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What streaming services used to cost — and what they cost now

Streaming services keep climbing in price. Here’s a look at what they used to cost compared to today

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What streaming services used to cost — and what they cost now
ByBen Kesslen
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Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images

Everything's getting more expensive — and your streaming services aren't immune.

Disney $DIS+ made headlines this week after announcing its latest price hike. Starting in late October, the streaming service will cost $12 a month with ads, up $2, and $19 a month without ads, a $3 increase. But it isn't the only streaming service that's more than doubled its prices since launching.

Below, we've compiled a list of what streaming services used to cost and what they cost now.

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Disney+

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Disney $DIS+ launched in 2019 as an ad-free streaming service for $7 a month. The streamer now costs $19 a month. It launched its version with ads in 2022 for $8 a month, and now charges $12 for the same service.

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Hulu

JHVEPhoto / Getty Images

Hulu launched with ads in 2010, charging $8 a month; that version now costs $10 a month. Hulu launched an ad-free version in 2015 for $12 a month, but now charges $19 for the service, in part to incentivize people to switch to the Disney $DIS+/Hulu bundle, which you can get ad-free for $20 a month.

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Netflix

Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images

Originally a DVD rental service, Netflix $NFLX priced its first streaming bundle at $6 in 2007. When Netflix introduced a streaming-only plan in 2011, it cost $8 a month. Now, it costs $18. The streamer launched a version with ads in 2022 for $7 a month, for which it now charges $8.

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Peacock

SOPA Images / Contributor / Getty Images

When Peacock launched in 2020, it cost $10 ad-free. It now charges $17 for the same service. It launched a version with ads in 2021 for $5 that now costs $11.

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Prime Video

Aziz Shamuratov / Getty Images

Prime Video launched in 2016 ad-free for $9 and now charges $12. It costs $9 for a version with ads that launched last year. Most people, however, get the streaming service through a general subscription to Amazon $AMZN Prime. 

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Apple TV+

Alberto Rodriguez / Contributor / Getty Images

Apple $AAPL TV+ launched in 2019 for $5 a month ad-free. It now charges $13, and doesn’t offer a version with ads.

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HBO Max

JC Olivera / Contributor / Getty Images

HBO Max launched in 2020, ad-free, for $15. It now charges $17 for the service. It started offering an ad-free version in 2021 for $10 and still charges that price.

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Paramount+

CHRIS DELMAS / Contributor / Getty Images

Paramount $PARA+ launched in 2021, charging $5 for the platform with ads and $10 without. The company now charges $13 for ad-free streaming, while the ad-laden variety costs $8.

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