Netflix is the leading video-on-demand platform in the world, and it has very quickly become the poster boy for the VOD segment (you don’t hear anyone saying Hulu-and-Chill, do you?). At the start of its reign, the platform offered a lot of content for a reasonable price, so it was hard to not try it out at least once.
Unfortunately, a lot of digital services seem to have been making a lot of consumer-unfriendly choices recently (looking at you, Spotify) and it seems Netflix has added another one to the roster. Its pocket-friendly and ad-free Basic tier has now been killed in the United States.
You Can No Longer Get The Best Of Both Worlds That The Basic Tier Brought To The Table
Netflix’s Basic tier was one of the most affordable subscription plans that you could get on Netflix. It would only set you back by about $11.99 each month and you’d get access to the company’s entire content roster without needing to deal with any ads. That’s an incredibly good deal especially as it is priced pretty close to other major digital subscription services.
However, if you live in the United States — or France for that matter — you might be very upset to hear that the company has entirely killed off the Basic plan in those regions. While you might feel safe in other regions, I can bet it will likely find its way to Canada, the United Kingdom, and other major countries, all in due time.
If You Hate Ads, You’ll Need To Step Up To The Netflix Standard Plan
It’s sad though, since the Basic plan was the cheapest one where you wouldn’t have to deal with any ads. If you want to remain free of ads, you’re going to need to step up to Netflix’s Standard plan, which has always existed, but it is more expensive than the Basic plan because you get higher-quality video (FHD vs HD) and you can use it on more than one device at a time. The thing is, you will now have to start paying about $5 extra each month (nearly 50% more than Basic) since Standard costs $15.49.
If You’re Trying Not To Spend Too Much Each Month, The Standard With Ads Plan Is The Way To Go
Of course, going from $11.99 to $15.49 is a big monthly jump and it’ll accumulate rather significantly after a year (that’s over $50 of difference a year). For people who want a discount and can learn to live with ads, you’ll want to go the route of the Standard with Ads plan.
Now, this ad has its limitations. First off, there are ads, quite obviously. However, some TV shows and movies are not available on this plan, so there’s a limited catalog (though there should still be plenty to watch, regardless). It’ll only cost you $6.99, which is $5 cheaper than the Basic plan was. That means you’re saving $60 each year compared to before, and over $100 compared to the regular Standard plan.
Which plan you go for depends on your needs. Can you deal with ads? Or would you rather pay more to never see another ad again? Make your decision.
