Plex raises subscription prices for the first time in a decade

Streaming service Plex is raising its prices for the first time in ten years. The company just announced an increase for its premium subscription service Plex Pass, which offers a number of additional features like offline access and themes. The standard service is still free, if you’re looking to set up a simple media server to stream some movies or shows.

Plex Pass will soon cost $7 per month, which is an increase of $2 per month. A yearly subscription will come in at $70, a fairly substantial lift from $40. Finally, the coveted lifetime pass is shooting up to $250 from $120. These are some serious upticks, but I guess that’s what happens when you don’t raise prices for a decade.

The changes go into effect on April 29, so the Plex-curious still have more than a month to pick up a lifetime pass at the original $120 asking price. The monthly and yearly price impacts both new and pre-existing customers. The company says it's doing this to keep up with rising industry costs. Remote streaming is also set to fall under a subscription, albeit a cheaper one at $2 per month. 

"These changes weren’t made lightly, and we’ve spent a lot of time weighing the best path forward to ensure we can continue to balance value with a best-in-class personal media experience for years to come," a blog post from the company says. 

However, there are some new tools coming to accompany these price increases. It’s integrating with Common Sense Media to bring ratings and reviews aimed at parents to Plex Pass holders. It’s also working on a new server management app that will launch in the near(ish) future. The primary playback is also getting a much-needed refresh.

The platform is eliminating the mobile unlock fee, which is a one-time activation fee that was required to remove the one-minute playback limitation when streaming content from a media server to a mobile device. Recently, Plex added public reviews and profiles.

The Plex Pass price increase comes as the entire streaming industry begins tightening its belt. Just about every platform has gotten more expensive in the last couple of years.

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