The cost of a YouTube Premium family plan is going up

By Phil Nickinson October 20, 2022

The ability to pay to not see ads on YouTube may well be one of the better subscriptions available. But if you’re on a family plan, YouTube Premium is about to get a bit more expensive.

YouTube sent an email to subscribers today announcing that the family plan will increase from $18 a month to $23 a month starting the first billing cycle on or after November 21, 2022. That $5 increase is a 27% rate hike. And it’s likely one that family managers — that is, the person in charge of setting up the family unit within Google (which really isn’t as dystopian as it sounds) — likely will pay most willingly.

“This update will allow us to develop even more Premium features and continue to support the creators and artists you watch on YouTube,” the YouTube Premium team wrote in the email to subscribers.

YouTube Premium on iPhone. — Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

YouTube Premium gets you ad-free YouTube videos, which is worth it in and of itself. You also get the ability to play videos in the background while you’re doing something else, or when the screen is locked on your phone. You’re also able to save videos for offline viewing. And YouTube Music is included as well, ad-free. You also get ad-free and offline playback in the YouTube Kids app.

Family plans allow up to six accounts total, the same as with YouTube TV, and everything is based on a standard Google account. There’s the manager account, which is in charge of things, and from there it will add up to five other family members aged 13 and up.

An individual subscription to YouTube Premium remains at $12 per month, after a one-month trial. Or you can save a couple of bucks and pay $112 annually. Student subscriptions remain $7 per month.

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