Price of YouTube Premium Plan Increases from $11.98 to $13.98

By
Chew Ming Hui
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Price hikes are an undeniable reality — from MRT fares to your favourite plate of chicken rice, the price of just about everything is rising.

Even the prices of YouTube Premium plans have risen — and by no small margin either. Here’s a summary of how much you now have to pay to enjoy ad-free videos on YouTube.

Individual Subscriptions Increase From $11.98 to $13.98 Per Month; Family Plan Subscriptions Increase from $17.98 to $27.98 Per Month

On Saturday (21 September), those subscribed to YouTube Premium received an email notice announcing that the prices of YouTube Premium plans were going to increase.

In the notice, YouTube stated that the price of individual subscriptions to YouTube Premium would increase to $13.98 per month, which is up from $11.98 in November 2019.

A price hike is never great, but considering that the increment is only $2, we suppose it’s still tolerable.

However, the price hike for a family plan subscription to YouTube Premium, which allows up to five accounts to enjoy the YouTube Premium subscription, is slightly more drastic. The price of a family plan subscription will be increasing to $27.98 per month, which is up from $17.98 in November 2019.

That’s more than a 50% increase — but that’s not the highest price that subscribers now have to pay. Those who subscribe to YouTube Premium via Apple’s iOS App Store have to pay even more.

Yes, you read that right. Users who subscribe to YouTube Premium via Apple’s iOS App Store now have to pay $17.98 monthly for individual subscriptions, which is up from $15.98 in November 2019, and $36.98 monthly for family plan subscriptions, which is up from $22.98 in November 2019.

Not very heng, ong, huat for Apple users.

YouTube Music Premium, which allows you to get ad-free access to YouTube’s music streaming services, also saw a price hike. Individual YouTube Music Premium subscriptions are now $10.98 per month, which is up from $9.98 in November 2019. Family YouTube Music Premium subscriptions are now $17.98, which is up from $14.98 in November 2019.

Similarly, Apple users who subscribe to YouTube Music Premium via the iOS App Store will also be paying an even higher fee. For Apple users, individual YouTube Music Premium subscriptions will now be $12.98 monthly, while family YouTube Music Premium subscriptions will be $19.98 per month.

Rationale for Price Hike: “To Continue Delivering Great Service and Features”

The given reason for the price hike was for YouTube to “continue delivering great service and features”. But for those among us who haven’t subscribed to YouTube Premium, you might be thinking — what exactly are these “features” you’re paying such a hefty sum for?

YouTube Premium has a few key features. For one, it allows you to stream videos on YouTube without advertisements. It also allows you to download videos to watch offline, play videos in the background even when you’ve exited the YouTube app, and get ad-free access to YouTube Music.

With YouTube Premium, you clearly get quite a number of perks — the question is whether it’s still worth it now that the price has gone up.

The decision is yours to make. If you’re not willing to pay the extra sum, you should just prepare yourself to watch countless 20-second unskippable advertisements lah.

“We don’t make these decisions lightly, and this update will allow us to continue to improve Premium and support the creators and artists you watch on YouTube,” YouTube added in its email notice.

Well, to be fair, some of us have already been anticipating the price hike for quite some time now. YouTube had already increased subscription prices for its premium services in several countries last year, including the United States, Australia, and even Malaysia.

So, what’s your take on the price hike in Singapore for YouTube Premium?

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Chew Ming Hui
Email: [email protected]