Streaming Price Guide: Navigating the Surge In Subscription Fees
From pocket change to pricey plans: The rising cost of monthly subscription services
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Get started for freeIn the beginning, streaming services like Netflix and Spotify changed the game. They shook up the old ways of cable TV & the music industry and gave us the power to watch or listen to whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. They were a big win for consumers because they were easier and much cheaper than what existed before.
But, fast forward to today, and things have started to shift. If you’re someone who likes to use a few different streaming services to catch all your favorite shows and tunes, you might have noticed your bills creeping up in recent times. Let’s say you love watching superhero movies on one service, cooking shows on another, and listening to your favorite bands on a third. Add all those monthly subscription fees together, and suddenly, it’s not so cheap after all.
In this post, we’re going to look at the price changes over the last 4–8 years for some of the popular streaming services. So, you can easily see just how much more you’re paying nowadays.
Note: The below information is focused on the US market. But, many of the service providers below also hiked prices in other countries at around similar times.
There’s two main sections to the post. They are:
Video Streaming Services
Netflix
Basic
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $7.99 | - | Variety |
| 2019 | $8.99 | $1.00 + | Variety |
| 2022 | $9.99 | $1.00 + | Forbes |
| 2023 | $11.99 | $2.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $4.00
Standard
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $7.99 | - | Variety |
| 2014 | $8.99 | $1.00 + | Variety |
| 2015 | $9.99 | $1.00 + | Variety |
| 2017 | $10.99 | $1.00 + | Variety |
| 2019 | $12.99 | $2.00 + | Variety |
| 2020 | $13.99 | $1.00 + | Verge |
| 2022 | $15.49 | $1.50 + | Forbes |
Total increase = $7.50
Standard (with ads)
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $6.99 | - | Verge |
Premium
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | $11.99 | - | Variety |
| 2017 | $13.99 | $2.00 + | Variety |
| 2019 | $15.99 | $2.00 + | Variety |
| 2020 | $17.99 | $2.00 + | Verge |
| 2022 | $19.99 | $2.00 + | Forbes |
| 2023 | $22.99 | $3.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $11.00
Hulu
Hulu + Live TV (with ads)
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $39.99 | - | StreamTV |
| 2019 | $44.99 | $5.00 + | StreamTV |
| 2019 | $54.99 | $10.00 + | ARS |
| 2020 | $64.99 | $10.00 + | ARS |
| 2021 | $69.99 | $5.00 + | StreamTV |
| 2023 | $76.99 | $7.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $37.00
Hulu + Live TV (ad-free)
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $60.99 | - | ARS |
| 2020 | $70.99 | $10.00 + | ARS |
| 2021 | $74.99 | $4.00 + | StreamTV |
| 2023 | $89.99 | $15.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $29.00
Live TV only
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $53.99 | - | ARS |
| 2020 | $63.99 | $10.00 + | ARS |
| 2021 | $68.99 | $5.00 + | StreamTV |
| 2023 | $75.99 | $7.00 + | Hulu |
Total increase = $22.00
Hulu only (with ads)
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $7.99 | - | StreamTV |
| 2019 | $5.99 | $2.00 - | StreamTV |
| 2021 | $6.99 | $1.00 + | Verge |
| 2022 | $7.99 | $1.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $0.00
Hulu only (ad-free)
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $11.99 | - | ARS |
| 2021 | $12.99 | $1.00 + | Verge |
| 2022 | $14.99 | $2.00 + | Verge |
| 2023 | $17.99 | $3.00 + | BI |
Total increase = $6.00
Disney Plus
Disney+ Basic
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $7.99 | - | Variety |
Disney+ Premium
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $6.99 | - | Verge |
| 2021 | $7.99 | $1.00 + | Verge |
| 2022 | $10.99 | $3.00 + | Variety |
| 2023 | $13.99 | $3.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $7.00
Max (formerly known as HBO Max)
With Ads
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $9.99 | - | Verge |
Ad-Free
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $14.99 | - | Verge |
| 2023 | $15.99 | $1.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $1.00
Ultimate Ad-Free
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $19.99 | - | Variety |
Apple TV
Monthly Plan
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $4.99 | - | MacRumors |
| 2022 | $6.99 | $2.00 + | MacRumors |
| 2023 | $9.99 | $3.00 + | MacRumors |
Total increase = $5.00
Peacock TV
Peacock Premium
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $4.99 | - | Verge |
| 2023 | $5.99 | $1.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $1.00
Peacock Premium Plus
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $9.99 | - | Verge |
| 2023 | $11.99 | $2.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $2.00
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ Essential
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $4.99 | - | Verge |
| 2023 | $5.99 | $1.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $1.00
Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $9.99 | - | Verge |
| 2023 | $11.99 | $2.00 + | Verge |
Total increase = $2.00
YouTube Premium
Individual
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $9.99 | - | ARS |
| 2018 | $11.99 | $2.00 + | ARS |
| 2023 | $13.99 | $2.00 + | TG |
Total increase = $4.00
Family
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $17.99 | - | Forbes |
| 2022 | $22.99 | $5.00 + | TG |
Total increase = $5.00
Student
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $6.99 | - | TG |
| 2022 | $7.99 | $1.00 + | TG |
Total increase = $1.00
Music Streaming Services
Spotify
Spotify Premium
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $9.99 | - | EDM |
| 2023 | $10.99 | $1.00 + | Spotify |
Total increase = $1.00
Spotify Premium Duo
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $12.99 | - | Verge |
| 2023 | $14.99 | $2.00 + | Spotify |
Total increase = $2.00
Spotify Premium Family
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $14.99 | - | Verge |
| 2021 | $15.99 | $1.00 + | Verge |
| 2023 | $16.99 | $1.00 + | Spotify |
Total increase = $2.00
Spotify Premium Student
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $4.99 | - | Verge |
| 2023 | $5.99 | $1.00 + | Spotify |
Total increase = $1.00
Apple Music
Individual
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $9.99 | - | Engadget |
| 2022 | $10.99 | $1.00 + | Engadget |
Total increase = $1.00
Family
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $14.99 | - | Engadget |
| 2022 | $16.99 | $2.00 + | Engadget |
Total increase = $2.00
Student
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $4.99 | - | DMN |
| 2022 | $5.99 | $1.00 + | DMN |
Total increase = $1.00
YouTube Music Premium
Individual
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $9.99 | - | TG |
| 2022 | $10.99 | $1.00 + | TG |
Total increase = $1.00
Family
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $14.99 | - | TG |
| 2022 | $16.99 | $2.00 + | TG |
Total increase = $2.00
Student
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $4.99 | - | TG |
| 2022 | $5.49 | $0.50 + | TG |
Total increase = $0.50
Amazon Music
Amazon Music Unlimited (Prime subscribers)
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $7.99 | - | TechHive |
| 2022 | $8.99 | $1.00 + | TechHive |
| 2023 | $9.99 | $1.00 + | TechHive |
Total increase = $2.00
Amazon Music Unlimited
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $9.99 | - | Variety |
| 2023 | $10.99 | $1.00 + | Variety |
Total increase = $1.00
Amazon Music Family
| Year | Price | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $14.99 | - | TechHive |
| 2022 | $15.99 | $1.00 + | Engadget |
| 2023 | $16.99 | $1.00 + | TechHive |
Total increase = $2.00