Every Streaming Service Price in 2026, Ranked by Value
Every streaming, music, and AI subscription price in 2026 compared side by side. Plus the 2025 vs 2026 price changes, the cheapest way to access each platform, and how subscription sharing can save over $500 a year.
- Subscribing to all major streaming services now costs over $195/month at standard tiers — up roughly 22% from two years ago.
- Spotify, Paramount+, Crunchyroll, and Amazon Music all raised prices in January-February 2026. Netflix and Disney+ have held steady so far this year.
- The cheapest ad-supported options: Peacock Select ($7.99), Netflix Standard with Ads ($7.99), and Paramount+ Essential ($9.00).
- Subscription sharing through platforms like GamsGo cuts costs by 60-75% on services like Netflix, Spotify, YouTube Premium, and Crunchyroll.
Streaming used to be the cheap alternative to cable. That math stopped working somewhere around 2024. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that video streaming prices rose 19.5% year-over-year by December 2025. Roughly four times the rate of general inflation. Analysts and media outlets have started calling this trend "streamflation," and it's not slowing down.
I tallied up the current price of every major streaming service to see exactly where things stand in early 2026. Some of these numbers surprised me. A few platforms are still reasonable. Several have quietly crossed into premium cable territory. And the total cost of subscribing to everything has gotten genuinely absurd.
Video Streaming: Every Plan, Every Price
Here is what each major video streaming service charges as of February 2026. I've included ad-supported tiers where available because they've become the default entry point for most platforms.
| Service | Ad-Supported | Standard (No Ads) | Premium | Streams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | $7.99/mo | $17.99/mo | $24.99/mo | 2-4 |
| Disney+ / Hulu Bundle | $12.99/mo | $19.99/mo | — | 2-4 |
| Max (HBO) | $10.99/mo | $18.49/mo | $22.99/mo | 2-4 |
| Peacock | $7.99/mo | $10.99/mo | $16.99/mo | 2-3 |
| Paramount+ | $9.00/mo | $14.00/mo | — | 3 |
| Apple TV+ | — | $12.99/mo | — | 6 |
| Amazon Prime Video | $8.99/mo * | — | — | 3 |
| Crunchyroll | — (removed) | $9.99/mo | $17.99/mo | 1-6 |
* Amazon Prime Video is included with Amazon Prime ($14.99/mo). The standalone video-only plan is $8.99/mo. An additional $2.99/mo removes ads.
A few things jump out. Netflix at $7.99 with ads is actually competitive now, it was still $6.99 at the start of 2025. Crunchyroll no longer offers a free ad-supported tier at all, which it removed in December 2025. And Disney+ bundling with Hulu at $12.99 (ads) is probably the best deal for variety if you watch both services anyway.
The total cost of subscribing to all eight services above at their ad-free tiers: roughly $125/month. At premium tiers where available: over $150/month. Cable suddenly doesn't look so expensive.
Music Streaming Prices
Music streaming had its own round of increases. Spotify raised every tier in January 2026. The second increase in under 18 months.
| Service | Individual | Duo/Couple | Family | Student |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify Premium | $13.00/mo | $19.00/mo | $22.00/mo | $7.00/mo |
| Apple Music | $10.99/mo | — | $16.99/mo | $5.99/mo |
| YouTube Premium | $13.99/mo | — | $22.99/mo | $7.99/mo |
| Amazon Music Unlimited | $13.00/mo | — | $22.00/mo | $6.00/mo |
| Tidal | $10.99/mo | — | $16.99/mo | $4.99/mo |
Spotify at $13/month individual is now the most expensive mainstream option alongside Amazon Music Unlimited. Two years ago it was $10.99. Apple Music at $10.99 is technically a dollar cheaper for individuals, and its Family plan ($16.99 for six people) works out to under $3 per person. Which is hard to beat if you have a household of Apple users.
YouTube Premium is an interesting case because you're paying for two things: ad-free YouTube and YouTube Music. If you watch a lot of YouTube content, $13.99 covers both and eliminates ads across the entire platform. If you only care about music, it's overpriced.
AI Tool Subscriptions: The New Streaming Bill
This might be the category people don't think about enough. AI subscriptions are becoming a fixed monthly cost alongside streaming and music, and they're converging around the same $20/month price point that streaming used to own exclusively.
| AI Tool | Free Tier | Paid Plan | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus | Limited GPT-4o | $20/mo | Full GPT-4o, DALL-E, data analysis |
| Claude Pro | Limited Sonnet | $20/mo | 5x usage, Projects, priority access |
| Gemini Advanced | Flash model | $19.99/mo | Ultra model, 2TB Google storage |
| Perplexity Pro | 5 Pro searches/day | $20/mo | Unlimited Pro searches, file uploads |
Someone paying for Netflix Standard, Spotify Premium, and ChatGPT Plus is already spending $51/month. Over $610 a year, on subscriptions that didn't exist or cost a fraction of this a decade ago. Add Disney+ and you're past $65/month. This is where the subscription fatigue gets real.
What Changed: 2025 vs 2026 Price Comparison
The price hikes are easier to understand when you see the before and after side by side. Here's what moved since January 2025:
| Service (Standard Plan) | Jan 2025 | Feb 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix Standard | $15.49/mo | $17.99/mo | +$2.50 (16%) |
| Spotify Individual | $11.99/mo | $13.00/mo | +$1.01 (8%) |
| Crunchyroll Fan | $7.99/mo | $9.99/mo | +$2.00 (25%) |
| Paramount+ Essential | $5.99/mo | $9.00/mo | +$3.01 (50%) |
| Amazon Music Unlimited | $10.99/mo | $13.00/mo | +$2.01 (18%) |
| Disney+ Basic | $7.99/mo | $9.99/mo | +$2.00 (25%) |
| Peacock Premium | $7.99/mo | $10.99/mo | +$3.00 (38%) |
| YouTube Premium | $13.99/mo | $13.99/mo | No change |
Paramount+ had the steepest percentage increase. A 50% jump on the Essential tier. That's not a rounding adjustment; it's a fundamental repricing. Crunchyroll raised every tier by $2 simultaneously while also removing its free option entirely. These aren't small moves.
The Hollywood Reporter's analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data found that streaming video prices rose 19.5% year-over-year through December 2025. General inflation was around 3.2% during the same period. Streaming is inflating at roughly six times the rate of everything else.
The Cheapest Way to Watch Each Platform
For each service, here is the absolute minimum you need to spend for access, including alternatives like annual billing, bundles, and subscription sharing.
| Service | Official Cheapest | Shared Plan | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix Standard | $7.99/mo (ads) | ~$4.50/mo (no ads) | 75% vs ad-free |
| Spotify Premium | $13.00/mo | ~$2.99/mo | 77% |
| YouTube Premium | $13.99/mo | ~$3.50/mo | 75% |
| Crunchyroll Mega Fan | $9.99/mo (Fan) | ~$3.30/mo | 76% vs Mega Fan |
| ChatGPT Plus | $20.00/mo | ~$5.99/mo | 70% |
| Claude Pro | $20.00/mo | ~$6.49/mo | 68% |
The shared plan column uses approximate prices from GamsGo as of February 2026. Prices fluctuate slightly based on availability. Use code WK2NU for additional savings at checkout.
Subscription Sharing: How It Works
Subscription sharing platforms connect people who want to fill empty slots on multi-user plans. A Spotify Family plan supports six people. A Crunchyroll Mega Fan plan allows four simultaneous streams. A YouTube Premium Family plan covers five users. These extra slots exist by design. The platforms built them in.
GamsGo is one of the larger sharing platforms, operating since 2020 out of France. You pick a subscription, pay the shared rate, and receive access within 24-48 hours. For family plan services like Spotify and YouTube Premium, you get added to a family group and keep your own separate profile. For credential-sharing services, you receive login details for a shared account.
The trade-offs are real. You depend on the account owner continuing the subscription. Credential-shared services mean someone else has the same login. And if access breaks, the replacement process takes hours rather than being instant. For most people using these services casually, those trade-offs are acceptable. For someone who needs guaranteed 24/7 access for professional work, direct subscriptions make more sense.
I wrote a detailed breakdown of how GamsGo works, including the downsides, in my full GamsGo review.
Five Ways to Cut Your Streaming Costs
Beyond subscription sharing, here are the strategies that actually move the needle.
1. Rotate subscriptions monthly. You don't need every service simultaneously. Subscribe to Netflix for a month, binge your watchlist, cancel. Move to Max next month. Most streaming content isn't going anywhere. The shows will still be there when you come back. A rotating approach might cost $15-18 per month instead of $60+, and you still watch everything you want, just not all at once.
2. Use annual billing selectively. Annual plans typically save 15-20% versus monthly. Crunchyroll's annual Fan plan comes out to about $5.58/month versus $9.99 monthly. Spotify doesn't offer annual billing, but Apple Music does. Only commit annually to services you use consistently. If you subscribe to a streaming service less than nine months per year, monthly is cheaper.
3. Check for bundled deals. The Disney+/Hulu bundle at $12.99 (ads) saves about $7 versus subscribing separately. If you have a Verizon, T-Mobile, or Xfinity plan, check your benefits. Several telecom providers include streaming services at no extra cost. Apple One bundles Apple TV+, Apple Music, iCloud+, and Apple Arcade starting at $19.95/month, which beats buying any two of those separately.
4. Exploit free tiers intelligently. Peacock Select at $7.99 and Netflix with Ads at $7.99 are the cheapest ways into two of the biggest libraries. Tubi and Pluto TV are completely free with ads. For music, Spotify's free tier is functional if you can tolerate shuffle mode and ads. For AI tools, stacking free tiers across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity gets surprisingly far. I covered this strategy in my AI free tier comparison.
5. Share through platforms like GamsGo. For the services where sharing is available, Netflix, Spotify, YouTube Premium, Crunchyroll, ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro. shared plans cut costs by 65-77%. If you subscribed to all six of those through GamsGo, you'd pay roughly $27/month instead of $108/month. That's $81/month saved, or close to $970 per year. Use code WK2NU for additional savings.
How Much Can You Actually Save? A Real Example
Here's a scenario: someone subscribing to Netflix Standard, Spotify Premium, YouTube Premium, and ChatGPT Plus. Not unusual for a tech-savvy person in their 20s or 30s.
| Service | Direct Price | Shared via GamsGo |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix Standard (no ads) | $17.99 | ~$4.50 |
| Spotify Premium | $13.00 | ~$2.99 |
| YouTube Premium | $13.99 | ~$3.50 |
| ChatGPT Plus | $20.00 | ~$5.99 |
| Monthly Total | $64.98 | ~$16.98 |
| Annual Total | $779.76 | ~$203.76 |
That's a difference of about $576 per year. Enough to matter. And you're getting the same content, same features, same apps. The only real trade-off is that you're relying on a sharing platform rather than owning the subscription directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is streamflation?
Streamflation refers to the rate at which streaming service prices are increasing. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, streaming video prices rose 19.5% year-over-year through December 2025 — roughly six times the rate of general inflation. The term captures the trend of streaming services transitioning from growth-focused pricing (cheap to attract subscribers) to profitability-focused pricing (expensive to maximize revenue per user).
Which streaming service increased prices the most in 2026?
Paramount+ had the largest percentage increase, raising its Essential plan from $5.99 to $9.00 per month. A 50% jump. In dollar terms, Peacock's Premium tier increased by $3.00 (from $7.99 to $10.99), while Crunchyroll raised all tiers by $2.00 each and simultaneously eliminated its free ad-supported option.
How much does it cost to subscribe to all streaming services?
Subscribing to all major streaming services at their standard ad-free tiers costs approximately $195 per month ($2,340 per year) as of February 2026. With ad-supported plans where available, the total drops to roughly $95-110 per month. Using subscription sharing platforms reduces the cost further, shared plans for available services bring the total down to an estimated $50-70 per month.
Is subscription sharing legal?
Subscription sharing through platforms like GamsGo operates within the multi-user allowances that streaming services build into their plans. Spotify Family supports six users, Crunchyroll Mega Fan allows four simultaneous streams, and YouTube Premium Family covers five members. These are legitimate plan features. The legal question is straightforward. It's not illegal. The more nuanced question is whether it violates a specific platform's Terms of Service, which varies by service and jurisdiction. Netflix has been the most aggressive about cracking down on sharing since 2023, while most other platforms have taken no enforcement action.
Will streaming prices keep going up?
Almost certainly. Streaming companies are under pressure from investors to reach profitability, and price increases are the simplest lever. Sports rights (which Disney, Peacock, and Amazon are all pursuing aggressively) add significant content costs that get passed to subscribers. The most likely trajectory is annual increases of $1-2 per service. The counterbalance is ad-supported tiers, which give price-sensitive viewers a cheaper option. Though even those are creeping up.
The Bottom Line
Streaming in 2026 costs more than it ever has. The era of $8 ad-free plans is over for most services. The combined cost of a typical streaming stack. Video, music, and an AI tool or two, easily reaches $60-80 per month at standard prices.
The good news is you have options. Rotate subscriptions. Use bundles. Take advantage of ad-supported tiers where the content is worth the interruption. And for the services where sharing is available, platforms like GamsGo (code WK2NU) can reduce your streaming bill by hundreds of dollars a year without losing access to the content you actually watch.
The subscriptions aren't getting cheaper. But you can get smarter about how you pay for them.
Last updated: February 2026. Prices reflect published rates as of this date. Individual rates may vary by region.