If you were to ask me about my preferred subscription streaming service, you might be surprised by my answer. It’s not Hulu, Netflix, or Disney+, despite the countless entertaining options available. Instead, my top choice is YouTube Premium. Let me share with you why this service has won my heart and why I happily continue to pay for it. Discover more about YouTube Premium, its pricing, and its remarkable features, and see if it could bring you as much joy as it does for me.

A Holistic Look at YouTube Premium

A standard YouTube Premium membership costs $11.99 per month when you sign up through the YouTube website. However, if you happen to register through the YouTube app on an Apple mobile device, the price rises to $15.99 per month. So, to save a few bucks, I wholeheartedly recommend signing up through the YouTube website. Additionally, there’s a family plan option available at $17.99 per month, granting up to six memberships within a household. Now, what do you get in return?

• Bid farewell to those pesky ads! No more sitting through or skipping ads before, during, or after a video. Enjoy uninterrupted viewing pleasure.
• Download videos directly to the YouTube app for offline viewing, perfect for situations where you won’t have internet access, like a long flight. Plan ahead and ensure a continuous entertainment experience!
• Enable background play, allowing videos to run in the background or as picture-in-picture on your mobile devices while you attend to other tasks.
• Delve into the world of YouTube Music Premium, an ad-free platform that facilitates offline downloads for when you crave some tunes. Revel in the vast array of community playlists catering to all your music moods.
• Embrace ad-free access to YouTube Originals, offering exclusive content that remains inaccessible on the free version of YouTube. While I must admit that I’ve yet to explore this feature, there’s a multitude of original videos and series available, surely catering to different tastes.
• Relish ad-free content and offline downloads for YouTube Kids. As someone without children, I lack personal experience in this area. However, I have friends with kids who swear by this service. YouTube Kids provides a plethora of kid-friendly and age-appropriate programming from both beloved TV shows and content creators worldwide.

Since anyone with internet access can use YouTube for free, what urges me to subscribe? Allow me to reveal the reasons behind my decision.

1. Daily Dependability

Regular evaluation of your streaming service subscriptions is essential. Assess how frequently you utilize them and their monthly costs, particularly in light of increasing prices. While $10 or $12 per month may initially seem trivial, multiplying that by 12 months and the number of unused services can amount to a substantial sum annually.

To exemplify this, I recently paused my Netflix membership (you can suspend it for up to 10 months without losing your account data) since I haven’t been utilizing it much lately. On the other hand, YouTube Premium accompanies me throughout each day, often offering multiple moments of entertainment. In fact, as I compose this piece, I’m indulging in a community playlist on YouTube Music.

2. Stay Informed

As an individual without cable TV or even an antenna, my primary way of consuming news is through digital subscriptions to major newspapers. However, there are times when I prefer to watch the news instead of reading it. YouTube Premium’s dedicated news section keeps me up to date, featuring clips from prominent news outlets covering the most impactful stories.

3. Background Play, a Marvelous Innovation

With a YouTube Premium membership, the mobile app provides an exclusive feature known as “background play.” It allows you to listen to videos while simultaneously checking your email or using social media on your phone. It’s a multitasker’s dream come true.

4. Seamless Performance Across Devices

Speaking of the app itself, YouTube offers various versions, including a separate app solely dedicated to YouTube Music. All these versions seamlessly function across the range of mobile devices I have, consisting of smartphones and two tablets. Moreover, they integrate effortlessly with the two smart TVs in my home. The desktop site is also superb, providing easy access to account information, settings, and customization options.

5. Enjoy an Ad-Free Experience

Arguably the greatest allure of YouTube Premium is the absence of ads. No longer will you be subjected to ads before, during, or after videos. While YouTube Premium cannot shield you from the “now a word about our sponsor” ads occasionally included in videos created by content creators you follow, it’s essential to acknowledge their valuable work. If sponsors contribute to sustaining their efforts, I wholeheartedly support it. My discontent with YouTube ads primarily arose from the obnoxious and unskippable variety that persisted even after several seconds. Additionally, the ads that abruptly interrupted the idyllic ambiance of a backyard bird-watching video, frightening my timorous cat away from the television and disrupting my focus on various chores.

For these reasons, and many more, I shall maintain my YouTube Premium subscription. Amidst contemporary financial constraints, I encourage you to scrutinize your streaming subscriptions diligently. Retain those services that genuinely enhance your life (or at least elevate your couch time) while bidding farewell to the ones that fail to bring comparable value.