YouTube introduced a more affordable subscription tier in the US last year called YouTube Premium Lite, offering viewers a cheaper way to watch most videos without ads. The plan is designed for people who mainly use YouTube to watch videos and want a less interrupted viewing experience without paying for the full YouTube Premium bundle.
At launch, Premium Lite focused on one core benefit: removing ads from most videos. Since then, YouTube has updated the plan with additional features that were previously exclusive to the full Premium subscription.
With ads becoming harder to avoid on YouTube, more viewers are starting to consider paying for a subscription. If YouTube Premium Lite is on your radar, here’s everything you need to know about the plan, including how much it costs, what features it includes, and how it compares to the standard Premium plan.
What’s included with YouTube Premium Lite?
YouTube Premium Lite is designed to reduce ads across much of the platform. The subscription offers an ad-free experience on most creator-led content and YouTube Kids videos. However, ads can still appear on music content such as official music videos, covers, and dance videos, as well as on YouTube Shorts and while browsing or searching on the platform.
The plan received a significant upgrade in February 2026 when YouTube added two features that were previously limited to the full Premium subscription: background playback and offline downloads. Background playback keeps videos playing when you switch apps or lock your screen, while offline downloads allows you to save videos to watch later without an active internet connection. Both features work across most non-music content, excluding Shorts.
These additions make Premium Lite better value for viewers who watch a lot of content on their phones or tablets, especially when they want to listen to videos while multitasking or save them for travel. Even with the update, the plan still lacks several features available with the full YouTube Premium plan.
What’s missing from YouTube Premium Lite?
In addition to ads still appearing on music content, YouTube Shorts, and while browsing or searching on the platform, YouTube Premium Lite also does not include several other benefits offered with the standard tier.
One of the key exclusions is YouTube Music Premium, so music playback on YouTube and in the YouTube Music app still has ads. The Lite tier also misses fan favorite playback features, like Jump Ahead, queuing, and Continue Watching.
Other notable omissions include Picture-in-Picture mode, Premium playback controls, 1080p Premium video quality, 256 kbps audio quality, Smart Downloads, and early access to new features. Because of these limitations, Premium Lite is priced significantly lower than the full Premium plan.
How much does YouTube Premium Lite cost, and where is it available?
In the US, YouTube Premium Lite is priced at $7.99 per month. In contrast, the standard YouTube Premium subscription costs $13.99 per month for an individual plan.
Premium Lite is also available in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey, with prices varying by region.
It’s important to note that, unlike the full Premium subscription, Premium Lite currently does not offer family, multi-person, or student plans, which may limit options for households and students. YouTube also doesn’t offer prepaid annual plans for Premium Lite.
Like the full Premium plan, Premium Lite works across multiple devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, and smart TVs, as long as users are signed in with their Google account.
Should you sign up for YouTube Premium Lite?
YouTube Premium Lite is ideal if you mainly watch videos on YouTube and want a smoother, ad-free experience without paying for all the extra features included with the standard Premium plan. It’s especially great for those who consume a lot of content on phones or tablets, want to listen to podcasts while multitasking, or save videos to watch offline during travel or commutes.
Premium Lite also offers a low-cost way for new subscribers to experience YouTube without ads and decide whether upgrading to the full Premium plan is worthwhile. Since the plan also includes ad-free YouTube Kids content, it can be a good option for households with young children.
However, if your watch history mainly consists of official music videos, song covers, dance videos, or Shorts, Premium Lite isn’t the right plan. In that case, you should go with the standard Premium plan, as it offers ad-free viewing across all types of content.
How to sign up for YouTube Premium Lite?
If the features and pricing above have convinced you that YouTube Premium Lite is worth trying, signing up is quick and easy. Simply navigate to youtube.com/premiumlite on mobile or desktop, select “Get Premium Lite,” sign in with your Google account, enter your payment information, and confirm your subscription.
Premium Lite features, including ad-free viewing in most videos, background playback, and offline downloads, will be activated immediately.
How to upgrade or cancel your YouTube Premium Lite subscription?
You can cancel your Premium Lite subscription anytime by navigating to youtube.com/paid_memberships. On the memberships page, select “Manage membership,” then choose “Deactivate,” click “Continue,” select your reason for canceling, and confirm to cancel your subscription.
If you enjoy the ad-free experience and want to switch to the full Premium plan for additional benefits, you can upgrade by navigating to youtube.com/paid_memberships. On the memberships page, select “Learn more” under Premium, choose “Get YouTube Premium” to pick your new Premium plan, and then confirm to upgrade.
