If you're a regular user of YouTube Premium, you may want to brace yourself for some bad news. Subscribers around the world are being hit with price rises for both the Family and Individual plans. In some areas, viewers are seeing a price hike of up to 50%. Ouch.
These came in the form of email notifications delivered over the weekend to YouTube Premium customers. Frustrated users took to the YouTube subreddit to protest, with user PastaStregata pointing out: "I'm sorry but none of the minor changes this multibillion dollar company has made inspires me to believe a 50% price increase over one year is warranted."
At present, the price hike is only for regions outside of the United States and will come into effect in November. Those MrBeast fans in places like Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands are about to see the cost of a Family plan rise from €18 to €26 while an individual plan will jump from €12 to €14.
YouTube last raised its prices in the U.S. in July 2023, with international markets following in November. Now, less than a year later, those international subscribers are seeing yet another price hike. It's tough to say whether or not another U.S. price jump is looking likely — but we can't rule it out.
YouTube Premium currently costs $13.99 per month for an individual plan. Subscribers in the U.K., Canada and Australia are looking at £11.99 / CAD $11.99 / AU $14.99, respectively. However, there's no telling if these rates could also change if and when the U.S. prices do. Although the reports on Reddit are largely from European countries, YouTube has also increased pricing in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and India. Not a good look for those on a budget.
Where it gets tricky is that a lot of people subscribe to gain access to YouTube Music Premium (which recently announced two new AI features) as an alternative to Apple Music or Spotify. But this latest round of hikes — at least for international customers — has them pointing out YouTube's paid-for bundle has now becoming the most expensive streaming service there is.
If you're mulling over signing up for YouTube Premium, the advantages include ad-free viewing, offline viewing and background play as well as the aforementioned access to Music. And, if you're based in the U.S. it may be worth signing up sooner rather than later if these international price rises become a domestic decision in the months ahead.
