However, it’s hard to understand the sometimes nuanced differences between the availablestreaming services.
In the below sections, we’ll compare them to help you decide between the two.
Overall Findings
No ads in YouTube content.
Background play for videos.
Includes existing original video content.
Represents a broad music catalog.
Optionally showsYouTube music videos.
Offline play for music.
Two big decisions will affect your choice.
The second is if you have children, as YouTube Premium has features to protect your kids.
However, originals now also ad-supported.
Purchases and rentals not included.
Optionally shows corresponding music videos.
Unlike some competitors, music only.
And not just the user-generated content for which YouTube became famous either.
The company does produce some original content, although they’ve recently reduced their investment in this.
On the other hand, YouTube Music Premium only streams music, though it includes a broad catalog.
In this respect, it’s comparable to other music streaming services.
YouTube Music optionally plays music videos while playing their corresponding songs, but only when they’re available.
Downloadable videos and music.
Benefits extend to YouTube Kids service.
Music discovery and recommendations.
Beyond these main features, there are two additional perks YouTube Premium offers.
The first isYouTube Kids, an app that ensures the videos children watch are kid-friendly.
Family discount rate available.
Not bundled with YouTube TV.
Comparable to segment leader Spotify.
Effectively bundled with YouTube Premium.
It’s on par with competing service Spotify, while Amazon’s offering is slightly cheaper at $7.99/month.
These prices provide access to similarly-sized music catalogs, thoughSpotify, for example, also includes podcasts.
In contrast, YouTube Premium costs $11.99 per month ($17.99 for families).
Final Verdict
Unless you have some extraordinary circumstances, you should go for YouTube Premium.
