Audio
YouTube Premium Price Hikes & Price History (2026)
Updated September 21, 2026 · Researched & fact-checked by Shaheer
YouTube Premium raised every US plan in 2026: Individual from $13.99 to $15.99, Family from $22.99 to $26.99, Premium Lite from $7.99 to $8.99, and the standalone Music Premium from $10.99 to $11.99. The increase was announced in April 2026 for new subscribers, but existing US subscribers were moved to the higher prices on June 4, 2026, the date most people actually saw the change.
At a glance
- Current price
- $15.99 (Individual)
- Last increase
- June 4, 2026 (+14.3%)
- Total change tracked
- +33.4%
- Tracked increases
- 6
Key takeaways
- On June 4, 2026 YouTube Premium raised every US plan: Individual $13.99→$15.99, Family $22.99→$26.99, and Premium Lite $7.99→$8.99.
- The increase was announced in April 2026 for new subscribers, but existing subscribers were only moved to the higher prices on June 4, 2026.
- Individual had last risen in July 2023 ($11.99→$13.99), so this was its first increase in nearly three years.
- A YouTube Premium subscription includes YouTube Music Premium, which also went up — standalone Music went $9.99→$10.99 in 2023 and $10.99→$11.99 in 2026.
- Across the full arc the Individual plan has gone $11.99 (2018 relaunch) → $13.99 (July 2023) → $15.99 (June 2026), about a 33% rise in eight years.
- Early adopters held a grandfathered $7.99 or $9.99 rate for roughly a decade; YouTube began retiring that legacy pricing from late 2024.
YouTube Premium price increase history
| Date | Plan | Region | Old → New | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 4, 2026 | Individual | US | $13.99 → $15.99 | +14.3% | Source |
| June 4, 2026 | Family | US | $22.99 → $26.99 | +17.4% | Source |
| June 4, 2026 | Premium Lite | US | $7.99 → $8.99 | +12.5% | Source |
| June 4, 2026 | Music Premium | US | $10.99 → $11.99 | +9.1% | Source |
| July 20, 2023 | Individual | US | $11.99 → $13.99 | +16.7% | Source |
| July 20, 2023 | Music Premium | US | $9.99 → $10.99 | +10% | Source |
What YouTube Premium costs right now
- Individual: $15.99 (US)
- Family: $26.99 (US)
- Premium Lite: $8.99 (US)
- Music Premium: $11.99 (US)
YouTube Premium price history: $11.99 to $15.99
Yes, and the 2026 round hit every plan at once. Individual went from $13.99 to $15.99, Family from $22.99 to $26.99 (a $4 jump), and the cheaper Premium Lite from $7.99 to $8.99. For Individual it was the first US increase in nearly three years, after the July 2023 bump from $11.99 to $13.99.
The catch was the timing. YouTube announced the new prices in April 2026 and charged new subscribers right away, but existing subscribers kept the old rate for weeks and were only moved to the higher prices on June 4, 2026. That staggered rollout is why long-time subscribers were caught off guard in early June, even though the news had broken back in April.
Stepping back, the full arc is shorter than it feels. The service began life in 2014 as Music Key, with early adopters paying $7.99 a month, rising to $9.99 once the beta period ended. When YouTube Music relaunched in 2018 the standard Premium price was set at $11.99, and those earliest subscribers were carried over onto the full Premium product while keeping their legacy $7.99 or $9.99 rate. It stayed at $11.99 until July 2023.
That grandfathered pricing is the quiet story here. A cohort of subscribers held a decade-old rate through every intervening change, and from late 2024 YouTube began retiring it, moving legacy accounts toward standard pricing on a staggered, region-by-region basis with advance notice. For anyone in that group the jump was far steeper than the headline $2: going from $7.99 to $15.99 is a doubling, arriving in one step rather than across three increases.
Counting only the standard rate, Individual has gone $11.99 to $13.99 to $15.99 — about 33% over eight years, or roughly 3.7% a year, which is close to ordinary inflation. The experience feels sharper than that because the increases arrive in $2 steps years apart rather than gradually, and because the 2026 round raised every tier at once. Logging the price you actually pay is what turns a surprise renewal into an expected one.
Frequently asked questions
Did YouTube Premium raise its price in 2026?
Yes. YouTube Premium raised all US plans: Individual from $13.99 to $15.99, Family from $22.99 to $26.99, and Premium Lite from $7.99 to $8.99. Existing subscribers were moved to the new prices on June 4, 2026.
Why did my YouTube Premium price go up on June 4, 2026?
The increase was announced in April 2026 and applied to new subscribers immediately, but existing subscribers kept the old price until June 4, 2026, when YouTube moved them onto the new rate. That is why many long-time subscribers only saw the higher charge in June.
How much does YouTube Premium cost now?
US prices are $15.99/month (Individual), $26.99/month (Family) and $8.99/month (Premium Lite). Standalone YouTube Music Premium is $11.99/month. A full Premium subscription includes YouTube Music Premium.
What is the full YouTube Premium price history?
The service started as Music Key in 2014 at $7.99 for early adopters, then $9.99. YouTube Premium launched at $11.99/month with the 2018 YouTube Music relaunch and held that price until July 20, 2023, when it rose to $13.99. On June 4, 2026 it rose again to $15.99. That is roughly a 33% increase over the eight years since 2018.
Why was my YouTube Premium price $7.99 for so long?
Early Music Key subscribers from 2014 kept a grandfathered $7.99 or $9.99 rate, and were carried onto full YouTube Premium in 2018 without losing it. YouTube began retiring that legacy pricing from late 2024, rolling it out region by region with advance notice, so those subscribers moved to standard pricing much later than everyone else.