There's only one YouTube Premium feature worth paying for — and you can get it cheaper

Summary

I pay for a handful of streaming services, but YouTube Premium is never one of them — at least, not directly. I swear by Paramount Plus, and I’ve resisted regularly subscribing to platforms like Netflix to cut down on monthly costs. That said, I get Apple TV free as part of my Apple One plan, and my Google AI Pro subscription now includes YouTube Premium Lite. I’ve been using the premium version of the latter for the first time, and I have to say, I’m unimpressed. Don’t get me wrong, the ad-free videos and offline downloads are useful, but I can live without them. There’s only one YouTube Premium feature I get regular value out of, and it’s not exclusive to the most expensive plan. YouTube Music and ad-free videos aren’t enough You’ll still end up watching in-video ads, and the music quality is poor I’ll be the first to admit that I’m pretty stingy when it comes to paying for streaming services. I spend thousands on physical media annually, but I’m not as keen to sign up for subscriptions designed to keep me paying in perpetuity. If you unsubscribe, you’re left empty-handed. I accept this reality when I subscribe to streaming services like Paramount Plus due to their large catalog of content, but YouTube’s billions of videos aren’t compelling. This is because, at the end of the day, YouTube is a free platform. With a relatively small number of exceptions, I can watch the same videos for free on YouTube as a YouTube Premium subscriber. I’ll see ads and lose out on exclusive features, but that’s a small price to pay to keep $16inmypocketmonthly.I^{\prime }veusedYouTubePremiumLiteasafreeGoogleAIProperkforweeksnow,andthelowervolumeofadsiscertainlynoticeable.However,itdid{n}^{\prime }tsolveallofYouTub{e}^{\prime }sproblems.Tha{t}^{\prime }sbecausethereisamassiveamountofin-videoadsonYouTube,andPremiumonlyremovespre-rollandmid-rolladsshownbyGoogle.I^{\prime }mawaretherearethird-partytoolsthatblockthesein-videoadsifyoulookhardenough.Regardless,itwasclearYouTubePremiumcouldneverdeliveratruead-freeexperience,throughnofaultofitsown.YouTubeMusicis{n}^{\prime }texactlyenticing,either.I{t}^{\prime }sonlyarealbenefitifyourstandardsformusicstreamingservicesareextremelylow.Itonlystreamsin256kbpsAACorOpusquality,whichlagsbehindSpotify,AppleMusic,Tidal,andAmazonMusicUnlimited.Itdoes{n}^{\prime }thavespatialaudioorDolbyAtmossupport.Thesefeaturesmaynotmattertoyou,butIcanpromisethattheymattertomany—Tida{l}^{\prime }smillionsofsubscribersproveit.Backgroundplayisthebiggesttime-saverIcanmultitaskwhilelisteningtoYouTubevideosandpodcastsTheYouTubePremiumfeaturethatchangedthewayIwatchvideosontheplatformwastheoneIdid{n}^{\prime }texpect:backgroundplay.LikemanyfreeYouTubeusers,IbecameaccustomedtoallthewaysofgettingaroundYouTub{e}^{\prime }sbackgroundplaylimitations.I^{\prime }dleavemyphoneopenwhilevideosplayed,castthemtomyNestHubdisplays,orplaythemonmyTV.ThefirsttimeIaccidentallylockedmyphoneandaYouTubevideokeptplaying,itfeltlikemagic.Thatsoundssilly[toYouTubePremiumsubscribers](https://www.makeuseof.com/youtube-premium-is-the-only-subscription-ill-never-cancel/),becauseofcoursebackgroundplayisuseful.Ijustwas{n}^{\prime }tgoingto[subscribetoYouTubePremiumorsignupforafreetrial](https://www.makeuseof.com/ways-to-get-youtube-premium-cheap/)I^{\prime }deventuallyforgettocancelforthesakeoftestingitout.Instead,gettingYouTubePremiumLiteforfreewithAIProwasthefirsttimeIexperiencedit.AssomeonewholistenstovideopodcastsonYouTubeoften,itwasagame-changer.IcouldstartwatchingaYouTubevideopodcastonmyphone,andputitinmypocketwhilelisteningtotheaudiowithoutleavingthedisplayactive.Idid{n}^{\prime }thavetostrugglewithpicture-in-picturewindowsasImultitaskedonmysmartphoneasavideoplayed.I{t}^{\prime }salsoneatthatYouTubePremiumsubscriberscancustomizetheirbackgroundplaysettings.Ifyoufindthefeatureannoying,i{t}^{\prime }seasytoturnoff.IcantoleratewatchingadsormissingoutonfreeYouTubeMusic,butnowthat{I}^{\prime }vetriedbackgroundplay,I^{\prime }mnotsureifIcouldlivewithoutit.IcanlivewithYouTubePremiumLit{e}^{\prime }slimitsPlus,i{t}^{\prime }sincludedfreewiththeGoogleAIProsubscriptionThefeaturesofYouTubePremiummostlikelytoimpressyouaread-freevideos,backgroundplay,andofflinedownloads.Luckily,the{y}^{\prime }reallincludedwiththecheaperYouTubePremiumLiteplan.Theseareofficiallyavailablefor"mostvideos,"butthebiggestexceptionsaremusiccontentandYouTubeShorts.Asidefrommusicvideos,Ihave{n}^{\prime }trunintoasituationwhereanadplayedbeforeorduringaregularvideoinweeksofusingYouTubePremiumLite.Istillprobablywould{n}^{\prime }tsubscribetoYouTubePremiumLiteifitwas{n}^{\prime }tincludedwith[myGoogleAIProsubscriptionfor$20 monthly](https://www.makeuseof.com/theres-finally-a-subscription-i-dont-hate-paying-for/). However, if you are intrigued by Premium, know that the core features — including my favorite, background play — are available with Premium Lite for just $9.Thosethatcravead-freevideos,backgroundplay,andofflinedownloadsdo{n}^{\prime }thavetoshellout$16 each month for the regular YouTube Premium plan. YouTube Premium Lite

• Number of Devices Concurrently
• 1
• Highest Resolution
• 8K
• Number of Accounts
• 1 YouTube Premium Lite is Google’s entry-level YouTube subscription, offering ad-free viewing, background play, and offline downloads for most videos. Those that want a completely ad-free experience can upgrade to YouTube Premium, but they’ll end up paying almost twice as much each month

By Brady Snyder

Original Article