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The wait is finally over, and the long-anticipated Disney Plus (or Disney+) streaming service is finally available. It enters a space that's already pretty crowded, but stands out thanks to its unique family-friendly offerings that include titles not only from Disney itself, but also Start Wars, Marvel, National Geographic, and more. It may not directly compete with services like Netflix and Prime Video, but the number of Disney Plus shows that are available makes it worth checking out.
Now, on to the key bit of information here: how much does Disney Plus cost? Well, there are a few different plans for Disney Plus that you can sign up for, making the price for Disney Plus range from $6.99 to $12.99 per month. The lower cost is the best Disney Plus price you'll get right now, while more expensive is a pretty sweet Disney Plus bundle that you'll need to check out. You can sign up for an annual plan to save a little extra, and there's even a free trial available. Let's take a second to break down the current offers, and then go into a bit more detail about where Disney Plus is available, how the prices compare to other services, and more.
Disney Plus Price: How much does it cost?
If you are interested in signing up for just Disney Plus, the pricing structure is very basic. When you sign up, you get a free 7-day trial, and after that you'll begin being charged monthly for the access. It costs $6.99 a month or $69.99 per year. Signing up and paying for the full year brings your monthly cost down to $5.83, which obviously is a better deal for those who know they'll want to use the service for more than just a few months.
In addition to the standalone service, you can bundle Disney Plus with ESPN+ and Hulu for just $12.99 a month total. This is about $5 cheaper than subscribing to all the services on their own. If you are already a Hulu or ESPN+ subscriber you can link your account to your new Disney Plus account (all you need to do is use the same email on all the platforms) so that you can receive a credit for the payments to that provider.
The mega service
Disney+
This is the streaming service you were looking for
Catch your favorite Disney classics along with great shows from Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic & more available on pretty much any device you have at home.
Verizon is offering customers of its Unlimited wireless plans or Fios Home Internet a full year of Disney Plus for free. You need to redeem the offer through Verizon's site, but this saves you about $84, which is pretty sweet. At this time, Verizon is the only one to offer the service for free, but odds are as the time passes other companies will offer similar deals.
Disney Plus is available in various countries around the world as well, and while it's still a bit limited there are plans to continue rolling it out. In Canada, a Disney Plus subscription costs $8.99 per month ($89.99 per year), while in the Netherlands it runs €6.99 per month (or €69.99 per year). In New Zealand it's $9.99 a month ($99.99 per year), and in Australia it costs $8.99 per month ($89.99 per year).
What Disney Plus bundles are available today
Disney Plus crrently only offers one bundle deal, which includes ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported version) for just $12.99 a month. That's right, you can access all the content from all three platforms for less than you'd pay for Netflix on its own. By bundling the three services together you end up saving about $5 per month.
What does $13 a month get you? To start, you get unlimited access to Disney Plus and its library that houses more than 7,500 episodes of shows, and over 500 films. These include titles from Disney, 20th Century Fox, Marvel, National Geographics, and more. In addition, you'll be able to access nearly 50,000 different titles from Hulu, and watch all the sports your heart desires on ESPN+. It has exclusive UFC fights, NCAA football, baseball, basketball, and professional NHL, MLB, NFL, and more.
The Hulu plan that's included is the ad-supported one. If you already subscribe, or prefer to subscribe to the plan without commercials, you can do so and still receive the monthly credit of $5.99 towards the upgraded plan. Hulu just raised the rates of its TV Plan by $10, though you can still bundle that with Disney+ if you want.
Bundle and save
Disney+
This is the streaming bundle you always wanted
A good deal is hard to pass up and a great bundle is even harder. This bundle offers three services for less than the cost of some others on their own.
How to get Disney Plus for free
There are two ways to get some Disney Plus in your life for free. The first option is the free 7-day trial. When signing up for the standalone service, you get access to the subscription for seven days at no cost to you. This is a great time to try it out, check out what's available, and make a decision before commiting any of your own money to it.
Verizon Wireless is offering customers of its 4G LTE and 5G unlimited wireless plans a free year of access to Disney Plus. In addition to wireless customers, those who have Verizon Fios internet at home can sign up for the same offer. This scores you 12 months of access to the comprehensive Disney Plus library for free with the purchase of a new phone, which is a great perk. This offer is good for existing customers, as well as new ones. If you're in the market for a new wireless carrier, you may want to consider making the switch before the deal is over.
Pay Nothing
Disney+ Verizon Offer
Stream it from anywhere using your phone
It's not often your wireless carrier wants to give you something for free instead of charge you for it. Take Verizon up on this offer today, before it is too late.
Where is Disney Plus available right now?
To start, Disney Plus is only available to those in the United States, Canada, and Netherlands. Starting on November 19, it will expand to both Australia and New Zealand. The next phase of expansion isn't scheduled to take place until March 2020. Disney has outlined its plans, which include the following targets:
- March 31, 2020: United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain
- First half of 2020: Other western European countries
- First half of 2021: Eastern European countries
- Throughout 2020-2021: Asia-Pacific countries
- First half of 2020: Latin America
Unfortunately, local laws forbid some of the content, which makes it harder for a more rapid expansion of the service.
How does Disney Plus pricing compare to Netflix?
The price of having a Netflix membership is continually rising, which is why the premiere of Disney+ at just $6.99 per month is so enticing. Netflix currently starts at $8.99 per month for its most basic plan which is restricted to SD streaming. For HD streaming, you'd have to move to one of the other two tiers at a higher monthly cost, while Disney+ only offers a single tier which gives you access to SD and HD content all for one low price. Netflix's most basic plan costs almost $25 more per year than Disney+, and that's before taking any discounts into account, such as the $70 Disney+ yearly membership offer.
Another Disney+ plan gives you access to ESPN+ and Hulu, as well as Disney+, all for just $12.99 monthly. That's more comparable to Netflix's standard plan which includes HD content for that same monthly price, though you have access to three streaming services rather than just one.
Which service you choose really boils down to what you want to watch. Unlike what some people may think, you don't have to subscribe to every streaming service known to man! Disney+ is perfect for families with kids who are interested in Disney animated movies, live action Disney Channel shows and movies, and Pixar films, as well as adults who love Marvel movies, The Simpsons, and Star Wars. The content doesn't end there though. Netflix is great as well, and these days it's full of exclusive content that you can't watch elsewhere, from shows like Stranger Things and Orange Is The New Black to movies like El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and Bird Box.
How does Disney Plus pricing compare to Amazon Prime Video?
Prime Video is made available as part of Amazon's Prime subscription, which costs $12.99 a month or $119 for the year. Without paying for a Prime subscription, you simply can't access the service, but since it's bundled with the subscription that means you also get all the other benefits as well. Comparing this directly to Disney Plus' $7 a month free is hardly fair as Amazon Prime offers free shipping, cloud storage, and more where as Disney Plus is strictly content.
That said, there are some differences that are favorable to Disney Plus here. With Prime Video you can only stream content on two devices at a time, where as Disney is allowing password sharing and multiple device playback.
How does Disney Plus pricing compare to Hulu?
On its own, Hulu pricing starts at $5.99 a month for the ad-supported version. If you want to upgrade to the commercial-free plan it will set you back $11.99, and the plan with its Live TV offerings runs $44.99 a month. When compariing the base Disney Plus package to the base Hulu package, you'll see that it's $1 more, but where Disney Plus wins is that it doesn't have ads. This puts it in better comparison to the $12 plan.
Where Hulu excels is in its content library. Disney Plus is a bit limited currently when you compare the two, but the target audience is also very different. Hulu doesn't compete with Disney Plus when it comes to the movies and shows that are avaible, and Disney Plus is actually creating its own original programming which you obviously won't be able to access on Hulu. Each service has pros and cons, and quite honestly the best thing is that you can bundle the two of them together for one low monthly cost.
How does Disney Plus pricing compare to YouTube TV?
Youtube TV is a service that's more aimed at someone who wants to cut the cord but still have access to tons of channels and programs as needed. Disney Plus, however, is a comprehensive library of older films and TV shows, mixed with some new and original content. YouTube TV has more standard cable features, like DVR recording, a channel guide, etc, where as Disney Plus is all on-demand content. Pricing starts at $50 per month on YouTube TV thanks to a recent increase, where as Disney Plus comes in at just $7 a month.
In addition to this, YouTube TV is only available in the U.S. right now, where as Disney Plus is available in Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Australia, with more countries rolling out later this month and next year.
Disney Plus shows & movies: what's available at launch?
Disney's new streaming service is loaded with content from day one, so you don't have to worry about signing up too early. From every Pixar movie like Toy Story and Up! to classic Disney animated films such as The Lion King and The Little Mermaid, this service is a must-have for parents with younger children. It also includes a slate of Marvel superhero films such as The Avengers: Endgame, the Star Wars series, all of The Simpsons, and a bevy of Disney Channel TV shows and original movies, from Lizzie McGuire, Phineas and Ferb, and Hannah Montana, to High School Musical, Descendants, and so much more. Some of the content here hasn't been available to watch at all for over a decade, such as the Disney Channel show So Weird, making Disney+ the only place to find certain shows and movies.
To learn more about Disney's new streaming service, this guide can fill you in on everything you need to know.
