Streamer Subscription Prices And Tiers – Everything To Know As Costs Rise And Ads Abound

UPDATED with raised Netflix pricing. Netflix has increased pricing for all its subscription tiers as of the end of March 2026. The new pricing bumped the fee to $8.99 a month for Netflix’s Standard with Ads tier, up $1. The standard tier now costs $2 more at $19.99 per month. Its Premium plan also went up $2 to $26.99.

HBO Max, which reverted to its previous name over the summer of 2025 in a rebrand, raised its Basic with Ads subscription by $1. Earlier that year, Peacock soared to the top of the price rankings of ad-supported services, by hiking the monthly cost of its Premium tier to $10.99 from $7.99.

Prices have been rising sharply in recent months, however, a marked contrast to the days when Disney+ had no ads and cost just seven bucks a month. A recent report by research firm Antenna found that prices for both ad-free services and those with ads have risen on average more than 20% since 2023.

Watch on Deadline

Apple TV+, whose monthly price has doubled since it launched in 2019, might have been tacitly acknowledging the trend when it made the service free for the first weekend in January in a global promotion.

RELATED: Max Follows Netflix’s Lead, Debuts “Extra Member Add-On” In Bid To Curb Password Sharing

The surge in streaming has tracked inflation across the broader economy, which has seen the cost of groceries, gas and many other items climb at rates not seen in decades. It can be difficult to keep track of the going rates for the different streaming services – and doing so is even more complex now that most are offering both ad-free and ad-supported tiers. Netflix’s Standard (ad-free) tier just jumped to $17.99 a month from $15.49, becoming the priciest major outlet, followed by Max’s ad-free level at $16.99, followed by Disney+ at $15.99. (Netflix and Max also offer ultra-premium plans north of $20.) Most services have yearly subscription prices versus month-to-month, which can shave a few dollars off the price for those willing to commit for a longer period up front. Then there are bundles like one combining Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, or add-on options like Apple’s recently launched offering with Prime Video.

Internet-based packages like YouTube TV initially also promised a cable-like experience at a much lower cost. But YouTube just hiked its basic plan by $10, bringing its base-level subscription to $82.99. January’s bump followed an $8 increase in March 2023. The new price for YouTube TV monthly now matches that of Disney’s Hulu + Live TV package.

Related Stories

News

Ted Sarandos Defends Netflix’s Tough Stance On Theatrical Releasing: “We Are In The Subscription Streaming Business, And You Can See Our Results”