YouTube Premium vs YouTube Music Premium: What's the Difference? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Social Media > YouTube 39 39 people found this article helpful
YouTube Premium vs YouTube Music Premium: What's the Difference?
Here's the low-down on YouTube's main streaming services
By Aaron Peters Aaron Peters Writer Villanova University Aaron Peters is a writer with Lifewire who has 20+ years experience troubleshooting and writing about consumer and business technology. His work appears in Linux Journal, MakeUseOf, and others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 26, 2021 Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years' experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article
Expand Jump to a Section Overall Findings Content Benefits Cost Final Verdict As Google folds much of its content into the YouTube brand, YouTube Premium and Music Premium have become top services. However, it's hard to understand the sometimes nuanced differences between the available streaming services. In the below sections, we'll compare them to help you decide between the two. Overall Findings
YouTube Premium No ads in YouTube content. Background play for videos. Includes existing original video content. YouTube Music Premium Represents a broad music catalog. Optionally showsYouTube music videos. Offline play for music. Ad-free. The easiest way to summarize the difference between these two services is as follows: YouTube Premium combines the benefits of YouTube Music Premium with additional video features. Two big decisions will affect your choice. The first is whether you're a big YouTube video watcher and how important that is to you, as YouTube Music Premium is... well, just music. The second is if you have children, as YouTube Premium has features to protect your kids. Content YouTube Music Premium Has Music Videos YouTube Premium Has Even More
YouTube Premium User-generated and original videos. However, originals now also ad-supported. Purchases and rentals not included. YouTube Music Premium Expansive Music Selection. Optionally shows corresponding music videos. Unlike some competitors, music only. YouTube started as a video company, so naturally, the "umbrella" service includes this type of content. And not just the user-generated content for which YouTube became famous either. The company does produce some original content, although they've recently reduced their investment in this. In addition, this original content was previously exclusive to the premium service but is now available for free, albeit with ads. On the other hand, YouTube Music Premium only streams music, though it includes a broad catalog. In this respect, it's comparable to other music streaming services. YouTube Music optionally plays music videos while playing their corresponding songs, but only when they're available. Benefits Both Ad-Free & Available for Download But YouTube Premium Also Protects Kids
YouTube Premium Ad-free videos and music. Downloadable videos and music. Benefits extend to YouTube Kids service. YouTube Music Premium Ad-free music. Downloadable music. Music discovery and recommendations. Bearing in mind that YouTube Music Premium is music only, the two services share many of the same benefits compared to their free counterparts. Specifically, you can consume content without listening to ads, and you can download videos/songs for use when you don't have a network connection. To a certain extent, it depends on whether YouTube's recommendations suit your tastes better or worse than other services. Beyond these main features, there are two additional perks YouTube Premium offers. The first is YouTube Kids, an app that ensures the videos children watch are kid-friendly. The second is background play for videos, allowing the sound for videos to continue playing even when you switch to another app. Cost The ' Upgrade' to YouTube Premium Is a No-Brainer for Most
YouTube Premium Originals were exclusively Premium in the past. Family discount rate available. Not bundled with YouTube TV. YouTube Music Premium Comparable to segment leader Spotify. Family discount rate available. Effectively bundled with YouTube Premium. The price for YouTube Music Premium is $9.99 per month following a one-month free trial or $14.99/month for up to 5 household members. It's on par with competing service Spotify, while Amazon's offering is slightly cheaper at $7.99/month. These prices provide access to similarly-sized music catalogs, though Spotify, for example, also includes podcasts. In contrast, YouTube Premium costs $11.99 per month ($17.99 for families). On the surface, it seems to be a comparable rate until you consider that this cost also includes all the same benefits as YouTube Music Premium. In essence, even if you're interested primarily in music, you can also enjoy all the video-related benefits of YouTube Premium for just an additional two to three dollars a month. Final Verdict
Unless you have some extraordinary circumstances, you should go for YouTube Premium. If you're very sensitive to price and are indeed only interested in music, then getting just YouTube Music Premium will save you enough for an extra coffee each month. But since it includes everything YouTube Music Premium offers, the value over and above that service for just a couple of dollars a month makes it a no-brainer. It's especially true if you often travel (you can download videos for offline viewing) or have children (YouTube Kids keeps them safe from dubious YouTube videos). Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire YouTube Music vs. Spotify: Which Service Better Fits Your Music Needs? How to Set Up a YouTube Music Premium Family Plan Apple Music vs. Spotify: Which One is Right for You? The 9 Best Free Music Streaming Apps for iOS and Android (2022) How to Play YouTube in the Background on Your Phone How to Get a Netflix Student Discount YouTube Premium vs. YouTube TV: What's the Difference? How to Get a YouTube Premium Student Discount 14 Best Places to Listen to Free Music Online How to Post a YouTube Video on Instagram How to Cancel YouTube Premium HBO vs. HBO Max: What's The Difference? YouTube Music vs. Spotify: Which Music Service is Best? How to Watch NFL Games on Firestick: Free or Paid (and All Legal) What Is Amazon Prime? How to Use Amazon Prime Video Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies