The bad news about Netflix pricing is that its price hikes and raises seem inevitable. For all the new shows and movies that the big red streaming machine gets, this is an understandable downside for one of the best streaming services. That said, the cheaper Netflix with ads is here, and it's ... well, not great.
The latest news on Netflix's pricing is an upgrade for Premium subscribers, the folks that pay $20 per month. Now, they'll get to download shows on more devices for offline viewing.
If the company will continue to spend, spend, spend on its ever-growing library of exclusive Netflix Originals its subscribers will keep footing the bill. Interestingly enough, Netflix is testing a new pricing option, with a $2.99 per user charge to add people outside of your household.
This is meant to curb account-sharing, one of the Netflix tricks we recommend to get the most out of your monthly payment. And since we're in a moment where it seems many are starved for more Netflix, most people will likely keep paying for the service.
This is all happening after the most-recent Netflix price hike hit new subscribers in January 2022. Perhaps it comes as no surprise that this led to Netflix announced its first subscriber loss in over a decade. And as we'll detail below, this isn't the only Netflix price increase in recent history.
Netflix isn't the only streaming service raising prices, as a $1 per month increase just hit HBO Max. So, let's break down the new pricing, how much of a jump it is off of last year's pricing, and what you get.
Netflix prices
| Netflix plan | Current price | Former price |
|---|---|---|
| Basic with ads | $6.99 per month | n/a |
| Basic | $9.99 per month | $8.99 per month |
| Standard | $15.49 per month | $13.99 per month |
| Premium | $19.99 per month | $17.99 per month |
Netflix revealed its new Basic with ads tier on Oct. 13, giving users a $3 per month cheaper option.
Check out our tips and tricks for saving money on Netflix if you want to learn more about maximizing the value of your account.
Netflix announced its most recent price hike on January 14, 2022, and before that the previous increase was on October 2020, when it went up by $1-$2 from the pricing revealed in January 2019.
Netflix price tiers: what you get
Netflix's most popular plan, the $15.49 per month Standard tier, gets you up to two streams at once in up to Full HD (1080p). It's likely the most popular plan for two reasons. Firstly, the proliferation of 4K TVs and 4K content isn't going as fast as some may want. Also: people may just not need the four simultaneous streams and 4K HDR quality in the Premium plan.
Netflix's rules for downloading episodes on devices differs by your plan. Basic with ads subscribers can't (because ads need to be served live), Basic subscribers get to download on one device, Standard users get two and Premium get six (formerly 4) (opens in new tab).
| Netflix plan | Price | Picture quality | Simultaneous streams | Download devices | Spatial audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic with Ads | $6.99 per month | 720p HD | 1 | 0 | No |
| Basic | $9.99 per month | 720p HD | 1 | 1 | No |
| Standard | $15.49 per month | Up to 1080p | Up to 2 streams | 2 | No |
| Premium | $19.99 per month | Up to 4K UHD | Up to 4 streams | 6 | Yes |
Netflix also added spatial audio for Premium users.
At the same time, we wouldn't be surprised to learn that the $9.99 per month Basic plan isn't that popular because people have trained their eyes to see the difference between HD (720p) and Full HD (1080p).
Netflix price increase timeline: a history of hikes
As you'll see below, in data posted by The Verge (opens in new tab), the Premium Netflix tier used to be stable, but since 2017 it has constantly seen the largest jumps of $2 per bump. Standard has mostly seen $1 per month increases, with the exception of 2019's $2 increase and 2022's $1.50 bump.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Basic with Ads | Basic | Standard | Premium |
| April 2013 | n/a | n/a | $7.99 | $11.99 |
| April 2014 | n/a | $7.99 | $8.99 | $11.99 |
| Oct. 2015 | n/a | $7.99 | $9.99 | $11.99 |
| Oct. 2017 | n/a | $7.99 | $10.99 | $13.99 |
| Jan. 2019 | n/a | $8.99 | $12.99 | $15.99 |
| Oct. 2020 | n/a | $8.99 | $13.99 | $17.99 |
| Jan. 2022 | n/a | $9.99 | $15.49 | $19.99 |
| Nov. 2022 | $6.99 | $9.99 | $15.49 | $19.99 |
That kinda makes sense, as Netflix knows its more thrifty subscribers are more sensitive to price increases, while those paying the most likely have more room in their budget.
Over time, we've seen small and large gaps of time between Netflix price increases, and the most recent increase was one of the shortest, at 15 months (the same gap between its 2017 and 2019 increases).
Netflix price outlook
Based on recent history, we wouldn't expect a Netflix pricing increase until fall 2023. It could happen sooner, especially if Netflix's games becomes something it thinks it can charge more for. But for now, it seems like we'll be waiting a little bit before Netflix pricing goes up again.
