YouTube Family Plan pricing and what you get

YouTube Family Plan costs $22.99 per month in the United States and covers up to six people in your household. Each person gets their own YouTube Premium account with ad-free videos, offline downloads, and background play. The price varies by country — it is lower in some regions and higher in others, so check your local YouTube app or website for your exact cost.

The plan works through a shared family group that you set up in Google's Family Link system. One adult (the organizer) creates the group, adds up to five other family members, and pays one monthly charge instead of six separate $13.99 individual Premium subscriptions. Everyone in the group sees the same content recommendations based on their own viewing, and each person's watch history stays private from the others.

You do not need to share a Google account or a device. Each family member signs in with their own Google account on their own phone, tablet, or computer, and the Family Plan payment covers them across all their devices. If someone leaves the family group, they lose Premium access when ready unless they start a separate individual subscription.

Key Takeaways

  • YouTube Family Plan costs $22.99 per month in the US and covers up to six household members, each with their own account and private watch history.
  • The organizer pays one monthly charge and manages who is in the group through Google's Family Link system, not through YouTube itself.
  • Each family member can use Premium on their own devices without sharing passwords or accounts.
  • If you remove someone from the family group or they leave, their Premium access stops unless they pay for an individual subscription.
  • The price varies by country, so the cost in your region may differ from the US rate.

Who can be added to a Family Plan

Family members must live in the same household as the organizer. Google does not verify addresses, but the terms of service require that everyone in the group actually lives together. This means you cannot add a friend who lives across town, a college student in another state, or a relative in a different country, even if you want to split the cost.

You can add children under 13 through Family Link, which gives the organizer parental controls — the ability to see what they watch, set screen time limits, and restrict content by rating. Children 13 and older can be added as regular family members without parental controls, though the organizer can still remove them from the group at any time.

The organizer must be at least 18 years old and have a valid payment method on file. If the organizer's payment method expires or is declined, YouTube will notify them and pause the Family Plan until they update it. The other family members do not need a payment method.

How to set up a Family Plan

Start by going to families.google.com on a computer or the Family Link app on a phone. Sign in with the Google account that will be the organizer — this is the account that will be charged each month. Click "Create a family group" and follow the prompts to add family members by their email addresses or phone numbers.

Each person you add will receive an invitation to join. They must accept the invitation and sign in with their own Google account. Once they accept, they are part of the family group and can when ready start using YouTube Premium on any device where they sign in with that account.

If you already have an individual YouTube Premium subscription, you can switch to a Family Plan without losing anything. Your subscription will convert to the family organizer role, and you can add other members. The monthly charge will change to the Family Plan price on your next billing date.

Managing the Family Plan after setup

The organizer can add or remove family members at any time through families.google.com. When you remove someone, they lose Premium access when ready. If they want to keep YouTube Premium, they will need to start a separate individual subscription at $13.99 per month.

You can also change the payment method, update billing information, or pause the subscription through the Family Link website. If you want to cancel the Family Plan entirely, all six members lose Premium access at the end of the current billing cycle. The organizer can switch back to an individual Premium subscription if they want to keep it.

If a family member moves out or you want to remove them, they have until the end of the current billing cycle to set up their own subscription if they want to keep Premium. After that, they will see ads on YouTube again and cannot read videos or use background play.

Individual Premium versus Family Plan cost comparison

An individual YouTube Premium subscription costs $13.99 per month. If you have two people, the Family Plan ($22.99) costs less than two individual subscriptions ($27.98). With three people, you save $16.97 per month. With six people, the Family Plan costs $22.99 while six individual subscriptions would cost $83.94 — a savings of $60.95 per month.

The break-even point is between one and two people. If you live alone, an individual subscription is cheaper. If anyone else in your household watches YouTube, the Family Plan becomes the better value when ready. The more people in your household who use YouTube, the more you save per person.

Keep in mind that the Family Plan price is fixed at $22.99 regardless of how many people use it — whether you add two family members or six, the cost stays the same. Individual subscriptions, by contrast, cost $13.99 each, so the math changes if someone leaves the family group and you need to add them back later.

What happens if you share your password instead

YouTube's terms of service say that Premium accounts are for personal use only and should not be shared with people outside your household. If you share your password with someone who does not live with you, you are technically violating the terms. YouTube can detect unusual sign-in patterns — logging in from different cities or countries at the same time, for example — and may ask you to change your password or suspend the account.

Password sharing also means that person can see your watch history, pause your downloads, and affect your recommendations. If you want to give someone Premium access without those problems, the Family Plan is the intended solution. It costs only $9.50 more per month than an individual subscription if you have two people, and it gives each person their own private account.

If you are currently sharing a password and want to switch to a Family Plan, the person you are sharing with will need their own Google account. They can create one for free at google.com, and then you can add them to your family group.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Family Plan if we do not all live together?

No. Google's terms require that all family members live in the same household. The company does not actively verify addresses, but they can detect unusual patterns — like someone signing in from a different country every day — and may ask for proof or suspend the account. If someone moves out, you should remove them from the group.

What if the organizer stops paying?

If the payment method fails or the organizer cancels the subscription, all six family members lose Premium access when ready. They will see ads again and cannot read videos. If they want to keep Premium, they will each need to start an individual subscription at $13.99 per month.

Can I switch from individual Premium to Family Plan?

Yes. Your individual subscription will convert to the Family Plan role on your next billing date, and the charge will change to $22.99 per month. You can then add up to five other family members. You will not lose any of your downloads or watch history.

What if someone in the family group cancels their account?

If they delete their Google account entirely, they are automatically removed from the family group. If they just want to leave the family group but keep their Google account, the organizer can remove them through families.google.com. Either way, they lose Premium access unless they start a separate subscription.

Does YouTube Family Plan include YouTube Music?

No. YouTube Family Plan covers YouTube Premium only — ad-free videos, offline downloads, and background play. YouTube Music Premium is a separate subscription at $11.99 per month for individuals or $19.99 per month for a family plan. You can buy them separately or together, but they are billed as two different subscriptions.