YouTube Premium vs YouTube Music Premium: Which One to Choose

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Grace
January 22, 2025

YouTube has more than 2.70 billion monthly active users as of 2024, representing more than one-fourth of the world’s population using the platform every month. YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium are the paid subscription services offered by YouTube, with a combined total of over 80 million subscribers worldwide. The two Premium services have different features and benefits. If you’re struggling to decide which one to choose, here is a comparison detailing the differences between the two.

YouTube-Premium-vs-YouTube-Music

Related: How to Download Music from YouTube With or Without Premium

What Are YouTube and YouTube Music Premium?

YouTube Music is the dedicated music service of YouTube offered through a separate app. Similar to YouTube, users can access the vast library of YouTube Music with a free account, supported by ads. For better viewing and listening experiences, YouTube and YouTube Music also provide Premium memberships to help you get rid of ad interruptions.

YouTube Premium is a paid membership to elevate your experience across all YouTube platforms, including YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube Kids. This service provides ad-free access to videos, live streams, and music. Additionally, subscribers can download videos and music for offline viewing and enjoy other appealing features.

On the other hand, YouTube Music Premium is a paid service specifically for music-related content. It offers ad-free access to over 100 million of songs, albums, playlists, and music videos, along with the option to download songs and playlists for offline listening.

Is YouTube Music Premium Included in YouTube Premium?

Yes. YouTube Music Premium is included in your YouTube Premium membership. Once you’ve subscribed to YouTube Premium, you can enjoy all the YouTube Music Premium benefits, including listening to over 100 million songs ad-free, offline, and while your screen is locked.

How Much Are YouTube and YouTube Music Premium?

Both YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium offer three paid plans: Individual, Family, and Student. Each of the Premium plans provides a one-month free trial.

YouTube Premium for Individuals is $13.99 per month or $139.99 per year. If you choose the Family Plan, you can add up to 5 additional household members at the price of $22.99 per month. Eligible students at higher education institutions approved by SheerID can enjoy a discounted price of $7.99 per month.

Remember that if you subscribed to YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium is included. However, if you prefer to join YouTube Music Premium only, it costs $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year for the Individual Plan, $16.99 per month for the Family, and $5.49 per month for the Student.

PlansYouTube PremiumYouTube Music Premium
Individual$13.99/month or $139.99/year$10.99 per month or $109.99/year
Family$22.99/month$16.99/month
Student$7.99/month$5.49/month
YouTube Premium vs YouTube Music Premium: Prices

YouTube and YouTube Music Premium Features

In addition to all the benefits of YouTube Music Premium, YouTube Premium membership extends its benefits to the video content on YouTube and YouTube Kids. Below are the features and benefits of YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium:

YouTube Music Premium Features

  • Ad-free access: Listen to songs and music videos on YouTube Music without ads. 
  • Offline listening: Download content from the YouTube Music app to your mobile devices.
  • Background play: YouTube Music continues playing while using other apps on your phone.
  • High-quality audio: Enjoy music with higher quality.
  • Listen to music and podcasts on Google Home or Chromecast Audio.

YouTube Premium Benefits

  • All the YouTube Music Premium features.
  • Watch YouTube videos without ads
  • Download videos on your mobile device for offline playback
  • Background play of videos on mobile devices when using other apps or your screen is off.
  • Premium benefits of YouTube Kids.

Final Verdict: Which One to Choose?

After a thorough comparison of the two, selecting the one that best suits your needs becomes straightforward.

If you are only interested in YouTube Music, YouTube Music Premium is the ideal choice. You can listen to music ad-free, download music for offline listening, and background play music on your mobile devices,

Otherwise, we recommend you go with the YouTube Premium for a more comprehensive experience. In addition to all the benefits offered by YouTube Music Premium, YouTube Premium provides extra Premium features for YouTube videos and YouTube Kids, with just an extra $3 per month.

How to Download YouTube Music to MP3 without Premium?

YouTube Music Premium subscribers can download music for offline playback. However, these downloaded files are limited within the YouTube app and cannot be transferred to other devices or used by other applications. For free users of YouTube Music, the download feature is not available.

Fortunately, Pazu YouTube Music Converter offers a solution to overcome these limitations. This reliable tool allows you to download YouTube Music songs, albums, playlists, and podcasts in formats like MP3, M4A, and WAV on your Mac/Windows, regardless of whether you have a free or premium YouTube Music account. In addition, the downloaded tracks can be transferred to other supported devices or used by other applications, making it convenient to enjoy your favorite music in the way you prefer.

Pazu YouTube Music Converter features a built-in YouTube Music web player, so you don’t need to copy and paste song links manually. Just search for the music within the YouTube Music catalog. Then you can download them in lossless quality with full ID3 tags. Here are the detailed steps for downloading YouTube Music to MP3 with Pazu YouTube Music Converter.

1. Run Pazu YouTube Music Converter 

To get started, download, install and run Pazu YouTube Music Converter on your Mac or Windows, which features a built-in YouTube Music web player.

After installation, launch the YouTube Music to MP3 Converter. If you have already purchased a license, click the key icon to register the converter. Otherwise, continue using the trial version.

You don’t need to sign in to your YouTube Music account.

YouTube Music Converter

2. Customize the Output Settings

Click on Settings (the gear icon) in the upper right corner and set the output format to MP3. You can also customize the output quality, folder, file name, language, and more for your downloaded music files.

output settings

3. Add songs

Browse or use the search function to find the songs, albums, or playlists you want to convert to MP3, then click the red Add to List icon to load the songs.

choose YouTube Music playlists

All songs in the playlist/album will be selected by default. You can uncheck the songs you don’t want to get.

choose YouTube Music songs

4. Download Music from YouTube Music

Click the Convert button and the program starts converting the YouTube Music songs.

convert YouTube Music to MP3

5. Locate the Converted Songs

After the conversion process is complete, click on the clock icon in the upper right corner to access the converted YouTube Music songs. To locate the the converted YouTube Music songs:

  • You can either click the folder icon to open the output folder where the songs are saved;
    or
  • Directly go to the output folder you customized in the previous step.
YouTube Music to MP3 converter