Update (July 20, 6:04 am ET): A YouTube spokesperson released a statement regarding the price hike.
What you need to know
- YouTube Premium now costs $13.99 per month in the U.S., up from $11.99 per month previously.
- The service's annual subscription plan also went up from $119.99 to $139.99.
- YouTube Music also saw a price bump from $9.99 to $10.99 per month.
YouTube Premium's monthly and annual subscription plans have gotten pricier for new members in the United States, except for the family plan.
As spotted by 9to5Google, an individual YouTube Premium subscription now costs $13.99 per month when you sign up for the first time. So, it looks like YouTube has decided to give its most loyal fans a break for now, while charging new users a little bit more for the privilege of watching videos without ads. It's a clever way to keep existing customers happy while also generating some additional revenue from new users.
Of course, new members get a free three-month trial to enjoy ad-free viewing, background video playback, and access to YouTube Originals, which are exclusive shows and movies available only to subscribers.
Meanwhile, the annual plan has gone up from $119.99 to $139.99 per year, which is a $20 increase. That said, the annual plan lets you save around $27 as opposed to the monthly plan.
The increase comes just a few months after YouTube introduced new premium benefits for members, such as an improved 1080p HD video quality setting. There's also a new video queueing feature for Android phone and tablet owners, as well as a continue-watching feature that allows them to pick up where they left off when switching devices.
Prior to the price hike, the standard YouTube Premium plan charged subscribers $11.99 per month. New subscribers in the U.S. are already seeing the price change. For existing members, the subscription fees for both the monthly and annual plans remain the same, though it's safe to assume that price adjustments will take place in the next billing cycle.
We've reached out to Google for comment and will update this post when we hear back.
In the meantime, the cost of YouTube Premium's family plan remains unchanged at $22.99 per month. This makes sense given that the current price went into effect last October following a significant hike.
YouTube Music subscribers are not immune to the price increase, as the music streaming service now charges $10.99 per month, up from $9.99 per month previously.
Update
YouTube gave the following statement to Android Central:
"We’re updating the price for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscribers in the US to continue delivering great service and features. We believe this new price reflects the value of YouTube Premium which allows subscribers to enjoy ad-free YouTube with background and offline play and uninterrupted access to over 100M songs with the YouTube Music app."
The service also confirmed that the price change will also take effect for current subscribers in the U.S. in their next billing cycle.
