If your streaming bill feels heavier than it did a year ago, it is not your imagination. Almost every major service raised prices in 2026, and the increases hit both ad-supported and ad-free plans. Netflix raised all three of its US plans in March, Disney raised Disney+ and Hulu in September, and Amazon increased its ad-free add-on in April. Add them up, and a household with three or four subscriptions can now pay 20 to 30 dollars more per month than it did two years ago.

What Netflix Costs Now

Netflix's March 2026 increase pushed its Standard with Ads plan to 8.99 dollars a month, up from 7.99. The ad-free Standard plan rose to 19.99 dollars a month, up from 17.99, and Premium, the 4K plan with four simultaneous streams, rose to 26.99 dollars a month, up from 24.99. That is the second US price increase in under two years for the world's biggest streamer.

The Premium plan is now the most expensive single streaming subscription among the major services. For a single person who mostly watches alone, Standard with Ads at 8.99 dollars is the obvious value pick, since the content is identical and the ads are relatively light. Households that need 4K or four streams at once are the ones who feel the Premium price most.

What Disney+ and Hulu Cost Now

Disney raised prices in September 2026, with new prices applying to existing subscribers from their October billing cycle. Disney+ with Ads now costs 12.49 dollars a month, up from 11.99, while Disney+ Premium, the ad-free plan, jumped to 21.49 dollars a month, up from 18.99. That is a 13 percent rise on the ad-free tier, and the fourth increase in four years.

Hulu's prices moved at the same time, with its ad-free plan also reaching 21.49 dollars a month. Disney's bundle deals soften the blow slightly: the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN bundle starts at 21.99 dollars a month, which is barely more than a single ad-free plan on its own. If you watch two or more Disney services, the bundle is now the only sensible way to buy them.

What Prime Video Costs Now

Amazon's pricing works differently, because Prime Video is bundled with a full Prime membership. A full Prime membership costs 14.99 dollars a month or 139 dollars a year, and Prime Video alone costs 8.99 dollars a month. In April 2026, Amazon raised its ad-free add-on, now called Prime Video Ultra, from 2.99 to 4.99 dollars a month, and locked 4K streaming behind that paid tier.

That means a Prime member who wants ad-free 4K viewing now pays 14.99 plus 4.99, or about 20 dollars a month, before any other subscriptions. The standalone Prime Video membership at 8.99 dollars a month is a decent deal if you only want the video service, but most households already pay for Prime for the delivery benefits, so the video service feels almost free.

How Much Households Actually Pay

The increases add up fast. A household paying for ad-free Netflix Standard, Disney+ Premium, and Prime Video Ultra now spends about 46 dollars a month on just those three, before adding Max, Apple TV, or Peacock. Research firm Deloitte's 2026 Digital Media Trends study found the average US subscribing household now spends 69 dollars a month on streaming video, a figure that keeps climbing with every round of increases.

Subscribing to the eight major ad-free apps now costs around 151 dollars a month, according to industry tracking. That is more than a traditional cable package used to cost, which is ironic given that streaming was supposed to be the cheaper alternative. The math only works if you actually watch what you pay for.

How to Fight Back Against the Hikes

The most effective response is rotation: subscribe to one or two services at a time, binge what you want, cancel, and switch to the next. Most services let you cancel in under a minute and keep your watchlist and profile for months, so you lose nothing by pausing. Downgrading to an ad-supported plan is the second-best move, since the content is the same and the savings are 8 to 11 dollars a month per service.

Finally, check for bundles and annual plans. Disney's bundle, the annual pricing on Disney+ Premium at 214.99 dollars, and Prime's annual membership all save money over monthly billing. And always check whether your mobile or internet provider includes a streaming subscription: many do, and people pay twice for the same service without realising it.