Difference Between YouTube Premium and YouTube Music

Google has two subscription services based on YouTube that cause constant confusion: YouTube Premium and YouTube Music. Many users don’t know what each one includes, whether they overlap, or which one really suits them. In this article I’ll clarify the difference between YouTube Premium and YouTube Music, compare prices, and help you decide which to choose based on how you use YouTube.

Table of contents

What is YouTube Music and what does it include?

YouTube Music is Google’s music streaming service. Think of it as a competitor to Spotify or Apple Music, but with the advantage of YouTube’s massive catalog behind it.

What YouTube Music includes:

• Access to over 100 million official songs.
• YouTube music videos integrated.
• Background playback with screen off.
• No ads in the YouTube Music app.
• Download songs for offline listening.
• Personalized recommendations based on your history.

What it does NOT include:

• Ad removal on regular YouTube.
• Background playback of non-music YouTube videos.
• Download of YouTube videos.

YouTube Music is purely a music service. If you’re only interested in listening to songs without ads, it’s the most affordable option.

Pro-tip: YouTube Music has something Spotify doesn’t: access to covers, live versions, remixes, and music videos that users upload to YouTube. If you listen to a lot of unofficial content, YouTube Music has a vastly wider catalog.

What is YouTube Premium and what does it include?

YouTube Premium is YouTube’s full plan. It includes everything from YouTube Music plus additional features for the video platform.

What YouTube Premium includes:

• Everything from YouTube Music (ad-free music, offline, background).
• No ads on YouTube videos.
• Background playback of any YouTube video.
• Download videos to watch offline.
• Access to YouTube Originals (exclusive series and movies).
• Picture-in-picture (floating window while using other apps).

Basically, YouTube Premium is YouTube Music + ad-free YouTube + extra video features. It’s the complete package.

Price comparison

Prices may vary slightly by country, but here’s the general structure in the UK and Europe:

The price difference between the two plans is just 3 pounds per month on the individual plan. That £3 gets you ad removal on all YouTube videos, video downloads, and background playback of any content.

Which to choose based on your situation

The decision depends heavily on how you use YouTube:

Choose YouTube Music if:

• You only want ad-free music.
• You already use Spotify or Apple Music as your primary service.
• You don’t mind ads on YouTube videos.
• You want the most affordable plan.

Choose YouTube Premium if:

• You use YouTube a lot for videos (tutorials, vlogs, news).
• You want to eliminate YouTube ads completely.
• You need background playback for videos.
• You want to download videos to watch offline.

I personally use YouTube Premium because YouTube is my primary video platform. Eliminating ads and being able to play videos in the background while doing other things on my phone saves me a ton of time and frustration. The extra 3 euros per month is absolutely worth it in my opinion.

Pro-tip: Try YouTube Premium’s family plan. For about £22.99 per month, up to 6 people can share it, which works out to roughly £3.83 per person. It’s one of the best streaming deals out there because each person gets all the Premium benefits.

YouTube Premium and the Google One ecosystem

Something many people don’t know is that YouTube Premium can be combined with other Google subscriptions to save money. This is one of those hidden tricks that can make a real difference in what you pay every month.

Google One: If you already pay for Google One storage, check for bundle offers. Google has started offering packages that combine YouTube Premium + Google One + other services at a discount. These bundles aren’t always advertised prominently, so you might need to check your Google account settings.

YouTube Premium + YouTube TV: In the US, there’s an option to combine YouTube Premium with YouTube TV (live television service). This option isn’t available in Europe yet, but it’s worth watching as Google expands its offerings.

Carrier deals: Some mobile carriers (T-Mobile, Vodafone, etc.) include YouTube Premium in their plans. Before paying separately, check if your carrier already includes it. This alone can save you the full subscription cost.

Pro-tip: Check YouTube’s offers periodically. They sometimes offer free months or discounts for subscribing from a specific promotion. Never pay full price without first checking if there are active promotions. I’ve personally saved several months of subscription this way.

YouTube Premium for content creators

If you’re a content creator or thinking about becoming one, YouTube Premium has direct implications for you:

YouTube Premium revenue: Creators receive a proportional share of YouTube Premium revenue based on how many minutes of their content Premium subscribers watch. This means your ad-free videos generate direct revenue from the subscription.

Advantage over ad blockers: When a user uses an ad blocker, the creator gets nothing. With YouTube Premium, the creator does receive revenue. It’s the ethical way to watch YouTube without ads.

Separate statistics: In YouTube Analytics you can see how much of your revenue comes from YouTube Premium versus regular ads. For many creators, Premium represents between 5-15% of their total revenue.

Alternatives to YouTube Music and YouTube Premium

If after all this you’re not convinced, here are the main alternatives:

My opinion: If you already pay for Spotify and don’t mind YouTube ads, YouTube Music doesn’t add much. But if you want to eliminate YouTube ads, YouTube Premium is still the best option because it includes music and videos at a reasonable price.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions

If I have YouTube Premium, do I need YouTube Music separately?

No. YouTube Premium already includes YouTube Music completely. You don’t need to pay for both subscriptions separately.

Does YouTube Music work offline?

Yes. You can download songs, albums, and playlists to listen to without an internet connection. It’s just like Spotify or Apple Music in that regard.

Does YouTube Premium remove all ads?

It removes ads from YouTube videos and the YouTube Music app. It doesn’t remove ads on third-party websites that embed YouTube videos or banner ads that some creators include within the video content itself.

Is it worth paying for YouTube Music if I already have Spotify?

It depends on what you value. If you like discovering covers, remixes, live performances, and unofficial YouTube content, YouTube Music has a catalog that Spotify can’t match. But if you’re already deeply integrated into Spotify’s ecosystem (playlists, Wrapped, podcasts), switching may not be worth it.

Conclusion

The main difference between YouTube Premium and YouTube Music is that YouTube Music is music only, while YouTube Premium is music + ad-free videos + extra features. For just a few more dollars per month, YouTube Premium offers tremendous value if you regularly use YouTube as a video platform. My recommendation: if you spend more than an hour a day on YouTube, go straight to Premium. The price difference is minimal and the experience improvement is huge.