Christopher Chapman<YouTube vs YouTube Premium vs YouTube TV

This is my June 20th, 2026 update for this topic.
There are no signs of any of these services going away, so I will have many updates to come.
This web page and any accompanying videos were in no way vetted by Google.
This web page will highlight the differences among:

YouTube

YouTube Premium

YouTube TV

YouTube

YouTube is a video hosting and sharing service that Google purchased in 2006.
The good news about YouTube is that:

Anyone can post videos.
Many prove to be entertaining and/or informative.

The bad news is that:

Anyone can post videos.
Some of the videos will prove to be merely misleading and others will prove to be outright scams.

YouTube Premium

Paying for YouTube Premium allows you watch YouTube content without advertisements.
Depending on your needs and preferences, YouTube Premium could be either:

A great value
or

a complete waste of money.

In the past, YouTube Premium was called YouTube Red.

Free Trials And Promotional Pricing

From time to time, Google will offer free trials and other promotional pricing offers for YouTube Premium.
Unless you are certain that for you the service is the worth the cost, consider cancelling the paid service well before any free trial ends.
For example, if there is a one-month free trial, consider cancelling right after you accept the one-month trial offer.

Apple "Tax"

If you purchase a service such as YouTube Premium through a service's app on an Apple device, the cost may be significantly greater than if you had purchased it elsewhere.
If you choose to have a paid subscription to YouTube Premium, consider starting the paid subscription in a tool such as a web browser.
If you use Apple devices, log into the Apple app with the login that you previously subscribed to in a web browser.

YouTube TV

With YouTube TV, Google is using its YouTube brand to market its competitor to cable television.

Things To Be Aware Of

YouTube Premium and YouTube TV are separate products.
Subscribing to YouTube Premium does not remove commercials from YouTube TV where there would otherwise be commercials.

Before subscribing, verify that YouTube TV has whichever channels that you would prefer to not be without.

Speaking of channels, be aware that YouTube TV user interface does not show channel numbers.
Popular devices for watching YouTube TV, such as Apple TV and Roku devices, do not even have number pads on their remote controls.

YouTube Movies

While using YouTube TV you may see the option to pay to "buy" or "rent" movies.
Be careful not to accidentally click on those, thinking that they are included at no extra cost.

Conclusion

This web page is intended to highlight the differences among YouTube branded services, not provide an in-depth explanation of any one of them.