Cheapest Streaming Services in 2026: US Price Ranking

The cheapest paid streaming plans in the US cost $8.99/mo in 2026: Netflix Standard with ads, Paramount+ Essential and Peacock Select (US prices checked in October 2026). Pay yearly and Peacock Select drops to $7.50/mo. And if you want to pay nothing, Tubi and Pluto TV are free with ads. Here's the full ranking, what each cheap tier leaves out, and how to combine services for less.

#What is the cheapest streaming service in 2026?

We ranked each service by its cheapest monthly plan open to any new subscriber, leaving out student discounts.

US prices checked in October 2026. Peacock Select's lineup per TVLine; bundle price from Disney's plans page.

YouTube Premium Lite also costs $8.99/mo, but it isn't a movie and series library, so it's not in the ranking. And Peacock Select is cheap for a reason: it leaves out Peacock's originals and movies. It also went up from $7.99 in August 2026.

#With yearly plans, the ranking changes

A few services discount the year upfront. By monthly equivalent:

US prices checked in October 2026.

Yearly HBO Max Basic ($9.17) lands within 18 cents of Netflix with ads, and yearly MUBI drops from the top of the price list to $9.99. The catch is the same everywhere: you pay upfront and you're in for 12 months. See the details in our HBO Max plans guide and in whether Amazon Prime is worth it, where most of the value comes from shipping, not video.

#The cheapest streaming bundles

Per service, bundles beat everything above. Disney's official prices in October 2026:

The Disney+, Hulu Bundle is the standout: Hulu costs $0.50 a month on top of Disney+ with ads. All bundle prices, including ad-free versions, are in our Disney+ and Hulu plans guide.

#The cheapest pick for what you actually watch

Price alone doesn't pick a service; your shows do. Here's the cheapest way in for each kind of viewer, using the plans above:

If two rows describe you, look at bundles first. Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max together cost $21.99 with ads, less than buying HBO Max Basic monthly and the Disney+, Hulu Bundle separately ($23.98).

#What you give up on the cheapest plans

An ad tier isn't always "the same thing with commercials." Each service trims something different:

Netflix comes out best: its ad plan has the same Full HD picture and 2 streams as the $19.99 Standard plan. Full comparison in Netflix plans and prices.

#Are there free streaming services?

Yes, with ads and smaller libraries:

• Tubi describes itself as "a free streaming service" and is available in the US, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, the UK and Australia, according to Tubi's company site.
• Pluto TV is free with no card and no subscription, with hundreds of live channels, per the official site.
• YouTube is free with ads.
• Free trials can cover a month: Amazon Prime offers 30 days to eligible new members. Set a reminder, or the first charge arrives on its own.

Free services won't replace a library like Netflix's, but they're plenty for light viewers or background TV.

#How to combine streaming services and pay less

The cheapest way to watch several libraries isn't the cheapest plan of each. It's not paying for all of them at once.

Take the Disney+, Hulu Bundle as your always-on base, plus four $8.99–$10.99 ad tiers (Netflix, Peacock Select, Paramount+ Essential and HBO Max Basic):

Rotating, each of the four is active for 3 months a year, and you save $341.64. The trick is matching each month to a release you actually want to watch. Our streaming rotation guide has a sample calendar.

Three more tips:

1. Promos end. Intro prices renew at full price, so note the date.
2. Check where you subscribe. The same plan can cost more through an app store or a provider than on the service's own site.
3. Cancel right after subscribing when you rotate. Most services let you keep watching until the end of the period you paid for.

#How Subfaro helps

Subfaro is a subscription tracker. You pick the service and plan, and the price fills in, with prices for more than 100 services checked weekly and an automatic alert when one changes.

It alerts you before every charge and before free trials end, which makes rotating painless, and its Radar savings tip points out where you could spend less. The free plan has no time limit and covers up to 10 subscriptions: create a free account.