Have you been on YouTube lately, discovering what type of content you enjoy? Maybe you’re going down a few rabbit holes and discovering some really good creators. You like one YouTube creator the most in particular and watch more of his content. Soon you discover he is making the type of content you want to watch on a regular basis. So the obvious thing to do in this situation is to subscribe to his YouTube channel, right? But now you’re hesitant because you have heard about YouTube monetization. So your big question is, ‘Is Subscribing on YouTube free?’
The answer to that is – Yes! Subscribing on YouTube is free.
If you have this question, you might be confusing Subscribing on YouTube with Joining a YouTube channel. You can become a subscriber of a channel for free but if you want to become a member, you will have to pay a joining fee.
Do You Have To Pay To Subscribe To YouTube?
No, you don’t need to pay anything to subscribe to a YouTube channel. It is cost-free to subscribe. Just like how you follow on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you subscribe to a channel you like on YT. Following someone on social networking sites displays their posts in your news feed, and subscribing to a YouTuber shows their latest videos to your subscription feed. The most recent video from the channel will always be displayed at the top of your subscription feed that too without spending a penny.
If you want to support the YouTuber further, you can become a member, and that will require you to pay a fee monthly. On June 22, 2018, YouTube first made channel memberships available, with prices beginning at $4.99 per month. You can even think of these memberships as Twitch subscriptions.
How Do You Benefit When You Subscribe On YouTube?
Your first priority while subscribing to a YouTube channel is obviously not missing out on the content they put out. But what other reason could anyone have for subscribing to a YouTube channel? Here are the many benefits of subscribing on YouTube for free:
- You can be one of the first people to watch their newest YouTube video.
- You will get recommended their best videos on your YouTube feed.
- YouTube will recommend similar YouTube channels that other subscribers also watch.
- You won’t have to search for their channel every time to watch their videos.
Basically, subscribing on YouTube will keep you up to date with your favorite creators and it will also enhance your viewing experience by keeping your recommendations only up to your liking.
What Happens When You Hit The Notification Bell?
The next step after you subscribe on YouTube is to turn on notifications for your favorite channels. So let us tell you why creators ask their viewers to hit the notification bell and what happens when you do it.
Creators ask their viewers to not only subscribe to their YouTube channel but also hit the Notification bell because the more people have the notifications turned on more views will come in immediately after uploading the video. This helps the YouTuber gain popularity and get promoted and recommended by YouTube which eventually leads to him getting paid by YouTube.
As to what happens when you hit the notification bell, you get notified every time the YouTube channel uploads a new video, and you can literally watch the video before anyone else.
How Do You Benefit When You Join A YouTube Channel Membership?
Becoming a member of a YouTube channel is different than being just a subscriber.
For starters, it’s not a feature available to all YouTubers. YouTube channels that are very popular and fit the criteria set forward by YouTube can only gain access to this feature. So if you’re considering joining a YouTube channel membership you need to remember that this is not a free feature. Every channel and every region has different prices set. If you pay the membership fees and join a YouTube Channel these are the benefits you will enjoy:
- Special posts that tell you more about a video.
- Loyalty badges that make you stand out in the comment section.
- Emojis that are exclusive to a certain YouTube channel and audience.
YouTube channel membership can be extremely useful to small YouTubers who want to grow their channel. Becoming a member of a big channel can give you insights into working on a video and it will bring light to your own channel when you leave a comment under theirs.
So yes, to answer your question, Subscribing on YouTube is Free.
We hope that reading this article has answered your question, ‘Is subscribing on YouTube free?’ and you have also gotten more insight on how subscription works and how is it different than YouTube channel membership.
Interested in some YouTube statistics? Here’s an interesting article you could read about it!