Disney raised Hulu’s prices again in late September. The ad-free plan jumped $2.50 to $21.49 a month, the basic plan went up 50 cents, and Hulu + Live TV crossed the $100 line for the no-ads version. What didn’t go up is more interesting: the Disney+ and Hulu bundle with ads stayed at $12.99. That’s just 50 cents more than Hulu by itself. This guide walks through what you’ll actually pay, when the new price hits an existing account, and which plan fits the way you really watch.
Key Answers People Want First
These cover the questions that come up the moment a price-increase email lands in the inbox.
New subscribers started paying the higher prices on September 23. If you already subscribe, the increase applies on or after October 21, on your first billing date after that. Annual subscribers are included in this round too, at their next renewal. Disney emails existing customers about the change. That email is the most reliable record of what your new rate will be.
For most people, there’s little reason to. Hulu with ads is $12.49, and the Disney+ and Hulu bundle with ads is $12.99. The ad-free versions follow the same pattern: $21.49 for Hulu alone, $21.99 for both. For 50 cents a month you get the full Disney+ library too: Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Grandchildren tend to find that library first when they visit. Switching from standalone Hulu to the bundle is done under your account’s plan settings.
Mostly, not entirely. Hulu’s own terms say a small number of shows still play a brief ad before and after an episode, even on Premium. That’s because of the licensing deals behind those shows. The long mid-episode breaks disappear. If you pay for Premium and get mid-episode ads on a Hulu Original, that’s a glitch worth reporting to Hulu support. Live channels on Hulu + Live TV always carry regular commercials, like cable.
New students can no longer sign up for $1.99 standalone Hulu through Hulu’s student page. The current offer is the Disney+ and Hulu bundle with ads for $6.49/month, half the regular $12.99. It lasts as long as you’re verified as a student at an accredited U.S. college or trade school. Verification runs through SheerID and must be renewed every year. It only works when you pay Disney or Hulu directly, not through an app store or a cable company.
The separate Hulu app is being phased out, but your Hulu subscription isn’t. Disney has already moved Hulu’s full catalog into the Disney+ app. The Hulu app stopped working on the Nintendo Switch in February. CEO Bob Iger has said he expects the full one-app setup to arrive by the end of the calendar year. Disney says you’ll still be able to buy Hulu on its own. No shutdown date for the Hulu app on TVs and phones has been announced. Installing the Disney+ app now and signing in with the same email is a painless way to get ahead of it.
Sometimes, and usually not in your favor. Prices billed through Apple, Google, Roku, Amazon, or a TV or phone provider can differ from Hulu’s direct price. Most promotions, including the student bundle, only work with direct billing. If you’re not sure who bills you, look at your credit card statement. A charge labeled “Apple.com/bill” or “Roku” means you have to cancel or change plans there, not on hulu.com.
It’s now among the most expensive live TV services. YouTube TV starts around $82.99, and DirecTV and Fubo start around $86.99. The difference is that Hulu + Live TV includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select, worth roughly $25 a month if you’d otherwise buy them. If you’d pay for those anyway, Hulu’s live package is closer to a $75 live TV service. If you wouldn’t, a cheaper live service plus nothing else often comes out ahead.
Every Hulu Plan and What It Costs Now
Prices are monthly, before tax, when you pay Hulu or Disney directly. Hulu is sold only in the United States.
The full on-demand library: next-day episodes of many network shows, FX series like The Bear and Shōgun, Hulu Originals, and a large movie catalog. Commercial breaks run during shows. Two screens can stream at once. Downloads for offline viewing aren’t included. An annual option has been available on this plan. It was repriced in this round, so check the current annual rate before paying a year upfront.
The same library with the commercial breaks removed. A few licensed shows still play short ads before or after an episode. Premium adds offline downloads on phones and tablets, handy for travel or a hospital stay without reliable Wi-Fi. At $21.49, it now costs just 50 cents less than the ad-free Disney+ and Hulu bundle, so buying it alone rarely makes sense.
This is the plan most households should look at first. You get both full libraries in one app for a price that barely differs from Hulu alone. The ad-supported version was the one tier Disney didn’t raise this round. Disney has also shown six-month introductory prices on its site for new customers. Those renew at the regular $12.99 or $21.99, so treat them as a short discount, not a new price.
Two ESPN levels exist. ESPN Select, the streaming-only tier formerly known as ESPN+, bundles in at $21.99 with ads or $32.99 without. It covers a large amount of college sports, NHL, UFC, and more, but not the main ESPN cable channels. ESPN Unlimited adds the full ESPN networks. Its bundles held steady at $35.99 with ads and $44.99 ad-free. For a household that mainly wants Monday Night Football and college games on ESPN, the Unlimited bundle can replace a live TV service entirely.
Three services on one bill. Compared with buying all three separately, Hulu lists the savings at about $14 a month with ads and $26 without. It’s only available billed directly through Disney+, Hulu, or HBO Max, and there’s no annual version. If you already pay for HBO Max on its own, run the numbers before switching, because an existing HBO Max annual plan may not move over cleanly.
About 100 live channels, including local ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox in most markets, plus cable news, ESPN, HGTV, Hallmark and more. It includes unlimited cloud DVR, plus Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select. The $109.99 version only removes ads from the on-demand libraries. Live channels still run normal commercials. Hulu has been advertising a first-month discount for new and returning live TV customers, so check the sign-up page before you pay full price. Enter your ZIP code first to confirm your local stations are carried.
Hulu Plans Side by Side
The “Disney+” column is the one worth studying. It explains why the bundles are usually the better deal.
| Plan | Monthly Price | Ads | Disney+ | ESPN | Live Channels | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu (With Ads) | $12.49 | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Hulu Premium | $21.49 | Very few | No | No | No | Yes |
| Disney+ & Hulu | $12.99 | Yes | ✅ Yes | No | No | No |
| Disney+ & Hulu Premium | $21.99 | Very few | ✅ Yes | No | No | Yes |
| + ESPN Select | $21.99 · $32.99 | Yes · very few | ✅ Yes | Streaming tier | No | Premium only |
| + ESPN Unlimited | $35.99 · $44.99 | Yes · very few | ✅ Yes | Full ESPN networks | ESPN only | Premium only |
| + HBO Max | $21.99 · $34.99 | Yes · very few | ✅ Yes | No | No | Premium only |
| Hulu + Live TV | $99.99 · $109.99 | Live always has ads | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ~100 incl. locals | Ad-free tier |
Where two prices are shown, the first is with ads and the second is ad-free on-demand. ESPN content and live channels carry ads on every tier.
Hulu + Live TV Against Other Live Services
Starting prices before any add-ons or regional sports fees. Channel lineups vary by ZIP code, so check your local stations on each service before you switch.
| Service | Starting Price | Local Channels | Streaming Extras Included | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu + Live TV | $99.99 | Most markets | Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select | Households already buying Disney services |
| YouTube TV | ~$82.99 | Most markets | None | Lowest-cost full cable replacement |
| Fubo | ~$86.99 | Most markets | None | Sports-heavy viewers |
| DirecTV Stream | ~$86.99 | Most markets | None | Regional sports networks |
| Sling TV | ~$45.99 | Limited | None | Cable news & basics on a budget |
| Philo | ~$25 | No | None | Lifestyle channels, no sports or news |
Hulu + Live TV and Fubo now sit under the same company but still sell separately at separate prices.
Ways to Pay Less for Hulu
This is the simplest move after the increase. You pay 50 cents more and gain a second full service. If you’re currently paying for Hulu and Disney+ as two separate bills, the savings are bigger. Two separate ad-supported plans now cost $24.98, against $12.99 for the bundle.
Before paying Hulu directly, look through your wireless and home internet perks. T-Mobile’s All-In home internet plan includes Hulu with ads. Some Verizon plans have offered the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN bundle as a discounted monthly perk. People sometimes pay for Hulu twice without realizing it, once through a perk and once on a credit card. Your phone carrier’s app or account page lists which streaming perks are active.
There’s no contract and no cancellation fee, so you can follow the content. Sign up when a show you follow starts a new season or football starts, then cancel or pause when it ends. Hulu has let direct-billed subscribers pause for a set number of weeks instead of canceling, which keeps profiles and watch history in place. Pause options can differ if you’re billed through a third party.
Find Your Situation
It can be, but compare two alternatives first. If local news is the main draw, an indoor TV antenna may pick up your ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox stations for free, depending on how far you are from the towers. Pair it with the $12.99 Disney+ and Hulu bundle and you’re under $15 a month. If you also want cable news channels and a DVR, YouTube TV starts about $17 below Hulu + Live TV. Hulu’s live package makes the most sense when you’d otherwise buy Disney+ and ESPN on top.
Log in to your Hulu account and open the plan details page to see exactly what you’re on. Look for add-ons like Unlimited Screens or premium channels, which often get added during a free-trial offer and then forgotten. If the charge on your card says Apple, Roku, Amazon, Google, or your phone company, the account lives there. That’s where to change or cancel it. Look at the bundle options too, because they may cost less than what you’re paying now.
Short ads before or after a few licensed network shows are expected on Premium. They’re listed in Hulu’s terms. Ads during live channels are expected too. Ads in the middle of a Hulu Original, or on every show, point to a problem. Sign out and back in, confirm the plan name in your account says “Premium” or “No Ads,” and if nothing changes, contact Hulu support through the Help Center.
Standard plans allow two streams at the same time. If three or more people will regularly watch on different TVs or tablets at home, Hulu sells an Unlimited Screens add-on that removes the home limit. It’s cheaper to add it only for the months you need it and remove it afterward. Setting up separate viewer profiles, including a Kids profile, keeps everyone’s shows and recommendations from getting mixed up.
Cancel the full-price plan and sign up for the student bundle at $6.49 for both Disney+ and Hulu with ads. You’ll verify through SheerID with your school details. The student price only applies to direct billing, so if you currently pay through an app store, cancel it there first. Mark your calendar a year out, because the discount needs re-verification annually or it jumps to the regular bundle price.
Don’t tap the link. Fake “payment failed” messages imitating streaming services are a common way to steal card numbers. Open the Hulu or Disney+ app yourself, or type hulu.com into your browser, and check your account there. If there’s a real billing problem, it will show up in your account.
What the Hulu and Disney+ App Merger Means for You
Nothing about your plan or price changes because of the merger. What changes is where you tap to watch.
Hulu’s full catalog is available inside the Disney+ app for anyone with both services. The Hulu app was removed from the Nintendo Switch in February. A few titles that used to appear in both places, such as Percy Jackson and the Olympians, now live only on Disney+. That’s another quiet nudge toward the bundle.
Download the Disney+ app on the TV or device you watch most, sign in with the same email you use for Hulu, and look around while the old app still works. If someone else set up your account, now is a good time to write down your login email and password and store them somewhere safe. That way you’re not locked out on the day the Hulu app disappears from your TV.
How to Cancel or Pause Without Surprise Charges
There’s no contract and no cancellation fee. You keep watching through the end of the month you’ve paid for, but there are no refunds for partial months.
Paid Hulu or Disney directly: sign in at hulu.com, open your account, and choose Cancel. Paid through Apple: on an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Paid through Roku, Amazon, or Google: cancel from that company’s subscription page. Canceling on hulu.com won’t stop a charge that comes from one of those companies. That’s the most common reason people keep getting billed after “canceling.”
Recordings in your cloud DVR aren’t kept forever after you leave. Watch anything you care about before your last paid day. If you plan to return for football season, pausing may be the better choice where it’s offered, because it keeps your account set up.
Prices reflect Hulu and Disney+ rates for direct-billed U.S. subscribers after the late-September price change, before taxes. Existing subscribers move to new prices on or after October 21 based on billing date. Rates billed through third parties may differ. Live TV service prices are starting rates and vary with add-ons and location. This page is independent and not affiliated with Hulu or The Walt Disney Company. Confirm current prices on hulu.com before subscribing. Key sources: Hulu.com plan and student pages; Disney price-change notices as reported by CNN and TVLine.