Why is YouTube Premium so expensive? 3 reasons are explained in this post from MiniTool. Also, this post will simply analyze whether YouTube Premium is worth the cost or not.

How Much Is YouTube Premium?

YouTube Premium, in contrast to the free version, is the VIP area with perks and exclusive access. There are three pricing plans for different groups: YouTube Premium Individual, YouTube Premium Family, and YouTube Premium Student.

The screenshot below shows a detailed pricing plan for YouTube Premium. Note that the pricing plan may vary depending on the actual situation.

YouTube Premium

Why Is YouTube Premium So Expensive?

From the above pricing plan, it’s easy to see that the Premium is a little expensive. So, why is YouTube Premium so expensive? 3 explanations are given to you.

#1. It Provides Lots of Benefits.

Undoubtedly, YouTube Premium does provide a range of benefits not available on regular YouTube or other platforms. That’s one of the reasons contributing to YouTube Premium’s high cost. Let’s see what services it offers.

  • Remove advertisements from all videos on YouTube.
  • Save videos from YouTube to your devices and watch them offline. It is great for watching or sharing videos when you are somewhere without an Internet connection.
  • Download playlists/music in the YouTube Music app and listen to them offline.
  • Allow videos and music to keep playing in the background, even if you switch to other apps or turn your screen off.
  • Ad-free and offline play in the YouTube Kids app.
Tips:
Paying for YouTube Premium does not give access to YouTube TV, and YouTube TV does not include YouTube Premium benefits.
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#2. It Gets Revenue Through Premium Subscriptions Rather Than Ads.

Generally speaking, YouTube free users have to watch several ads before watching videos, as YouTube normally gets revenue based on the number of ads. However, ads greatly affect audiences’ viewing experience to the point that they want to block them.

In order to retain audiences while continuing to earn revenue, YouTube has no choice but to pursue alternative revenue models. So, it introduced YouTube Premium. The monthly subscription for YouTube Premium covers the amount of money that YouTube would get from showing ads.

YouTube explains that it splits a portion of the money received from Premium subscribers to the channels those people watch. Thus, if users watch their favorite channels through Premium, those channels can earn money that they would otherwise have to rely on ads.

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#3. It Faces Lots of Competition in the Streaming Space.

Besides YouTube, there are lots of streaming platforms like Netflix, Twitch, HBO, and Disney. With their expansion, YouTube receives less traffic, which results in a drop in YouTube’s ad viewership and revenue.

YouTube has to raise the cost of its subscription plans to make up for this and keep it operating normally.

Is YouTube Premium Worth the Cost?

The top benefit of YouTube Premium is certainly removing all the ads. If you are a devoted YouTube viewer, you’ll probably find that the benefits of Premium outweigh its price. However, if you don’t use YouTube frequently and don’t mind its ads, YouTube Premium is not necessary.

Lots of people just want to save YouTube videos through the Premium and watch them offline. But actually, there are other methods to satisfy their needs apart from subscribing to YouTube Premium.

For example, you can use MiniTool Video Converter, a safe and powerful tool that enables you to save videos/playlists/audio from YouTube at high speed. What’s more, it allows you to download high-quality videos in 4K and full HD.

MiniTool Video ConverterClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Conclusion

Why is YouTube Premium so expensive? After reading this post, you may have some ideas now. So, do you still want to pay for it?

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