Before You Cancel Netflix Over the Price Hike, Read This

I was sitting on the couch when the notification came through from my banking app. Not entirely unusual — but this time, I had to look twice. My Netflix Standard With Ads plan had been running around $8, so why was I suddenly seeing $10? Had there seriously been another Netflix price hike? Wasn’t the last one less than a year ago?

I’ve been a Netflix subscriber for a couple of years now, and I’ve never been happy about the increased costs. I’ve been using Netflix a lot longer than I’ve been paying for it (back when I lived with my parents), and I remember when the experience was entirely ad-free, so it left a bitter taste in my mouth when that was no longer the case.

If you’re like me and have considered canceling your subscription, there are a few things worth knowing about Netflix that aren’t being advertised.

Netflix says that its recent price increase will go toward creating and acquiring new content, with a projected spend of $20 billion, up 10% from 2025. That means more originals, live events, gaming, and more. This could be big news, given that Netflix’s original film output is currently at an eight-year low, even as spending climbs. The likely explanation? The streamer is changing its approach to making content, trading volume for quality.

This price increase will also help maintain — and quietly improve — core features of each subscription tier, such as download quality, image resolution, and simultaneous streaming. Netflix’s own “member quality” metric, which measures view retention, satisfaction, and perceived value, has hit a record high this year. Some of that improvement is tangible: the Standard plan now includes more simultaneous streams and a higher resolution than it did two years ago.

If you’re like me, a solo Netflix account holder who maybe uses Netflix once or twice a month, you should cancel your subscription. Between the show cancellations, the algorithm, and content constantly rotating off the platform, it’s hard to justify keeping your subscription unless you’re actively watching a new season of a show. And even in that case, I recommend you cancel once you finish the series.

If you’re splitting the cost with a household, there’s more reason to stay — or at least downgrade to a cheaper subscription tier. If everyone’s watching Netflix pretty consistently and happy about the split cost, I don’t see any issue with keeping your subscription. But this is a good opportunity to discuss with your other household members how much you’re all actually using it. Less than 3–5 hours a month? I’d recommend you either cancel or downgrade your subscription.

If you’ve decided the Netflix price hike isn’t worth it, here are some next steps.

If you don’t want to outright cancel your subscription, you can always pause your account. To do this, log into your account on a browser, go to your Account page, click “Cancel Membership,” then select “Pause for 1 Month.” Doing so will stop payment and streaming, but keep your list, profile, and viewing history intact if you want to renew your subscription later down the line.

Downgrading is also worth considering. Netflix’s Standard With Ads plan is roughly half the cost of the ad-free tiers — a much easier pill to swallow, especially if you’ve been subscribed to a pricier plan. This option relies on your ad-break tolerance, though.

If you’re still unsure, check out the pros and cons of Netflix or see how it stacks up against other streaming services. Ultimately, if you or your household streams more than six hours a week, the monthly cost is probably easier to stomach than the hassle of canceling. If you barely watch four hours of Netflix a month, though, the subscription is definitely not worth the cost.