Crunchyroll Raised Prices Again: Here Are Your Options

Crunchyroll has been the de facto home of anime streaming for years. Simulcasts, dubs, classic series, seasonal drops. It absorbed Funimation, grew its catalog to over 1,000 titles, and built what is genuinely the most detailed anime library available legally anywhere.

And then it raised prices. Again.

The March 2026 increase hits every paid tier, with the Fan plan seeing its first price jump in about five years. If you are weighing whether to stay, downgrade, or find an alternative, this article covers every realistic option honestly. Including the situations where sticking with Crunchyroll at the new price still makes sense.

What Changed: Old vs. New Pricing

All three paid tiers increased. Here is the before and after:

Annual plan prices increased proportionally at renewal. If you locked in an annual plan before March 2026, the new pricing takes effect when your subscription next renews.

The Mega Fan increase hits hardest in percentage terms for what it represents: it was the "sweet spot" plan for households sharing a single account across a couple of devices. At $14.99/month, the value calculus changes somewhat.

Why Crunchyroll Raised Prices

Crunchyroll has not made a lengthy public statement, but the pressures driving streaming price increases are well-documented across the industry:

Anime Licensing Costs Are Rising

Simulcast rights. The agreements that let Crunchyroll air episodes within hours of their Japanese broadcast, have become significantly more expensive. Studios and publishers know what Crunchyroll needs, and competition from Netflix, Amazon, and Disney for premium anime titles has driven licensing fees upward across the board.

Crunchyroll added simulcast rights for over 100 new series in 2025 alone. The math on that catalog expansion does not work at 2019 price points.

The Funimation Integration Cost Money

Absorbing Funimation's content library, infrastructure, and dub production pipeline into Crunchyroll was a multi-year project that required substantial investment. Fans got access to thousands of dubbed episodes they did not have before. That came at a cost that eventually gets passed along.

The Fan Tier Had Not Moved in Five Years

The Fan tier held at $7.99 since roughly 2021 while inflation ran at around 20% cumulative over that period. A $2 increase on a $7.99 product is not small, but it is also not a shock if you frame it against five years of frozen pricing in an environment where everything else got more expensive.

None of this makes the increase painless. It just explains where it comes from.

What You Still Get for the Money

It is worth being honest here: Crunchyroll's catalog genuinely has no peer for breadth of anime content.

• 1,000+ anime series including virtually every major ongoing simulcast
• Episode availability within hours of Japanese broadcast for current-season shows
• Extensive dub library (inherited from Funimation) covering major titles across decades
• Crunchyroll Manga on Ultimate Fan tier, a meaningful add-on for readers
• Available on every major platform: PS5, Xbox, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, iOS, Android

If you watch more than three or four currently-airing simulcast series per season, there is no competing service that covers the same ground. HIDIVE has some overlap, Netflix has licensed some major titles, Amazon's Prime Video Channels carry some simulcasts. But none of them replicate the breadth.

The question is not whether Crunchyroll is still the best anime service. It is. The question is whether it is worth the new price for your specific viewing habits.

Alternatives to Full-Price Crunchyroll

HIDIVE, $5.99/month

HIDIVE is the most substantive paid alternative. At $5.99/month it is still below even the old Crunchyroll Fan pricing, and it carries a genuine library including some simulcasts, an excellent dub catalog, and older titles Crunchyroll does not have.

The honest caveat: HIDIVE's simulcast selection is narrower. If you follow five or six airing shows, some of them probably are not on HIDIVE. If you watch one or two seasonal titles and have a backlog of classics to work through, HIDIVE covers a lot of ground at a lower price.

Netflix. Partial Anime Library

Netflix has licensed some high-profile anime titles (Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece) and produces original anime content. It is not a replacement for Crunchyroll as an anime-first service, but if you already pay for Netflix, you may find it covers the specific titles you watch most. Worth auditing before paying for a second service.

Free Legal Options

• Crunchyroll Free Tier: Still exists. Ad-supported, one-week delay on new episodes, limited catalog access. Adequate if you are patient and do not mind ads.
• Tubi: Surprisingly large free anime library. Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Dragon Ball, and more. Ad-supported. No simulcasts.
• Pluto TV: Dedicated anime channels in linear format plus some on-demand content. Good for casual watching.
• RetroCrush: Free, ad-supported focus on classic anime from the 80s and 90s. Niche but genuinely good if that era interests you.

If you are between seasons of your favorite simulcasts and have a large backlog to work through, the free options cover a substantial amount of content.

What No Longer Exists: Funimation

Funimation was fully merged into Crunchyroll. There is no separate Funimation subscription to fall back on. All Funimation content. Including its historically strong dub catalog, is now part of Crunchyroll. Former Funimation subscribers were migrated automatically.

How to Watch Anime Cheaper

Annual Billing

If you are committed to staying on Crunchyroll, switching to annual billing reduces the effective monthly cost. Crunchyroll's annual plans typically run the equivalent of about one to two months free versus monthly pricing. The trade-off is paying upfront and losing flexibility to cancel without losing what you paid.

Downgrade to a Lower Tier

Most solo viewers watching on one device do not need Mega Fan or Ultimate Fan features. If you downgraded from Mega Fan to Fan, you lose offline downloads and extra streams but keep access to the same catalog. At $9.99/month vs $14.99/month, the savings are $60 per year.

Shared Plans via GamsGo

The most significant cost reduction available without giving up Crunchyroll's catalog is a shared plan through GamsGo.

GamsGo is a legitimate shared subscription platform that has operated since 2021. The model works by connecting users who want a streaming account with account holders who have unused slots on their plan. You get your own Crunchyroll profile on a shared Mega Fan or Ultimate Fan account. Same catalog, same streaming quality — at a fraction of the full retail price.

Typical cost for a shared Crunchyroll slot on GamsGo runs well below the Fan tier retail price. Use promo code WK2NU at gamsgo.com for an additional discount off your first month.

Practical notes on the GamsGo model:

• You receive a dedicated profile on the shared account. Your watchlist and history are your own
• GamsGo handles payment processing and account disputes between members
• Works across all standard Crunchyroll apps (phone, TV, web)
• Not informal credential sharing, this is a managed platform with refund protection

If the price hike pushed your monthly streaming budget over your comfort threshold, this is the option that gets you back under it while keeping the same catalog access you had before.

For further context on how streaming services handle account sharing policies, see our guide to the streaming password sharing crackdown and how to navigate it.

Combine Free + One Paid Service

A realistic middle path: use Crunchyroll's free tier for the shows you can wait a week on, and pay for HIDIVE at $5.99/month to fill gaps. Total cost stays below the old Fan tier price while covering substantially more ground than either service alone.

You can also compare how Crunchyroll stacks up against the full streaming space in our streaming price comparison guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did Crunchyroll raise its prices?

All three paid tiers increased in March 2026. Fan went from $7.99 to $9.99/month (a 25% increase), Mega Fan from $11.99 to $14.99/month, and Ultimate Fan from $15.99 to $17.99/month. The free ad-supported tier remains unchanged. Annual subscribers see the new pricing at their next renewal date.

Is HIDIVE a good alternative to Crunchyroll?

HIDIVE is the most direct paid alternative at $5.99/month. Below even the old Crunchyroll Fan price. It has a solid dub catalog and some simulcasts, though its library is considerably smaller. For casual anime viewers or fans of older/classic titles, HIDIVE covers a lot. For anyone following five or more currently airing simulcasts, it will have gaps.

Can I still watch anime for free legally?

Yes. Crunchyroll's own free tier still exists with ads and a one-week episode delay. Tubi and Pluto TV both carry large free libraries of popular classics. RetroCrush specializes in older titles. These are all legitimate, ad-supported options with no subscription required.

Does Crunchyroll offer a student discount?

There is no current ongoing student discount program for Crunchyroll in the US. Past promotions through Unidays appeared occasionally but have not been consistent. For students, the free tier or a GamsGo shared plan are the most reliable lower-cost access points.

What happened to Funimation?

Funimation was fully merged into Crunchyroll in 2024 and no longer exists as a separate service. All Funimation content. Including its historically strong English dub library. Now lives on Crunchyroll. Former Funimation subscribers were migrated to Crunchyroll accounts automatically.