YouTube revives its Premium Lite plan, but there is a twist: it has ads
In the good ol’ times, it used to be straightword — if you were asked to dish out money for a “premium” subscription, that meant you’d get a premium experience. The premium experience translated into seamless viewing with no interruptions like in-stream ads and no annoying pop-ups or banners.
These times are long gone, however. Pretty much every streaming service has now embraced ads and introduced ad-supported tiers. One of the last bastions to fall was Netflx, which had once become synonymous with the ad-free streaming era. The islets of resistance like Apple's streaming service’s AppleTV+, which does not currently offer an ad-supported tier, are reportedly gearing up to launch one as well.
When premium goes asterisk
And now it looks like YouTube, which is, strictly speaking, not a traditional streaming service, but a platform that hosts user-generated content, is jumping on this bandwagon. Google has confirmed to Android Authority that YouTube has been testing a “different version Premium Lite” in several countries for now. The countries where tests are currently underway are Australia, Germany, and Thailand. While Google has been tight-lipped about the details of the plan and pricing options, users in these countries have already reported seeing some offers.
In Australia, the Premium Lite plan has been spotted selling for AUD 8.99/month (about USD 6), which is roughly half the price of the standard Premium plan. According to a screenshot shared on Reddit, the Premium Lite plan lacks most of the perks of the Premium plan, such as the ability to download videos, background play, and access to YouTube Music Premium. This leaves the promise of an ad-free YouTube experience as the main feature.
However, the Premium Lite plan doesn’t quite deliver on that either — it promises “limited ads” for both YouTube and YouTube Kids videos instead of a full-on YouTube ad experience (and trust me, you wouldn’t want to “experience” that). In the fine print at the bottom of the pricing sheet, YouTube clarifies that ads “may appear on licensed music content, Shorts, and when you search or browse.” So, basically, in a lot of places.
Premium Lite was not always that “light”
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, the saying goes. While not many users might have heard of Premium Lite before, it actually existed, having been launched as far back as in 2021. At that time, the plan cost €6.99 per month (while the standard Premium plan was priced at €11.99) and was rolled out to select European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
From 2021 until the plan was discontinued in October 2023, Premium Lite was true to its ‘premium’ moniker and had no ads. Many users viewed the cancellation of the plan as a letdown from YouTube, and the ad-free Lite Premium plan — as a much-needed compromise, especially useful for those who didn’t want any of the extra features that came with the full Premium subscription.
At the time when the cancellation was announced, YouTube said that it had been working on “different versions of Premium Lite as we incorporate feedback from our users, creators and partners”. So, it seems that this new version has finally arrived.
In conclusion
Of course, if you want a completely ad-free experience, there’s always the option to shell out for YouTube Premium. However, it’s getting increasingly pricey. The latest round of price hikes was announced in September 2024 for users outside the US, with increases ranging from 30% to 50%. For example, in Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy, the Family plan will jump from €18 to €26 come November, while the individual plan will go up by €2 to €14. These increases make YouTube Premium more expensive than options like Spotify and Apple Music, potentially positioning it as one of the priciest streaming services out there.
If you’re not keen on paying these higher fees, using ad blockers like AdGuard is a great way to enjoy YouTube ad-free without breaking the bank.
