Frustrated by Paramount+’s Price Hike? Check Out These Other Options
Paramount+ rose prices for new customers as of Aug. 20, and will start increasing subscription rates for existing customers as of Sept. 20.
The new Paramount+ pricing schedule is official. As of Tuesday, Aug. 20, new customers will have to pay $7.99 per month for an ad-supported Paramount+ subscription, or $12.99 per month for ad-free Paramount+ with SHOWTIME. If this latest increase is the final straw for you, check below for a list of alternatives. Some will be lower-priced than Paramount+, while some will cost a few dollars more, but will include markedly more content.
Streaming Alternatives to Paramount+:
Lateral Move: Peacock
Peacock also recently increased prices, and its ad-supported Premium plan is the same price as Paramount+’s at $7.99 per month. For live sports fans, however, this isn’t a bad alternative at all. The two streamers are highly similar in many respects; like Paramount+, Peacock offers a good selection of originals, movies sourced directly from its partner movie studio (Universal in this case), and a wide range of familiar, older titles that allow audiences to simply lean back and watch.
The biggest difference is the amount of live sports available on Peacock versus Paramount+. The latter service carries CBS’s Sunday afternoon NFL package every season, as well as UEFA Champions League soccer and other soccer matches. But Peacock offers much more sports programming in its ad-supported tier; it comes with Big East basketball, Big Ten football and basketball, “Sunday Night Football,” Notre Dame football, English Premier League soccer, and much more, and that doesn’t even factor in the addition of live NBA games in 2025. The Paramount+ With SHOWTIME tier will include more coverage of college football and basketball, but you will have to pay $12.99 to get those games on your local CBS affiliate via the streamer.
Save $1 Per Month with Netflix Standard with Ads
Given Netflix’s general popularity, there’s a good chance that readers already have a subscription to this service. If not, however, the streamer’s Standard with Ads plan is a good alternative to ad-supported Paramount+. Standard with Ads comes in at $6.99 per month, allows viewers to download and watch titles offline, and grants access to nearly all of the Netflix library.
That means that popular titles like “Bridgerton” and “Stranger Things” are available, as is the increasing selection of live events on Netflix like a recent Joe Rogan comedy special, Christmas Day NFL games, an upcoming boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, and more.
Stream Without Ads for Less: Apple TV+
If remaining ad-free is your chief goal here, take a look at Apple TV+. This streamer’s focus is on high-quality originals featuring A-list stars, such as “Slow Horses” starring Gary Oldman or the upcoming movie “Wolfs” featuring Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
Apple TV+ currently has just one plan: its ad-free tier which costs $9.99 per month. An ad-supported tier could be on the way soon, and if that happens viewers should expect the price of streaming Apple TV+ ad-free to rise. Until then, however, it’s one of the few services offering ad-free service for less than Paramount+.
Pay More, Get More with Disney Duo Bundle
This may seem like an odd entry on the list, considering it costs more than Paramount+. But if you’re willing to pay $9.99 per month to get the Disney Duo Basic Bundle of Disney+ and Hulu, you’ll get two full streaming services for just $2 more per month than you’d pay to get Paramount+ by itself. Shoppers should note, however, that in October the price of Disney Duo Basic rises to $10.99 per month.
If you go this route, Disney+ will provide favorite titles from the Marvel and Star Wars franchises, including upcoming shows such as “Skeleton Crew” and “Agatha All Along.” The streamer will eventually get “Deadpool & Wolverine” as well, and Hulu brings a mountain of general entertainment, including beloved shows like “The Bear” and “Shōgun.” Customers of the bundle can stream most titles from Hulu directly from the Disney+ app, as well.
Save More with AMC+
If saving money is the absolute bottom line for you, consider switching from Paramount+ to AMC+. This streamer doesn’t have the same strength of catalog that Paramount+ does, but it does come with some highly recognizable titles, such as “The Walking Dead” and its various spinoffs, “Better Call Saul,” “Interview With the Vampire,” and more.
AMC+ costs $4.99 per month to stream with ads, or $8.99 per month to watch without commercials. You won’t get quite as much with AMC+ as you will with Paramount+, but you will be able to enjoy meaningful monthly savings after Paramount+’s latest price increase.