By: Dipin Sehdev
It’s that time of year again—the season when sweaters come out of the closet, pumpkin spice fills the air, and, like clockwork, your favorite streaming services all decide to get more expensive. Yes, October 2025 is shaping up to be a costly month for couch potatoes everywhere.
Disney+ and Hulu are once again leading the pack, rolling out price hikes across nearly every plan. And if you think you can simply hop over to Netflix, Prime Video, or HBO Max to escape the wallet burn—think again. Every major streamer has been tightening its belt (or rather, your belt) with either price increases or crackdowns on password sharing.
Let’s break it down.
Disney+ and Hulu: Triple Hike Season
Starting October 21, 2025, Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select will all cost more. Here’s the breakdown of the new monthly pricing compared with what you’re paying now:
| Service | Previous Price | New Price (Oct. 21, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Disney+ (with ads) | $9.99 | $11.99 |
| Disney+ Premium (no ads) | $15.99 | $18.99 |
| Hulu (with ads) | $9.99 | $11.99 |
| Hulu Premium (no ads) | $18.99 | $18.99 (unchanged) |
| ESPN Select | $11.99 | $12.99 |
| Disney+ + Hulu (with ads) | $10.99 | $12.99 |
| Disney+ + Hulu + ESPN Select (with ads) | $16.99 | $19.99 |
| Disney+ + Hulu + ESPN Select Premium | $26.99 | $29.99 |
| Disney+ + Hulu + HBO Max (with ads) | $16.99 | $19.99 |
| Disney+ + Hulu + HBO Max (no ads) | $29.99 | $32.99 |
| Hulu + Live TV (with ads, includes Disney+ & ESPN) | $82.99 | $89.99 |
| Hulu + Live TV (no ads, includes Disney+ Premium & ESPN) | $95.99 | $99.99 |
For anyone keeping track, that’s the third straight October hike for Disney+. At this point, the calendar doesn’t just mark Halloween; it marks the annual price hike.
Netflix: Still King of Price Hikes
Netflix was the trendsetter when it came to raising prices—and cracking down on password sharing. It’s been enforcing one-account-per-household since 2023, and it hasn’t been shy about bumping up monthly costs:
| Plan | Previous Price | Current Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard with Ads | $6.99 | $6.99 (unchanged) |
| Standard (1080p, 2 streams) | $15.49 | $15.49 (unchanged, for now) |
| Premium (4K, 4 streams) | $19.99 | $22.99 |
Yep, the Premium plan jumped $3 last year, and Netflix hasn’t budged since. Don’t be surprised if another bump sneaks in before 2026.
Amazon Prime Video: The Sneaky One
Amazon doesn’t always raise Prime prices outright—it prefers to bake in ads. Earlier this year, Prime Video quietly shifted its base plan to include commercials, unless you cough up extra cash.
| Plan | Previous Price | Current Price |
|---|---|---|
| Included with Prime (ads) | $0 (with $14.99 Prime membership) | Same |
| Ad-Free Upgrade | — | $2.99 extra/month |
So, your $14.99 Prime membership just became $17.98 if you want to binge without ads. Sneaky, sneaky.
Hulu: Double Trouble
Already covered under Disney’s umbrella, Hulu is seeing its own price hike. The ad-supported tier is leaping from $9.99 to $11.99, and bundles are getting steeper. The no-ads Hulu Premium mercifully holds at $18.99—but don’t exhale too loudly; that probably won’t last another year.
HBO Max (sorry, Max): The Identity Crisis Continues
After ditching “HBO” in its branding and then reversing course, Max is still expensive. Price bumps rolled out in early 2025, and bundles tied to Disney are also climbing.
| Plan | Previous Price | Current Price |
|---|---|---|
| With Ads | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| Ad-Free | $15.99 | $15.99 |
| Ultimate Ad-Free (4K, Dolby Atmos) | $19.99 | $19.99 |
The standalone prices are stable, but the Disney+ bundle that includes Max is going up. So if you’re bundling, you’re paying more regardless.
Paramount+: Ready for Its Spotlight
Paramount+ has been quietly raising rates too. It rolled out its latest increase in June 2025:
| Plan | Previous Price | Current Price |
|---|---|---|
| Essential (with ads) | $5.99 | $7.99 |
| Paramount+ with Showtime (no ads) | $11.99 | $12.99 |
Not too bad compared to Netflix and Disney—but still up.
Peacock: The Late Bloomer in Price Hikes
NBCUniversal’s Peacock joined the price-hike party in summer 2025.
| Plan | Previous Price | Current Price |
|---|---|---|
| Premium (with ads) | $5.99 | $7.99 |
| Premium Plus (no ads) | $11.99 | $13.99 |
That’s a $2 increase across the board.
The Password Sharing Crackdown
If higher monthly fees weren’t enough, streaming companies are also making it harder to split costs. Netflix blazed the trail, but Disney+ has officially joined the crackdown, warning that sharing outside your household could lead to account restrictions—or forced upgrades.
Amazon, Paramount+, and Peacock are all rumored to be exploring similar moves. In short: you’re paying more, and you’re losing the loopholes that once made the price bearable.
The Bigger Picture: Why the Hikes?
The industry spin is always the same: price hikes are necessary to “invest in content.” Translation: streaming has become really expensive to run, growth has slowed, and Wall Street wants profits, not just subscribers.
Disney, for instance, reported 207.4 million subscribers across its services this quarter, but it’s still bleeding money on streaming. Hulu is expected to vanish as a standalone app by 2026, fully merging into Disney+. Meanwhile, Netflix and Amazon continue pouring billions into original programming.
The result? More prestige shows, but also more prestige prices.
So, What’s the Damage?
Here’s a side-by-side snapshot of what you’ll pay for the major streamers as of late 2025 (base plans only):
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Disney+ (with ads) | $11.99 |
| Hulu (with ads) | $11.99 |
| ESPN Select | $12.99 |
| Netflix Standard with Ads | $6.99 |
| Netflix Premium | $22.99 |
| Prime Video (Ad-Free) | $17.98 (with Prime) |
| HBO Max (with ads) | $9.99 |
| Paramount+ Essential | $7.99 |
| Peacock Premium | $7.99 |
Look at those numbers again: if you subscribe to even four of these, you’re well north of $50 a month. Add in bundles, ad-free upgrades, or Live TV, and you’re creeping closer to traditional cable bills—the very thing streaming was supposed to replace.
Final Thoughts
Streaming is starting to feel a lot like that friend who always “forgets” their wallet at dinner. You love the company, you love the entertainment, but every time the bill comes due, you’re somehow paying more.
As of October 2025, Disney+ and Hulu are officially more expensive, Paramount+ and Peacock have already hiked prices this year, and Netflix remains the priciest of them all. Add password-sharing crackdowns into the mix, and suddenly streaming feels a lot less like a bargain and a lot more like a luxury.
So, should you cut back? Bundle smartly? Or just grit your teeth and pay up? That’s up to you. But one thing’s for sure: the era of “cheap streaming” is over.
