'How much does Netflix cost?': All of Netflix's subscription plans, explained
- Netflix offers three streaming video plans that start as low as $8.99 per month and top out at $15.99 per month.
- Depending upon which plan you choose, you can get higher quality video (including 4K Ultra HD) and family-friendly features like the ability to watch video on more than one screen at a time.
- If you live in the US, you can also rent DVDs and Blu-rays by mail from Netflix. Prices for this service start at $7.99 per month and go up to $14.99 per month.
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Whether you use Netflix in addition to cable television or instead of it, most people would agree that it's nearly essential. With access to a vast library of TV shows, movies, and Netflix original programming, Netflix has become the broadcast television of the 21st Century.
Netflix offers a variety of streaming video plans (and, in the US, still offers the ability to order DVD and Blu-ray discs in the mail). Here is a guide to what Netflix charges for its plans.
How much Netflix's streaming plans cost
Netflix offers three streaming plans: Basic, Standard, and Premium, starting at $9 per month and ending at $16 per month. Here's what you get with each plan.
- Basic. The Basic streaming plan costs $8.99 per month and has the most limited features. You can only use it on a single screen at a time (which is fine if you're the only user of the account), and resolution is limited to standard definition (SD), which is equivalent to old, pre-HD television.
- Standard. The Standard streaming plan costs $12.99 per month and allows you two watch on two screens at a time in high definition (HD).
- Premium. The Premium streaming plan costs $15.99 per month. For that, you can watch on four screens at once (ideal for a large family), and you can video programming in HD or 4K Ultra HD, if available.
How much Netflix's DVD and Blu-ray plans costs
In the US, Netflix continues to offer discs by mail at dvd.netflix.com. This was, in fact, the way Netflix originally delivered its content - via DVD - when it launched in 1998. It added streaming video in 2007, and DVD rentals declined rapidly. Today, it's still an option, though an uncommon one.
Here are the pricing plans.
- Standard. The Standard DVD plan costs $7.99 per month. If you prefer Blu-ray, the cost is $9.99 per month. In both cases, Netflix allows you to keep one disc at a time for as long as you want (as soon as you return that disc, Netflix immediately sends you the next disc listed in your queue). There's no limit to how many discs you can watch over time, though - the only limitation is how quickly you can watch and return discs.
- Premier. The Premier DVD plan allows you to keep two discs at a time for $11.99 per month, or $14.99 per month for Blu-rays. Otherwise, the plan works the same as the Standard plan.
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