- Premium Lite costs $8/month and removes most ads, except on music videos and Shorts.
- It lacks downloads and background play, making it less useful for multitasking or offline viewing.
- Choose Premium Lite for savings or stick with Premium for music, downloads, and an ad-free experience everywhere.
Back in the day, you either had YouTube Premium or you didn’t. I’ve been a Premium user for years because, honestly, no time is worth wasting on ads. But now, Google has introduced YouTube Premium Lite for less than $8 a month. It offers an ad-free experience but lacks the extra perks of the full Premium plan.
So, if you’re already subscribed to YouTube Premium, is switching to Premium Lite worth it? And if you don’t have a subscription yet, which one should you go for? Let’s compare YouTube Premium and Premium Lite to help you decide.
Table of Contents
1. YouTube Premium Lite Removes Most Ads for Less
While the regular YouTube Premium subscription removes ads across everything, Premium Lite offers an ‘almost ad-free’ experience. You won’t see ads on most videos, including gaming, comedy, fashion, beauty, cooking, and learning.
However, ads will still appear on music videos and Shorts. You may also encounter ads while browsing or searching for videos.
If you mostly watch YouTube on your TV or for casual videos on your phone, Premium Lite is a great deal. At just $8 a month, it’s $6 cheaper than the full Premium plan, which costs $14—nearly twice as much.
2. You Already Use Spotify or Apple Music
YouTube Premium Lite does not include ad-free YouTube Music, but if you’re already subscribed to services like Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music, you might appreciate a plan that focuses on YouTube videos without the additional cost of YouTube Music, which you may not need.
Personally, I’ve had Spotify and Amazon Music subscriptions, so paying for YouTube Music never made sense to me. But since it was bundled with YouTube Premium, I ended up using it. With Premium Lite, users can choose to pay only for what they actually want.
If your music needs are already covered by another app, Lite is the smarter choice.
3. Keep in Mind: No Downloads or Background Playback
One thing I noticed with Premium Lite is that it lacks some key features, like the ability to download videos or play them in the background. If you’re like me and often download videos for offline viewing, whether it’s for flights or just to watch when you’re without internet, Premium Lite might not be the best option.
If you’re someone who likes to listen to podcasts or watch videos while doing other tasks, Premium Lite might feel limiting. You’ll need to keep the screen on for the video to continue playing, and it also doesn’t support picture-in-picture, which I rely on. I like to watch videos while checking the stock market or replying to texts, which is one of the reasons I wouldn’t consider Lite for now.
But if those features aren’t a big deal to you, then Premium Lite is definitely worth considering.
Pros and Cons of YouTube Premium Lite
Switch to Premium Lite if:
- Your main goal is to get rid of ads on most YouTube videos.
- You don’t use YouTube Music Premium and prefer other music apps like Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
- You rarely download videos or use background playback.
- You’re looking to save some money.
Stick with YouTube Premium if:
- You frequently use YouTube Music Premium.
- You rely on offline downloads for travel or areas with limited internet access.
- You like to listen to videos in the background while multitasking.
- You want an ad-free experience across all of YouTube.
Should You Choose YouTube Premium Lite?
In short, Premium Lite is a lot cheaper than the full Premium subscription. It really comes down to what features you actually use. If you mainly want ad-free viewing on most content, Lite will probably do the job. But if you’re a big YouTube Music user, the full Premium is likely worth the extra cost.
If saving money is your main priority, consider the YouTube Student plan. It costs the same as Lite at $7.99 but offers all the benefits of the full Premium plan. You’ll just need to verify your student status once a year.
If you have a family or group to share with, the Family plan at $22.99 a month might be a better option. It lets up to five people in a household use Premium, which works out to less than $5 per person.
