I attempted YouTube Premium Lite and I am by no means going again

Extra so than every other subscription service, I’ve by no means been extra conflicted about one than YouTube Premium. YouTube adverts are horrendous; between non-skippable adverts, pre-roll adverts, mid-roll adverts, and many others., the quantity of promoting it’s important to sit by way of for a ten or 15-minute video is ridiculous. Absolutely, paying for YouTube Premium to take away these adverts could be a no brainer, proper?

I’ve subscribed to YouTube Premium for a few months right here and there, however I haven’t been capable of decide to it long run. When the core YouTube expertise is obtainable at no cost and I’ve no use for the included YouTube Music Premium service, paying $14/month to basically use solely half of the subscription’s performance is one thing I’ve had a tough time justifying.

On condition that, you’ll be able to most likely think about how Google piqued my curiosity final month when it introduced YouTube Premium Lite. For nearly half the value of the common YouTube Premium subscription, the Lite variant removes adverts and nothing extra. There’s no YouTube Music Premium bundled in, no video downloads, and some different lacking options. However at simply $8/month, it’s considerably cheaper, too.

After making an attempt YouTube Premium Lite for a few weeks, I can safely say it’s the YouTube subscription I’ve been ready for.

As a lot as YouTube Premium Lite sounded prefer it was designed only for individuals like me, the wording on YouTube’s web site made me barely anxious. Google says “most movies” are ad-free, however commercials should still seem on music content material, YouTube Shorts, or whereas searching/trying to find movies. Whereas adverts aren’t fully eliminated in Premium Lite, for the best way I exploit YouTube, I not often see them in any respect.

True to Google’s phrase, pre- and in-video commercials in all non-music movies are nonexistent with a YouTube Premium Lite subscription. I primarily watch gaming, tech, film overview, and private finance movies (plus the common Good Legendary Morning episode). Throughout all of those video varieties, not as soon as have I seen a single advert earlier than or throughout playback. That’s exactly what I wished out of Premium Lite, and it’s absolutely delivered.

There’s been precisely one occasion the place commercials performed earlier than a video, and that’s as a result of I used to be making an attempt to look at a music video on Twenty One Pilots’ YouTube channel. Whereas annoying, I very not often watch music movies on YouTube, so getting adverts earlier than one video out of 100+ others with no adverts works out fairly darn properly. I’ve additionally nonetheless seen sponsored movies in search outcomes, nevertheless it takes only a second to scroll previous these, in order that they’ve not been a trouble in any respect.

There’s not rather more to say about YouTube Premium Lite. It doesn’t embody any particular options past eliminating most video adverts, however that’s precisely why I signed up for it within the first place. It’s the ad-free YouTube expertise I’ve at all times wished, and at $8/month, it’s loads simpler to justify than $14/month for the common YouTube Premium subscription.

Whereas that works out properly for a way I exploit YouTube, chances are you’ll use it in a different way. And in that case, YouTube Premium Lite is probably not practically as compelling. As pretty because the ad-free video expertise has been, there are a couple of main lacking options with Premium Lite in comparison with the common YouTube Premium subscription.

From a price perspective, not getting YouTube Music Premium included is a giant deal. For those who take pleasure in or don’t thoughts utilizing YouTube Music, having the Premium model bundled with YouTube Premium is an outstanding worth for $14/month. However in case you’re like me and can’t stand utilizing YouTube Music, that won’t have a lot of a bearing on you.

What could also be an even bigger consideration is the dearth of video downloads and background playback. With the ability to obtain YouTube movies for offline use is a pleasant perk, and whereas it’s not one thing I exploit, not having that possibility with Premium Lite could also be a dealbreaker for you.

The dearth of background playback has been extra of a nuisance. Once I had common YouTube Premium, the flexibility to lock my cellphone and nonetheless hearken to a video (kind of like a podcast) was a pleasant contact. I do often miss that comfort, however not practically sufficient to justify going from Premium Lite’s $8/month worth to $14/month for the complete YouTube Premium expertise. And, in fact, splurging for normal YouTube Premium removes music video adverts and different non-video adverts you’ll nonetheless see throughout the YouTube app with Premium Lite.

As somebody who doesn’t use YouTube Music and is OK residing with out these further YouTube options, Premium Lite works out completely. But it surely’s essential to know what’s lacking from the service as a result of, in case you do use these issues, Premium Lite might not make sense for you in any respect.

On the finish of the day, YouTube Premium Lite is the most effective YouTube subscription. At the least, in my eyes, it’s. All I would like is to take away video adverts for as low a month-to-month worth as attainable. That’s what I get for $8/month — no extra, no much less.

However is YouTube Premium Lite the most effective YouTube subscription for you? All of it is determined by how you employ YouTube. Do you watch a number of music movies? Hearken to YouTube Music? Obtain movies? Hearken to movies along with your cellphone locked? For those who say sure to any of these issues, you’re a lot better off ponying up $14/month for YouTube Premium.

And you probably have a household that you just need to share your subscription with, there’s presently no household possibility for Premium Lite. Six particular person Premium Lite subscriptions come out to $48/month, whereas the YouTube Premium household plan (which can be utilized by you and 5 different individuals) is simply $23/month.

There are a number of components to think about when deciding between YouTube Premium and Premium Lite. If it really works out that the traditional Premium subscription makes extra sense for you, nice! But when your YouTube utilization mirrors mine, Premium Lite is the best way to go.

YouTube Premium Lite is exactly what I’ve wished out of a YouTube subscription for years, and it’s one I’ll fortunately be sticking with for the foreseeable future.