Subscribing to eight major streaming services without ads now costs $139.41 a month, or $1,672.92 a year, according to a Fortune price survey dated September 8, 2026. That is within about $4 of what the average pay-TV bill from 2016 would cost in July 2026 dollars, per the same survey. Nearly every big service raised prices this year, and Disney+ announced another hike in late September. This guide lists the new prices, adds up what a realistic household pays, and shows how much rotating services can save.
Every 2026 Streaming Price Hike
These are the changes tracked by Nerdist’s 2026 price-increase roundup, with the Apple TV figures confirmed by TechCrunch’s report of Apple’s announcement. Dates are the ones those outlets list.
| Service | Plan | Old price | New price | Date listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Standard | $17.99 | $19.99 | March 26, 2026 |
| Netflix | Premium | $24.99 | $26.99 | March 26, 2026 |
| Peacock | Premium | $10.99 | $12.99 | August 18, 2026 |
| Peacock | Premium Plus | $16.99 | $19.99 | August 18, 2026 |
| Apple TV | Monthly | $12.99 | $14.99 | Announced August 28, 2026 |
| Disney+ | Premium (no ads) | $18.99 | $21.49 | Announced late September 2026 |
Netflix’s current US prices match what its own Help Center lists: $8.99 with ads, $19.99 for Standard and $26.99 for Premium. Apple’s annual plan went from $99 to $119, and TechCrunch reports Apple blamed broader tech price hikes on “ongoing RAM and component shortages due to massive demand for hardware for building AI data centers.” Disney’s hike is its fourth in four years; search listings give October 21 as the effective date, which we could not confirm on a Disney page.
What Eight Services Cost Right Now
Fortune priced each service’s no-ads tier on September 8, 2026, before Disney’s latest change:
| Service | Tier priced | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | Standard | $19.99 |
| Peacock | Premium Plus | $19.99 |
| Disney+ | Ad-free | $18.99 |
| Hulu | Ad-free | $18.99 |
| HBO Max | Standard | $18.49 |
| Apple TV | Standard | $14.99 |
| Prime Video | Standalone ad-free | $13.98 |
| Paramount+ | Ad-free | $13.99 |
| Total | $139.41 |
Fortune also priced each service’s standard full-catalog ad-supported tier where one exists, and that bill came to $89.92 a month. By our arithmetic, that is $49.49 a month less, or $593.88 a year, for accepting ads. If Disney+ goes to $21.49 and nothing else changes, the ad-free total rises to $141.91 (our arithmetic; Hulu and bundle changes are not included because we could not verify them from a primary source).
Why the Bill Feels Bigger Than Cable Did
Nobody pays for all eight. The point is that each increase looks small. Using the table above, our arithmetic on a single year:
- Netflix Standard, $2 more a month: $24 more a year.
- Peacock Premium Plus, $3 more: $36 more a year.
- Apple TV monthly, $2 more: $24 more a year.
- Disney+ Premium, $2.50 more: $30 more a year.
A household that had all four ad-free would pay about $114 more a year than before this year’s hikes. Fortune’s comparison also shows why the old “streaming is cheaper than cable” claim no longer holds for people who stack many services: the 2016 average pay-TV bill of $103.10 a month would be about $143 today, and the ad-free eight-service stack is $139.41.
Three Realistic Household Plans
These are our assumptions, built only from prices listed above. Pick the services you actually watch; the point is the gap between plans.
| Plan | Services (our assumption) | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | Netflix Standard with ads | $8.99 | $107.88 |
| Typical | Netflix Standard + HBO Max Standard + Disney+ Premium (at $21.49) | $59.97 | $719.64 |
| Heavy | The eight-service ad-free stack | $139.41 | $1,672.92 |
The typical plan is $19.99 + $18.49 + $21.49 per month. A household moving from typical to light saves about $612 a year (our arithmetic).
The Rotation Strategy, With Numbers
Streaming has no contracts, so you can cancel the month a season ends. Our assumption: keep Netflix with ads all year ($107.88) and rent one other service at a time, four months each, for HBO Max Standard ($18.49), Apple TV ($14.99) and Disney+ Premium ($21.49).
- Rotating: 4 x ($18.49 + $14.99 + $21.49) = $219.88, plus $107.88 for Netflix = $327.76 a year.
- Keeping all four year-round: ($8.99 + $18.49 + $14.99 + $21.49) x 12 = $767.52 a year.
That is about $440 saved (our arithmetic) for waiting between shows. The catch is that annual plans, where offered, are cheaper per month. Apple’s annual price is $119, or about $9.92 a month, against $14.99 monthly (our arithmetic), so annual only wins if you would watch for most of the year.
For other recurring-bill comparisons, see our console cost of ownership guide, which has the same subscription-versus-hardware math, and our electric bill guide for what the TV itself uses. Another monthly tech bill is covered in our AI subscription cost guide.
How to Spend Less
- Pick the ad tier on at least one service. Fortune’s ad-supported stack is $49.49 a month cheaper than the ad-free one.
- Rotate instead of stacking. Cancel when the season you wanted ends and resubscribe when the next one starts.
- Check bundles. Disney+ and Hulu are sold together; Nerdist lists the Disney+/Hulu Premium bundle moving from $19.99 to $21.99; outlets disagree on the separate Hulu price, so compare on Disney’s site. Verify the live price on Disney’s site before you switch.
- Share where the rules allow it. Netflix lists extra members at $7.99 a month with ads or $9.99 without; that is cheaper than a second full plan only if the other person would otherwise pay full price.
- Put a calendar reminder on annual renewals. Price hikes usually hit existing subscribers a month or so after the announcement.
FAQ
How much does Netflix cost in 2026?
Netflix’s US Help Center lists $8.99 a month with ads, $19.99 for Standard and $26.99 for Premium. The March 2026 increase was $2 on both the Standard and Premium plans, according to Nerdist’s tracker; outlets disagree on the size of the ad-tier increase, so we do not state it.
How much does it cost to subscribe to every major streaming service?
Fortune priced eight major services ad-free at $139.41 a month, or $1,672.92 a year, on September 8, 2026. The ad-supported version of the same lineup was $89.92 a month.
Is streaming still cheaper than cable?
Only if you pick selectively. Fortune says a 2016 pay-TV bill of $103.10 equals about $143 in July 2026, so a full ad-free stack is no longer cheaper. A single service or two with ads is far below it.
When does the Disney+ price increase start?
Disney+ Premium goes from $18.99 to $21.49 a month, according to Nerdist’s tracker, which lists September 23 as the announcement date. Search listings report October 21 as the effective date; check your account email for your own date.
Why are streaming prices going up?
Companies rarely explain in detail. Apple pointed to RAM and component shortages from AI data-center demand for its own hike, per TechCrunch. For the other services we found no primary statement, so we do not state a reason.