Keeping track of how much Netflix costs these days is trickier since the company killed free password sharing in the U.S. back in May. That decision might’ve given their stock a boost, but it had real financial consequences for Netflix customers who shared their account with friends and family outside their household. In Netflix’s view, if you want to lend out your account to a third-party user, you now need to pay up.
But the end of free password sharing isn’t the only change Netflix initiated this year. Fast forward to July, and word the company has decided to kill off its “Basic” subscription. (If you’re currently subscribed to Basic, don’t worry: Netflix will let you keep the plan until you switch to a different tier or cancel your account.)
This option was a good compromise for anyone who didn’t want to see ads while they watched Wednesday or Stranger Things, but also didn’t want to pay a premium for yet another subscription service. Alas, Netflix’s $10 sweet spot is no more. In order to stream, you’ll need to pick from three different options, or pay to hop on someone else’s subscription. Here are your choices.
Standard with ads ($6.99 per month)
“Standard with ads” is currently Netflix’s cheapest plan. Launched in November of 2022, the plan gives subscribers access to most of Netflix’s library of movies and TV shows. It’s a bit hard to find updated lists of the titles not included with a Standard with ads plan, but sources like Variety highlight the absence of shows like House of Cards, Peaky Blinders, and Arrested Development, and movies like Steve Jobs, Casino Royale, and The Bad Guys. In any case, you’ll see a lock icon next to titles your ad-supported plan doesn’t allow.
The plan lets you stream on two supported devices at once in “Full HD.” That means your content will stream in 1080p, and not in 4K HDR. In addition, you cannot add other users to your plan, nor can you download titles to a device for offline viewing.
Standard ($15.49 per month, plus $7.99 for an extra user)
There’s one immediate difference between Standard and Standard with ads: the lack of ads. Standard lets you stream Netflix to your heart’s content—all of Netflix’s content, mind you—with ever serving you a single ad. You know, like Netflix always used to do. You’ll also be able to download those titles to up to two supported devices at a time.
Standard also invites you to add someone outside your household to your account for an extra $8 per month. That raises standard’s monthly price from $15.49 to $23.48. You’ll only be able to add one additional outside user to your account, however, so choose wisely.
While you don’t have to deal with ads, nor do you have limitations on what you can watch, your content will look the same, since the video quality is capped at 1080p. If you want 4K HDR shows and movies, you’ll need to pay even more.
Premium ($19.99 per month, plus $7.99 for each extra user)
A Premium Netflix account is as good as it gets. Here, you have unlimited access to Netflix’s library, including the ability to stream in 4K HDR when available. Netflix lets you stream concurrently on up to four devices at once, and download titles on up to six devices at a time.
You also have the option to add up to two users outside your household to your plan. Of course, that adds up fast: Premium’s $19.99 per month cost goes up to $27.98 when adding one user, and $35.97 when adding two. Imagine telling someone even a year ago that you essentially pay $36 a month for Netflix.
DVDs only ($9.99 for one, $14.99 for two, or $19.99 for three)
That’s right: Netflix still offers DVDs. You can choose between one movie at a time for $9.99, two for $14.99, or three $19.99. The service even supports Blu-rays, so you aren’t limited to the SD picture quality of DVDs.
Unfortunately, Netflix is killing off its disc service later this year. You have until Sept. 29 to try out Netflix’s DVD.com before the company shuts it down for good. If you’re tempted to watch movies the “old fashioned” way, give it a try.
If you want to sign up for one of Netflix’s plans, you can do so here. However, consider one of these other streaming services, which might cost less and give you more to watch:
