Disney Plus and Hulu subscription prices are going up, but only for subscribers who opt for the ad-free versions of those streaming services, Disney announced Wednesday. Viewers who bundle these two streaming services may not feel the sense of a price increase, thanks to a new option that combines Disney Plus and Hulu, without ESPN Plus.
Starting October 12, the cost of an ad-free Disney Plus subscription will increase from $10.99 per month to $13.99 per month. An ad-free Hulu subscription gets a similar $3 increase, from $14.99 per month to $17.99 per month.
If you’ve already subscribed to both streaming services, you’re probably better off switching to Disney’s “Duo Premium” bundle, which includes ad-free versions of Disney Plus and Hulu for $19.99 per month. That option will go live on September 6.
However, there will be no change to the monthly plans for Disney Plus and Hulu with ads. Those will still be $7.99 per month each. Other bundles that include Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus will also see a price increase.
Given the number of services, bundles, and with/without ad options, Disney’s streaming subscription options have become significantly more confusing. Here’s Disney’s breakdown of the incoming price changes and bundle options:
Disney Plus and Hulu price changes
| Subscription | Low | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Low | Monthly | Annual |
| Disney+ | With ads (no change) | $7.99 | N/A |
| No Ads* | $13.99 | $139.99 | |
| Hulu | With ads (no change) | $7.99 | $79.99 |
| No Ads* | $17.99 | N/A | |
| Disney+ (with ads) Add-on (no change) | $2.00 | N/A | |
| ESPN+ on Hulu add-on* | $10.99 | N/A | |
| ESPN+ | With advertisements* | $10.99 | $109.99 |
| UFC PPV (Standalone) (no change) | $79.99 (per event) | ||
| UFC PPV + Yearly* | N/A | $134.98 | |
| Bundle offers | Duo Premium: Disney+ (no ads), Hulu (no ads)^ – *NEW* | $19.99 | N/A |
| Duo Basic: Disney+ (with ads), Hulu (with ads) (no change) | $9.99 | N/A | |
| Trio Premium: Disney+ (no ads), Hulu (no ads), ESPN+ (with ads) | $24.99 | N/A | |
| Trio Basic: Disney+ (with ads), Hulu (with ads), ESPN+ (with ads)* | $14.99 | N/A | |
| Hulu + Live TV | With advertisements* | $76.99 | N/A |
| No Ads* | $89.99 | N/A |
* Effective October 12
^ Available September 6
Disney Plus launched in November 2019 for $6.99 per month, meaning that as of October Disney has doubled the cost of a monthly subscription in the past four years. Of course, the catalog of movies and TV shows that make up the Disney Plus service has exploded since then, and Samuel L. Jackson is aging for Secret invasion does not come free. Someone has to pay for that.
Netflix’s standard subscription, ad-free, is $15.49 per month. Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, formerly HBO Max, costs $15.99 per month. Disney Plus is still the cheapest of those options, but subscription costs are slowly rising to match those competitors.
Disney, too, will reportedly take a page out of the competition in 2024 crackdown on password sharing. According to a report by The coverDisney CEO Bob Iger said during an investor call Wednesday that the company is “actively exploring ways to address account sharing and the best options for paying subscribers to share their accounts with friends and family. Later this year, we will begin updating our subscriber agreements with additional terms and sharing policies, and we will roll out monetization tactics sometime in 2024.