Is Netflix Premium Still Worth Paying For Now That the Price Has Gone Up to $23 per Month?

Netflix knows all too well how many of its customers think of it as an indispensable utility. The streamer is supremely confident in that knowledge, as evidenced by the fact that on Wednesday, it announced price increases effective immediately on multiple (though not all) streaming plans.

• Netflix Premium is rising in price from $19.99 per month to $22.99, making it the most expensive subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) plan in the United States.
• The price increase is yet another attempt by Netflix to emphasize its ad-supported plan.
• The Premium plan offers 4K streaming on select titles, no ads, and spatial audio, but where else can users find those features?

Premium Plan, Premium Price

One of the Netflix plans subject to a price increase is its Premium selection, which offers ad-free streaming, the ability to watch some titles in Ultra-High-Definition 4K, Netflix’s spatial audio technology, and the ability to stream on up to four devices simultaneously. Users of this plan can also download shows and movies onto six separate devices for offline viewing.

The Premium plan formerly cost $19.99 per month, but this week Netflix announced that the price was rising to $22.99 per month effective immediately. That increase made the Premium plan the most expensive SVOD offering in the United States, beating out Max’s Ultimate plan ($19.99 per month) and Hulu’s ad-free tier ($17.99 monthly). Certainly the Netflix content library, with shows like “Squid Game” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” can stand up to any other streamer’s, but does it have enough ancillary features to make such an expensive price tag worth it?

What Other Streamers Offer Plans Similar to Netflix Premium?

The closest option to Netflix’s Premium plan currently available is Max’s Ultimate option. It offers 4K streaming on select titles, the ability to stream on up to four devices at once, and offers users the full library of their favorite HBO shows, from classics like “The Sopranos” to new favorites like “The White Lotus.” Max also carries a huge variety of content from discovery+, including selections from the Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel and others. It doesn’t come with spatial audio, which is native to Netflix, but it does allow viewers to watch some titles with Dolby Atmos. Max Ultimate users can also download up to 100 movies and TV episodes to watch them offline.

Disney+ is another good option for users who want to be able to stream titles in 4K. There are hundreds of titles available to stream in 4K on Disney+, and users of either the ad-supported Basic plan or the ad-free Premium plan can access them. However, you’ll have to upgrade to the Premium plan ($13.99 per month) if you want to be able to watch ad-free and download titles to stream offline. Like Netflix Premium and Max Ultimate, Disney+ Premium allows you to watch on up to four devices at once.

So Is Netflix Premium Worth It?

For the features alone, Netflix Premium probably isn’t worth the extra expense as compared to other streaming platforms on the market that offer a similar user experience. But as always for Netflix, content is the main differentiator. If you value the ability to watch Netflix’s content library ad-free highly but aren’t attached to 4K streaming and spatial audio, you may want to consider downgrading to the Standard plan (two simultaneous streams, resolution tops out at 1080p for $15.49 per month).

If you value the ability to stream in UHD 4K highly, you should look into Max or Disney+. Both services offer the ability to watch select titles in 4K for less money than Netflix does, and both offer annual as well as monthly subscription options to allow users to save even more when they sign up for the year.