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Here are all 5 YouTube apps and what they do
YouTube is the world’s most popular streaming service. You already know what you can find there. The service is so big that there are multiple apps for browsing all of the content. They’re all let you explore various parts of YouTube in different ways. Here are all five YouTube apps and what they do.
We also have a more in-depth breakdown of all of YouTube’s services here and a tutorial on the difference between YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium here. Both links give you more in-depth reading about YouTube and its premium services.
Some YouTube apps we no longer include on this list include:
- YouTube Gaming was shut down in May of 2019
- YouTube VR is not listed because Google removed Daydream functionality from Android 11.
- YouTube for Google TV is not listed because Google TV (the original iteration) doesn’t exist anymore.
YouTube
Price: Free / $12.99 per month
YouTube is the basic YouTube experience. It lets you manage your subscriptions, watch videos, comment, create playlists, watch some movies (if you buy them), watch live streams, and engage with YouTube Originals content. That also includes things like subscriptions, comments, and a discover section based on your likes. Most people know this app and what it does.
This is probably the app you use and are most familiar with. YouTube Premium is an optional subscription for $12.99 per month. It opens up YouTube Originals content, removes advertising, allows background play, and more. It also gives you a subscription to YouTube Music and Google Play Music for one of the best video and music streaming combinations available anywhere.
There is also a YouTube Go for those in developing countries and YouTube for Android TV (Google Play) for those with an Android TV device. It works like a scaled-back version of YouTube with less data usage.
YouTube Kids
Price: Free / $12.99 per month
YouTube Kids is like YouTube Gaming, but for kids. It strips out most of the stuff on YouTube and shows only kid-friendly content. It features multiple profile for multiple kids, channel blocking, faster video reporting than the regular YouTube app, and other parental controls. Most of the videos are educational. It’s not bad for what it is. It had some problems in the early days with bad advertising and some other stuff. However, the service is mostly clean now. YouTube Red removes the ads and gives YouTube Kids other features.
YouTube Music
Price: Free / $9.99-$12.99 per month
YouTube Music replaced Google Play Music as Google’s main music streaming app at the tail end of 2020. It works like a regular streaming app with some extra features. You can listen to songs, build playlists (including shared playlists), build a library, and do some other stuff. You can also watch music videos straight from the app. The big draw is access to millions and millions of songs on YouTube that you generally can’t find on Spotify or other big competitors. Google is still building out YouTube Music. If you go this route, we recommend adding a few extra bucks for YouTube Premium (which includes YouTube Music) since you can kill two birds with one stone.
YouTube Studio
Price: Free
YouTube Studio is an app for YouTube creators. It lets you upload your videos, fill out all of the information, and manage your channel in various ways. You get access to analytics, comment filters, monetization settings, thumbnail image upload, and you can even manage your channel’s playlists. It gets consistent updates and it works as advertised most of the time. However, you don’t need this unless you upload videos on a consistent basis.
YouTube TV
Price: Free / $450 per month (plus add-ons)
YouTube TV is the last big YouTube app. It’s YouTube’s live TV app and doesn’t have a lot of actual YouTube videos. For $40 per month, you get several dozen channels of live cable TV. The app also includes YouTube Originals exclusive content. It features most of the popular channels, some local sports and news channels, and some additional add-ons like HBO for extra money. The UI is outstanding, the never-ending cloud storage is a boon, and six profiles per account makes it family-friendly. It is usable on three concurrent screens at once and each profile has its own DVR, recommendations, and home page.
If we missed anything about these YouTube apps, tell us about it in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.
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