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Ashlie Mealey
Netflix is also making basic plans unavailable to new customers in several countries, including the UK and US. Basic plans in those countries have now been replaced with standard subscriptions with ads. Ad-supported plans are much more affordable, costing 4.99 per month in the UK and $6.99 per month in the US.
Please note: the prices included in our study are the base price as advertised by Netflix. They do not include the various taxes and other charges users may face. We are aware that several countries, including Argentina, have these charges but our study focuses on the price charged by Netflix.
Second, we evaluated the cost per month in each country and how these shape up against others (based on current exchange rates at the time of writing). We have also analyzed the 13 countries with ad-based subscriptions (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Guernsey, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, South Korea, UK, and US) separately to see how these plans compare.
At the other end of the scale are a number of African and European countries and Fiji where none of their plans are cost-effective, despite recent library growth across the majority of these countries. This is due to extortionate monthly costs (Liechtenstein and Switzerland) or library sizes that are more than three times below average (Zambia, Seychelles, Uganda).
The homeland of Netflix itself, the US, also features as one of the least cost-effective countries across all of its plans. This is, again, due to its average library size and above-average monthly costs. It ranks as the eleventh, twenty-first, and seventeenth least cost-effective country for its basic, standard, and premium plans respectively.
One of the biggest advantages of streaming platforms over standard TV channels is their lack of adverts. So are the cheaper plans with ads on Netflix worth it? And do they offer the best value for money when we compare them to basic plans without ads from around the world?
It probably goes without saying that all 13 countries save a reasonable amount of money per title when opting for the standard plan with ads. But as the above table demonstrates, some get a better deal than others.
One of the most expensive countries, Guernsey, saves the most per title when choosing the standard with ads plan (saving nearly $0.0018 per title), while Brazil (which boasts the most cost-effective standard with ads plan) saves a fourth of what Guernsey users do.
Here we can compare all of the countries Netflix is available in (245 in total) to see which countries pay the most and least for their subscriptions on a cost-per-month basis. We can also see just how the recent price hikes and cuts have affected these costs.
The basic subscription tier lets you stream content in 720p HD on one device at a time. Both standard plans (with ads and ad-free) support 1080p full HD streaming and up to two devices at once. Only a premium subscription allows you to watch Netflix in 4K UHD on four supported devices at a time.
Netflix discontinued the Basic plan in some countries (including the US and the UK) as part of its efforts to adapt to the latest market trends and enhance its service model. The strategy is aimed at simplifying the subscription offerings and encouraging users to opt for other plans like Standard with ads or Premium, which provide more features or content. Obviously, these plans bring more financial gain to the company too.
In 2023, Netflix lost customers. During the second quarter of the year, the company reported a loss of approximately 970,000 subscribers. This was the largest quarterly subscriber loss that Netflix experienced since it launched. The good news for Netflix is that this loss was less severe than expected. Netflix had initially projected that it was going to lose 2 million following unexpected growth caused by the pandemic.
During the early phase of the pandemic in 2020, Netflix gained nearly 26 million subscribers in the first half of the year. Following this explosion, a readjustment was always expected and the fact that it lost 1 million fewer subscribers than predicted actually demonstrates impressive retention.
Yes, Netflix content is different in every country. This is due to licensing restrictions. As such, you may find that when you travel abroad on vacation, you can no longer stream some TV shows and movies. This is one of the reasons why we recommend you use a VPN to securely access your Netflix account as normal.
While Netflix did used to offer free trials, this is unfortunately no longer the case. Its cheapest plan is Standard with ads which costs $6.99 a month in the US (prices vary by country). The Netflix password-sharing crackdown means that getting free Netflix from a friend or family member is no longer on the table either.
With the exception of the basic tier, all Netflix plans support at least two devices at a time. So you may be able to get Netflix for free if you live with someone who is happy to share their subscription.
Yes. If you are an expat or somebody who is living abroad for work or studying, you can easily take advantage of cheaper Netflix prices back home. As you already have a valid payment method in your home country, it is extremely easy for you to connect to a VPN server in your home country to purchase a cheaper subscription.
For this reason, it is a good idea to check the difference in cost between where you are now and your home country. If you are visiting the UK, the US, or some other country where Netflix is expensive, the savings could be pretty decent. Netflix might require a local form of payment.
The only caveat to all of this is that using a VPN to buy a cheaper Netflix subscription is technically against the terms of service. So, doing so, even if you are only living abroad because of your studies is technically a breach. For this reason, you should remember that you always use a VPN at your own risk and Netflix withholds the right to cancel an account if it believes its policies were breached.
For cord-cutters, shifting from cable to streaming can be a wise financial move. Because you're able to sign up for monthly plans, it's easy to jump into a streaming service and jump out when prices increase or content gets dull. But according to Deloitte's 2024 Media Trends report, the average US household spends $61 a month on streaming. The main reasons people cancel their streaming subscriptions are due to price and availability -- or lack of -- engaging content. Media companies call this behavior "churn." We're calling this the rotation method, and you should try it.
The incentive? You save your coin and avoid content droughts. Let's say a series like Percy Jackson or Reacher is set to premiere on a streaming service. Find the total episode count and wait until they're all available at once on a platform. You cancel Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus or other service and then, once all the episodes are available, resubscribe to catch up. Alternatively, you can start streaming a show midseason to cut costs. My monthly guide on which streaming services to cancel can help you keep up.
The downside? You won't have immediate access to every show you want to watch and will have to wait until the full season airs. And since many streaming services release new episodes weekly, you might not be caught up at the same time as your friends. If you're someone who prefers to watch episodes immediately when they drop, you may decide it's worth it to have multiple subscriptions at a time. If you have patience, however, you can save some money.
The strategy can also work if you have a live TV streaming service to watch a particular sport or major event like the Super Bowl. Once the season wraps, cancel the service or move to a cheaper platform with fewer channels, like Sling TV.
Set calendar reminders for your billing cycle and upcoming TV show or movie release dates. Give yourself enough warning to begin or end a subscription. Apps such as JustWatch, TV Time and Hobi help you track when and where TV shows and movies appear on a streaming service. And JustWatch added a tracker specifically for sports. If you have a smart home device from Google or Amazon, you can set reminders for specific dates and allow a voice assistant like Alexa to notify you of an upcoming bill or streaming release date.
Look for discounts on streaming services. For example, Starz regularly offers months-long deals that slash its $10-per-month price. You can also take advantage of the Disney Bundle, which provides access to Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus in a single package for a reduced price. And eligible Hulu subscribers can add on Disney Plus for $2. Lastly, be sure to look for student discounts and check with your mobile carrier to see which ones offer free streaming subscriptions.
Subscribe to one or two must-have services for the year, and select only one or two more options to fit your monthly budget. Rotate the bonus service(s) according to what you want to watch, ensuring you don't miss your favorite shows while sticking to your monthly spending cap.
Avoid annual subscriptions and pay attention to your auto-renewal payment dates, even if it means using one of these tracking apps. Your billing cycle can help determine when it's the best time to quit a service, even if you've only signed up for a free trial. The only advantage to signing up for an annual plan is when the price is drastically cut down.
Hulu allows you to pause your subscription for up to 12 weeks, and Sling has a similar option with stipulations. Check with your streaming provider to see if you can take a temporary break without canceling.
I pulled this chapter together from dozens of sources that were at times somewhat contradictory. Facts on the ground change over time and depend who is telling the story and what audience they're addressing. I tried to create as coherent a narrative as I could. If there are any errors I'd be more than happy to fix them. Keep in mind this article is not a technical deep dive. It's a big picture type article. For example, I don't mention the word microservice even once :-)
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