Starz Price Increase: Cheaper Alternatives and How to Keep Watching

What Changed and When

On March 31, 2026, Starz raises its standalone monthly subscription price from $10.99 to $11.99. A $1 increase, or roughly 9%. The Starz add-on through Hulu also moves to $11.99/month. Starz through Amazon Prime Video channels stays at $11.99/month, matching the new standalone rate. There is no discount for adding Starz as an Amazon or Hulu channel versus subscribing directly.

The annual plan remains at $69.99/year. Which, at $5.83/month effective, is a significantly better deal than the new monthly rate. If you are a year-round Starz viewer, locking in the annual plan before March 31 is the single most practical move you can make right now.

Starz has not raised its standalone price since it increased to $10.99 in early 2024. The current increase is modest by streaming standards. For context, Peacock raised its Premium price from $7.99 to $13.99 over two years, and Disney+ nearly tripled its launch price. A $1 hike is relatively restrained, but it is still $12 more per year on a service with a smaller library than most of its competitors.

Deals to Grab Before March 31

If you are not currently subscribed, there is a narrow window to lock in better rates before the price change hits.

3 Months for $6.99/Month (Promotional Rate)

Starz is currently offering new subscribers 3 months of access at $6.99/month, about 42% off the new rate. This deal is available through the Starz app directly and through Amazon Prime Video channels. At $20.97 for three months, it is the cheapest entry point available. After the promotional period ends, the rate reverts to $11.99/month unless you cancel or switch to an annual plan.

This promo is worth grabbing if you have a backlog of Starz content to catch up on. Outlander seasons, the full Power universe, or any of the premium dramas you have been meaning to watch. Three months is enough to clear most of what the library offers for a casual viewer.

6-Month Deal at $45.99

The 6-month deal at $45.99 (effectively $7.67/month) sits between the 3-month promo and the annual plan in both commitment level and per-month cost. It makes sense if you are a consistent Starz viewer but want more flexibility than a full year commitment.

Annual Plan at $69.99 ($5.83/Month)

If you know you will use Starz for most of the year, the annual plan is straightforwardly the right choice. At $5.83/month effective, it costs less than the service's original standalone price before the current increases, and substantially less than the new $11.99 monthly rate. Locking this in before March 31 is advisable — annual plan pricing is subject to change when the company adjusts its pricing tiers.

What You Are Actually Paying For: The Originals

Starz's value proposition is narrower than Netflix or Max. It does not try to compete on library size. Its case rests on a handful of specific originals that are not available anywhere else. Whether those originals justify $11.99/month is a genuinely personal calculation.

Outlander (and Outlander: Blood of My Blood)

The flagship series based on Diana Gabaldon's novels has run for seven seasons and developed one of the most loyal fan bases in streaming. The prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, began airing in 2025. If this franchise is your reason for subscribing, the content quality is real, the show has strong production values and has consistently performed above Starz's subscriber average in viewership metrics. The downside: if you have already watched everything that has aired, there are long gaps between new episodes with nothing comparable filling the wait.

The Power Universe

Starz has invested heavily in expanding the Power franchise. A New York crime drama that grew from the original Power series into multiple spinoffs: Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Force. If you are a Power viewer who has been following one or more of these threads, Starz is the only place to watch them. That exclusivity has real value for fans of the franchise.

BMF (Black Mafia Family)

The true-crime drama about the Flenory brothers and their Detroit drug empire entered its fourth season in 2026. Executive produced by 50 Cent. The same creative force behind the Power universe. BMF has carved out a distinct audience from the Power franchise despite some stylistic similarities. Season ratings have grown consistently since the premiere.

Party Down

The cult comedy about a Hollywood catering company, originally cancelled in 2010 and revived by Starz in 2022, remains one of the streaming era's more pleasant surprises. The revival seasons have maintained the original's dry humor with mostly returning cast. Smaller viewership than Starz's dramas, but genuinely good television for fans of the genre.

The honest assessment: Starz has a specific niche. If you fall into it, Outlander devotee, Power universe completionist, or BMF follower. The service delivers. If you subscribed for one show that has since ended its run and are passively keeping the subscription active, that $11.99/month is probably better spent elsewhere.

How Starz Stacks Up Against Alternatives

At $11.99/month, Starz is one of the more expensive niche streaming services in the market. Here is how it compares to the broader field:

Starz costs more than Peacock, Paramount+, and Netflix's ad tier while offering a significantly smaller library. Its advantage is the complete absence of ads and the exclusivity of its specific originals. If you are drawn to ad-free premium drama and the Starz content catalog specifically, that trade-off makes sense. If you are looking for the most content per dollar, every service in the table above beats it on that metric.

For a full current pricing comparison across all major streaming platforms, our streaming price comparison guide tracks monthly rates and bundle deals as they change.

Bundle Options That Cut the Cost

The best way to reduce your effective per-service cost with Starz is to bundle it with something you were already planning to subscribe to.

Starz + MGM+ via Prime Video, $13.99/Month

Amazon bundles Starz and MGM+ together as a Prime Video channel add-on for $13.99/month. Separately, Starz is $11.99/month and MGM+ is $5.99/month. A combined $17.98/month. The bundle saves roughly $7/month, or about $84/year. MGM+ carries classic MGM films, Epix content, and originals like Hotel Cocaine and From. If either service overlaps with your existing interests, the bundle is straightforwardly good value.

The catch: you need an active Amazon Prime membership ($14.99/month or $139/year) to access Prime Video channels. If you are already a Prime subscriber for shipping benefits, the channel bundles are a reasonable add-on. If you would need to add Prime just to access this deal, the math deteriorates quickly.

Starz + BritBox, $14.99/Month

Starz partners with BritBox (British TV streaming service, $8.99/month standalone) for a combined plan at $14.99/month. At roughly $4 less per month than subscribing to both separately, the savings are real but modest. BritBox carries British period dramas, mysteries, and comedies. A complementary fit to Starz's prestige drama catalog for viewers who enjoy that genre overlap. If you were already considering BritBox independently, this bundle is worth pricing out.

Annual Plan. $69.99/Year ($5.83/Month Effective)

Not a bundle in the traditional sense, but the most cost-effective option for consistent Starz viewers. At $5.83/month effective, the annual plan costs roughly half the new monthly rate and works out cheaper than the promotional 3-month offer on a per-month basis once you account for a full year of viewing. Lock it in before March 31 if you can.

If You Are Ready to Cancel

If the price increase is the push you needed to cancel outright, here is what you will and will not miss, and what the alternatives actually offer:

Peacock Premium. $7.99/Month

Peacock has the broadest content library of any mid-tier streaming service, around 80,000 titles including NBC and Bravo originals, Premier League soccer, WWE Network content, Universal films, and a deep back catalog. It does not carry any Starz content, but if your viewing habits extend beyond the two or three Starz shows you follow, Peacock covers an enormous amount of ground at a significantly lower price. The ad load is approximately 5 minutes per hour, which is noticeable but manageable.

Paramount+ Essential. $5.99/Month

At $5.99/month, Paramount+ is the cheapest major streaming service currently available. It carries Star Trek (all series), the full Yellowstone franchise, CBS broadcast shows, live NFL games, and a substantial library of films. No Starz content, but if sports (NFL specifically) or the Paramount original drama slate interests you, this is strong value. The Essential tier includes ads and does not offer downloads.

Netflix Standard with Ads — $7.99/Month

Netflix remains the largest content library in streaming. Roughly 40,000 titles plus a steady stream of originals. The ad-supported tier at $7.99/month brings it below the new Starz price while delivering substantially more volume. You will not find Outlander or Power here, but if you are looking to replace Starz with something that covers more ground, Netflix's sheer catalog depth is hard to argue with.

For a more complete look at what happened when another premium cable streaming service raised prices recently, our analysis of AMC Plus price increase alternatives covers similar territory with a different slate of content considerations.

The Binge-and-Cancel Approach

Starz releases originals on a weekly episode schedule, which complicates the binge-and-cancel strategy slightly, you cannot subscribe for a single month and finish an entire 10-episode season that is still airing. But the approach still works well with some timing awareness.

For the Power universe specifically, multiple series run concurrently or in succession throughout the year. A targeted approach might look like:

1. Check when your specific show's season is scheduled to wrap (most Starz originals air 8-10 episode seasons over 2-3 months).
2. Subscribe in the final month of airing and binge the full season as the last episodes drop.
3. Cancel immediately after the finale.
4. Resubscribe about a month before the next season premiere to catch up on any recap content.

At $11.99/month, subscribing for 3 months per year costs $35.97. Versus $143.88 for a full year at the new monthly rate. The annual plan at $69.99 is cheaper than two months of binge-and-cancel subscriptions, so if you are watching for 6+ months per year, the annual plan is the better deal. Below 6 months per year, binge-and-cancel wins on cost.

The friction is real. You need to track when seasons air, manage the cancellation timing (Starz has no pause feature), and accept gaps in access. For viewers who care about one or two shows and nothing else, it is worth the minor administrative overhead. For viewers who use the service casually and continuously, the annual plan is easier and cheaper in the long run.

This rotate-and-binge pattern works across most niche streaming services. We covered a similar strategy in our Crunchyroll price increase alternatives guide for anime subscribers facing the same decision.

Saving on Your Broader Streaming Stack

Whether you decide to keep Starz or not, a $1/month increase is a natural prompt to audit the rest of your streaming spend. The average household carries 4-5 streaming subscriptions simultaneously. And most of them have raised prices at some point in the last 18 months.

Services like Netflix, Spotify Premium, and YouTube Premium all offer family or group plans that cost significantly more per person than they need to. GamsGo matches you with other users to fill legitimate family plan slots, you get your own profile on a Netflix family plan at roughly $3-4/month, or Spotify Premium at around $2-3/month, rather than paying the full individual rate. These are official family plan structures, not account sharing workarounds.

Switching even two of those services to shared plans through GamsGo can save $200-300/year. More than offsetting the Starz price increase many times over. Use promo code WK2NU at checkout for a discount on your first order.

How We Evaluated This

This article is based on direct subscription testing and pricing verification conducted in March 2026. We verified the current Starz standalone price, the 3-month promotional rate, the 6-month deal, and the annual plan at checkout through the Starz iOS app and starz.com as of March 17, 2026. We also confirmed the Starz+MGM+ Prime Video bundle pricing and the Starz+BritBox bundle pricing directly through Amazon and BritBox checkout flows on the same date.

Content library size estimates are approximations sourced from JustWatch aggregate data as of March 2026. Exact counts shift weekly with licensing changes. We focus on relative scale. Alternative service prices were verified against each service's official pricing pages.

We do not have a commercial relationship with Starz or Lionsgate. The GamsGo link in this article is a paid affiliate arrangement, disclosed with rel="sponsored".

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Starz price increase taking effect?

Starz raises its standalone monthly price from $10.99 to $11.99 on March 31, 2026. Existing subscribers will see the new rate on their first billing cycle on or after that date. Annual and promotional subscribers stay on their locked-in rate until their current term ends. The Hulu add-on also moves to $11.99/month on the same date.

What is the cheapest way to keep Starz after the price increase?

The annual plan at $69.99/year ($5.83/month effective) is the cheapest ongoing option, significantly below the new $11.99 monthly rate. If you prefer shorter commitments, the 6-month deal at $45.99 ($7.67/month) is the next best value. The current promotional rate of 3 months for $6.99/month is the cheapest entry point if you are not yet subscribed and want to evaluate the service before committing to a longer plan.

Is Starz worth $11.99 a month?

For active viewers of Starz's core originals. Outlander, Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Power Book IV: Force, or BMF. Yes. These shows are exclusive to Starz and genuinely well-produced. At $11.99/month with no ads and full access to the library, the value holds up for viewers who watch regularly. For casual subscribers who only tune in for one show and passively hold the subscription between seasons, the binge-and-cancel approach (2-3 months per year at $11.99) is more cost-effective.

What are the best alternatives to Starz?

Peacock Premium at $7.99/month and Paramount+ Essential at $5.99/month are the strongest alternatives at a lower price point. Both have substantially larger libraries, though neither carries Starz-exclusive content. Netflix Standard with ads at $7.99/month offers the broadest content volume for a similar price. If you specifically want premium cable-style drama without the Starz exclusives, Max at $9.99/month with ads is the closest tonal equivalent with a much larger library. None replace Outlander or the Power universe, those are Starz-only.

Can I get Starz through a bundle or add-on?

Yes. The Starz+MGM+ Prime Video bundle at $13.99/month is the strongest bundle deal. Saving roughly $7/month versus both services separately. Starz is also available as a Hulu add-on at $11.99/month (no discount versus standalone) and through Amazon Prime Video channels at $11.99/month individually. The Starz+BritBox bundle at $14.99/month saves about $4/month versus both standalone subscriptions for viewers interested in British TV alongside Starz content.