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How to Save Nearly $450 on Your Streaming Services Even as Prices Rise

As streamer subscription prices continue to rise, use this guide to understand how you can save money on what you want to watch

6-minute read

Donna Freydkin,

Updated September 25, 2026

AARP

Updated September 25, 2026

Photo Illustration Paul Spella; (Source: Getty Images (3))

Key takeaways

Switching from ad‑free to ad‑supported plans across major streaming services can cut costs dramatically, saving you nearly $450 year while keeping most popular shows.
Bundles such as Disney+ and Hulu, or Apple TV with Peacock, often deliver the best value, lowering monthly bills more than stand-alone subscriptions.
Premium tiers only make sense for viewers who truly need features like 4K, multiple simultaneous streams or live sports. Most households will save by downgrading.

Once again, streaming services are raising their prices. In September, individual subscriptions for Disney+ and Hulu doubled. A month earlier, Apple TV raised its prices and in March, Netflix announced its second rate hike in little over a year.

But here’s the good news: Switching to a lower-priced tier on streaming platforms can save a considerable amount of money, nearly $450 a year, without surrendering the libraries that hooked you in the first place. (Note that annual plans are cheaper when a service offers them, because they lock in a lower monthly rate. But monthly plans are easier to start, pause or cancel as your viewing habits change. Annual plans make more sense only if you know you will keep the service long enough for the discount to matter.)

Ready to save? Here’s how to navigate the offerings for every major streamer, including Netflix, Disney+/Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video and Apple TV.

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Netflix

Save $132 per year by switching to the ad-supported plan

As announced in March, Netflix’s Standard With Ads plan is now $8.99 a month, while the ad-free Standard is $19.99. Premium, which is ad-free and allows streaming on up to four devices at once, is $26.99. Switching from ad-free Standard to the version with ads can save $132 a year.

One wrinkle for shared households: Adding an extra member to an ad-supported plan now costs $6.99 a month per new user, up from $5.99. Adding someone to an ad-free plan costs $9.99 a month, up from $8.99. If you share your account with an adult child or a caregiver outside your home, this will affect your overall costs.

The bottom line: If you mostly watch on one or two devices and can live with the interruption, Standard with ads at $8.99 is the obvious choice.

Standard at $19.99 allows a third member in a different location. Premium at $26.99 is worth it only if you use 4K and routinely have several people watching at once.

Disney+/Hulu

Save $108 per year by switching to the ad-supported plan

Disney+ costs $12.49 a month with ads and $21.49 a month without ads. Switching from the ad-free plan to the ad-supported plan saves $9 a month, or $108 a year. If you also watch Hulu, bundling may save money. Disney+ and Hulu cost $12.99 a month with ads and $21.99 without ads. Switching to the ad-supported bundle saves $9 a month, or $108 a year.

For viewers who also want HBO Max, the Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max bundle costs $21.99 a month with ads and $34.99 without ads. Choosing the ad-supported version saves $13 a month, or $156 a year. Disney says the new prices apply to new subscriptions as of Sept. 23, 2026. Subscribers who signed up before that date will see the change in their billing cycle on or after Oct. 21, 2026.

The bottom line: If you mainly want Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Star Wars movies and shows, the $12.49 ad-supported Disney+ tier costs $9 less per month than Premium. If you regularly watch Hulu too, the $12.99 Disney+/Hulu bundle with ads costs just 50 cents more per month than Disney+ alone.

HBO Max

Save $90 per year by switching to the ad-supported plan

HBO Max has three plans:

Basic With Ads at $10.99 a month, Standard at $18.49 and Premium at $22.99. Moving from Standard to Basic saves $7.50 a month, or $90 a year.

There is one caveat. Live sports are included with Standard and Premium, not with Basic With Ads. If sports are the reason you subscribe, do not downgrade blindly. If you are there for HBO dramas like The Pitt and comedies like Hacks plus movies, Basic gives you the flagship library for much less money.

The bottom line: Basic With Ads at $10.99 is the right choice for viewers who subscribe for HBO originals and movies and do not care about live sports. Standard is the middle ground for sports and downloads. Premium is for people with a 4K setup and multiple viewers using the account at once.

Paramount+

Save $60 per year by switching to the ad-supported plan

As of Jan. 15, Paramount+ Essential with ads is $8.99 a month, and Paramount+ Premium without ads is $13.99 a month. This means switching to an ad-based package can save $60 a year.

One thing that genuinely changes the math for sports fans: All live UFC events are now included with both the Essential and Premium plans at no additional pay-per-view cost. Previously, major UFC events cost $79.99 each on top of any subscription. For combat sports fans, that change alone can justify the subscription.

Paramount plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery and combine Paramount+ and HBO Max into one streaming service if the deal is completed. Pricing for a combined service has not been announced.

The bottom line: At $8.99, Essential is enough for most people who want Taylor Sheridan shows, CBS programming and the sports offering. Premium at $13.99 may be worth it if you want Showtime, live CBS, downloads and fewer ads.

Peacock

Save $84 per year by switching from Premium Plus to Premium

Peacock’s Select plan, which includes ads, costs $8.99 a month. Premium costs $12.99 a month and adds live sports, movies and Peacock originals. Premium Plus costs $19.99 a month and includes downloads and fewer ads, though some programming still carries commercials. Moving from Premium Plus to Premium saves $7 a month, or $84 a year. Peacock is also available in a bundle with Apple TV. Apple TV and Peacock Premium cost $17.99 a month, while Apple TV and Peacock Premium Plus cost $22.99. Those bundles save $9.99 and $11.99 a month, respectively, compared with paying for the services separately.

The bottom line: Select at $8.99 is the cheapest option if you mainly want NBC and Bravo shows and do not need sports, movies or Peacock originals. Premium at $12.99 adds those categories. Premium Plus at $19.99 is for viewers who want downloads and fewer ads.

Apple TV

Save money by bundling with Peacock

Apple TV costs $14.99 a month after a seven-day free trial. There is no lower-priced ad-supported tier. You can also get Apple TV through Apple One if you already pay for several Apple services.

Pairing Apple TV with Peacock can cut the combined cost. Apple TV and ad-supported Peacock Premium cost $17.99 a month as a bundle, saving $9.99 a month compared with subscribing to both separately. Apple TV and Peacock Premium Plus cost $22.99 a month as a bundle, saving $11.99 a month.

The bottom line: Apple TV has one stand-alone monthly plan at $14.99. If you also want Peacock, the $17.99 bundle adds Peacock Premium for just $3 more per month than Apple TV alone. The $22.99 bundle adds Peacock Premium Plus for $8 more than Apple TV alone.

Prime Video

Save money by realizing it comes free with your Amazon Prime membership

Amazon Prime membership costs $14.99 a month or $139 a year, which includes access to Prime Video with ads. As of April 10, an ad-free add-on, Prime Video Ultra, cost an extra $4.99 a month. In addition to no ads, Ultra includes up to five concurrent streams with up to 100 monthly downloads at a time, plus exclusive access to 4K and ultrahigh definition (UHD) streaming.

The bottom line: If you are a Prime member primarily for free shipping, do nothing. You already have Prime Video with ads included. Want to watch Reacher and Fallout without interruption and in 4K or UHD? It may be time for Ultra.

The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Donna Freydkin has spent 10-plus years interviewing celebrities for major publications, and has written for a variety of outlets such as USA Today, Allure, Yahoo! and CNN covering topics such as films, family and favorite meals.

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