual subscription.