Paramount+ was not immune to the so-called streamflation that sent mainstream media into a tizzy in 2023. It was smack dab in the middle of it. But at least there were some other big changes to go with Paramount+ price plans besides just getting more expensive.
(Hint: The biggest change had to do with Showtime.)
Read on for all you need to know about how much Paramount+ costs in 2024.
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For a more comprehensive look at the streaming service check out our in-depth Paramount+ Review.
Just tell me the price! How much does Paramount+ cost?
$6 or $12 a month.
It’s specifically $5.99 or $11.99/month, but we’ll get to the details below.
When did Paramount+ prices go up?
Paramount+ launched in March 2021 with 2 plans—an ad-supported tier for $4.99 and a premium ad-free tier with a live feed of your local CBS affiliate for $9.99/month.
Things got a bit more confusing when it expanded to 4 Paramount+ price plans in order to include Showtime with both tiers. Thankfully those plans were short-lived as Showtime was merged into Paramount+ and there became 2 plans again—one with Showtime and one without.
After the Showtime merger, Paramount+ increased prices in July 2023 and the Paramount+ Essential plan went up a buck to $5.99/month and the premium tier—the newly created Paramount+ with Showtime plan—went up $2 to $11.99/month.
But as far as price increases in the streaming industry go, getting a second streaming service thrown in for 2 bucks is almost a gift.
Paramount+ price plans
As noted above, there are thankfully now just 2 Paramount+ price plans. Unless it’s got a bunch of bundle options (like Disney+), an on-demand streaming service shouldn’t have more than that.
They only need 2 plans—with ads and without. End of story. (Sorry Netflix and Max, your “premium” plans are insulting.)
But while we appreciate the simplicity of Paramount+ keeping things simple with 2 price plans, it has broken one of our rules. It locks 4K content behind the premium tier. 👎 Hopefully they get rid of that nonsense in the future. It’s like a cellphone company charging for long distance phone calls.
As of February 2024, the 2 Paramount+ price plans are as follows:
Paramount+ Essential: $5.99/month
- Full access to the Paramount+ on-demand library
- Some live sports (NFL, UEFA Champions League)
- 24/7 live news from CBS News
- Ads: Yes
- User profiles: 6
- Downloads: No
- Simultaneous screens: 3
- Quality: 1080p (720p HD for live TV)
- Annual Plan: $59.99/year
Paramount+ with Showtime: $11.99/month
- Everything in the Premium plan
- More live sports (Big Ten & SEC football, NCAA basketball, golf, hockey, CBS Sports Golazo Network, and more)
- Live feed of your local CBS station
- Ads: No
- User profiles: 6
- Downloads: Up to 25 videos
- Simultaneous screens: 3
- Quality: Up to 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR10
- Annual Plan: $119.99/year
And by the way, students get a 25% discount off the Paramount+ Essential plan, AARP members get 10% off either plan, and Walmart+ members get Paramount+ for free. For more details on all of these read Is there a Paramount+ free trial in 2024?.
Does Paramount+ have an annual plan?
Yes.
Unlike Netflix, which has no annual plan, or Hulu and Disney+, which only have annual plans for certain price tiers, there’s an option to pay yearly for all Paramount+ price plans.
Is there a Paramount+ free trial?
Yep.
It’s 7 days.
While many streaming services have scrapped their free trials, Paramount+ still offers one—and you can get a week free for either Paramount+ price plan.
Just go to the Paramount+ website and choose either Paramount+ Essential or Paramount+ with Showtime and select monthly or annual billing. You’ll get a free week of Paramount+ before you’re billed.
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For all the free trial details and tips on how to pay less for Paramount+ check out Is there a Paramount+ free trial in 2024?
How do Paramount+ prices compare to other streaming services?
Even after Paramount+ raised prices in 2023, it’s still one of the cheapest on-demand streaming services on the market.
The Paramount+ With Ads tier is tied with Peacock for being the lowest-priced ad-supported streaming service out there. (Excluding free streaming services—or FASTs—of course.)
The ad-free tier (Paramount+ with Showtime) only costs more than one major streaming service’s ad-free plan (Apple TV+) and is $2–6/month cheaper than the ad-free plans for Disney+, Netflix, Max, and Hulu.
You can see how Paramount+ compares to the major on-demand steaming services in the table below.
| Streamer | With Ads | Ad-free | Premium | Annual Plan | Simultaneous Screens | 4K | Downloads | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMC+ | $4.99 | $8.99 | - | $83.88* | 5 | No | Yes | 7 Days |
| Apple TV+ | - | $9.99 | - | $99.99 | 6 | Yes | Yes | 7 Days |
| Disney+ | $7.99 | $13.99 | - | $139.99* | 4 | Yes | Yes | None |
| Hulu | $7.99 | $17.99 | - | $79.99** | 2 | Yes | Ad-free Only | 30 Days |
| Max | $9.99 | $15.99 | $19.99 | $99.99 / $159.99 / $199.99 | 2–4 | Premium Only | Ad-Free+ Only | None |
| MGM+ | - | $6.99 | - | $58.99 | 4 | No | Yes | 7 Days |
| Netflix | $6.99 | $15.49 | $22.99 | No | 2–4 | Premium Only | Yes | None |
| Paramount+ | $5.99 | $11.99 | - | $59.99 / $119.99 | 3 | Ad-free Only | Ad-free Only | 7 Days |
| Peacock | $5.99 | $11.99 | - | $59.99 / $119.99 | 3 | Yes | Ad-free Only | None |
| Prime Video | $8.99 | $11.98 | - | $139*** | 3 | Yes | Yes | 30 Days |
| Starz | - | $9.99 | - | $69.99 | 4 | No | Yes | None |
| * Annual plan is only for the Ad-free plan ** Annual plan is only for the With Ads plan *** Annual plan is only for the full Prime membership | ||||||||
How to pay for Paramount+
Paramount+ accepts 4 credit cards and PayPal. They must be US accounts, including PayPal. You can also pay with a Paramount+ gift card (although gift cards are not eligible for a free trial). The credit cards are:
- American Express
- Discover
- Mastercard
- Visa
You can also sign up for Paramount+ through a number of 3rd-party vendors and services, which expands the list of credit cards. It also gives you options like debit cards, Apple Pay, and SNAP EBT cards (through Amazon) in participating states.
Keep in mind that you may not be able to use the official Paramount+ app when signing up through certain services. So double check first if that’s a concern.
Other ways to sign up for Paramount+ include:
- Amazon Prime Video Channels
- Apple App Store and Apple TV
- AT&T U-verse
- DirecTV and DirecTV Stream
- Google Play
- Hulu
- Roku
- Spectrum
- T-Mobile
- Walmart+
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Is Paramount+ worth it?
The streaming landscape is more competitive than ever. But Paramount+ offers the lowest-priced ad-supported plan and an ad-free plan that sits in the middle of the pack.
Both Paramount+ price plans get you original TV shows, new blockbuster movies, live news, and live NFL games.
The ad-supported Paramount+ price plan is the lowest-priced option on the market. It lets you watch all NFL on CBS games live and if you pay for the annual subscription, it’s only $4.99/month. That’s cheaper than Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks—a short one!
At $12/month Paramount+ with Showtime is currently one of the best values in streaming, if not the best. You get the live local channel for one of the country’s biggest TV networks (CBS), one of the country’s premium pay-TV networks (Showtime), live sports, and no annoying ads.
But before you sign up, check out out Paramount+ Review for a more in-depth look at all the streaming service has to offer. Or if you’re ready to dive right in, click the banner below to start your 7-day free trial.
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