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How Much Does YouTube Music Cost in 2024?

Updated on: September 27, 2024
Category: YouTube Music Tips

YouTube Music is a leading music streaming platform that offers users access to a vast library of songs, albums, and playlists. With a free version available, you can enjoy a wide range of music, but for an ad-free experience and the ability to download tracks for offline listening, you'll need YouTube Music Premium. In this article, we'll explore 4 YouTube Music plans, detailing what each one includes and how much they cost, as well as some of the topical questions about YouTube Music plans. Get ready to determine which plan best suits your listening needs.

YouTube Music Plans Cost

Part 1. How Much is YouTube Music Premium?

Since its launch in 2015, YouTube Music has continuously updated its features to improve the user experience, while also adjusting its subscription plans based on user feedback and market trends. As of 2024, YouTube Music offers 4 pricing plans to users.

  1. YouTube Music Free: $0
  2. YouTube Music Premium Individual: $10.99/month, $109.99/year (save over 15%)
  3. YouTube Music Student: $5.49/month (with one month free)
  4. YouTube Music Family: $16.99

1.1 YouTube Music Free

YouTube Music Free is a version of YouTube Music that you can use without paying anything. Here's what you get and some limitations you will encounter:

Benefits of YouTube Music Free:
  • Access to millions of songs.
  • Personalized playlists based on your preferences.
  • Create and share your own playlists.
  • Ad-supported music streaming.

Limitations of YouTube Music Free:
  • No offline downloads available.
  • Lower audio quality compared to the premium version.
  • Ads play between songs.
  • Cannot play music in the background on mobile devices.

1.2 YouTube Music Premium Individual Plan

YouTube Music Premium Individual Plan is a subscription that enhances your music streaming experience. It costs $10.99/month or $109.99/year.

1.3 YouTube Music Student Plan

The YouTube Music Student Plan offers a discount to college and university students. You’ll need to verify your student status, and you can enjoy the special rate of $5.49 per month. This is half the price of the regular individual plan.

1.4 YouTube Music Family Plan

The YouTube Music Family Plan is perfect for families. Up to 5 family members can enjoy their own YouTube Music Premium account. The plan costs $16.99 per month. With YouTube Music Premium, you get the following upgraded benefits:

Benefits of YouTube Music Premium:
  • Ad-free listening: Enjoy uninterrupted music without ads.
  • Offline downloads: Save songs and playlists to listen even without internet access.
  • Better sound quality: Stream your favorite tracks in higher audio quality.
  • Background play: Keep your music playing while using other apps or when your screen is locked.

Limitations of YouTube Music Premium:
  • Subscription Cost: Requires a monthly payment for access to Premium features.
  • Individual Plan: Even Premium users can only stream on one device at a time.
  • Student Plan: Available only to eligible students who must go through a verification process. Functions similarly to the Individual Plan after verification.
  • Family Plan: Must be purchased separately to share with family members; all users must live at the same address and can include up to 5 family members (ages 13+).
  • Offline downloads and background play are limited to the device you're signed into.

Part 2. Differences Between YouTube Music Plans

Each YouTube Music plan caters to different user needs. To help you directly compare the main differences between YouTube Music plans, here is a detailed table:

YouTube Music Free

YouTube Music Premium

YouTube Music Student

YouTube Music Family

Cost Free $10.99/month
($109.99/year)
$5.49/month
($65.88/year)
$16.99/month
($203.88/year)
Ads-Free no yes yes yes
Offline Listening no yes yes yes
Audio Quality Up to 128kbps Up to 256kbps Up to 256kbps Up to 256kbps
Playback Shuffle play, no background play, limited skips On-demand playback, background play, unlimited skips On-demand playback, background play, unlimited skips On-demand playback, background play, unlimited skips
Extras / Ad-free Ad-free, discounted pricing for students Ad-free, up to 5 family members (ages 13+)

Part 3. Which YouTube Music Plan is the Best?

After reading the table above, you will have a comprehensive understanding of the features and costs of each YouTube Music subscription plan. And as for the best subscription plan, it depends on your needs.

  • YouTube Music Free is best for casual listeners who don't mind ads and want to explore the music library.
  • YouTube Music Premium is tailored for a better music experience. With this plan, you'll have access to all the features YouTube Music offers, such as ad-free streaming, offline playback, and customized recommendations.
  • YouTube Music Student is perfect for students who are looking for a budget-friendly way to enjoy all the features of YouTube Music Premium.
  • YouTube Music Family is great for households with multiple users who all enjoy music. It provides the benefits of Premium at a cost-effective rate for families.
  • YouTube Music vs Spotify vs Apple Music
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    Part 4. How to Play YouTube Music Offline with YouTube Music Free?

    The YouTube Music Free plan does not support downloading YouTube Music to your devices for offline playback. If you're in an area without internet access, such as on a plane or in a remote location, you won't be able to listen to your YouTube Music playlists. Fortunately, you can use some third-party tools such as NoteBurner YouTube Music Converter to help you download YouTube Music songs for offline listening. With NoteBurner, you can convert YouTube Music playlists to MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, or ALAC format with the original audio quality.

    youtube music converter banner
    Features of NoteBurner YouTube Music Converter:
    • Convert YouTube Music to MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, and ALAC.
    • Record songs from YouTube Music Free/Premium.
    • 10X faster speed & keep original audio quality.
    • Support to retain ID3 meta tags.
    • No need to install any extra apps.
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    Free Upgrade
    streaming music recorder

    Even with a YouTube Music Free account, you can enjoy offline music playback using NoteBurner YouTube Music Converter. Here’s how to do it:

    YouTube Video: How to Download YouTube Music to Computer

    Step 1 Launch NoteBurner YouTube Music Converter on your Windows PC or Mac.

    Step 2 Click the "Settings" icon to customize your preferred output format such as MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, or ALAC. You can also set the bit rate, output folder and file name.

    Step 3 Open the YouTube Music web player and click the "+ Add" button to add the song, album, or playlist you want to download.

    Step 4 Click the "Convert" button. The NoteBurner app will start downloading and converting the selected music.

    start converting youtube music playlists to mp3

    Step 5 You'll see the conversion progress on the screen. Once done, go to the "Converted" or open the output folder you set to find your downloaded YouTube Music songs.


    Part 5. FAQs about YouTube Music Plans

    5.1 Can I Use YouTube Music for Free?

    Yes, YouTube Music offers a free version of its service that allows users to access its music library but occasionally features unskippable ads. While the free version doesn't offer premium features, it still allows you to create playlists, discover new music to your liking, and enjoy music videos.

    5.2 What Happens If I Cancel My Subscription?

    If you choose to cancel your YouTube Music subscription, you will not have access to premium features such as ad-free listening and offline playback. Note that once you cancel your subscription, any offline listening music downloaded through the subscription will no longer be accessible.

    YouTube Premium Vs. YouTube Music Premium
    How to Cancel YouTube Music Premium on Phone/Desktop

    Here are a few methods to close your YouTube Music Premium subscription or YouTube Music Premium Free Trial. You'll also learn to keep YouTube Music forever after canceling Premium. Learn More →

    5.3 How Has the Price of YouTube Music Premium Changed Recently?

    The price of YouTube Music Premium has experienced a recent increase due to the introduction of new pricing by almost all streaming services in 2023. Last July, the three YouTube Music paid subscription plans went up from $9.99, $4.99, and $14.99 to $10.99, $5.49, and $16.99, respectively.

    5.4 How to Get YouTube Music Premium for Free?

    While YouTube Premium only offers a one-month free trial, users can get up to six months of free trials from select phone brands and services. Don't miss the following hidden opportunity to get your YouTube Music Premium for free!

    Get Up to 6 Months of Free YouTube Premium in 2024
    Get Up to 6 Months of Free YouTube Premium in 2024

    Excellent! Now you can join into YouTube Premium Free Trial for up to 6 months! Go get the methods in this article. Learn More →

    5.5 How to Change YouTube Music Premium Plan from Individual to Family?

    1. Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships on a web browser.

    2. Click Get family plan.

    3. Click Get family plan again.

    4. Click Upgrade.

    5. Set up your Google family group.

    5.6 YouTube Premium Vs. YouTube Music Premium, How to Choose?

    Simply put, if you want to enjoy both music and videos, YouTube Premium is the best choice. But if you mainly focus on music and don't care much about videos, YouTube Music Premium will save you some money while still satisfying you. For more details, please refer to the article below.

    YouTube Premium Vs. YouTube Music Premium
    YouTube Premium Vs. YouTube Music Premium, How to Choose?

    Here you will get the differences between YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium. YouTube Premium is a better bargain. Learn More →


    The End

    YouTube Music offers users a huge library of music. Depending on your needs, you can choose the YouTube Music Free plan with ads, or YouTube Music Premium, which costs $10.99 per month, removing ads and allowing offline listening. There are also discounted plans for students ($5.49/month) and families ($16.99/month.) Apart from the latest YouTube Music prices, the features and cost of each subscription plan and some FAQs are also mentioned in this article. Notably, this article also discusses how to utilize NoteBurner to make it possible to play YouTube Music offline for free.

    Note: The free trial version of NoteBurner YouTube Music Converter allows you to convert the first 1 minute of each song. You can buy the full version to unlock this limitation and enable all its features.

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