GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
We often complain about the growing number of subscriptions: from Netflix and Google One to Adobe and Claude — all tiny-looking individually, but they add up to a substantial monthly cost. But for many of us, one subscription is an exception: YouTube Premium. This is one $16 monthly subscription that is well worth it. While I may question renewing Netflix each month, I am more than eager to renew my YouTube Premium plan each year, and that has been going on for the past five years.
In this time, I’ve found a handful of Premium features that, for me, are well worth the spend. Even if Google decides to take away other benefits, these are the five features I’d fight to keep.
If Google removed all but one Premium feature, which would you keep? 42 votes Ad-free videos 90 % YouTube Music 7 % Background play 0 % Premium controls 2 %
Ad-free videos
The YouTube Premium subscription isn’t too in your face when it’s active. But you notice its absence only once the subscription has ended. Because then, you’re forced to watch multiple ads before, after, and in the middle of each YouTube video, for a seemingly “free” experience. Ad-free videos are such a huge perk that makes you want to continue using YouTube Premium.
YouTube remains one of my most used video streaming apps, be it for casual entertainment or to look up tutorials, much more than Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, both of which are injecting ads even to their paid subscriptions. In that confused world, YouTube Premium offers a clean experience, which is particularly useful for an app I use this much.
Honestly, if I were asked to pick between YouTube Premium and any other streaming service just for the sake of ads, I would pick YouTube Premium without a second thought.
YouTube Music
Shimul Sood / Android Authority
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