Streaming Cost Calculator

Find out how much you're really spending on streaming — and how much you could save.

Prices current as of Q1 2026.

What Does Streaming Really Cost?

Between Netflix, Disney+, Max, Hulu, and the rest, the average American household now subscribes to 4 to 5 streaming services at the same time. That adds up quickly — most households spend between $46 and $72 per month just on streaming, totaling $552 to $864 per year.

The problem? Most people only actively watch 1 or 2 services at a time. The rest sit idle, quietly draining your bank account. Below you'll find the current prices for every major service, plus an interactive calculator to see exactly what you're spending.

Streaming Service Prices (2026)

Here's what every major streaming service costs per month in the United States as of early 2026:

Calculate Your Monthly Streaming Cost

Check every service you currently pay for to see your total monthly and yearly cost:

How Subscription Rotation Saves Money

The idea is simple: instead of paying for every service all year, you subscribe to 1 or 2 at a time and rotate through the rest. Binge the shows you want on one service, then cancel it and switch to the next.

Most streaming services have no cancellation fees and let you re-subscribe instantly. By rotating, a household paying $70+/month for five services can cut their bill to $25–$35/month — saving $400 or more per year.

Binge Boss helps you plan this by tracking which shows and movies are on which service and telling you the best time to subscribe and cancel.

Understanding Streaming Pricing Models

Most major streaming services now offer multiple pricing tiers, typically split into ad-supported, standard (ad-free), and premium categories. Ad-supported plans are the cheapest entry point — Netflix's ad tier costs $7.99/month compared to $15.49 for standard — but they come with commercial interruptions that can range from four to six minutes per hour of content. For some viewers, the trade-off is worth it. For others, especially those bingeing long-form dramas, the interruptions break immersion and make the savings feel less worthwhile.

Services offer multiple tiers for a straightforward business reason: they want to capture every segment of the market. Price-sensitive subscribers who might otherwise cancel will stick around on a cheaper ad plan, while the service earns additional revenue from advertising. Premium tiers, meanwhile, target power users who want perks like 4K HDR, Dolby Atmos audio, and the ability to download content for offline viewing. Understanding which tier actually matches your viewing habits is the first step toward spending less.

The savings from choosing an ad-supported plan over a standard one are significant — typically 40–60% per service. Across four or five subscriptions, downgrading to ad-supported tiers alone could save $20–$30 per month. Combine that with subscription rotation, and you can cut your streaming bill by 70% or more without missing any of the shows you actually want to watch.

Hidden Costs of Streaming

The sticker price of a streaming subscription only tells part of the story. To watch in 4K — the quality that most premium tiers are designed around — you need a reliable internet connection of at least 25 Mbps. If you have multiple people streaming simultaneously, that requirement climbs to 50 Mbps or higher. Many households have already upgraded their internet plans to accommodate streaming, adding $10–$30/month to the true cost without realizing it.

Then there's hardware. Smart TVs, streaming sticks like Roku and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV boxes, and soundbars all represent upfront costs that make the streaming experience possible. A 4K-capable streaming device costs $30–$150, and a decent smart TV runs $300–$800. These costs are easy to ignore because they're one-time purchases, but they're part of the total picture — especially if you're equipping multiple rooms.

Finally, there are the add-on fees that have become increasingly common. Netflix charges $7.99/month for each extra member outside your household. Disney+ and Max have introduced similar restrictions. Family sharing, which used to be a free perk, is now a paid feature at most services. On top of all this, annual price increases have become the norm — most services raise prices once or twice per year, often by $1–$3 per increase. Over time, these incremental hikes compound into dramatically higher bills than what you originally signed up for.

Frequently Asked Questions