Streaming prices continue to rise. Just this week, Max raised its ad-free price by $1. Peacock is raising its subscription fee next month. As your budget gets stretched, it’s worth considering whether it’s worth downshifting to an ad-supported plan instead of canceling altogether. The Streamable is here to help you decide.
All Services: Ad-Supported vs. Ad-Free Comparison
| Service | Ad-Supported | Ad-Free | Price Difference | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Video | $8.99 | $11.99 | $3.00 | 33% |
| discovery+ | 4.99 | 8.99 | $4.00 | 80% |
| Disney+ | 7.99 | 13.99 | $6.00 | 75% |
| Max | 9.99 | 16.99 | $7.00 | 70% |
| Hulu | 7.99 | 17.99 | $10.00 | 125% |
| Netflix | 6.99 | 15.49 | $8.50 | 122% |
| Peacock | 5.99 | 11.99 | $6.00 | 100% |
| AMC+ | 4.99 | 8.99 | $4.00 | 80% |
| NBA League Pass | 14.99 | 22.99 | $8.00 | 53% |
Prime Video Ad-Free Premium: 33%
We love Prime Video’s huge library of movies and TV shows. But Prime isn’t always a go-to streamer. It doesn’t produce nearly enough premium content to merit the $3.00 upcharge to go ad-free.
Amazon’s stubborn refusal to fix its interface means you’ll be stumbling through Prime Video content alongside Freevee titles that always have ads, even if you go ad-free for Prime Video. You’ll also have to scroll past lots of VOD titles you’d have to pay extra for.
Unless you’re a die-hard fan of Prime Video’s handful of original titles, we don’t see the ad-free premium as worth the spend, though $3 is the smallest ad-free upgrade of any of the major services.
Is it worth the ad-free upgrade? No
discovery+ Ad-Free Premium: 80%
If you love reality TV, discovery+ is right up your alley. But should you pay 80% more to skip the ads? We wouldn’t recommend it. Nearly all the content on this service is deliberately created for linear TV channels with commercials, so the story flow is not dramatically improved by removing ads. If you’re binge-watching several episodes of a show, you may even get tired without the ads giving you a periodic break to scroll your phone. This is a streamer where the ad-supported tier makes perfect sense, and it’s a good value under $5/month.
Is it worth the ad-free upgrade? No
Disney+ Ad-Free Premium: 75%
While you may be tempted by the option to save $6/month by accepting ads, we don’t recommend it for Disney+. The bulk of Disney content just doesn’t lend itself to ads. You don’t want to have to sit through commercials during a Marvel film or a Disney animated classic. It would be frustrating to suffer through ads during Pixar movies. Although it will cost extra to ditch the ads, ad-free Disney+ is only $14/month - a decent value for the quality you receive.
If you have children, it’s probably worth the extra $6 to shield them from having to see commercials. We know that Disney+ doesn’t offer ads on junior profiles, but those profiles limit the library so drastically, it’s hardly worth the trouble.
Is it worth the ad-free upgrade? Yes
Max Ad-Free Premium: 70%
If you’re subscribing to Max, you’re an adult who craves compelling stories. Thanks to the HBO library, you’re getting all-time classics like “The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” “The Last of Us,” “Game of Thrones,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Sex and the City,” and “Deadwood.” We can’t fathom sitting through commercials to watch those shows. $16.99 is a lot to pay, especially considering how slow Max is to add new content.
If you need to save money on Max, we recommend signing up, bingeing your favorite shows, then canceling until you’re ready to watch again. We don’t view Max as a necessity year ‘round.
Is it worth the ad-free upgrade? Yes
Hulu Ad-Free Premium: 125%
No streamer charges more to go ad-free. The jump from the ad-supported tier costs a whopping $10 extra dollars per month. That’s a hard pill to swallow.
While Hulu is home to some quality films, it’s mostly known for its deep TV library, and most of those shows originally aired on linear channels. That means they were designed with ad breaks in mind, and you’re not likely to get thrown when an ad pops up.
It’s true that the Hulu original shows offer a more jarring commercial experience. No one is prepared for a pharmaceutical ad in the middle of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” But $10/month is a steep premium to get around those. We think you’ll be fine with ad-supported Hulu.
Is it worth the ad-free upgrade? No
Netflix Ad-Free Premium: 122%
If you’ve never had ads on Netflix, it’s hard to fathom down-shifting to deal with them. Still, the $8.50 gap is pretty wide.
If you’re a first-time Netflix subscriber, it’s probably worth starting with the ad-supported tier since it’s so cheap at $7/month. But that plan doesn’t involve offline downloads, meaning you’ll have to find another option for those long airplane rides.
Ultimately, Netflix just offers too much binge-worthy content to bother with ads. You’ll get a rotating selection of great movies, all those pop-culture phenomenons, and a strong library for kids. We think your Netflix experience is worth the premium here.
Is it worth the ad-free upgrade? Yes
Peacock Ad-Free Premium: 100%
Peacock does have its fair share of movies, but we view it primarily as a TV-first streamer. If you’re watching reruns of “The Office,” “Yellowstone,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” or “Parks and Recreation,” commercials probably won’t bother you too much.
Their current movie library does have some titles where you wouldn’t want ads: “Oppenheimer,” “Gladiator,” “Get Out,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and “Jurassic Park.” But if you wait a while, those titles should pivot to other streamers where the ad-free premium is more worth the upgrade.
One unique factor to consider is that Peacock does provide your live, local NBC affiliate if you upgrade to the ad-free plan. That might be worth it if you have another live streamer that doesn’t include NBC in the lineup, like Philo or Sling TV
Is it worth the ad-free upgrade? No
AMC+ Ad-Free Premium: 80%
AMC+ offers an interesting lineup of TV shows, along with access to the horror films of Shudder, dramas and mysteries from Sundance Now, and groundbreaking movies from IFC Films. Like many of its TV-first peers, the content on AMC+ was designed with commercials in mind. Is it worth $4.99 to have access to those libraries with commercials? Yes. Is it worth $9 to watch ad-free? Maybe, depending on how important those shows are to you. “Mad Men” binges may benefit from ad-free watching, while “The Walking Dead” will probably numb you without the occasional break.
Ultimately, we think you’re better off sitting through the ads if you want a show available on the platform.
Is it worth the ad-free upgrade? No
NBA League Pass Ad-Free Premium: 53%
Did you know you can watch out-of-market NBA games without ads? If you spring for the $23/month League Pass Premium, you can. If you really, truly hate ads, this option may be worth the extra money, but since you’re watching a live event, you’ll still have to wait for the games to resume. Instead of watching ads, you’ll see in-stadium entertainment like the kiss cam or a juggling unicycle act.
You may as well save $8/month and use the commercial breaks to grab another drink.
Is it worth the ad-free upgrade? No