The Netflix Index
Netflix Standard Plan (ad-free) monthly subscription price
Then
2015
$9.99/mo
Now
2025
$17.99/mo
Change
2015–2025
+80%
↑ Rising
The Netflix Index: 2015–2025
Netflix Standard Plan (ad-free) monthly subscription price
Source: Netflix pricing history, public announcements
Historical Data
| Year | Price | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $9.99 | — |
| 2016 | $9.99 | 0.0% |
| 2017 | $10.99 | +10.0% |
| 2018 | $10.99 | 0.0% |
| 2019 | $12.99 | +18.2% |
| 2020 | $13.99 | +7.7% |
| 2021 | $13.99 | 0.0% |
| 2022 | $15.49 | +10.7% |
| 2023 | $15.49 | 0.0% |
| 2024 | $15.49 | 0.0% |
| 2025 | $17.99 | +16.1% |
Analysis
Netflix's Standard plan has climbed from $9.99 to $17.99 per month over the past decade — an 80% increase that happened so gradually most subscribers barely noticed each individual hike. This is textbook "quiet inflation."
The trajectory tells the story of a maturing industry. From 2015-2018, Netflix kept prices low to fuel subscriber growth, subsidized by investor capital. The growth-at-all-costs era ended around 2020, and since then, price increases have accelerated as the company shifted to profitability.
Netflix isn't alone. Disney+ more than doubled from its $6.99 launch price to $15.99. Hulu, Max, and Spotify have all raised prices. A household subscribing to Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Max, and Spotify now pays $75-85/month — approaching what cable cost in 2015.
The introduction of ad-supported tiers ($7.99 for Netflix) created a new price floor, but the ad-free experience that most subscribers want has steadily climbed. The "cord-cutting saves money" thesis has quietly expired.