The streaming revolution was alleged to allow us to swap costly cable TV payments for a extra inexpensive, a la carte viewing expertise. And whereas a Netflix membership is cheaper than a Comcast or Spectrum TV subscription, the fee ticks up should you additionally want HBO Max for The Pitt, Paramount+ for the Taylor Sheridan universe, and Netflix for Bridgerton.
Not serving to issues is a continuing stream of worth hikes and plan changes. And don’t even take into consideration splitting the fee by sharing a password. Mooching off your outdated roommate’s sister’s login is now a factor of the previous as main streaming providers crack down.
The most recent: Prime Video is elevating costs on its ad-free tier, efficient April 10.
In case you don’t maintain shut tabs in your subscriptions, it’s straightforward to overlook a value enhance. A subscription that began at $4.99 per thirty days can simply creep as much as $9.99. You probably have a half dozen or so video-streaming providers, plus music streaming or cloud storage, it rapidly provides up.
Under, we’ll run by the worth historical past of the highest video-streaming providers and what you’ll pay should you enroll at this time.
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Netflix
(Credit score: Netflix/PCMag)
After taking away its Primary plan, Netflix now has three tiers: Customary with advertisements ($6.99), Customary ($15.49), and Premium ($22.99). You’d assume an organization would need as many individuals on its costliest plan as doable, however the ad-based tier has confirmed well-liked and profitable, therefore the demise of the Primary plan. Searching for one thing to observe? Try 16 Underrated Netflix Reveals and Motion pictures to Stream Proper Now.
February 2026: Simply kidding. Netflix drops the WB acquisition following a hostile takeover bid from Paramount. It is getting a $2.8 billion breakup price, however do not maintain your breathe for that to translate into extra inexpensive streaming.
December 2025. Netflix says it can purchase Warner Bros’ studios, HBO Max, and HBO for $82.7 billion. For now, nothing is altering, although Netflix execs teased HBO bundles.
Jan. 21, 2025: Netflix begins notifying prospects of across-the-board worth hikes:
Customary with advertisements will increase from $6.99 to $7.99
Customary with no advertisements will increase from $15.49 to $17.99
Premium with no advertisements will increase from $22.99 to $24.99
Including an additional member will increase by $1 from $7.99 to $8.99
January 2024: Declares plans to do away with the Primary plan for current customers.
October 2023:
The Primary plan goes up $2 per thirty days from $9.99 to $11.99.
The Premium plan will increase $3 from $19.99 to $22.99.
The Customary and ad-supported plans stay the identical at $15.49 and $6.99, respectively.
July 2023: Eliminates Primary ad-free $9.99 plan for brand new subscribers.
Might 2023: Add one other member is $7.99 per thirty days/individual for greater tiers.
November 2022: Launches ad-based tier for $6.99 per thirty days.
January 2022:
Primary plan will increase $1 per thirty days from $8.99 to $9.99.
Customary plan will increase $1.50 from $13.99 to $15.49.
Premium plan goes up $2 from $17.99 to $19.99.
October 2020: Netflix raises the Customary plan by a greenback to $13.99 a month, and the Premium tier by two {dollars} to $17.99 a month.
January 2019: The Customary plan goes up from $11 per thirty days to $13. The Primary plan, then again, will increase from $8 to $9.
Apple TV
Apple TV got here in at a low worth because of an rising library of authentic content material. Plus, Apple might afford it. However as its reveals have picked up steam over time, due to hits like The Studio and Severance, the service’s pricing has fallen according to its rivals. Buying a brand new Apple machine will get you an prolonged free trial (for brand new prospects), relying on what you purchase. Apple continues to be a {hardware} firm, in any case. For extra, take a look at The Finest Reveals and Motion pictures on Apple TV.
October 2025: Apple and NBCUniversal announce a bundle that gives subscribers entry to Apple TV and Peacock for a reduced fee of $14.99 per thirty days.
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October 2025: Apple adjustments the identify of its streaming service from Apple TV+ to only Apple TV.
August 2025: Month-to-month worth jumps to $12.99 per thirty days. Annual continues to be $99.99.
October 2023: Goes as much as $9.99 per thirty days. Plus, the Apple One bundle, which incorporates cloud storage, Apple TV, and Apple Music, amongst different providers, now prices $19.95 per thirty days for people, up from $16.95.
October 2022: Value enhance to $6.99 per thirty days and $69 yearly.
November 2019: Debuts at $4.99 per thirty days or $49.99 per 12 months.
HBO Max / Discovery+
(Credit score: PCMag/Warner Bros. Discovery)
HBO made the bounce to streaming in 2015 forward of the season 5 premiere of Recreation of Thrones, with one service for these with a pay TV subscription and one other for many who simply watched on-line. At $14.99 per thirty days, it was one of many dearer choices, however status TV would not come low cost. Now HBO Max, it contains an ad-supported tier and content material from Discovery. Searching for one thing to observe? Do not miss 15 HBO Max Sleeper Hits That Are Really Price Watching.
February 2026: Simply kidding. Netflix drops the WB acquisition following a hostile takeover bid from Paramount, which says it can ultimately merge HBO Max and Paramount+ into one service.
December 2025. Netflix says it can purchase Warner Bros’ studios, HBO Max, and HBO for $82.7 billion. For now, nothing is altering, although Netflix execs teased HBO bundles.
October 2025: Extra worth hikes incoming, efficient instantly for brand new prospects and Nov. 20 for everybody else.
HBO Max’s Primary with Adverts plan is rising $1 a month to $10.99. The annual subscription is leaping to $109.99 from $99.99.
HBO Max Customary subscription is rising by $1.50 a month to $18.49. Annual subscription is $184.99, up from $169.99.
HBO Max Premium goes up $2 per thirty days to $22.99 per thirty days. A yearly subscription goes up $20 to $229.99.
July 2025: Max is as soon as once more HBO Max, however the worth is identical.
January 2025: Discovery+ ad-supported plan go from $4.99 to $5.99 per thirty days and the ad-free plan go from $8.99 to $9.99 per thirty days.
June 2024: Advert-free tier will increase from $15.99 to $16.99. The Final Advert-Free plan, which presents 4K streams, jumps $1 to $20.99. Advert-free annual plans additionally enhance by $20 per 12 months.
October 2023: Advert-free Discovery+ jumps from $6.99 per thirty days to $8.99.
Might 2023: RIP HBO Max, lengthy stay Max.
April 2023:
Warner Bros. Media pronounces Max, which mixes HBO Max and Discovery+. A $9.99 per thirty days ad-supported tier stays, nevertheless it drops 4K for 1080p and reduces concurrent streams from three to 2.
Provides 4K high quality to a brand new “Final” tier for Max, which prices $19.99 per thirty days and supply subscribers 4 concurrent streams.
January 2023: Advert-free tier will increase from $14.99 to $15.99.
June 2021: Advert-supported HBO Max tier added for $9.99 per thirty days.
Might 2021: WarnerMedia and Discovery merge to turn out to be Warner Bros. Discovery
January 2021: Discovery+ launches for $4.99 per thirty days ($6.99 ad-free).
July 2020: HBO retires HBO GO for pay TV subscribers and rebrands as simply HBO.
Might 2020: HBO Max launches for $14.99 per thirty days (RIP HBO Now).
March 2015: HBO Now debuts for $14.99 per thirty days.
Amazon Prime Video
(Credit score: René Ramos; Amazon)
Most individuals get Prime Video by way of an Amazon Prime membership, which has seen just a few worth hikes over time. In 2024, the corporate irked prospects by including commercials to the bottom tier and requiring an additional $2.99 per thirty days to take away them. Come April 10, it’s going to be $4.99. Searching for one thing to observe? Try 13 Amazon Prime Video Hidden Gems That Deserve a Spot on Your Watchlist.
March 2026: Efficient April 10, the ad-free tier will value $4.99 per thirty days further, up from $2.99. The ad-supported tier will even lose 4K streaming, however everybody will get one further concurrent stream per account.
June 2025: Amazon doubles the variety of commercials to 4 to 6 minutes of advertisements for every hour watched, up from two to three.5 minutes per hour in 2024.
April 2024: Amazon denies experiences that standalone Prime Video might be shut down.
Jan. 29, 2024: Adverts roll out to Prime Video; further $2.99 per thirty days to ditch them
February 2022: Amazon will increase the worth of Prime from $119 to $139 for annual subscribers. Month-to-month subscribers see a $2 enhance to $14.99.
2018: Prime worth enhance from $99 to $119.
April 2016: Standalone Prime Video launches for $8.99 per thirty days.
Hulu
(Credit score: Hulu/PCMag)
Hulu subscribers who weren’t being attentive to their payments most likely acquired the largest sticker shock in fall 2023, when the service went up from $14.99 to $17.99 per thirty days for the ad-free tier. Nevertheless it occurred once more a 12 months later.
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August 2025: Disney says the standalone Hulu app might be discontinued in 2026 and merged with Disney+. No worth adjustments for now, although.
October 2024: New worth hikes go into impact.
August 2024: Hulu pronounces that, efficient Oct. 17:
Advert-supported goes from $7.99 to $9.99 per thirty days.
The annual price for ad-supported Hulu jumps from $79.99 to $99.99.
Advert-free Hulu is rising from $17.99 to $18.99 per thirty days.
Hulu + Reside TV (with advertisements) is rising from $76.99 to $82.99 per thirty days.
Advert-free Hulu + Reside TV will go from $89.99 to $95.99 per thirty days.
July 2024: A streaming bundle presents Disney+, Hulu, and Max for $16.99 per thirty days with advertisements or ad-free for $29.99.
October 2023: Advert-free Hulu up from $14.99 to $17.99 per thirty days; ad-supported nonetheless $7.99.
December 2022: Advert-free model of Hulu up from $12.99 to $14.99 per thirty days.
2020-2021: A collection of hikes for Hulu with Reside TV. It’s at the moment $76.99 with advertisements (plus Disney+ and ESPN+) or $89.99 per thirty days with out advertisements.
Disney+
For Disney followers (and Swifties), this streamer is a no brainer. However the worth for the ad-free tier has mainly doubled in 5 years, from $6.99 at launch to $15.99 now. In case you’re a sports activities fan or have a tendency to observe a whole lot of ABC content material, bundling with Hulu and/or ESPN+ might prevent a few bucks right here. A standalone ESPN streaming app with entry to all of ESPN’s linear networks can also be out there for $29.99/month or $299.99/12 months.
September 2025: Haha, simply kidding. There’ll certainly be a worth hike. Efficient Oct. 21, the bottom, ad-supported plan might be $11.99 per thirty days, up from $9.99 per thirty days, in addition to:
Disney+ Premium (no advertisements): New Value $18.99 | Present Value: $15.99
Disney+ Premium (annual ad-free plan): New Value $189.99 | Present Value: $159.99
Disney+, Hulu Bundle (with advertisements): New Value $12.99 | Present Value: $10.99
Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (with advertisements): New Value $19.99 | Present Value: $16.99
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Choose Bundle (with advertisements): New Value $19.99 | Present Value: $16.99
Disney+ Premium, Hulu, ESPN Choose Bundle Legacy: New Value $24.99 | Present Value: $21.99
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Choose Bundle Premium: New Value $29.99 | Present Value: $26.99
Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (No Adverts): New Value $32.99 | Present Value: $29.99
August 2025: Disney says the standalone Hulu app might be discontinued in 2026 and merged with Disney+. No worth adjustments for now, although.
October 2024: Newest worth hikes go into impact.
August 2024: Disney pronounces that efficient Oct. 17:
Advert-supported Disney+ Primary is rising from $7.99 to $9.99 per thirty days.
Advert-free Disney+ Premium goes up from $13.99 to $15.99 per thirty days.
Annual ad-free Disney+ Premium can also be leaping from $139.99 to $159.99.
The Disney Bundle Duo Primary, which incorporates ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu, goes from $9.99 to $10.99 per thirty days.
July 2024: A streaming bundle presents Disney+, Hulu, and Max for $16.99 per thirty days with advertisements or ad-free for $29.99.
October 2023: Disney+ Premium will increase from $10.99 to $13.99 per thirty days; ad-supported stays at $7.99.
December 2022:
March 2021: Value up from $6.99 to $7.99 or $69.99 to $79.99. Bundle as much as $13.99.
November 2019: Disney+ debuts at $6.99 per thirty days or $69.99 per 12 months with no advertisements, or $12.99 a month for a bundle of Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu.
Paramount+
This service began as a streaming platform for CBS TV reveals, however now contains the Paramount and Showtime universes. Meaning throwback MTV reveals, collection like Billions, and a few of Paramount’s blockbuster motion pictures.
February 2026: Paramount succeeds with its hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery and says it can ultimately merge HBO Max and Paramount+ into one service.
November 2025: Efficient Jan. 15, 2026, Paramount+ will enhance costs throughout the board.
Paramount+ Important goes up $1 to $8.99 a month.
Paramount+ Important annual subscription goes up by $30 from $59.99 to $89.99.
Paramount+ Premium additionally goes up $1 to $13.99 a month.
Paramount+ Premium annual plan strikes from $119.99 to $139.99 a 12 months.
June 2025: Paramount+ drops “with Showtime” from the identify of its premium plan to deliver a restricted variety of Showtime-produced programming to its cheaper tier. Pricing is identical, with Paramount+ Premium at $12.99 a month or $119.99 per 12 months and the ad-supported Important plan at $7.99 a month.
Aug. 20, 2024: Newest worth hike goes into impact.
June 25, 2024: Beginning Aug. 20, Paramount+ Important will enhance from $5.99 to $7.99 per thirty days, whereas Paramount+ with Showtime might be $12.99 per thirty days.
April 30, 2024: Paramount International shuts down Showtime and strikes everybody to Paramount+.
June 2023: Paramount+ and Showtime merge for $11.99 per thirty days. Standalones proceed at $9.99 for Paramount+ and $10.99 for Showtime. Plus, Paramount+ with out Showtime for $5.99, up from $4.99.
March 2021: CBS All Entry rebranded as Paramount+.
August 2016: CBS All Entry launches ad-free tier for $9.99 per thirty days.
October 2014: CBS All Entry launches for $5.99 per thirty days.
Peacock
(Credit score: NBC Common)
Peacock is for all issues NBC, together with The Workplace and 30 Rock, Bravo actuality collection, and flicks from the NBCUniversal library. At launch, Peacock tried its hand at a free, ad-supported tier, however rapidly found that streaming is expensive and lower the free tier in 2023. In July 2025, it introduced its third worth hike in three years, although it is also testing a brand new, less-expensive tier known as Peacock Choose, that includes content material from NBC and Bravo, together with just a few different titles, for $7.99 per thirty days and $79.99 yearly.
October 2025: Apple and NBCUniversal announce a bundle that gives subscribers entry to Apple TV and Peacock for a reduced fee of $14.99 per thirty days.
July 23, 2025: Capitalizing on the success of Love Island USA, Peacock raises costs throughout the board:
Advert-supported Peacock Premium goes from $7.99 to $10.99 per thirty days.
Advert-supported Peacock Premium goes from $79.99 to $109.99 per 12 months.
Advert-free Peacock Premium Plus plan goes from $13.99 to $16.99 per thirty days.
Advert-free Peacock Premium Plus plan goes from $139.99 to $169.99 per 12 months.
July 18, 2024: New costs go into impact.
April 2024: Peacock pronounces plans to extend the ad-supported Premium plan from $5.99 to $7.99 per thirty days and the Premium Plus plan from $11.99 to $13.99 per thirty days in summer season 2024.
July 2023: Improve of $1 to $5.99 per thirty days/$59.99 per 12 months for Premium, or $2 bump for Premium Plus to $11.99 / $119.99.
February 2023: Axes free streaming tier.
July 2020: Peacock launches with free, ad-supported tier; Peacock Premium is $4.99/$49.99, and ad-free Premium Plus is $9.99 / $99.99.
Crunchyroll
Anime followers with a higher-tier Crunchyroll membership noticed a worth hike in Might 2024, its first since 2019, to fund “the rise in content material on Crunchyroll lately,” the streaming service says. On Jan. 1, it then ended its free, ad-supported service and introduced extra worth hikes a month later.
Premium Fan: $9.99 per thirty days ($2 enhance)
Mega Fan: Will increase from $11.99 to $13.99 per thirty days.
Final Fan: Will increase from $15.99 to $17.99 per thirty days.
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Chloe Albanesius
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I began out overlaying tech coverage in DC for The Nationwide Journal, the place my beat included state-level tech information and all of the congressional hearings and FCC conferences I might deal with. I later coated Wall Road buying and selling tech earlier than switching gears to shopper tech. I now lead PCMag’s information protection and handle our how-to content material.
Getting my begin in DC means I nonetheless have a tender spot for tech coverage; Congressional hearings can typically be as entertaining as a Bravo actuality present, for higher or worse. However PCMag is all in regards to the expertise we use on daily basis, in addition to holding a watch out for the developments that may form the trade within the years forward (or flop on arrival). I’ve coated the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that is now left us with hefty streaming payments, and the hassle to stuff synthetic intelligence into each product you may think about. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many instances), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I additionally drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as a part of our Finest Cellular Networks challenge. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working crew of reporters at PCMag, guiding and modifying their strong protection of satellite tv for pc web efforts, electrical automobiles, the newest cyberattacks, AI, and extra.
I would not think about myself an early adopter; I held on to my iPhone XR till I traded as much as an iPhone 15. My getting older Apple Watch Sequence 4 was lastly changed by a Sequence 10 final 12 months. On the desktop, it is all Home windows for me. I’ve tried macOS, however alas it isn’t for me.
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