Streaming aggregator and personal media platform Plex is raising prices for the first time in a decade, with Plex Pass subscriptions increasing to $7 per month and $70 per year at the end of April.
That’s up from the previous $5 per month and $40 per year. Starting April 29, the price for a Lifetime Plex Pass will also increase from $120 to $250.
Plex announced the price changes in a blog Wednesday, saying they were needed” in order for us to keep up with rising costs and remain committed to ensuring both Plex Pass and our support for personal media continue to thrive” while also disclosing planned platform changes.
“This price increase will ensure that we can keep investing dedicated resources in developing new features, while supporting and growing your favorites,” Plex told users in the blog.
Some of the features that come with a Plex Pass include the ability to skip intros and credits, downloads, Plex DVR, skip ads for recorded TV, and hardware transcoding, among others.
While subscriptions to Plex are increasing, the basic functionality of the platform remains free as does ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) content including movies, shows and live TV.
But another free aspect is going away.
Plex starts charging for personal content remote playback
In addition to raising subscription prices, Plex is starting to charge for its remote playback feature – meaning being able to watch media files when not on the same local network as the server – which was previously offered for free.
“The reality is that we need more resources to continue putting forth the best personal media experience, and as a result, we will no longer offer remote playback as a free feature,” Plex said in the blog. “This—alongside the new Plex Pass pricing—will help provide those resources.”
As mentioned, while Plex has a subscription offering for its product, the basic functionality of Plex is free – which in addition to aggregating streaming content from apps and services and offering free content, also functions a personal media platform and server for users own content libraries (a media player to serve, organize and share personal media libraries with friends was part of the original genesis of Plex).
So even those previously even those without a Plex Pass subscription could still access and allow others to stream personal content libraries and their Plex Media Server remotely.
With the changes, instead of a free feature, to utilize remote playback, media server owners will need to upgrade to a Plex Pass subscription, which enables all users accessing the Plex Media Server to stream remotely, without an additional charge. This also allows the subscription holder to stream remotely from any server they have access to and enables use of other features like Skip Intro and Skip Credits.
The second option for the remote playback feature is a new subscription offering dubbed Remote Watch Pass, which allows users to stream from any personal media server they have access to.
“This is a great option for users who don’t run their own server and are looking to stream from a server belonging to a friend or family member who does not have a Plex Pass,” Plex said of the Remote Watch Pass. “It’s also a good alternative for server owners who may not need the full feature offering of a Plex Pass, but are looking for a more cost-effective option to access their media remotely.”
Plex is charging an introductory price of $2 per month or $20 per year for Remote Watch Passes starting April 29, coinciding with the Plex Pass price increases. Note the changes for remote streaming of personal content from a Plex Media server applies only to movie, TV and video media, not music or photo streaming, which are housed in dedicated Plex apps.
On aspect where Plex is removing charges and limitations instead of introducing them is on the Android and iOS mobile experience. Previously users had to pay a one-time activation fee or subscribe to a Plex Pass to remove the one-minute playback limitation when streaming content from a Plex Media Server. Going forward that playback restriction is eliminated and playing content on a local network will be free in the new mobile apps.
Additional updates
Plex also disclosed some updates on its roadmap for 2025.
One is an integration with Common Sense Media, a company providing age-based media reviews for families. Expected to launch this fall, the integration will bring ratings and additional context from Common Sense Media on movies and TV shows to help parents find age-appropriate content for kids.
It’s also introducing a bespoke server management app that works on browsers or mobiles to improve the curation experience and provide increased visibility into who is accessing a users’ server and how. It’s also introducing an open and documented API for server integrations and the ability to create custom metadata agents.
Plex’s price changes follow continual price bumps seen across others in the streaming industry and amid continued competition.
As Plex looks to serve up free and aggregated content, alongside functionality for consumers’ personal media libraries, it’s expanded offerings and capabilities on the platform on a broader mission to serve as a one-stop content shop. That includes expanding FAST linear channels and the introduction of movie rentals last year, as well as testing out social and community features such as “Discover Together” which allows users to create profiles and find and follow friends’ watchlists. Plex Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer Scott Olechowski described the social aspect to StreamTV Insider last year, which initially started as a more closed, family and friend-style network, but eventually expanded to more public-facing social functions this January. The latest iteration includes the ability to leave public reviews on titles and to comment on other users’ feedback and find others’ profiles in search to see their reviews, ratings, watchlists and viewing history.
Speaking to StreamTV Insider last June, Olechowski said over time data could be used by studios and content partners to promote programming in Plex and utilize it to target viewers who are likely to enjoy a show.
“We’ve already done some tests and proven that we can get significantly higher click-through rates” and other metrics “because we know what these people are interested in.”
Still, the user is at the center.
“Ultimately, the goal there is, we’re trying to make it more useful for the end users,” Olechowski said, where even if companies use the data to promote content, Plex feels users would rather get a promotion or recommendation for something they’re more likely to be interested in.