YouTube increased the price of its Premium family plan by around 30%. New users will now pay $22.99 per month, while current subscribers have until April when their price plans switch to the new, higher rate. It’s the first time the Google-owned video-streaming platform has increased its subscription price since 2018.

A YouTube Premium plan gives subscribers the ability to use the site ad-free while still supporting their favorite content creators. It acts as a YouTube Music premium plan, and allows users to download YouTube videos. Mobile users also get an additional benefit—the ability to play videos in the background while using other apps or when the phone’s screen is locked. A single YouTube Premium plan costs $11.99 per month and gives one user’s account the service’s benefits. The “family plan,” which is subject to the price hike, allows up to six people access to all of YouTube Premium’s features.

The price increase may put some users off a service that arguably offers no unique or outstanding benefits. While it requires a bit more effort, platforms like Patreon and Ko-Fi exist and allow people to directly support creators whose content they enjoy. Although adblocking extensions have their faults and can stop specific sites from functioning correctly, they are free and available on most browsers, including Chrome.

There are plenty of alternative music streaming platforms if YouTube Music access is the key benefit you’re getting from Premium. Even if you want to stick with YouTube Music, its family plan is priced at $15.99 monthly. So if the other premium services don’t feel like they’re worth $7 a month alone, then there’s a simple transition you can make.

As things stand, the price increase does not apply to single-user plans — though that could change in the near future. There has been no suggestion new features are set to be added to the service, despite a recent suggestion that 4K streaming could become a premium-only feature on the platform.

Source: YouTube via TechRadar