# YouTube Music review, pricing and alternatives

Source: https://listme.name/software/youtube-music
Website: https://music.youtube.com/

Music streaming built on YouTube's catalog and videos

YouTube Music is a music streaming service from Google that plays songs, albums and playlists. Its Premium subscription removes ads and adds offline and background play. It runs in a web browser and in mobile apps.

YouTube Music plays songs, albums and playlists. Google's Music Premium page describes ad-free, offline listening with the screen locked, and says it is available on mobile and desktop. Premium is the paid option that removes ads, so the basic service is free to use.

The service is closed source and works in the browser at music.youtube.com. YouTube Premium also covers YouTube itself, so a subscriber gets ad-free access across both services. Compared with Apple Music, it has a free tier, while Apple Music has none on its page.

- Free plan, paid upgrades | Web, iOS, Android
- Price: Free with ads; Premium removes ads and adds offline play
- Checked: 2026-10-10

## Strengths

- Free to use, with Premium as the paid option
- Premium removes ads and adds offline play
- Works in a browser and on phones

## Limits

- Some features, including offline play, need Premium
- Closed source, so the code cannot be checked

## Rankings

- #3 of 10 in [best Music streaming services](https://listme.name/best/music-streaming-services), score 86.0: Free to use, with Premium removing ads and adding offline and background play. Some features need a Premium subscription.

## Alternatives

- [Spotify](https://listme.name/software/spotify), score 92.0
- [Apple Music](https://listme.name/software/apple-music), score 89.0
- [Deezer](https://listme.name/software/deezer), score 84.0
- [Amazon Music](https://listme.name/software/amazon-music), score 82.5
- [Qobuz](https://listme.name/software/qobuz), score 80.0
- [IDAGIO](https://listme.name/software/idagio), score 78.5
- [SoundCloud](https://listme.name/software/soundcloud), score 76.0
- [Anghami](https://listme.name/software/anghami), score 74.5