YouTube has increased prices for its Premium service in the United States for the first time since 2023. The individual plan now costs $15.99 a month, up $2, while the family plan rises $4 to $26.99. New subscribers face the hikes immediately, with existing users notified for changes on future billing cycles.
YouTube updated its Premium pricing on April 10, applying the new rates to new US subscribers right away. Existing customers received email alerts about the changes, with some seeing updates as late as June 7, 2026. A company spokesperson stated, “To continue delivering great service and features, we’re increasing your price to $15.99/month. We don’t make these decisions lightly, but this update will allow us to continue to improve Premium and support the creators and artists you watch on YouTube.” The spokesperson added that the adjustment, the first since 2023, supports ad-free viewing, background play, and over 300 million tracks on YouTube Music. Premium Lite rose $1 to around $9 monthly, removing most ads from YouTube and YouTube Kids videos, while the standard Premium plan adds ad-free YouTube Music. The family plan covers up to five additional members aged 13 and older. Annual options offer long-term savings, and all tiers include a one-month trial; users can cancel or pause subscriptions via the website. The increases follow similar moves by Netflix last month, Spotify, Amazon Prime Video, and others like Paramount Plus and Disney Plus last year. Separately, YouTube addressed complaints about 90-second unskippable ads on its free tier, calling them a bug causing inaccurate timers on shorter ads. “We’ve determined this was a result of a bug... We’re rolling out a fix now,” the spokesperson said, denying any 90-second format or testing.
