Netflix was once a business that mailed DVDs. Now, it is one of the biggest video streaming platforms in the world. Its 300 million subscribers can choose from thousands of titles, including movies and TV shows in HD or 4K that look gorgeous on the best Android tablets. However, Netflix has never been free to enjoy. The company is no stranger to price hikes, some of which are more controversial than others. The recent increase came in January 2025, setting the monthly subscription cost between $8 with ads and $25 for Premium service. How did we get here?
2014: Minor price hikes, big plans
Netflix made careful price adjustments to fund original and 4K content
The Netflix homepage in 2014
Let’s rewind to 2014. The year saw a couple of Netflix subscription plan shake-ups, including a price hike in May, as reported by The Verge. A Standard subscription increased from $8 to $9 per month for new subscribers. Existing Standard subscribers could keep paying the lower price for two more years. The $12 price of a Platinum (a.k.a. Premium) subscription did not change that year.
At the same time, Netflix introduced a Basic plan for $8 a month. However, that only allowed SD-quality streaming to one screen. For reference, the Standard plan let you watch in HD or 4K on up to two screens, and Platinum account holders could stream on up to four screens at a time. Later in October, Netflix made its small but growing 4K library accessible only to Platinum subscribers, The Verge reported.
2015: Another small price hike for the Standard plan
These changes did not go unnoticed, but they were mild compared to Netflix’s previous attempts at raising prices. The company was treading carefully after its 2011 fiasco, when it split its DVD-rental and video streaming services into two subscriptions with a higher combined price. Netflix stock plummeted, and subscribers left.
Netflix continued with the careful price adjustments in 2015, when the Standard price went up from $9 to $10 per month. The increase was easy to swallow and largely justified. Netflix invested heavily in the production of original shows, including hits like Narcos and House of Cards. Its 4K library was also growing.
2017: A price bump for Standard and Premium plans
Netflix’s library of Originals was growing, and the price followed
The Netflix homepage in 2017
Netflix had become a global phenomenon with a worldwide audience by 2017. It also added goodies like 4K HDR quality and the ability to download content offline. No less importantly, the company was planning to invest $6 billion on exclusive content, so a price hike was more or less in the cards.
As Mashable reported in October 2017, Netflix increased the price of its Premium plan from $12 to $14, and the Standard subscription went up from $10 to $11 a month. Only the Basic plan stayed the same cost at $8 per month. However, that tier was limited to streaming in non-HD quality on a single screen only. Things weren’t going to stay like this for long.
2019: A bold price bump
But was the price fair?
All Netflix tiers saw a price increase in 2019. For the first time since its introduction, the Basic plan got a bump from $8 to $9. Meanwhile, Netflix’s Standard subscription tier went from $11 to $13, a $2 increase. The price of a Premium plan increased from $14 to $16 monthly. In terms of features and quality, the three plans did not introduce anything new.
The 2019 Netflix price hike was somewhat bold but not out of touch with reality. Netflix offered a rich selection of shows people wanted to watch, including The Witcher and Stranger Things. Additionally, its price was comparable to what competitors asked for their services.
2020: A world in lockdown
Netflix growth fueled by a new reality
As people worldwide spent more time at home, Netflix followed with another price hike in 2020. This time, nothing changed for subscribers on the $9 Basic plan. However, those on the Standard plan had to pay a dollar extra, as the price rose from $13 to $14 per month. Netflix Premium subscribers were hit the hardest, as the tier went up from $16 to $18 per month.
Again, Netflix touted investments in quality exclusive content to justify the price adjustment. We suspect the restrictions and lockdowns happening worldwide could have contributed to that. In any case, Netflix kept on growing. It reached the 200-million subscriber milestone by the end of 2020.
2022: A big year for Netflix
Just not in a good way
Netflix announced price hikes across the board in early 2022. Its Basic plan became $1 more expensive at $10 per month. The popular Standard plan and the Premium tier got more expensive, climbing to $15.50 and $20, respectively.
Subscribers weren’t happy about this. Also, Netflix’s growth, fueled by the pandemic, was losing momentum, and password sharing was still a thing. Perhaps that is why the company started slowly losing subscribers, causing its stock price to plummet. Netflix had to do something quickly.
Cracking down on password sharing, welcoming ads to Netflix
While Netflix had been offering separate user profiles since 2013, these were only intended for use within the same household. However, it was common for people to share an account with friends and family outside their home. Netflix knew it was time to do something about it, as this was cutting into its bottom line. The company announced the option to share a Netflix subscription for a fee in 2022, and introduced tighter restrictions on freeloaders in the following year.
Another key change came in October of 2022: the addition of an ad-supported Netflix tier. Called Basic with Ads, it cost $7 per month and offered up to 720p HD streaming of most of Netflix’s library. For context, that was $3 cheaper than the Basic plan without ads.
2023: Yet another price hike
And bye bye, Basic plan
Netflix shocked nobody with another price hike in 2023. What came as more of a surprise was the discontinuation of the Basic plan. The tier stayed for existing subscribers at $2 extra or $12 a month. New subscribers still had the Basic with Ads plan for $7 a month as an entry-level tier. The biggest increase affected Premium subscribers, which saw their monthly bill rise to $23. The Standard plan remained unchanged at $15.50 per month.
Despite the price hike, Netflix’s subscriber base kept on growing, partly due to the company imposing limitations on password sharing. The increasing popularity of the service’s ad-supported tier was also a factor.
2025: A new price high for Netflix
Where’s the limit, anyway?
The costs of being a Netflix subscriber today are the highest they’ve ever been. After the last Netflix price hike in January 2025, a Standard subscription costs $18 per month, and a Premium account will set you back $25 a month, a $2 increase for both. The cheapest tier remains ad-supported, priced at $8 per month, or a dollar more than last year. That’s what having a Standard Netflix account used to cost years ago.
What’s the future of Netflix pricing?
The only way is up, it seems. While Netflix keeps expanding its portfolio with quality content, its prices have steadily risen. While $8 got you a Standard subscription in 2014, that now costs $18 monthly. A Premium tier which used to cost $12 is now $25. However, you get access to a richer library.
Despite this, Netflix prices will likely continue to rise in the coming years, as subscriber growth remains healthy. The company recently reported having over 300 million subscribers, with 70 million on the cheapest, ad-supported tier. That’s a record figure, making Netflix the biggest platform of its kind. With Netflix all-in on live-streaming content, the numbers are likely to reach new peaks in the foreseeable future.
