YouTube Music — Google's ad-supported and subscription music streaming service, also bundled with YouTube Premium; standalone Premium runs around $10.99/month for an individual plan.
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YouTube Music screenshots & video
YouTube Music in 20 seconds
Best for: existing Google/YouTube users who want music streaming bundled with an ad-free YouTube Premium subscription
Pricing: Free ad-supported tier available; Premium Individual is approximately $10.99/month (not independently verified).
- YouTube Music offers a free ad-supported tier and a paid Premium tier that adds background play, offline downloads, and 256 kbps audio.
- YouTube Music Premium launched in 2018 at $9.99/month, priced in line with Spotify and Apple Music at the time.
- YouTube Music Premium is also included inside the broader YouTube Premium subscription bundle.
- The catalog includes YouTube-exclusive music videos, live performances, and fan uploads alongside studio tracks.
Limitations: Current pricing could not be independently verified from Google's own site and should be confirmed at signup.; Free tier lacks background playback and offline downloads.
Top alternatives: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music — full list
What is YouTube Music?
YouTube Music is Google's music streaming app, built on YouTube's catalog of official tracks, music videos, live performances, and user uploads, with a free ad-supported tier and a paid Premium tier layered on top. Free listening includes ads and lower audio quality (128 kbps); Premium removes ads, unlocks background playback (music keeps playing when the app isn't in the foreground), offline downloads, and raises streaming quality to 256 kbps AAC. YouTube Music Premium was announced in 2018 priced at $9.99/month to match Spotify and Apple Music at the time, and Google has since added Family (multiple household members) and discounted Student plans. YouTube Music Premium is also bundled inside the broader YouTube Premium subscription, which additionally strips ads from YouTube video and adds background play and offline downloads there as well — many subscribers end up on the YouTube Premium bundle rather than the music-only plan. Platform coverage spans Android, iOS, and web, plus Google Nest and Sonos speakers, Wear OS and watchOS wearables, Android TV, Android Auto, and Tesla's in-car interface.
YouTube Music is Google's music streaming service, offering free ad-supported listening and a Premium subscription that removes ads, enables background/offline playback, and raises audio quality to 256 kbps AAC. Announced in 2018 at $9.99/month, YouTube Music Premium (individual) has historically priced in line with Spotify and Apple Music, with Family plans covering up to 6 members and a discounted Student plan; the service is also included as part of the broader YouTube Premium bundle, which additionally removes ads from YouTube video. It runs on Android, iOS, and web, plus smart speakers, Wear OS/watchOS wearables, Android TV, Android Auto, and Tesla vehicles. YouTube Music's current pricing could not be directly confirmed from Google's own site (its pricing and support pages returned browser-deprecation notices and 404s), so the price figures here are approximate rather than freshly verified.
Standout feature: Catalog includes YouTube's music videos, live performances, and fan uploads alongside standard studio tracks, which pure audio streamers like Spotify and Apple Music don't offer.
Biggest weakness: Premium pricing and plan details could not be independently verified from Google's own site (its music.youtube.com pricing pages returned browser-deprecation notices and its support documentation 404'd), and Google has changed YouTube Premium/Music pricing multiple times in recent years, so subscribers should confirm the current price at signup rather than relying on any previously seen figure.
Pros
- Catalog includes YouTube-exclusive music videos, live performances, and fan uploads, not just studio audio.
- Bundled inside YouTube Premium for users who also want ad-free YouTube video, potentially cheaper than paying for both services separately.
- Free ad-supported tier lets new users try the catalog without a subscription.
- Broad platform support including smart speakers, wearables, and Android Auto/Tesla in-car integration.
Cons
- Free tier has no background playback or offline downloads, a bigger restriction than Spotify's free tier.
- Pricing has changed multiple times in recent years and wasn't independently verifiable from Google's own site; confirm the current price before subscribing.
- Recommendation and playlist algorithm is generally considered less refined than Spotify's for pure music discovery.
YouTube Music pricing
Free tier · paid from $5.99/mo
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free (ad-supported) | Free | Ads between tracks, 128 kbps audio, no background play or offline downloads. |
| Premium Individual | $10.99/mo | Approximate current US price; ad-free, background play, offline downloads, 256 kbps AAC audio. Not independently verified on Google's own pricing page. |
| Premium Family | $16.99/mo | Approximate current US price for up to 6 household members; not independently verified. |
| Premium Student | $5.99/mo | Approximate current US price for verified students; not independently verified. |
What reviewers say
No third-party review scores on file yet.