How to Cancel YouTube Premium (2026 Guide) — Is $13.99/Month for No Ads Worth It?

Updated 2026-02-28 · 5 min read

YouTube Premium costs $13.99/month ($22.99/month for family) — that's $167.88/year primarily to remove ads from a free platform. It also includes YouTube Music, background play, and downloads. The price has increased 44% since launch ($9.99 → $13.99). Here's how to cancel and whether you're actually using the features you're paying for.

📊 The Price History

YouTube Premium launched at $9.99/month (2015). It's now $13.99 — a 40% increase. Family plan went from $14.99 to $22.99 (53% increase). Google has also been cracking down on ad blockers and VPN-based regional pricing to force more people into Premium.

How to Cancel YouTube Premium

Go to youtube.com/paid_memberships
Click Manage membership
Click Deactivate
Select Continue to cancel
Select a reason and confirm
You keep access until the end of your billing period

Cancel Through Apple/iOS

Settings → your name → Subscriptions
Find YouTube Premium
Tap Cancel Subscription

⚠️ Apple Subscribers Pay More

If you subscribed through the iOS app, you're paying $16.99/month instead of $13.99 (Apple's 30% cut gets passed to you). Cancel through Apple, then resubscribe directly at youtube.com to save $36/year.

What You Actually Lose

Ad-free viewing — ads return (5-15 second skippable ads, some unskippable)
Background play — YouTube stops playing when you switch apps
Downloads — can't download videos for offline viewing
YouTube Music — loses ad-free music streaming (reverts to free tier)
YouTube Originals — most are now free anyway

Free Alternatives to Premium Features

Ad blocking: uBlock Origin (desktop browser) still works. Brave browser blocks YouTube ads. On mobile, use the Brave app
Background play: On iPhone, open YouTube in Safari, start playing, close Safari — audio continues in Control Center
Music: Spotify free tier, Apple Music (if you have Apple One), or just YouTube with an ad blocker
Downloads: For occasional offline viewing, screen recording works

When Premium IS Worth It

You watch 2+ hours/day on mobile (where ad blocking is harder)
You use YouTube Music as your primary music service (replaces Spotify/Apple Music)
You have a family plan with 5 people actually using it ($4.60/person/month)
You're a YouTube creator who wants to support the platform

💡 The Student Discount

If you're a student, YouTube Premium is $7.99/month (verified through SheerID). If you're paying full price but qualify for student pricing, cancel and resubscribe with student verification to save $72/year.

🔍 Find All Your Google Subscriptions

YouTube Premium, Google One, Google Workspace, Google Play Pass — Google subscriptions stack up. Scan your statement to find them all.

Scan Your Statement →

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Quick Cancel Guide: Youtube Premium Detailed

Direct cancel link + step-by-step instructions