Amazon Prime Video is one of the most popular streaming services available today. We're here to help you do the math and see whether a subscription will fit into your budget.
With over 200 million subscribers, and available in more countries than even Netflix. With amazing original programming like The Boys, there is plenty here to watch and fall in love with. Along with thousands and thousands of titles to feast your eyes on, an Amazon Prime Video subscription also comes with other perks like free delivery, amongst other things. That makes it a serious value for the price you're paying, and we have the details for you now.
- Amazon Prime Video cost: Sign up for great value streaming and a 30-day free trial
An Amazon Prime Video subscription comes with a full Amazon Prime membership and boasts the largest library of content of any VOD service, alongside acclaimed Amazon Original shows, like the hugely expensive new take on Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power, and award-winning films like hit drama One Night in Miami, as well as international exclusives and live sports.
Want to know if the Amazon Prime Video subscription cost is worth paying? Below we break down the pros and cons of a Prime Video subscription compared to some of the other major VOD contenders like Netflix and HBO Max.
- Read more: our guide to the best TV streaming services
How much is Amazon Prime Video?
Following in the US' footsteps after its price hike, the Amazon Prime Video subscription cost is also increasing in the UK from September 15. Monthly rates have gone up from £7.99 a month to £8.99 a month and from £79 annually to £95 a year.
International costs are as follows:
Monthly: $14.99 / £8.99 / $9.99 CAD / AU$6.99 AUD
Annual: $139 / £95.00 / $99.00 CAD / AU$59.00 AUD
- To sign up to Amazon Prime, click through to its website
Membership lets you stream to three devices simultaneously – although only two viewers can watch the same title simultaneously – and the majority of titles are in HD. However, a few hundred are available to enjoy in 4K UHD and HDR quality, like Ari Aster's breakout horror movie Hereditary.
Amazon Prime Video subscription: free trial availability
New customers (and ex-members of 12-months or more) remain entitled to a gargantuan 30-day Amazon Prime Video free trial. It’s one of the biggest draws to the platform, alongside buzz-worthy Amazon Original content.
You could say students receive optimum Prime! A complimentary six-month trial followed by a reduced monthly rate of 50%. That works out at $7.49/£4.49 a month, or $69/£47.49 a year.
Meanwhile, individuals qualifying for government assistance – anyone with a valid EBT card, for example – need only pay $5.99 to access the same services.
And, if you’re a Metro by T-Mobile customer, then Amazon Prime membership is thrown in free with selected plans.
How does the Amazon Prime Video cost compare to Netflix?
The two biggest names in streaming are pretty evenly matched. Both the Amazon Prime Video cost and a basic Netflix plan are $15, and offer a bountiful selection of classic movies, recent releases, and original content. Prime Video, however, provides three simultaneous streams in HD or above; you’d need to upgrade to Netflix Premium to get four streams in Ultra HD, which is double the Amazon Prime Video cost.
Netflix, which also offers the more basic,ad-funded package at $6.99, has roughly 13,000 films and nearly 2,000 TV series, including a never-ending production slate of acclaimed originals like the uber-successful Squid Game, psychological horror Midnight Mass, Sweet Tooth, Orange is the New Black, Bridgerton and The Queens Gambit.
Amazon Prime Video offers great value, especially if you’re a full Prime member receiving discounts and free deliveries. But whatever streaming service you choose will probably depend on your televisual predilections. So, if you enjoy dark superhero drama The Boys, an eclectic selection of films, and are tempted by some live sports coverage, you’ll want to give Prime Video a whirl.
How does the Amazon Prime Video cost compare to Disney Plus?
At $10.99 a month – or $109.99 annually – Disney Plus provides viewers with Marvel blockbusters, iconic animated movies, awe-inspiring National Geographic documentaries, 31 seasons of The Simpsons, and every film in the Star Wars saga. All titles can be streamed in HD, and if you’ve got the hardware, dozens of hugely popular films are available in 4K HDR too, like Avengers: Endgame. The Disney Plus price increased earlier this year, but it’s still cheaper than the Amazon Prime Video cost.
Unlike Prime, Disney Plus has a library of hundreds rather than thousands of titles – but they just happen to be from some of the most lucrative and globally recognizable brands around.
Disney fans lamenting the absence of more grown-up material, however, should try the $13.99 a month Disney Plus bundle with ad-supported Hulu and ESPN Plus. That way you can enjoy more mature programming, such as whodunnit comedy Only Murders in the Building, The Handmaid's Tale, and both seasons of teen drama Love, Victor.
How does the Amazon Prime Video cost compare to HBO Max?
Max is exciting, top-quality, and addictive…but not cheap at $15.99 a month for its 'Ad-Free' plan. Thankfully, it has a cheaper $9.99 option available that will get you almost all the same content and features as the top-tier option. Like Amazon, you get a total of three streams and all content is available in HD (4K UHD support only comes with the 'Ad-Free' option). But, of course, HBO Max isn't available everywhere just yet.
With around 2,000 films, Max can’t match the sheer volume of Prime Video. So why the premium price tag? Because its all thriller and no filler! Yes, you’ve got HBO's finest here – The Wire, Euphoria, Game of Thrones, Six Feet Under, and Mare of Easttown – alongside eight additional entertainment hubs.
How does the Amazon Prime Video price compare to Apple TV Plus?
Whereas Amazon is stuffed to the gills with the great, the good, and, err…Mannequin 2: On the Move…Apple TV Plus currently has around 90 TV series and films available to watch for $6.99 a month, or $69.99 a year.
Apple Plus is a slender though evolving platform for exclusive content, much of which has A-list talent attached. You’ll find M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological horror series Servant, the visually stunning sci-fi epic Foundation, awards magnet Ted Lasso, and supreme new spy drama Slow Horses as well as great movies like the Best Picture winner for 2022, Coda, and Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds-powered musical Spirited.
Despite the relatively meager quantity of programming, that $6.99 is money well spent. As well as access to bold, high-quality shows, your account can be shared with five other people, and all content is available to stream in 4K.
How does the Amazon Prime Video price compare to other streaming services?
At $14.99, a Prime subscription bundles in all the extras, providing amazing value. But if you want to recreate the cable experience, you’re better off considering one of the options below. And they all offer regular money-saving promotions for new members.
The most affordable option is Sling TV. It has two base packages, Sling Orange and Sing Blue, both of which cost $40 a month. They aren’t the most comprehensive, mind – you max out at 43 channels with Sling Blue – but you can purchase a wide range of add-on packs and Premium channels for an additional fee.
At $69.99, Hulu + Live TV unites the best of on-demand with a respectable IPTV service. It provides around 4,000 films and series, including Hulu Originals like The Handmaid’s Tale, and over 75 live channels. Alternatively, you could just opt for the ad-supported, on-demand Hulu plan for $7.99 a month.
YouTube TV is a great all-rounder, also at $64.99, with a robust 85-channel line-up ranging across entertainment (FX, Comedy Central and BET), news (CNN, Fox, ABC), children’s TV (Freeform, PBS Kids), and Sports (ESPN, MLB Network and NBA TV). But for the same price, Fubo TV ups the ante: with around 110 channels and an incredible amount of sports coverage, you never have to miss a single match or major tournament.
