Crunchyroll is the largest dedicated anime streaming service in the world — over 50,000 episodes and 2,000 series from Japan, available to U.S. subscribers the same day episodes air overseas. In early 2026 it raised prices across all three tiers by $2 per month, removed its free tier entirely, and added new features to every plan. Before you subscribe, here is what each plan actually covers, what changed, and what the pricing looks like going forward.
Key Answers People Search For Before Subscribing
Crunchyroll’s pricing and terms have more moving parts than the signup page suggests — especially around the free trial, what changed when the free tier was removed, and why cancelling during a trial works differently here than on other services. These answers cover the questions that matter most before committing.
Three tiers, all ad-free. Fan at $9.99/month gives full access to Crunchyroll’s entire library — over 50,000 episodes — with simulcasts from Japan, one simultaneous stream, and offline downloads on one device. Mega Fan at $13.99/month adds four simultaneous streams, HD-quality offline downloads, and access to the Crunchyroll Game Vault. Ultimate Fan at $17.99/month adds a sixth stream, hundreds of manga titles through Crunchyroll Manga, a 15% store discount, and an annual swag bag mailed after 12 consecutive months of subscription. Annual plans are $99.99, $139.99, and $179.99 respectively — roughly two free months compared to paying monthly all year. These prices took effect February 2, 2026 for new subscribers and March 4, 2026 for existing monthly subscribers.
Yes — new subscribers get a 7-day free trial. However, Crunchyroll handles trial cancellation differently from most streaming services. If you cancel your subscription during the 7-day trial period, your access ends immediately — you do not keep watching for the remainder of the trial. This is the opposite of how Netflix, Disney+, or most services work. If you decide during day four that you don’t want to continue, cancelling loses you the remaining three days. The practical advice: wait until day six or seven of the trial to cancel, not day one, so you have time to genuinely evaluate the library before making a decision. After the trial, standard billing begins automatically if you haven’t cancelled.
Crunchyroll’s free ad-supported tier was removed on December 31, 2025 — the same month the price increase was announced for the paid tiers. There is currently no way to watch Crunchyroll content without a paid subscription or active trial. This was a significant shift: for years, Crunchyroll had offered a free plan with ads and access to a rotating selection of older titles. The only current free access is the 7-day trial, which is available once per account for new subscribers. If you’ve previously had a Crunchyroll free account, that account no longer has any streaming access unless you subscribe to a paid plan. The removal of the free tier is permanent; Crunchyroll has not announced any plans to reintroduce it.
Simulcast is the feature that makes Crunchyroll fundamentally different from any other streaming service for anime fans. When a new anime episode airs in Japan — on any given night of the week — Crunchyroll publishes that same episode on its platform within one hour of the Japanese broadcast, with English subtitles. This happens for hundreds of currently airing series simultaneously. For context: Netflix and Amazon Prime Video typically acquire anime in bulk after a season completes — sometimes months or years after the original Japanese air date. Crunchyroll’s simulcast means you’re watching the same episode as Japanese viewers, not catching up on something old. For anyone who follows currently airing anime series, this is the defining reason to choose Crunchyroll over any alternative.
Both — but the availability differs significantly. Crunchyroll has the largest library of English-dubbed anime available anywhere, with new dubs being produced regularly. However, simulcast episodes are subtitled first: when a new episode airs in Japan, it arrives on Crunchyroll the same day in Japanese with English subtitles. The English dubbed version of that same episode typically follows weeks to months later, after dubbing studio production is complete. Popular currently airing series like One Piece, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia have ongoing English dubs that are updated regularly. If you only want to watch dubbed content and don’t follow currently airing series, the gap between sub and dub release schedules matters less. The full dubbed library is accessible on all paid plans — there is no tier restriction on dub access.
Yes, cancel-anytime with no fee. Access continues through the end of your current billing period after cancellation. The cancellation path depends entirely on how you originally signed up. If you signed up directly at crunchyroll.com: log in → click your profile icon (top right) → Settings → Membership Info → Cancel Membership → confirm. If you subscribed through the Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon, or Roku, you must cancel through that platform — the cancel button on the Crunchyroll website will not appear for third-party-billed accounts. Check your credit card statement: if it shows Apple, Amazon, or Google rather than Crunchyroll, that is where your cancel button lives. Annual plan subscribers do not receive refunds for unused months when cancelling early.
Annual plans save about 17% across all three tiers — equivalent to roughly two free months per year. Fan annual: $99.99 (vs $119.88 monthly), saving $19.89. Mega Fan annual: $139.99 (vs $167.88 monthly), saving $27.89. Ultimate Fan annual: $179.99 (vs $215.88 monthly), saving $35.89. The annual plan makes the most sense if you follow ongoing anime series — shows that run continuously through multiple seasons — because you’re subscribing for the long term anyway. It’s less compelling for someone who wants to watch a specific completed series and then leave. Crunchyroll does not refund unused months for early annual cancellations, so the commitment should be genuine before locking in.
For sheer volume and recency, there is no close comparison. Crunchyroll has over 50,000 episodes and 2,000 series. Netflix carries a selection of anime — typically 20 to 30 original productions and several hundred licensed titles — but has no simulcast and often holds series until full seasons complete. Amazon Prime Video has a similar arrangement. The key difference is access to currently airing seasonal anime. During any given anime season (spring, summer, fall, winter), 30 to 60 new series are airing simultaneously in Japan. Crunchyroll simulcasts most of them within the hour. Netflix and Amazon do not. If you’re interested in completed classic series like Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, or Attack on Titan — all of which exist on Crunchyroll in their entirety — the simulcast advantage is less relevant to your decision. But for following what’s currently airing, Crunchyroll is the only practical option in the U.S.
All Three Crunchyroll Plans — What Each One Covers
Every paid Crunchyroll tier is ad-free and includes the full content library — no plan restricts which titles you can watch. The differences are about simultaneous streams, download quality, store discounts, and bonus perks at the higher tiers.
The entry point to Crunchyroll Premium — and for solo viewers who only watch on one screen at a time, it covers everything that matters. Full access to the entire library of over 50,000 episodes and 2,000 series, all ad-free, with simulcast episodes available within one hour of their Japanese air time. One stream at a time on one account. Offline downloads on one device, which is useful for commutes, flights, or situations with unreliable Wi-Fi. A 5% discount on select Crunchyroll Store merchandise. What it doesn’t include: the Crunchyroll Game Vault, Crunchyroll Manga, and the multiple simultaneous streams that households with more than one viewer need. For a single person watching alone, this plan covers the full experience.
The practical choice for most households — two people who want to watch different series at the same time, or one person who wants both the Game Vault and the ability to share an account with a family member. Four simultaneous streams means four people can be watching entirely different shows at the same time. Offline downloads in HD quality on multiple devices. Access to the Crunchyroll Game Vault, which includes a rotating selection of anime-themed browser games. A 10% Crunchyroll Store discount, free U.S. shipping on orders over $50, and members-only early access to sales. The upgrade from Fan to Mega Fan costs $4 more per month — if you ever need more than one stream at a time, or want the Game Vault, Mega Fan is the right tier to be on. The majority of regular Crunchyroll subscribers land here.
Crunchyroll’s top tier is available exclusively in the United States. It adds six simultaneous streams (two more than Mega Fan), access to hundreds of manga titles through Crunchyroll Manga drawn from publishers including VIZ Media, Square Enix, and Yen Press, a 15% store discount with free shipping on all orders regardless of order size, and an annual Ultimate Fan swag bag — a physical package of Crunchyroll merchandise mailed to you after 12 consecutive months of subscription at this tier. The Manga library is the primary functional upgrade over Mega Fan for most subscribers — if you read manga alongside your anime watching, the $4 more per month covers a substantial standalone value. The swag bag is a nice bonus but not a purchasing reason on its own; its contents rotate and are not disclosed in advance.
All Crunchyroll Plans Side by Side
Every U.S. subscription option, including annual pricing, at a glance. Prices took effect February 2, 2026 — verify at crunchyroll.com before subscribing.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Streams | Downloads | Game Vault | Manga |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fan | $9.99 | $99.99/yr | 1 | 1 device | No | No |
| Mega Fan | $13.99 | $139.99/yr | 4 | HD · multi-device | Yes | No |
| Ultimate Fan (U.S. only) | $17.99 | $179.99/yr | 6 | HD · multi-device | Yes | Yes |
What You’re Actually Getting Access To
Crunchyroll’s library is larger than most people expect. Understanding what it covers — and where the gaps are — helps you decide whether it fits your watching habits before you commit to a plan.
This is Crunchyroll’s defining feature and the reason subscribers choose it over any alternative. Each anime season — there are four per year, starting roughly in January, April, July, and October — between 30 and 60 new series begin airing in Japan. Crunchyroll simulcasts the majority of them: new episodes typically appear within one hour of the Japanese broadcast, subtitled in English and often in additional languages. For popular flagship series, this can mean watching the same episode as fans in Tokyo on the same night it airs. No other widely available streaming service in the U.S. offers this at scale. The simulcast library is accessible on all paid plans — there is no tier that unlocks additional simulcast titles beyond what Fan subscribers already receive.
Beyond what’s currently airing, Crunchyroll holds the deepest anime archive of any streaming service — over 50,000 episodes spanning decades of series. Classic shonen titles like Naruto (all 720 episodes), One Piece (1,100+ episodes), Bleach (all seasons including the Thousand-Year Blood War arc), Dragon Ball Z, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are all here in their entirety. More recent completed series including Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Spy x Family, and My Hero Academia are available in full. The Funimation library — absorbed into Crunchyroll after the 2022 merger — added thousands of additional dubbed titles that were previously exclusive to that platform. Both the English subtitled and English dubbed versions of most titles are available, though release timing differs as described in the Key Answers section above.
The Game Vault is a collection of browser-based and downloadable anime-themed games included at no extra charge with Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan subscriptions. It’s not a major gaming platform — think smaller casual games tied to popular anime properties rather than AAA titles — but it adds value for subscribers who engage with anime merchandise and games as part of a broader fandom. The game selection rotates. If gaming is not part of your interest in anime, this feature won’t affect which plan makes sense for you. If you’re deciding purely between Fan and Mega Fan, make the decision based on how many simultaneous streams you need and whether HD downloads across multiple devices matter — not on the Game Vault alone.
Crunchyroll Manga, launched in early 2026, is a digital manga reading platform bundled exclusively with the Ultimate Fan tier. It includes hundreds of titles from leading publishers including VIZ Media (publisher of Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, and Demon Slayer manga), Square Enix (Dragon Quest, Fullmetal Alchemist), and Yen Press (Sword Art Online, The Eminence in Shadow). For subscribers who both watch anime and read manga — which is common among serious fans who want to follow a story beyond where the anime has adapted to — this is a genuine addition that would otherwise require a separate $3 to $5 per month subscription through services like Manga Plus or VIZ’s own platform. If you read manga regularly, the $4 difference between Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan pays for itself against what you’d spend on manga separately.
Devices That Play Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll has broad device support. The main point to keep in mind: which platform you use to sign up determines where your cancel button will be found later.
Crunchyroll is available on Samsung smart TVs (Tizen platform), LG smart TVs (webOS), and Sony Bravia TVs (Android TV / Google TV) through the respective TV app stores. Streaming device support covers Roku (all current models), Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV (4th generation and newer), Google Chromecast, and the Xfinity X1 and Flex platforms. The Roku and Fire TV Stick are the most common ways existing Crunchyroll subscribers connect to their television — both platforms have Crunchyroll as a dedicated app. If you subscribe through the Roku Channel Store or Amazon, your billing and cancellation happen through those platforms rather than Crunchyroll directly.
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S all support the Crunchyroll app through their respective storefronts. The Nintendo Switch also has a Crunchyroll app available through the Nintendo eShop — this is one of the few streaming services available on Switch, making it useful for portable anime watching on the console’s screen. For Nintendo Switch subscribers specifically: be aware that subscribing through the Nintendo eShop means your billing is managed through your Nintendo account, not through Crunchyroll directly, and cancellation must happen through Nintendo’s account management system.
The Crunchyroll app is available for iPhone and iPad (iOS App Store) and Android phones and tablets (Google Play Store). Any computer — Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Linux — can stream Crunchyroll through a web browser at crunchyroll.com without installing anything. Downloads for offline viewing work only through the mobile app — you cannot download episodes to a computer for offline playback. If you subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, your billing and cancellation are managed by Apple or Google respectively, not by Crunchyroll. The cancel button on the Crunchyroll website will not be available for those accounts.
Find Your Situation
Use the 7-day free trial on the Fan plan — that’s exactly what it’s for. During those seven days, try the following to get a genuine picture of what Crunchyroll offers: one classic completed series (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Attack on Titan are widely considered the best starting points for new viewers), and one currently airing series from the front page to see how the simulcast experience feels. Critical thing to remember: if you decide mid-trial that you don’t want to continue, wait until day six or seven to cancel. Cancelling on day one ends your trial immediately — you lose the remaining days. If you do enjoy the trial and subscribe, the Fan plan at $9.99 is the right starting point for a solo viewer. You can upgrade to Mega Fan later if you find yourself wanting to share access with someone else.
If it’s just your teenager watching alone on their own device, the Fan plan at $9.99 covers everything — full library, simulcasts, ad-free, one download device. If other people in the household also want to watch (a sibling, a parent who gets interested), the one-stream limit on Fan will become a problem quickly. Mega Fan at $13.99 gives four simultaneous streams and is the practical family-sharing option. It costs $4 more per month — roughly the cost of one anime merchandise item from the Crunchyroll Store — and eliminates any conflict about who gets the screen. If your teenager is deeply into anime culture, reads manga, and would appreciate the physical swag bag, the Ultimate Fan plan offers those additions for $4 more still. But Fan or Mega Fan is the sensible starting point for most households.
There’s no day-pass or partial-month option, but the cancel-anytime model makes this straightforward. Subscribe for one month at $9.99, watch the series you came for, then cancel before the next billing date. Your access continues through the end of the month you paid for. Set a calendar reminder for your billing date on the same day you subscribe — this is the step most people forget, which results in an unintentional second charge. For a long series (One Piece has over 1,100 episodes; Naruto has 720), you may end up genuinely subscribing for longer than one month, which is fine — the cost is the same as paying monthly, and you can cancel the moment you’re done. For a short completed series (12 to 26 episodes), one month easily covers the entire watch.
The free tier was shut down permanently on December 31, 2025. Your account still exists — your watchlist, viewing history, and account details are preserved — but you can no longer watch any content without a paid subscription. To resume watching, you’ll need to log in and choose a paid plan. If you subscribed to a paid plan previously and cancelled, you’ll need to resubscribe but are not eligible for the new-subscriber 7-day trial again. The trial is a one-time offer per account. If you created a brand new account you might qualify for the trial, but using a new account to access multiple trials would violate Crunchyroll’s terms of service.
They serve genuinely different purposes. Netflix carries original anime productions it funded (Castlevania, Blue Eye Samurai, Pluto) and selected licensed titles, but has no simulcast. If you want to watch anime that is currently airing in Japan — any show from the current season — Netflix does not have it and cannot get it within the timeframe most anime fans care about. Crunchyroll has it the same day or week. If your anime interest is in Netflix’s specific originals, then Crunchyroll is additive but not necessary. If you want to follow the wider anime landscape — new series, seasonal premieres, ongoing shows with weekly episode drops — Netflix doesn’t substitute for Crunchyroll. The two services don’t have significant catalog overlap because they source content very differently.
One question settles it: do you ever need more than one person watching Crunchyroll at the same time? If yes, upgrade. The Fan plan’s single-stream limit will kick people out of their shows the moment a second person tries to watch, which creates friction immediately. For a household with even two people occasionally watching anime — even if they watch the same series together — Mega Fan eliminates that friction for $4 more per month. The Game Vault is a bonus that either interests you or doesn’t. The HD download quality improvement over Fan’s standard download is meaningful if you watch downloaded content on a larger tablet screen; less so on a phone. If you are definitively a solo viewer who never shares the screen, Fan at $9.99 covers your needs completely and the $4 savings is real money over a year.
Where to Subscribe or Get Help
Official pages only. Confirm current pricing at crunchyroll.com — promotional pricing and partner deals may differ from standard rates.
Pricing and plan details are sourced from Crunchyroll’s official announcements and pricing pages, Anime News Network’s reporting (February 3, 2026), and Nerdist’s coverage of the February 2026 price changes. Fan at $9.99/month, Mega Fan at $13.99/month, and Ultimate Fan at $17.99/month reflect prices effective February 2, 2026 for new subscribers and March 4, 2026 for existing monthly subscribers. Annual pricing of $99.99, $139.99, and $179.99 verified via RecurDash pricing tracker (June 3, 2026). The free tier removal on December 31, 2025 is documented by Crunchyroll and covered by AlternativeTo (February 2026). This page is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Crunchyroll, LLC, Sony Pictures Entertainment, or any related entities. Subscription prices, features, and plan availability are subject to change — verify all current details at crunchyroll.com before subscribing.