Tired of skipping YouTube ads? Good news: We’ve spotted a sneaky way to watch YouTube ad-free – something that, before the avalanche of ads, was simply known as use YouTube
There’s no need to shell out a minimum of $7.99/£12.99 per month for a YouTube Premium subscription… and no need to buy a dodgy ad-blocking app that probably won’t work.
How to watch YouTube without ads and without paying (it works)
YouTube does not show any advertising in Albania due to the small size of its market. And while some editors to have We spotted an occasional ad, tried it in January 2026 and received no ads after 2.5 hours of viewing.
But what happens if you are not in Albania? Well, you can use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) and set your location to “Albania”.
A word of warning, though, you will need a powerful VPN (not cheap/free). We’ve tested NordVPN (try it risk-free), Surfshark VPN and Express VPN – all do the job.
This is clearly a popular workaround for bypassing ads. without pay for YouTube Premium. If you’re ready to go, sign up below and watch YouTube ad-free and pay-free…
Use a VPN to access YouTube Albania from abroad
NordVPN is our best VPN (we actually have our own in-house expert, Mike, who tests VPNs 24/7 and rates NordVPN #1 for price, features, security, and more).
We find Nord works best for streaming – allowing you to access your usual streaming services while abroad.
You can sign up in minutes and start watching YouTube ad-free…
Quickstart: Use a VPN to watch YouTube ad-free
Once you’ve signed up with your VPN of choice:
1. Open the NordVPN app.
2. Connect to a server based in Albania.
3. Launch YouTube Albania. If that doesn’t work, try it in Google Chrome’s Incognito mode and you should be off to the races.
4. Keep in mind that Google might one day try to close this particular loophole.
In conclusion
The fact that ad-free access is now treated as a holy grail on the internet is a testament to the average YouTube user experience in 2026.
It certainly doesn’t help that skipping one or more commercials at the start of a video doesn’t guarantee that you won’t then need to sit through one or more commercial breaks and possibly an infomercial as well.
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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Access a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protect your online security and strengthen your online privacy abroad. We do not support or condone illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consumption of paid pirated content is not endorsed or endorsed by Future Publishing.
