4.5/5
Google Play rating
7,812,888 reviews
Report
Should I Use YouTube Music?
With the YouTube Music app, enjoy over 100 million songs at your fingertips, plus albums, playlists, remixes, music videos, live performances, covers, and hard-to-find music you can't get anywhere else.
Depends
DependsBuy it if you already live in YouTube's ecosystem or want videos, live sets, and covers alongside your music.
100M+ songs, videos, and live sets; but 2026 US price hikes and mixed reviews. Great inside YouTube's ecosystem, skippable otherwise.
Confidence: Medium
Yes
Free tier
Ad-supported
$0
Starting price
Music Premium ~$15/mo US (user-reported)
100M+
Paid subscribers
Music + Premium combined
Value for money
2
2026 US price hikes; $15/mo complaints.
Ease of use
3
Polarized: 4.5 Play rating, frustrated reviewers.
Feature depth
4
100M+ songs, videos, live sets, covers.
Support quality
2
Negative Trustpilot customer-service reviews.
Security posture
4
No known vulns; Google-backed, security page.
Pros
Cons
Gotchas
- mediumUS prices rose in 2026; users complain $15/month for Music Premium alone.⁶
- mediumGoogle is increasing ads on the free tier, per June 2025 reports.⁸
- mediumSome users end up paying for both YouTube Music and YouTube Premium without realizing.
- lowFans publicly worry about the service's long-term future.
Best for
- YouTube Premium bundle subscribers
- Fans of live sets, remixes, covers
- Casual listeners fine with ads
Not for
- Audiophiles wanting lossless quality
- Music-only listeners who hate video-first UX
- Price-sensitive buyers after US hikes
- Anyone avoiding Google ecosystem lock-in
Pricing
Free
$0
- Ad-supported streaming
- Music videos and playlists
Music Premium
~$15/mo (US, user-reported after 2026 hike)
- Ad-free music
- Background play
YouTube Premium
Bundled
- Ad-free all of YouTube
- Includes Music Premium
Security
No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.
What users say
Reviews are polarized: fans praise the deep catalog and YouTube bundling, while critics cite audio quality, app frustration, and rising prices.
“I love YouTube music. You can find”
“Youtube music sounds terrible”
“This app sucks, i use it when i ride”
Alternatives
Compare YouTube Music with each alternative.
Spotify
The default recommendation when users leave YouTube Music.
YouTube Music vs SpotifyApple Music
Where one two-week trial reviewer switched back to.
Tidal
Frequent comparison pick for sound quality.
European alternatives (e.g., Deezer)
Listed options for users avoiding US streaming giants.
Full analysis
Based on 20+ public sources including Reddit, Google Play, Trustpilot, Variety, and Android Authority.
Sources
- YouTube Music - Apps on Google Playplay.google.comreview
- Trustpilot reviews of music.youtube.comtrustpilot.comreview
- I tried YouTube Music for two weeks, but I'm going back to Apple Musicandroidauthority.comreview
- Youtube music sounds terrible (Audio Science Review)audiosciencereview.comreview
- Pros and cons : r/YoutubeMusicreddit.comreview
review
news
- YouTube Music Free Tier: More Ads Are Comingsecurityonline.infonews
- Is YouTube Music Free? What You Get Without Payingfreeyourmusic.comreview
- Music Premium (official)music.youtube.comofficial
- YouTube Music - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgofficial
review
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