Back in October, we reported that Google was testing out YouTube Premium Lite, a cheaper and stripped-down subscription plan that promised a reduction (but not elimination) in ads, all without the special features in Premium (like video downloads).
At the time, Premium Lite was only available to a limited number of users in Australia, Germany, and Thailand. Now, Bloomberg reports (and The Verge confirms) that Google is officially launching YouTube Premium Lite for all users in those countries while also expanding the subscription option to users in the United States.
What is YouTube Premium Lite?
YouTube Premium Lite offers ad-free viewing of videos without all the extra bells and whistles that come with normal Premium.
If you don’t care about downloading videos for offline viewing, playing videos in the background, or the inclusion of YouTube Music, then you’d be better off paying less per month for this cheaper plan. Note, however, that YouTube Premium Lite will still display ads before music videos.
How much is YouTube Premium Lite?
Google hasn’t yet revealed when exactly YouTube Premium Lite will be launched in the US or how much it will cost. If you visit the YouTube Premium Lite page, it currently says “This offer is not available.”
For a ballpark estimate, however, users in Australia have reported seeing Premium Lite offered for $8.99 AUD per month versus the $16.99 AUD per month of regular Premium. With YouTube Premium costing $14.99 per month in the US, Premium Lite could be $6.99 per month.
Furthermore, while YouTube Premium offers Family and Student plans on top of the Individual plan, it’s unknown whether Premium Lite will offer similar accommodations. For reference, Premium Family supports up to five users for $22.99 per month while Premium Student is $7.99 per month for full-time students at higher education institutions.
Further reading: I block every ad on YouTube and I’m not ashamed