Let’s be real for a second. Nobody likes ads, but the way the world is going, it’s getting harder and harder to live without them. Ad blockers can only take you so far, and while it’s nice to have that as an option on my computer, my TV and phone aren’t as fortunate. YouTube Premium is a subscription service that lets me ditch the ads for $14 a month, but I came to the realization that the price was too high, so I eventuallyditched the service.
Unfortunately, it led me back into a world filled with ads, and there was no way for me to get around that without paying the price. I kept my fingers crossed for a cheaper option, and it finally arrived in the form ofYouTube Premium Lite. If you want a way to nearly eliminate ads on YouTube without breaking the bank, Premium Lite is a good option. It doesn’t come with as many bells and whistles as the full-fat Premium does, but that’s not what it sets out to do.
YouTube Premium Lite
YouTube Premium Lite removes most ads from YouTube for $8 a month.
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A cheaper alternative
YouTube Premium Lite cuts down Premium’s price from $14 to $8 a month. This comes at the price of losingYouTube Music, so it might be worth staying on the more expensive service if you utilize that subscription. Speaking for myself, I don’t use YouTube Music often at all, so it was well worth it for me to pay a lower price for what I want Premium for.
For this price, you get no ads on all regular videos, but there are limited ads elsewhere. You’ll notice a banner ad occasionally on the home page, and you’ll run into them when you load up a music video. Also missing is the ability to download videos and background play, so Premium Lite is a stripped-down experience. There’s not anything wrong with that, but it’s something to be aware of before choosing a plan.
What I like about YouTube Premium Lite
Not many changes for me
Premium Lite is undoubtedly a service with less value than the regular Premium, but that’s precisely what I like the most about it. Intrusive ads are gone from anything I watch, and I get to pay a lower price. I didn’t use YouTube Music, download videos, or use background play at all, so losing out on all that doesn’t mean a thing to me.
The best thing Premium Lite has going for it is an ad-free experience for a lower price. For me, the biggest boost comes from having no ads on my TV as that’s increasingly become the way I watch YouTube. Swapping over from Premium to Lite has been a seamless experience, and I can’t imagine ever going back to the full-fledged version. While there are still ads for certain videos, there hasn’t been anything that’s affected me yet.
After 1,400 hours watched I can’t give up this streaming service
YouTube Premium has become so valuable to me that it’s hard to imagine parting with it.
What I don’t like about YouTube Premium Lite
It loses value for some people
While it’s not a glaring issue for me, it’s easy to see how other people might be disappointed when signing up for a Premium Lite membership. The biggest loss is a YouTube Music subscription. WhileSpotifyorApple Musicmight be bigger names, YouTube Music works all the same, and it’s included with a Premium subscription. Signing up for Spotify costs $12 on its own for an individual plan, so you can save a lot of cash if you want an ad-free experience on YouTube while still maintaining a music subscription. For what it’s worth, I didn’t have any issues when I tried YouTube Music, I just didn’t use it enough to justify paying for the higher Premium tier.
Another feature that you miss out on is the ability to download videos. This is nice to do when you’re going somewhere without the internet, perhaps on a road trip or flight – you can download hours of videos beforehand to have something to entertain you. I never felt the need for something like that, but I’m sure there are people who see a lot of value there.
These are the two big things missing from Premium Lite in my eyes, so it’s important to weigh your needs before signing up. Ultimately, regular Premium is $6 more than Lite, and if you think you can get more mileage out of it, it’s far from a bad deal. For me, I wouldn’t use the extra features, so it’s a better deal for me to cut it out and go with Lite. It’s also worth mentioning there’s not a family plan for Premium Lite, so the regular Premium family plan is all you have if you want to save costs with extra accounts.
I use these 3 tricks to skip ads on YouTube without paying for Premium
Stop getting retargeted and get to your video faster.
I say go for it
Both Premium and Premium Lite have their share of pros and cons, so if you do your research beforehand, it’s really hard to go wrong. For anybody in it for the ad-free experience, Lite is more than good enough. The limited ads you see don’t ever feel intrusive, and on my TV I don’t notice anything different at all. It’s only on my desktop that I’ve noticed banner ads, and even those are rare. At $8, it’s worth signing up for at least a month to see if you like it. If you’re anything like me, your subscription won’t ever lapse again because you’ve become too accustomed to a life without interruptions.
Some YouTube Premium users can now gift ad-free videos
YouTube is testing an experimental feature which lets some Premium members share ad-free videos.
