Plex, the popular media streaming service, is dramatically overhauling its subscription model. For the first time in a decade, the company is raising the price of its Plex Pass subscription. Starting on April 29, 2025, the monthly subscription price will go from $4.99 to $6.99, and the yearly fee will rise from $39.99 to $69.99. The life-time Plex Pass offering continual access to a permanent array of premium material will more than double in price from $119.99 to $249.99.
These price increases are part of a larger plan to continue to enhance the abilities of the service and keep it successful. Plex wishes to be able to continue to keep pace with rising costs of operation and spend money on new features and technology. Anyone considering purchasing a lifetime subscription is warned to purchase it prior to April 29 to secure the existing price.
In addition to the price hike, Plex is also altering remote playback. Historically, users have been able to stream media off their Plex Media Server remotely free of charge. Remote playback will now cost a Plex Pass or a new Remote Watch Pass that will be implemented starting April 29. The pass is for those who do not need the full suite of Plex Pass functionality but want to have remote viewing. It will be $1.99 a month or $19.99 annually.
The Remote Watch Pass is particularly useful for those who do not own a Plex server but want to stream from someone else’s friend or relative’s server. It provides remote playback access without having to pay the cost of a full Plex Pass, which includes DVR support, media downloads, and hardware transcoding.
A noteworthy clarification is that even if an owner of a Plex server holds a Plex Pass, they can still share their server with users who do not have a Plex Pass for free. This would mean that subscription-less users are still able to remotely access content if the owner of the server holds a Plex Pass.
Plex has also eliminated the one-time activation charge for its iOS and Android apps. Users previously had to pay a charge for lifting playback restrictions on these two platforms. With its new mobile Plex experience, there will be no such charge levied.
These actions are consistent with a bigger trend in the streaming industry, as many services have raised their subscription prices over the last couple of years. Plex’s decision to place remote playback behind a paywall is one part of its attempts to align the value it offers with the cost of maintaining and developing its services.
Later this year, Plex will introduce some new features, including integration with Common Sense Media to provide parents with ratings and reviews. It is also building a new server management application and open API for server integrations. All these are meant to enhance the user experience and provide more means to manage one’s media collection.
Together, Plex’s changes are aimed at ensuring its service is sustainable over the long run while still being a good media management platform to use.
