Is YouTube Music Offline Free?

The short answer is yes, YouTube Music offers an ad-supported free tier that allows you to download music and playlists for offline listening. However, there are some limitations compared to the paid YouTube Music Premium subscription.

What is YouTube Music?

YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube. It offers a catalog of over 80 million official songs, albums, playlists, and music videos. The service is available through a website, mobile apps, and smart speakers.

YouTube Music aims to bring together the vast catalog of official music content hosted on YouTube with the functionality of a traditional streaming music service. It offers curated playlists, personalized recommendations, radio stations, and the ability to upload your own music library.

YouTube Music Free vs Premium

YouTube Music has two tiers:

• YouTube Music Free – An ad-supported free tier with limited features.
• YouTube Music Premium – A paid subscription with advanced features like offline listening, background play, and ad-free listening.

The key differences between the free and paid tiers are:

Offline listening on YouTube Music Free

The free version of YouTube Music does allow you to download music and playlists for offline listening. However, there are some important limitations:

• You can only download audio, not music videos.
• The audio quality maxes out at 128kbps, instead of 256kbps for Premium.
• You can only have up to 500 offline songs at a time.
• Offline content expires after 30 days and needs to be renewed.
• Downloading is only available on mobile apps, not the web player.

So in summary, offline listening is included with the free tier, but the experience is limited compared to Premium. You get lower audio quality, shorter renewal periods, and smaller offline libraries.

How to download music offline on YouTube Music Free

Here are the steps to download music for offline listening on the free tier of YouTube Music:

1. Open the YouTube Music app on your Android or iOS device. You cannot download for offline on the web.
2. Navigate to a song, album, playlist or station you want to download.
3. Tap the download button next to it. This is typically a downward arrow inside a circle.
4. Select “Download” in the pop-up menu.
5. The content will start downloading. A download progress bar will display under the song/album/playlist name.
6. Once finished, a green arrow will indicate the content is now available offline. The downloads appear in the “Downloads” section of the app.

To manually manage your offline content, tap on your account icon in the top right > Downloads. Here you can renewal expired music and delete downloads to free up space.

Limits of offline listening on YouTube Music Free

While the ability to download music for offline listening is handy, the free tier has strict limits that may impact your experience:

• Only 500 offline songs can be downloaded at once. Premium allows up to 5,000.
• Playlists are limited to 100 offline tracks. Premium has no playlist limit.
• Downloads expire after 30 days. Premium downloads last for 90 days.
• You cannot re-download expired tracks right away. You must wait 48 hours before re-downloading.
• Audio quality maxes out at 128kbps. Premium offers 256kbps audio.
• Downloading is mobile app only. No offline downloads on the web player.

For heavy music listeners, these limits on quantity, renewal periods, and quality can quickly become frustrating. The paid Premium tier removes all these restrictions for uninterrupted offline listening.

While the free offline listening is useful in a pinch, power music listeners will likely want to upgrade to Premium to get the full, unrestricted experience. But more casual listeners may find the free tier meets their limited offline needs.

Tips for managing offline music with YouTube Music Free

Here are some tips for getting the most out of the offline listening capabilities with the free version of YouTube Music:

• Check download expiration dates and renew soon-to-expire music.
• Delete listened-to downloads regularly to free up space for new ones.
• Share downloads across devices by downloading on WiFi then transferring to other devices.
• Create strategic playlists of songs/albums you want downloaded for offline.
• Download playlists and albums first, then individual songs, to maximize downloads.
• Remember the 500 offline song limit and stay under it.
• Favor shorter content like songs over long videos to get more offline content.
• Turn on Smart Downloads to automatically fill unused offline storage space.

While not as seamless as Premium, carefully managing your offline content can help maximize the free tier’s capabilities and work within its limitations.

For light listeners, the free offline downloads may suffice. But frequent listeners should strongly consider upgrading to Premium. The unrestricted downloads, higher quality audio, prolonged renewals, and background play create a much smoother overall offline and ad-free experience.

YouTube Music Premium costs $10.99 per month individually or $14.99 for a family plan of up to 6 people. There are often promotional periods offering 1-3 months free for new subscribers. So consider trying out Premium for yourself to enjoy the full benefits of offline listening.

YouTube Music Free trial

YouTube Music Premium does offer a 1-month free trial for new subscribers. So you can test out the unrestricted offline downloads and other Premium perks before paying.

To start a free trial and sample YouTube Music Premium:

1. Open the YouTube Music app on mobile or desktop.
2. Tap your profile picture > YouTube Music Premium.
3. Select “Start trial”.
4. Enter your payment details. You won’t be charged during the trial.
5. Enjoy 1 month of Premium features like unlimited offline listening.
6. Cancel before the month ends if you don’t want to pay.

The free trial is a great way to experience offline listening without limits. And you can cancel anytime if you decide the paid Premium tier isn’t necessary for your listening needs.

YouTube Music student plan

Students are eligible for a special YouTube Music Premium discount. The YouTube Music student plan offers Premium for just $4.99 per month.

To qualify for the student discount you must:

• Be enrolled in a degree-seeking program at an accredited college or university.
• Provide proof of current enrollment when signing up.

At just $4.99 per month, the YouTube Music student plan makes Premium much more affordable. Students can enjoy unlimited ad-free music, offline listening, background play, and audio quality upgrades at half the regular price.

YouTube Premium bundle

Another option is the YouTube Premium bundle. This includes ad-free access to both YouTube Music Premium and regular YouTube Premium video streaming.

The YouTube Premium bundle costs:

• $11.99 per month for an individual plan
• $17.99 per month for a family plan

So for just $2 more than the regular YouTube Music Premium price, you also get ad-free YouTube video access, background play, and offline video downloads. This can be a cost-effective option if you use both YouTube services frequently.

Is YouTube Music Premium worth it for offline listening?

Whether YouTube Music Premium is “worth it” depends on your listening habits and budget. But here are some final things to consider:

• Premium offers a much smoother overall offline experience vs the free tier limits.
• Audio quality is significantly higher at 256kbps vs 128kbps free.
• Unrestricted downloads are hugely convenient compared to renewing every 30 days.
• Background listening is a major perk if you multitask while listening.
• An ad-free experience ensures uninterrupted listening.

For most frequent listeners, upgrading to Premium is recommended. But occasional offline listeners can likely get by with the free tier capabilities.

Make use of free trials and student discounts to test Premium for yourself. But ultimately, enjoy offline listening on YouTube Music whether you choose the free or paid subscription!