Disney Plus price: today's best cost and sign up deals compared

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In addition to the entire Walt Disney content library, Disney Plus is home to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its exciting slate of spin-off shows, like WandaVision and the recently released The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, plus Pixar Studio’s animations, National Geographic documentaries, and the entire Star Wars franchise. 

There’s been a recent bump in the monthly fee from $6.99 to $7.99 a month, reflecting the growing amount of content on the platform and the quality of upcoming Originals like Loki, The Book of Boba Fett and She-Hulk, all landing on Disney Plus in 2021.

• Disney Plus prices: head to the website to see the best deals and sign up

The addition of the Star portal internationally incurred a similar price hike in countries like Canada, the UK, and New Zealand. But it’s minimal considering viewers get to stream hundreds of more adult TV shows and films – including David E. Kelley’s Big Sky and action-thriller Die Hard. Yipee ki yay, Muppet lovers!

You can also watch the acclaimed Raya and the Last Dragon for a one-time fee with Disney Plus Premier Access. Membership delivers a large wallop of entertainment – but is the Disney Plus price worth it?

To make things clear, we’ll detail whether the Disney Plus price warrants the subscription. Given the impressive competition offered by VOD stalwarts like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max, we’ll explore how each compares to Disney Plus – its special deals, bundle costs, sign up offers, and free-trial information – so that you can decide which one deserves your hard-earned cash.

Disney Plus price at a glance

• Monthly: $7.99 / £7.99 / $11.99 CAD / €8.99 / $11.99 AUD / $12.99 NZD
• Yearly: $79.99 / £79.90 / $119.99 CAD / €89.90 / $119.99 AUD / $129.99 NZD

Compared to the competition...

• Netflix: From $8.99 per month ($13.99 for HD)
• Amazon Prime: $12.99 per month ($119 per year)
• HBO Max: $14.99 per month

What price does Disney Plus cost?

In the US, a monthly subscription to sign up for Disney Plus now costs $7.99. However, an annual membership is more cost-effective: at $79.99 it’s almost 20% less than if you paid the monthly fee over the year. 

On February 23, the Disney Plus cost rose in various international territories too. In Canada, a Disney Plus subscription went to $11.99 per month (or $119.99 per year). It's £7.99 (£79.90 annually) in the UK and the Disney Plus price changed to €8.99 per month (or €89.90 per year) in Europe. Australians now pay $11.99 per month (or $119.99 per year), while the subscription cost for New Zealand is up to $12.99 per month (or $129.99 per year). 

Supported devices for the service include iPhone, iPad, PS4 & PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X & S, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Chromebooks, Amazon Fire TV and Android.  You’ll be able to make multiple profiles and the apps will stream 4K Ultra HD video at no extra charge.

Below, we take a look at how Disney Plus prices and sign up deals compare to other major streaming services in the US.

Give Disney Plus as a gift

What better way to show your appreciation for a friend or family member than to gift a whole year of one of the best TV streaming services?

Mickey and friends are now offering digital gift subscriptions for $79.99 USD / £79.90 / $119.99 CAD / €89.90 / $119.99 AUD / $129.99 NZD. Click here, pick the recipient of your choice, select the date they get it and send.

What countries can I sign up to Disney Plus?

Disney Plus sign ups initially launched in the US, Canada, and the Netherlands in November last year and have since become available across Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, much of Europe, the UK, India, Japan, Indonesia and Latin America. The latest addition was Singapore.

It’s due to roll out in Eastern Europe, Hong Kong, and South Korea throughout 2021.

Disney Plus bundles: consider your options

There's no doubt about it: the entry-level Disney Plus price is exceptionally good value and compares nicely with the competition (more on that below).

But before you go and pledge your $7.99 a month, it's worth taking a moment to see if you can get more bang for your buck.

In the US, it is also offering the Disney Plus bundle, which adds its two other streaming services - Hulu and ESPN Plus - for the knockout price of $13.99 a month – that’s $6 cheaper than subscribing to all three separately and a ridiculously low price for such a wide range of prime content.  

On the Hulu side, that means access to a library of something like 1,500+ shows and 2,500+ films (on top of the thousands of titles you’re going to get on Disney Plus). This includes all of Hulu's original programming and co-productions like The Handmaid’s Tale and Normal People, in addition to old and new episodes of TV staple Saturday Night Live.

And the ESPN Plus bolt-on will please the sports fan in the family. The streaming service's reputation has grown exponentially since launch and has won the rights to some of the biggest events on the globe. From exclusive UFC and boxing events, to daily MLB and NHL games and golf and tennis majors too. That’s all in addition to a whole host of original ESPN programmes.

How to get Disney Plus for free

The introductory 7-day Disney Plus free trial has now lapsed in the US, UK, and Australia for Disney Plus viewers. But it may well return once the company’s period of rapid growth subsides.

The good news for Verizon customers in the States is that subscribers to select Unlimited plans will get a 6 months free subscription to Disney Plus. But you’d need to subscribe to Verizon by May 31 to be eligible.

For those in the UK, if you're on an existing plan from O2 you can add Disney Plus as an extra and get £2 off your monthly airtime. Those new to O2 or upgrading, however, can enjoy this family-friendly streaming service absolutely free for six months.

How does the Disney Plus price compare to Netflix?

With a comparatively slender library, but packed full of commercially lucrative franchises and content from major film studios, Disney Plus looks poised to rival Netflix as the world’s most popular streaming service. However, Netflix - the omnipresent streaming giant - has over two times the number of subscribers and almost five times as much content (although this gap is steadily closing) with a wide array of exclusive hits like The Queen's Gambit, The Crown and Tiger King. It also includes exclusive award-winning movies like The Trial of the Chicago Seven, plus a huge library of family-friendly programming and a curated kids section. 

A Netflix Basic plan costs $8.99 a month, but that only lets you stream one movie at a time and only in SD resolution. A Standard subscription costs $13.99 and includes two simultaneous streams and HD resolution, while a four-screen Ultra HD Premium plan will set you back $17.99. What does this mean? In the price wars at least, Disney Plus comes out on top with its affordable $7.99, single tier subscription plan.

Want to know more about the current battle between these two services? We've considered Disney Plus vs Netflix: who will win?

How does Disney Plus price compare to Amazon Prime?

Online behemoth Amazon’s online video service may not have produced quite as many big hits as Netflix when it comes to its own original content, but it can boast a much deeper library than its rival, with four times as many movies and access to top-notch classic TV such as Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and House. It’s also the exclusive home of violent super(anti)hero series The Boys, and will be producing a massive TV adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, due some time in 2021. 

A single Amazon Prime membership is $12.99 per month or $119 per year if you choose to pay annually, which allows you to stream content to two devices at once. While this might seem dear compared with the Disney Plus price, it also includes Amazon Prime membership, giving you access to same-day or one-day shipping on Amazon.com purchases, plus photo storage and access to exclusive deals at times like on Amazon Prime Day.

How does Disney Plus price compare to HBO Max?

HBO Max is the tantalizing on-demand offering from WarnerMedia. It hosts a mouth-watering agglomeration of shows, and, where Disney Plus supports Team Marvel, HBO Max is staunchly Team DC.  

Like HBO Now there’s a single subscription plan available at $14.99 per month. Membership grants you access to an impressive 10,000 hours of film and TV content: iconic HBO shows like Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, and Sex and the City, recent blockbusters like Wonder Woman 1984, as well as being the exclusive home of TV favorite Friends and the Studio Ghibli collection.

But rather than resting on their laurels, they’re investing in an exciting range of Original content too, which currently includes the thrilling sci-fi Raised by Wolves, DC’s Doom Patrol, and Robert Zemeckis’s remake of The Witches. Additionally, all of Warner Brothers 2021 blockbusters will stream simultaneously on the platform a month from their debut, and at no extra charge.

HBO Max can be viewed on - among other devices: apps on iOS  and Android, Apple and Android TVs, PCs and Macs via the HBO Max website, as well as consoles such as Xbox One and PlayStation 4. And finally, you can get HBO Max on Roku and on Fire Stick, too.

How does Disney Plus price compare to Apple TV Plus? 

The low Disney Plus price was applauded when the platform launched initially. But at $4.99 a month ($49.99 for an annual plan) Apple TV Plus undercuts even Uncle Walt’s streaming service, with an account offering six simultaneous streams rather than four, and all programming in 4K rather than HD as standard. There are, however, some significant differences between the two.

Disney Plus offers a wealth of highly sought-after entertainment IP: Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, The Simpsons, and beloved Disney classics, in addition to audience-baiting exclusives like Hamilton and The Mandalorian. It has a total of around 1,200 films and TV shows, while Apple TV Plus has only 60-odd. The difference may seem stark. But Apple TV Plus produces largely brand-new content, including psychological thriller Calls, the Golden Globe nominated The Morning Show and Ted Lasso, and the critically acclaimed Dickinson. 

Where Disney Plus has brand appeal, Apple TV Plus has a growing roster of projects featuring A-list celebrities and some thrillingly original programming. Apple bought the right to Will Smith film Emancipation last year, and Martin Scorsese will produce Killers of the Flower Moon for the platform, which stars Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio.

How does Disney Plus price compare to Hulu?

Despite being a majority Disney-owned service, Hulu is, in some ways, a competitor to Disney Plus.

Boasting popular Hulu Originals like The Great, Castle Rock and Pen15, the on-demand service is also bolstered by its new IPTV offering which adds over 65 live TV channels, including live sports broadcasts. The service has three main pricing tiers; a basic $5.99-a-month ad-supported option, a $11.99 ad-free monthly tier, and the aforementioned Hulu with Live TV which comes in at $64.99-per-month, with HBO Max, Showtime, Cinemax and Starz all also available as add-ons.

It’s worth noting that while you can add in Hulu with Disney Plus and ESPN+ as mentioned above, this only includes its ad-supported on-demand offering and not its live TV service.

How does Disney Plus Price compare to other streaming services? 

Even with a price hike, Disney Plus is still great value, remaining more affordable than either Netflix, Amazon Prime, or HBO Max. But one thing it’s lacking is live access to its own TV channels, like Freeform or Disney Junior. If you’re looking primarily for an online cable replacement, you’d be wise to check out the following OTT providers. Each offer a free trial between 3-days and one-month.

We’ve already mentioned Hulu + Live TV , which for $64.99 combines an attractive selection of live channels (including the Disney Channel) with a vast VOD library: around 4000 combined films and TV series.

For the same price, YouTube TV has a single plan that brings you 85 channels or more depending on your location, across news, sports, entertainment, and children’s TV. Plus, it has the inimitable Unlimited Cloud DVR feature. But even more comprehensive is FuboTV. The $64.99 Family plan provides in excess of 115 channels, a third of which are sports-related. And you can pay to add on extras like Showtime ($10.99 a month) or International Sports Plus if you want more.

But if those monthly fees hit you hard in the bank balance, then Sling TV is a great low-cost alternative. First, pick a base package depending on your tele-visual preferences. Sling Blue offers 45 channels, largely news and entertainment networks like A&E, CNN, FX and Comedy Central, while Sling Orange has fewer channels, but incudes the Disney-owned Freeform, ESPN networks, and the Disney Channel. Both are $35 each, although for an extra charge you can add individual channels or add-on packs. 

• All you need to know about the new Disney Plus streaming service