YouTube Premium is a paid subscription service that you can use to watch ad-free videos, download content and play videos in the background. It’s also home to YouTube Music, which launched in May this year. The service provides music streaming, downloads and playlists for offline listening – similar to Spotify and Apple Music.
Since its launch, YouTube Premium has been met with mixed reviews from South African users. While some people love the new features and convenience of having everything in one place (and being able to take their favourite tracks offline), others are less than impressed with its high cost compared to other services on offer. Here’s what you need to know about how much it costs here locally:
How much is YouTube Premium South Africa?
YouTube Premium South Africa starts off at R72 per month, for a single user, with a free three-month trial. The price increases to R99 per month for up to six users, and R119 for up to 17 users.
With that in mind, you can stream all of your favourite shows on YouTube Red from anywhere in Africa (except where geo-blocked) and enjoy offline viewing and other cool features like ad-free videos or background play.
The second tier is R99 per month for up to six users and the third is R119 for up to 17 users. The more people you have on your account, the cheaper it gets per person.
The perks of Premium include playing content in the background, downloading videos and ad-free viewing, as well as music streaming on YouTube Music.
The monthly fee for YouTube Premium is R99, or $7.50. This is slightly less than Netflix’s subscription price of R120 per month (or $9).
Is YouTube Premium expensive compared to other streaming services?
YouTube Premium is available for R199 per month or R149 if you’re willing to pay for an entire year upfront, but the price pales compared to Netflix South Africa. The standard Netflix plan costs only R99 per month – so it’s cheaper than YouTube Premium by half.
The difference in content is also vast: while both services offer some original programming (like Stranger Things) and a selection of other TV shows and movies, Netflix has a much larger catalogue of shows from around the world – with over 8 thousand options available.
Also, YouTube Premium doesn’t have an English-language audio option, and it isn’t available everywhere in the world – including in many countries outside of South Africa. You’ll have to research whether there are any legal ways to access either service where you live before signing up!
