Amazon Prime Video Just Got a Lot More Expensive
The joy of streaming your favorite shows on Prime Video ad-free will cost you even starting more next month.
On Friday, March 13, Amazon announced a price hike for its streaming service in the U.S., which will go into effect on April 10, 2026. The new ad-free subscription tier will be called Prime Video Ultra and will cost subscribers $4.99/month, a $2 (or 67 percent) monthly increase over the current $2.99 ad-free tier.
That $4.99 must be paid on top of an annual Amazon Prime membership, which goes for $14.99/month or $139 annually. Amazon said in its release that there will be no change in cost for a Prime membership.
The streamer promises a few “enhanced features” to the new tier, including Dolby Atmos and access to 4K/UHD streaming, up to 100 downloads for offline viewing—up from the current 25—and up to five concurrent streams, instead of the previous three.
The standard Prime Video membership included with an Amazon Prime membership will also get a few new perks. Subscribers will get access to Dolby Vision and up to four concurrent streams.
What the Company Is Saying
“Delivering ad-free streaming with premium features requires significant investment, and this structure aligns with other major streaming services while ensuring customers have the flexibility to choose how they want to watch,” said Amazon in a statement. “Prime members will continue to enjoy the core Prime Video benefit, including HD/HDR and now Dolby Vision, at no additional cost with their Prime membership.”
For customers who already have an annual Prime plan, Amazon said they can opt to switch to the Prime Video Ultra annual plan at $45.99, a 23 percent discount from the monthly rate.
Amazon's announcement touted its original programming, including series like Fallout, Reacher, The Boys, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and The Summer I Turned Pretty. They also boasted about access to sporting events from NFL, NBA, WNBA, NASCAR, NWSL, and The Masters, original films like Red One and Road House, and a library of films and TV shows.
Prime Video Ultra does come with an asterisk, however, when it comes to being completely ad-free. The very end of the press release did add that “Live TV and events, like sports, and other select ad-supported content and subscriptions may still include ads with Prime Video Ultra.”
They also warned that not all content will be available in all resolutions, with 4K/UHD video, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos features all depending on the subscriber's own internet service bandwidth and device capabilities.
Streaming Price Comparison
The move from Amazon comes after many of the other streamers increases their pricing in 2025.
For comparison, access to ad-free and 4K content on Netflix currently goes for $24.99/month. A similar standalone premium subscription costs $18.99/month for Disney+, $18.99/month for Hulu, and $22.99/month for HBO Max.
Ad-free Disney+ and Hulu, however, can be bundled for $19.99/month, while HBO Max can also be added to the mix for $32.99/month for all three.
Apple TV+, meanwhile, remains totally ad-free at $12.99/month or $99.99/annually, and can be bundled with Peacock without ads for $19.99/month.