YouTube is hiking the price of YouTube Premium plans for the first time in almost three years, in a change first reported by 9to5Google.
The Individual plan is going from $14 to $16, the Family plan is going from $23 to $27, the Lite plan is going from $8 to $9, and the Music Premium plan is going from $11 to $12.
The last time YouTube Premium raised prices was the summer of 2023, shortly after the highest uptick in inflation of the post-covid years. And the company is positioning it as something that will help support people who make content.
“We’re updating the price for YouTube Premium plans in the US for the first time since 2023 to continue delivering a high-quality experience that supports creators and artists on YouTube,” a spokesperson for YouTube said in a statement to Gizmodo.
“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. We continue to offer several plans, ensuring subscribers can choose the option that works best for them,” the statement continued.
YouTube Premium subscribers have started to receive emails about the price changes, which appear on the YouTube Premium sign-up page. But existing users won’t see a price hike until June. YouTube Premium currently offers a three-month trial for $0 that then costs $16 per month after three months.
YouTube is quick to note that a Family plan is the best deal on a per-user basis, bringing the cost down to $4.50 per month for each individual member of a family if you have six people on a Family plan.
Consumer prices have spiked recently, according to the latest figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday. In March, the consumer price index increased 0.9%, hiking the annual rate of inflation to 3.3%. February’s gain was a much more modest 2.4%, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Gas prices seem to be the biggest driver of inflation at the moment, following President Donald Trump’s decision to start a war against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran’s military has taken control of the Strait of Hormuz, only allowing a handful of ships through the area where 20% of the world’s oil passes.
Gasoline prices rose 18.9% last month, the single largest spike since the government started to track it in 1967, according to USA Today. The current national average for a gallon of gas is $4.15, AAA finds.
The U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire this week, and talks are scheduled to begin this weekend in Pakistan. But it’s unclear what may come out of the discussions, since Trump doesn’t seem to understand what he agreed to in announcing his ceasefire. The president has demanded that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran says the U.S. hasn’t fulfilled other parts of the temporary ceasefire agreement, including a cessation of bombing by Israel in Lebanon.
YouTube Premium is going up today. But the price of everything is about to get a lot more expensive if Trump can’t figure out a way to open the Strait.
