YouTube raises subscription prices in U.S.

The icons for the YouTube Kids and YouTube apps are displayed on a smartphone. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

YouTube on Friday raised subscription prices in the United States, with increases of up to $4 set to take effect from the next billing cycle.

The Alphabet-owned video platform said the standard individual YouTube Premium plan would now cost $15.99 a month, up from US$13.99, while the family plan price rises by $4 to $26.99 a month.

YouTube Lite, a lower-cost tier that offers ad-free viewing for most videos but excludes YouTube Music Premium and still carries ads on Shorts and music content, will now cost $8.99 per month. The standalone YouTube Music Premium subscription was also increased by $1 to $11.99 a month.

The price changes mark YouTube’s first increase in the U.S. in three years and come several years after the launch of YouTube Premium, which debuted in 2018 as a rebranded version of YouTube Red, first introduced in 2015.

The moves follow a broader wave of price rises across streaming platforms, with Spotify raising U.S. subscription prices earlier this year and Netflix, Disney+ and others also lifting fees as companies seek to offset higher content and operating costs.

“This change allows us to maintain the features our members value most: ad-free viewing, background play, and a massive library of 300M+ tracks on YouTube Music,” a YouTube spokesperson said.

YouTube said last year its combined YouTube Music and Premium services had surpassed 125 million subscribers globally, up from 100 million in 2024.

(Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)