Google gains 25M subscriptions in Q1, driven by YouTube and Google One

Source: TechCrunch

Subscription Growth

Google added another 25 million paid subscriptions to its services over the past quarter, according to Alphabet’s first‑quarter earnings report. The company now has 350 million paid subscriptions across its services, up from 325 million in Q4 2025 (source). Growth was driven primarily by YouTube and Google One (the cloud storage and subscription service).

Gemini

The earnings report did not disclose the number of Gemini subscribers or its monthly active users. However, access to advanced Gemini features is now bundled with Google One plans, which are expanding.

While exact figures are unavailable, Gemini may still have more than 750 million users, matching the benchmark reported in the prior quarter (TechCrunch). Google highlighted a 40 % quarter‑over‑quarter increase in paid monthly active users in the enterprise market, though no specific numbers were provided.

YouTube Ad Revenue

YouTube’s ad revenue missed Wall Street expectations despite year‑over‑year growth. According to CNBC, analysts expected $9.99 billion in YouTube ad revenue for the quarter, but the actual figure was $9.88 billion.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai warned that as users shift to YouTube Premium (ad‑free) subscriptions, ad revenue can be negatively impacted. Last year, YouTube’s total revenue (ads + subscriptions) topped $60 billion, with Q4 2025 generating $11.4 billion in ad revenue alone. This quarter, YouTube ad revenue was $9.9 billion, an 11 % year‑over‑year increase, but still fell short of analyst forecasts, indicating a continued migration toward ad‑free subscriptions.

Financial Summary

Alphabet’s overall revenue for the quarter was $109.9 billion, surpassing Wall Street expectations, helped by strong cloud performance. Cloud revenue alone exceeded $20 billion.