The Real Cost of Five Streaming Subscriptions

Five streaming subscriptions cost you between $41.95 and $72.45 per month in 2026, depending on whether you tolerate ads. That’s $503 to $869 per year. The real question isn’t whether you can afford it. It’s whether you actually watch enough to justify the bill.

The Starting Number: What Five Subscriptions Really Costs You Per Month

You’re probably paying for Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, and Amazon Prime Video. Maybe you signed up for one or two and forgot to cancel the rest. Let’s put real numbers on it.

The cheapest route is all ad-supported plans. That’s $6.99 for Netflix, $7.99 for Hulu, $7.99 for Disney+, $9.99 for Max, and $8.99 for Amazon Prime Video standalone. Total: $41.95/month.

The ad-free route hurts more. Netflix Standard without ads is $15.49. Hulu no-ads is $17.99. Disney+ ad-free is $13.99. Max ad-free is $15.99. Amazon Prime Video standalone stays at $8.99 because they don’t offer an ad-free tier. You’re stuck with ads unless you pay for the full Prime membership at $14.99. Total without ads: $72.45/month.

That’s a difference of $30.50 per month. For most people, the ad-supported plans make sense. You sit through a few minutes of commercials per hour and save over $360 a year.

Netflix ($15.49/mo): The Standard You Can’t Skip, But Can Downgrade

Netflix is the one service almost everyone keeps. Their library is enormous, and they release new originals every week. But you don’t have to pay $15.49.

The Standard with Ads plan costs $6.99. You get 1080p video, two simultaneous streams, and the full Netflix catalog except for a few licensed titles. The ads run about four minutes per hour. If you’re watching Stranger Things or The Crown, you’ll see a commercial for toothpaste or a car every 15 minutes. It’s annoying but not unbearable.

The Standard without ads costs $15.49. Same resolution, same streams, no commercials. The Premium plan at $22.99 adds 4K and four streams. You probably don’t need that unless you share with family.

Go with the $6.99 tier. You can always upgrade for a month if you’re bingeing something new.

Hulu ($7.99/mo or $17.99/mo with Live TV): Ad-Supported vs. No Ads, and Why You’ll Probably Pick Ads

Hulu’s ad-supported plan is $7.99. The no-ads version is $17.99. That’s a $10 difference for the same content.

Hulu’s ads are more aggressive than Netflix’s. You get about six to eight minutes of commercials per hour. But Hulu’s library is mostly TV shows from ABC, NBC, Fox, and FX. If you’re watching The Bear or Only Murders in the Building, you’re used to commercial breaks anyway. The no-ads plan feels like a luxury you don’t need.

One exception: if you watch Hulu for movies, the ads can ruin the pacing. Most people use Hulu for TV series, not films. Stick with the $7.99 plan.

Disney+ ($7.99/mo): The Family Plan That’s Actually Cheap but Has a Catch

Disney+ standard with ads is $7.99. Ad-free is $13.99. That’s a $6 difference, the smallest gap among these services.

The catch: Disney+ is great if you have kids or you’re a Marvel/Star Wars fan. If you’re a single adult who doesn’t care about animated classics, it’s a waste. The ad-supported tier is tolerable. About four minutes of ads per hour, usually for Disney products or other services.

If you watch The Mandalorian or Bluey regularly, keep it. Otherwise, skip it entirely. Don’t pay for ad-free unless you’re a serious cinephile who can’t stand interruptions during The Lion King.

Max ($9.99/mo): The Second-Largest Library, and Where It Overlaps with Netflix

Max ad-supported costs $9.99. The ad-free version is $15.99. That’s a $6 jump.

Max has a massive library from HBO, Warner Bros., Discovery, and Turner. You get The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, Succession, and a deep catalog of classic movies. The problem: a lot of that overlaps with Netflix. Both have popular drama series, comedies, and documentaries. If you’re subscribed to Netflix and Max, you’re paying for two libraries that are about 60% redundant.

The ads on Max are similar to Hulu’s. About six minutes per hour for cars, insurance, and streaming services. The no-ads plan is $15.99, which puts it right next to Netflix’s Standard price. Pick one or the other for your ad-free fix. Don’t pay for both.

Amazon Prime Video ($8.99/mo standalone or $14.99/mo with Prime Shipping): The Hidden Cost of Convenience

Amazon Prime Video standalone is $8.99. That’s the cheapest option. The full Prime membership is $14.99 per month or $139 per year. The ad-supported tier is the default. Amazon does not offer an ad-free video plan. You get ads before and during content. They’re short but frequent.

The hidden cost is that Prime Video is often bundled with free shipping. If you already have Prime for shipping, you don’t pay extra for video. If you don’t, the standalone $8.99 is a fair price for the catalog, which includes The Boys, Reacher, and a rotating selection of movies.

Don’t sign up for Prime just for video. Buy the $8.99 standalone plan. The shipping perk isn’t worth $6 more unless you order from Amazon every week.

The Total: $54.44/mo Minimum, and What You Actually Watch on That Budget

The minimum cost for all five with ads is $41.95. But most people end up with a mix. Say you pick Netflix with ads ($6.99), Hulu with ads ($7.99), Disney+ with ads ($7.99), Max with ads ($9.99), and Amazon Prime Video standalone ($8.99). That’s $41.95.

You probably want at least one ad-free service. If you upgrade Netflix to no-ads ($15.49), the total becomes $50.45. If you upgrade Max to no-ads ($15.99), it’s $48.95. The realistic minimum for a household that wants some ads and some not: around $50 to $55 per month.

What do you actually get for that? Access to thousands of hours of content. But you probably watch less than 20 shows across all five services. Serpentine (2021) is on Netflix, not Hulu. The Last of Us (2023) is on Max, not Disney+. Most people cycle through three or four shows at a time. The rest of the library sits untouched.

The Trade-Off: Rotate Subscriptions Monthly Instead of Paying for All Five

Every single one of these services lets you cancel and resubscribe with no penalty. There’s no contract, no early termination fee, no blackout period. You can cancel on a Tuesday and resubscribe on a Friday.

Instead of paying $50 per month for all five, pick two. Subscribe to Netflix and Hulu for one month. Cancel both. Subscribe to Max and Disney+ the next month. Then Amazon Prime Video the third month. You still watch everything you want, but you pay roughly $16 to $20 per month instead of $50.

The only downside: you lose your watch history and recommendations. That’s minor. You remember what you’re watching. The services store your profile for up to a year after cancellation.

If you binge The Bear in three days, you don’t need Hulu for the other 28 days of the month. Cancel it. Resubscribe when a new season drops.

What You Should Do Right Now: Audit Your Watchlist and Cut One Service

Open each app. Look at your continue-watching list. Count how many shows you’re actively following on each service. If you have zero ongoing shows on Disney+ and you’re not a parent, cancel it. If you have one show on Max that you’re waiting for, cancel Max and wait until the full season is out. Then resubscribe for a month.

Do this once per quarter. Set a reminder on your phone to check your subscriptions every three months. That’s four audits per year. Each audit will save you at least one month of a service, about $8 to $15.

Your real cost isn’t $50 per month. It’s what you pay for content you never watch. Cut one service today. Keep rotating the rest. You won’t miss a thing.

Part of our guide to Where To Watch It: A Streaming Availability Guide.