Like clockwork subscription prices are increasing. Last month, it was Netflix that announced a price hike in the United States. Customers have to pay between $1 and $2 extra per month to continue streaming Netflix-content to their devices.
Just a few weeks later, it is Google that is quietly raising prices for YouTube Premium subscriptions in the United States.
Here is what is changing:
- Individual Plan: Increased from $13.99 to $15.99 per month
- Family Plan: Increased from $22.99 to $26.99 per month
- Annual Plan: Increased from $139.99 to $159.99 per year
- Premium Lite: Increased from $7.99 to $8.99 per month
So, users pay between $1 to $4 more per month, or $20 when they pay yearly. The change affects Apple users as well. Users who subscribe through the Apple App Store or an iOS device pay a premium, and this remains. The individual plan costs $20.99 per month when subscribed this way.
That is why it is advised to subscribe using a web browser to get the lower rate.
The new price is already shown to users who open the official YouTube Premium subscription page on the website. Google, however, has not announced the price increase officially on any of its official blogs.
Premium subscribers may stream videos without ads on YouTube. They do get access to YouTube Music and some other — mostly artificially limited — features, including background play or continue watching.
YouTube Lite subscribers pay less, but they get limited features. They get ads on some video formats and types, and the ability to play in background or download videos is also limited.
Good content blockers continue to work in browsers and apps like NewPipe or SmartTube continue to work on Android TVs as well, albeit with frequent interruptions caused by changes on YouTube.