While some websites let you completely remove ads after subscribing, others have started offering “ad-lite” subscriptions. But like when subscribing to streaming services with ads, you’re not getting the best deal.

5

You’re Not Getting Rid of All Ads

While ads can be annoying, they’re an important source of revenue for many websites. Many sites are smart about ad-blockers, too, so old tricks might not work as well as they used to.

Since ads aren’t going away, full subscriptions with no ads are a good balance for websites. The site can still generate an income to operate, while the user enjoys an ad-free experience. In this scenario, everyone wins.

Ad-lite subscriptions, however, aren’t necessarily the best deal. Rather than removing ads completely, you’re not seeing personalized ads. While some may disagree, I can’t say that this would incentivize me to subscribe; I’d rather pay an extra few dollars per month to fully remove them.

In addition to text-based websites, YouTube has experimented with a Premium Lite tool. Most videos are ad-free, but not all. Subscribing makes no sense to me if the videos with ads are on topics I’m interested in.

4

The Ads You See Might Be Worse

I don’t have a problem with website ads, as long as they fit into the overall experience rather than detract from it. My issue is when sites effectively spam their pages with ads, making them unusable. Nobody likes closing a page because it’s stopped responding multiple times.

If I’m going to see ads, I’d much rather that they were personalized. Seeing ads for products and services that fit my interests makes the browsing experience much more enjoyable. I dislike seeing ads for things that I will never buy and on topics I don’t care about.

Many ad-lite subscriptions don’t show personalized ads, meaning that what you see might be worse than before. While not seeing personalized ads might be good for you if you’re prone to impulse buying, I’d rather see them if non-personalized ads were the only other option.

If you’re not like me and don’t like personalized ads, you can take several steps to avoid targeted ads after online shopping. Using a VPN and a privacy-based browser are two possible solutions.

3

Your Data May Still Be Used

Since many ads are based on your interests, many websites will track your behavior. Advertisers can then use this information to serve you products and services they think you’d find interesting.

Given that many people have become more privacy-aware in recent years, it’s understandable that some might want to pay money to avoid using their data. While this might sometimes be the case, some sites may still use your information after subscribing to an ad-lite tier.

Websites still need user information to get feedback and provide better services. So, your data might still be used in some situations. The main difference is that it won’t often be used for advertising; that might be enough for some people, but others may find this more irritating.

Not being tracked online whatsoever is challenging in any circumstance. You can still be tracked while incognito or private browsing, for example.

While some ad-lite services offer only reduced ads, you may get extra benefits with your subscription in other cases. For example, you may get access to apps and exclusive content.

You may sometimes find what’s offered interesting. But much of the time, it feels like these offerings are bundled to make a subscription seem like a better deal than it actually is for many people.

If you already use features similar to what you get when subscribing to an ad-lite tier, by all means, go for it. But if you know that you probably won’t access them (and you wouldn’t pay solely for them), thinking twice before you purchase might be a better idea.

1

You’re Better Off Just Paying for the Ad-Free Version

Many sites offering ad-lite tiers typically have fully ad-free versions. When you subscribe to these, you won’t see any personalized or non-personalized ads. Moreover, you often get access to exclusive and/or unlimited content, allowing you to fully support your favorite publications.

Rather than looking at the price, it’s worth considering how much value you’ll get from subscribing to an ad-free tier. More often than not, it’s a better deal than ad-lite.

Getting an ad-lite subscription is effectively the worst of everything you were trying to avoid. You’ll often still receive ads, and in many cases, they’ll be less personal. Moreover, you might sometimes see ads on content you enjoy and be paying for ad-free access to things you don’t care about. You’re better off paying for the full version.