Complete Hulu Price History
2008 - 2025 Timeline
Verified by FindCheapStreaming Analysis Team | Updated: Dec 15, 2025
The Hulu Paradox
Hulu remains a unique case study in the streaming economy. It is the only major platform to have aggressively lowered its pricing in 2019 to undercut competitors, only to reverse course and execute some of the steepest price hikes in the industry by 2025. From the "Free Web Era" of 2008 to the $99.99 Live TV bundles of today, this timeline documents every single shift in strategy.
1. The Free Era (2008–2016)
Long before it was a Disney-controlled giant, Hulu was a joint venture between News Corp and NBC Universal. Its initial value proposition was simple: watch last night's TV episodes for free on your computer.
This tier was strictly limited to desktop browsers (eventually blocking mobile apps to drive subscriptions) and was heavily supported by unskippable commercials.
| Date | Price | Event Details |
|---|---|---|
| March 12, 2008 | $0.00 | Public Launch. Hulu opens to the US public. Users can watch recent episodes of The Office, Family Guy, and 30 Rock for free, supported by ads. |
| August 8, 2016 | Ended | The Shutdown. Hulu announces the complete discontinuation of the free service. Free content was briefly migrated to "Yahoo View," effectively marking the end of the free streaming era. |
2. Hulu Plus / Hulu (With Ads)
This is the standard tier most Americans are familiar with. Originally branded as "Hulu Plus," it offered access to full seasons (not just recent episodes) and, crucially, allowed streaming on devices like the iPhone, iPad, and game consoles.
It is notable for being the only major streaming plan to have a significant price decrease in its history (2019), followed by a rapid doubling of price between 2021 and 2025.
Lowest Historical Price
$5.99
(Feb 2019 - Oct 2021)Current Price
$11.99
(As of Dec 2025)| Date | Price | Notes & Branding |
|---|---|---|
| June 29, 2010 | $9.99 | "Hulu Plus" Preview. The paid tier launches in a preview capacity for select users at a higher price point. |
| Nov 17, 2010 | $7.99 | Official Launch. Hulu drops the price to $7.99 for the general public rollout to compete more aggressively with Netflix. |
| April 29, 2015 | $7.99 | Rebranding. Hulu announces that the "Plus" name will be dropped to simplify the brand. |
| June 16, 2015 | $7.99 | Hulu Plus Retired. The service is now just "Hulu" (With Ads). |
| Feb 26, 2019 | $5.99 | The Price Cut. Announced in Jan 2019, this $2 reduction was designed to boost subscriber numbers ahead of the Disney+ launch. |
| Oct 8, 2021 | $6.99 | The Reversal. Prices begin to climb again with a $1 increase. |
| Oct 10, 2022 | $7.99 | Price returns to the original 2010 level. |
| Oct 12, 2023 | $7.99 | The Pause. While No-Ads and Live TV increased, the Ad tier remained flat to retain budget-conscious users. |
| Oct 17, 2024 | $9.99 | A significant 25% price hike. |
| Oct 21, 2025 | $11.99 | Latest Hike. The ad-supported plan is now more expensive than the original 2010 preview price. |
3. Hulu (No Ads)
Introduced in 2015, the "No Commercials" plan was Hulu's direct answer to Netflix. It provides access to the streaming library without interruptions (though a few specific shows retained ads due to old licensing rights).
While the Ad-supported tier has fluctuated, the No Ads tier has only gone up, nearly doubling from its launch price.
| Date | Price | Change Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2015 | $11.99 | Tier Launched. The "No Commercials" plan debuts. |
| Feb 26, 2019 | $11.99 | Price Held. While the Ad tier dropped to $5.99, the premium tier price remained unchanged. |
| Oct 8, 2021 | $12.99 | The first price increase for this tier since launch (+$1). |
| Oct 10, 2022 | $14.99 | A $2 increase. |
| Oct 12, 2023 | $17.99 | Major Hike (+$3). A 20% increase designed to push users toward the Disney Bundle. |
| Oct 17, 2024 | $18.99 | +$1 increase. |
| Oct 21, 2025 | $18.99 | Unchanged. While the Ad tier and Live TV tiers saw massive hikes in 2025, the No Ads on-demand price held steady. |
4. Hulu + Live TV Bundles (2017-2025)
Hulu + Live TV launched in 2017 as a "cable killer" for under $40. In less than a decade, the price has more than doubled. This mirrors the broader industry trend where the cost of sports rights (ESPN, NFL) and local affiliate fees has forced streaming cable replacements to become as expensive as the cable packages they aimed to replace.
Note: In December 2022, Hulu restructured the "No Ads" Live TV plan to mandatorily include Disney+ and ESPN+, which accounts for the jump in price and value.
| Effective Date | Live TV (With Ads) | Live TV (No Ads) | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2017 | $39.99 | $43.99 | Launch. The "No Commercials" add-on was +$4. |
| Feb 26, 2019 | $44.99 | $50.99 | First $5 hike across the board. |
| Dec 18, 2019 | $54.99 | $60.99 | Massive Hike. Prices jump $10 due to new channel acquisitions. |
| Dec 18, 2020 | $64.99 | $70.99 | Another $10 jump exactly one year later. |
| Dec 21, 2021 | $69.99 | $75.99* | +$5 Increase. |
| Dec 8, 2022 | $69.99 | $82.99 | Bundle Restructure. The premium tier now mandates Disney+/ESPN+ inclusion. |
| Oct 12, 2023 | $76.99 | $89.99 | Base plan crosses the $75 mark. |
| Oct 17, 2024 | $82.99 | $95.99 | No Ads tier approaches $100. |
| Oct 21, 2025 | $89.99 | $99.99 | The $100 Ceiling. The premium bundle hits roughly $100/month. |
5. Live TV Only (2025)
As the costs of the Hulu streaming library and the Live TV channels both continued to rise, Hulu introduced a "Live TV Only" option for users who strictly wanted linear channels without the on-demand library of shows and movies.
Live TV Only Plan
Includes 90+ channels. No Hulu Library. No Disney+. No ESPN+.
Why did the price drop in 2019?
In early 2019, the streaming wars were heating up. Disney was preparing to launch Disney+, and they needed to maximize the subscriber base of Hulu (which they majority-controlled). They dropped the ad-tier price from $7.99 to $5.99 to undercut Netflix. This was a strategic loss leader. Once the user base was secured, prices began their steady climb back up in 2021.
The Future: $100 Live TV
With the Oct 2025 hike pushing the "No Ads + Live TV" bundle to $99.99, Hulu has effectively recreated the expensive Cable TV bundle it set out to destroy. The primary driver is the cost of sports rights (ESPN). As long as Hulu + Live TV includes ESPN, the price floor will continue to rise alongside NBA and NFL licensing contracts.
Un's Final Verdict: The End of Cheap Hulu?
We have reached the end of an era. With the ad-supported plan hitting $11.99, Hulu is no longer the "budget alternative" to Netflix. It is a premium service priced like one.
Un's Advice: If you are subscribed to Live TV primarily for local channels, buy a digital antenna for a one-time cost of $30. If you are here for the Hulu library, the Disney Bundle Duo (Disney+ and Hulu) often offers better value than subscribing to Hulu standalone. Always check bundle offers before renewing your standalone plan.
