Here we go again. On the heels of Netflix and Prime Video’s price hikes, another streaming platform is coming in hot with a price increase. Today, we’re talking about YouTube Premium. True, as YouTube stresses, YouTube Premium hasn’t increased in cost since 2023. But today, its price has gone up by $2/month. And as we always say, while this doesn’t seem like a huge issue in the moment, if we think about just how many price hikes we’ve seen in the recent past and how many streaming platforms there are out there… It doesn’t look good for consumers. YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Lite, and YouTube Music will see increases in price. Here’s how it breaks down.
In total, here’s how the YouTube Premium Price Hikes shape up:
- YouTube Premium sees a $2 per month price increase, from $13.99 to $15.99.
- YouTube Music sees a $1 per month price increase, from $10.99 to $11.99
- YouTube Premium Lite sees a $1 per month price increase from $7.99 to $8.99
- The YouTube family plan sees a price increase of $4 per month, from $22.99 to $26.99. This tier allows up to six people in the same arbitrary household to access the account.
These YouTube price increases will come into effect on May 14, 2026, for existing members.
If you had a similar experience to mine, you received an email at night notifying you that the price of your YouTube Premium plan had increased. If we stop and consider the endlessness of these price increases, it’s actually kind of enraging. Surely, some oversight on how streaming platforms increase their pricing and why NEEDS to enter into our realities.
On its end, here’s what YouTube had to say about raising Premium pricing, “We’re updating the price for YouTube Premium plans in the US for the first time since 2023 to continue delivering a high-quality experience that supports creators and artists on YouTube. This change allows us to maintain the features our members value most: ad-free viewing, background play, and a massive library of 300M+ tracks on YouTube Music. We continue to offer several plans, ensuring subscribers can choose the option that works best for them.”
The standard messaging. But how does this additional money “continue to deliver a high-quality experience”? That’s not something we can truly measure as consumers, except to know that it somehow always seems to require even MORE money than last year.
Which price increase will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back? Only time will tell. For now, I suppose I will continue to enjoy my background play. What else can we do?