Plex, a popular media hosting service, is gearing up for significant updates this year. These changes include new pricing tiers that may cause some confusion among users.
For current plex Pass subscribers, the main takeaway is that their experience will remain unchanged except for the subscription cost. Those with a Lifetime subscription will not see any alterations.
The new pricing structure will affect individuals who join Plex in 2025,as well as existing monthly and yearly subscribers.It also applies to users without access to a server managed by a Plex Pass holder.
As of now, the cost of a lifetime Plex pass stands at $159 in Canada but is set to rise on April 29. While Canadian prices have not been disclosed yet, it’s expected that the U.S. price of $250 could translate to around C$350 after conversion.
Overview of Pricing Changes
The upcoming adjustments aim to ensure all server owners subscribe to Plex Pass. Although this push for payment can be frustrating, I believe that $159 for lifetime access remains reasonable. I purchased mine years ago at an even lower price and use it daily; it has certainly paid off.
Details on New Pricing
Plex plans to implement these price increases on April 29 alongside the launch of its new app later this year. This marks the first price hike from Plex in ten years.
- Monthly: US$6.99 (approximately C$10)
- Yearly: US$69.99 (approximately C$100)
- Lifetime: US$249.99 (approximately C$350)
If server owners do not have a Plex Pass subscription, users must purchase a ‘Remote Watch Pass' to stream content outside their home network. This pass costs US$1.99 per month or US$19.99 annually—around C$2-3 monthly or C$25-$30 yearly in Canada.
This change likely won’t impact many people since most server owners already pay for Plex Pass due to features like hardware video transcoding.
Free use and streaming Limitations
You can still run a free Plex server at home without any charges when using local Wi-Fi; though, streaming content outside your home or sharing with friends now requires payment.
A Positive Change
A benefit of this new pricing model is eliminating the mobile watch unlock fee currently charged on Android and iOS devices—set at $6.99—to view content on Plex apps before they are updated later this year.
Instead of paying this fee directly through mobile apps, either the server owner must maintain their subscription or users need to buy Remote Watch passes instead.
Additions Coming Soon
This year also brings exciting updates such as collaboration with Common Sense Media aimed at providing ratings and context about shows and movies suitable for children’s viewing habits.
An Fascinating Note About Remote Streaming Changes
Plex mentioned an important detail regarding remote streaming changes buried within its FAQ section: these modifications will only apply once users switch over to its updated app experience launching later this year.
The FAQ states that platforms running older versions won’t be affected instantly after release; thus allowing those using existing apps continued free remote streaming temporarily until they upgrade eventually.
While I don’t expect this situation will last indefinitely, it does provide some breathing room during transitions between app versions!
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