With the number of ads that play on a single YouTube video, it can most definitely be worth subscribing to YouTube Premium if you’re an avid user. However, you may see different membership prices depending on where you buy it. More specifically, Apple users will pay the “Apple Tax” when subscribing: Premium Lite will go from $8.99 to $11.99, and Premium will go from $15.99 to $20.99.
The Apple Tax refers to the 30% commission fee that Apple charges for companies to use the App Store for app downloads and in-app purchases. This led Epic Games to launch its own payment system inside Fortnite that allowed gamers to buy currency in-game at a discount — bypassing the Apple Tax and leading to a legal battle in 2020. In an attempt to not lose that 30% commission fee, YouTube has opted to raise the price of its Premium subscription tiers inside the App Store.
There is no denying that purchasing the Premium subscription right off the App Store is the most convenient option if you have an iPhone. Apple doesn’t even allow apps to redirect customers to their website to subscribe, so you’ll need to navigate YouTube yourself to sign up. Meanwhile, your account and credit card information is already in the App Store, so it’s just a few clicks away. You can also cancel your subscription just as easily (although it’s not that hard to cancel on YouTube’s website either).
While it may take a bit more effort, it’s likely still worth it to subscribe to Premium directly on YouTube’s website since it will save you a good chunk of money. Those subscription amounts are per month, meaning you’d pay $191.88 per year for the full service through YouTube versus $251.88 within the App Store. Apple claims the fee goes towards making the App Store safe and covering payment processing, but that’s probably not enough of a reason to pay significantly more for most YouTube users.
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