Every major streaming service now offers an ad-supported tier. The ads are shorter than broadcast TV — typically 15–30 seconds, 4–5 minutes per hour — and the price difference can exceed 40%. For background watching or kids' content, the downgrade is almost always worth it.
2026 ad-supported pricing comparison
Monthly savings by switching to ad-supported:
- 1
NetflixEditor's pick
Standard with ads: $6.99. Standard without ads: $15.49. Savings: $8.50/month.
Try Recurno free → - 2
Disney+
Basic with ads: $9.99. Premium without ads: $15.99. Savings: $6.00/month.
- 3
Max
With ads: $9.99. Ad-free: $16.99. Savings: $7.00/month.
- 4
Hulu
With ads: $9.99. No ads: $18.99. Savings: $9.00/month.
- 5
Prime Video
Ads included in Prime membership. Ad-free add-on: $2.99/month extra.
The smart stacking strategy
Keep one premium ad-free plan for your primary viewing — movie nights, prestige shows. Downgrade every secondary service to ad-supported. If you subscribe to four streaming services and switch three to ad-supported, you can save $20–$25/month without losing access to any content.
Recurno tracks the actual monthly cost of each streaming plan, so when a service quietly bumps ad-free pricing by $2, you see it before the charge hits.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I save by switching to ad-supported streaming?+
Switching from ad-free to ad-supported saves $5–$9/month per service. If you have four streaming services and switch three to ad-supported, you can save $20–$25/month while keeping access to all content.
How many ads do streaming services show?+
Ad-supported tiers typically show 4–5 minutes of ads per hour, with 15–30 second spots. This is significantly less than traditional broadcast TV, which averages 15–18 minutes of ads per hour.
Which streaming service has the best ad-supported tier?+
Netflix's ad-supported tier at $6.99/month offers the biggest savings ($8.50/month vs standard). Hulu's ad-supported tier at $9.99 saves $9/month vs ad-free. For most people, the ad load on any of these is unobtrusive enough to justify the savings.
