While it as soon as scoffed at the potential for providing an ad-supported tier, Netflix has since embraced the concept, with tens of millions of customers snapping up its “Standard with Ads” plan, garnering loads of curiosity from Madison Avenue alongside the way in which.
Since its arrival almost three years in the past, Netflix has added quite a lot of options to its ad-supported tier to set it other than the streaming crowd—and for now, its worth stays a fraction of Netflix’s priciest 4K streaming plan.
So, how a lot does Netflix with adverts value, what’s included, and is something overlooked? Here’s what you should know.
How a lot does Netflix with adverts value?
Netflix Standard with Ads prices $7.99 a month, which reflects a buck-a-month price hike that Netflix imposed again in January 2025.
For some context, Paramount+ Essential can be $7.99 a month, whereas Peacock Premium—which, confusingly, is ad-supported—prices $10.99 a month.
Meanwhile, HBO Max Basic with Ads goes for $10.99 a month (the identical as Peacock Premium) after a recent price increase.
Finally, the ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu tiers cost $11.99 a month each following (yet one more) latest worth hike (they’re significantly cheaper in case you bundle them together),
So for now, Netflix is tied with Paramount+ for the most cost effective ad-supported plan among the many greatest streaming providers.
(There’s additionally Peacock’s new Select tier, one other ad-supported plan that goes for $7.99 a month, however it presents solely a “selection” of Peacock’s authentic content material.)
How many streams do you get with the Netflix Standard with Ads plan?
At launch, Netflix’s ad-supported plan (which was initially known as “Basic with Ads”) solely provided a single stream.
But in 2023, Netflix upped the number of concurrent streams available on the Standard with Ads plan to 2.
Does Netflix with adverts supply 4K HDR video decision?
No, however the video high quality of Netflix Standard with Ads has improved for the reason that tier was first launched.
While ad-supported Netflix as soon as provided solely 720p video high quality, it has since been boosted to 1080p, similar as Netflix’s ad-free Standard plan.
Currently, only Netflix’s priciest plan–Premium ($24.99 a month)–offers 4K HDR streaming, with 4 concurrent streams per family.
Netflix, and most different streamers, reserve their 4K HDR streams for ad-free subscribers, though that’s not a common coverage; Paramount+, for one, does allow ad-supported subscribers to stream in 4K.
Does ad-supported Netflix supply downloads for offline viewing?
One of the very best perks provided by the large streamers is the power to obtain movies for offline viewing, excellent for binge-watching your favourite collection throughout an extended flight or if you don’t wish to bust by means of your ISP’s (or provider’s) knowledge cap.
Until not too long ago, Netflix didn’t permit its with-ads subscribers to obtain movies for offline viewing, a restriction shared by the opposite massive streamers.
But in November 2023, Netflix reversed course, changing into the primary massive streaming service to allow offline downloads for subscribers to its ad-supported tier.
There is a month-to-month restrict to downloads for Standard with Ads subscribers, nevertheless: 15 downloads per system, resetting on the primary of every month.
How many industrial breaks does Netflix with adverts have?
Netflix Standard with Ads subscribers must sit by means of 4- to 5 minutes of commercials per hour, with the adverts working firstly and through movies (ideally throughout “natural plot breaks”). Each advert shall be both 15 or 30 seconds.
That 4- to 5-minute-per-hour determine is just about in step with Netflix’s opponents. For instance, the “with ads” model of Max averages about four minutes an hour, whereas Peacock tops out at about five minutes per hour.
Is Netflix with adverts obtainable on all streaming units?
Most units that work with ad-free Netflix also needs to assist Netflix Standard with Ads, though a “small percentage” of streaming players and TVs won’t work as a result of the system’s Netflix software program can now not be up to date.
And whereas the ad-supported Netflix plan wasn’t initially supported on Apple TV streaming devices, it’s now (on Apple TV HD units and later) following an update of the Netflix tvOS app in March 2023.
Netflix with adverts can be obtainable on most different streaming platforms, together with Amazon’s Fire TV, Android and iOS units, most sensible TVs, Mac and Windows computer systems, and Google TV gamers.
Does Netflix with adverts supply the identical content material as ad-free Netflix?
You’ll discover nearly, however not fairly every little thing. While the “vast majority” of TV exhibits and flicks on Netflix can be found for “with ads” viewers, a “small number” are lacking due to “licensing issues,” Netflix says.
If you do run throughout a video that’s unavailable on the Netflix Standard with Ads plan, you’ll see a padlock on the title or a “Change plan to watch” banner rather than the usual “Play” button.
Why did Netflix launch an ad-supported plan?
Netflix lost subscribers during the first and second quarters of 2022, ending a decade of development and sending Netflix’s inventory worth right into a tailspin. And whereas Netflix is ubiquitous in North America, it’s having trouble gaining traction in the rest of the world, the place it’s dealing with powerful competitors from cheaper streaming providers.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s quickly rising opponents, together with HBO Max, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, and Hulu, rolled out their very own cheaper ad-supported plans, all of which undercut Netflix’s least costly ad-free plans.
So whereas it wasn’t all that way back that Netflix executives scoffed at the idea of cheaper ad-supported plans, the corporate abruptly modified course when it turned clear that its as soon as seemingly unstoppable development had stalled.
In May 2024, Netflix reported that its Standard with Ads tier had roughly 40 million global active monthly users, up from simply 5 million customers in May 2023. (Netflix has since ceased tallying its month-to-month consumer base for the general public.)
Updated in October 2025 with the newest pricing particulars and different latest streaming developments.