Crunchyroll is only increasing prices for these two plans
Since 2019, March 1 of this year marks another time Crunchyroll is updating pricing for its services. The company announced on its website and sent out emails to subscribers. Moving forward, the Mega Fan subscription tier will rise from $9.99 per month to $11.99 per month. The Ultimate Fan subscription tier will go up from $14.99 per month to $15.99 per month. The Fan tier will remain the same at $7.99 per month.
The price change reflects the increase in content on Crunchyroll in recent years, expanding its catalog to more than 45,000 episodes via 1,400 series and films,
But that isn’t all. Typically, Crunchyroll offers a 14-day free trial for you to experience its premium features, including ad-free viewing, simulcasts, and offline downloads at no cost. It was enticing for otakus who were looking for freebies, and people who are on the fence about subscribing.
Sadly, the company is cutting the duration short to 7 days. It’s genius when you really think about it. A shorter free trial forces you to subscribe sooner and contribute to the revenue stream. Basically, “make up your mind already!”. These pricing adjustments come just after the brand launched its store in Europe and added the long-awaited Multiple Profiles feature for premium subscribers.
Fans aren’t reacting nicely to Crunchyroll’s price hikes
Crunchyroll claims the recent price changes are necessary to add and maintain benefits or offerings. But it hasn’t stopped the backlash from their user community. Some have taken to the announcement’s comment section to air their thoughts. They threatened to cancel their subscriptions — and for understandable reasons.
The cost increase for the Mega Fan is steeper, at over 20%, while the Ultimate Fan tier has spiked by roughly 7%. Considering the shortened free trial and no newly added benefits, you could say that the increment is on the high side.
Fans are also mad about Crunchyroll acquiring FUNimation in 2022. The merger reduced their streaming options from two services to one. If you are among those who bought anime content on their platform, you’ll lose access to it and can’t watch it on Crunchyroll when you switch over.
What’s next for Crunchyroll subscribers?
A shortened trial means less time for potential customers to test Crunchyroll’s services before committing. Meanwhile, increases to the top subscription tiers may mean existing customers have to step down to the cheaper Fan plan, or cancel their subscriptions entirely. If you’re looking for alternatives, try HiDive. It doesn’t have a vast anime library, but its basic plan is cheaper at $5.99. You can find other legal substitutes with a simple Google search.
