YouTube Music Might Have The Best Family Plan - Here's Why

YouTube Music is one of the top Spotify music streaming alternatives that users swear by, and it might just have the best family plan overall, too. The basic YouTube Music family plan costs $18.99 per month and supports up to six accounts on the plan. But what's even more appealing is the YouTube Premium family plan that provides all the benefits of both YouTube Music and YouTube Premium for up to six accounts. This plan costs $26.99 after a recent YouTube Premium price hike, but let's talk about why it's probably still worth it compared to other music platform family plans.

YouTube Music offers ad-free listening, offline downloads, and the option to upload your existing music library to the platform. These are all features you can get through a Spotify Premium family plan for $21.99 as well, but for just $5 more, the YouTube Premium family plan also gives you ad-free videos, offline viewing, and background play on mobile. On top of that, it removes a lot of friction from the viewing and listening experience.

However, it is worth mentioning that music is more compressed on YouTube than it is on platforms like Spotify or Tidal. Power users know how to get the best audio quality on YouTube Music, but even so, this may be a dealbreaker if you have a family of adamant audiophiles — even if the subscription presents considerable value elsewhere.

The appeal of a YouTube Premium family plan isn't just in what you get for your money; it's also in what you don't have to pay for anymore. An individual YouTube Premium subscription costs $15.99 per month, so your family will save money even if only two people are utilizing a family plan. And YouTube Premium provides enough ad-free content to justify canceling certain other subscriptions. In fact, YouTube Premium now comes with Peacock shows and movies that you would normally have to pay a separate $10.99 monthly subscription to access.

Another tip that may help you save money is to make sure you aren't paying extra to Apple. If you're accessing YouTube on an iPhone or iPad, you might be making a common mistake that costs you 30% more for YouTube Premium. Getting access to YouTube Music and YouTube Premium for a whole family is a good deal at $26.99 per month, especially compared to other subscriptions that offer music services and not much else, but its value diminishes if it's making you spend more money rather than save.