NETFLIX REVIEW 2026

Current UK monthly costs

Netflix raised its UK prices on 4th September 2026. The current new-customer prices shown on Netflix UK are £7.99 for Standard with adverts, £13.99 for Standard, and £20.99 for Premium. Existing members may see the change after Netflix gives notice, depending on their billing date. The table below compares the current listed prices and plan features.

Key notes:
Premium is required for 4K Ultra HD + HDR; Premium also includes Netflix spatial audio.
The Standard with Ads plan supports downloads on 2 devices, but each device is limited to 15 downloads per calendar month.
Netflix is intended for people in the same household; sharing elsewhere may require an Extra Member add-on.
Extra Member now costs £5.99 with adverts or £6.99 ad-free in the UK.
The old Basic plan is no longer offered to new or returning members.

Last checked: 5th September 2026. Netflix raised its UK prices on 4th September; existing members may move to the new price after notice.

Current US monthly costs

Netflix US prices on 5th September 2026 are $8.99 for Standard with Ads, $19.99 for Standard and $26.99 for Premium before tax. The table below compares the plans side by side.

Key notes:
Premium is required for 4K Ultra HD + HDR and also includes Netflix spatial audio.
The Standard with Ads plan supports downloads on 2 devices, but each device is limited to 15 downloads per calendar month.
The ad-supported plan includes most films and TV shows, but some titles can still be unavailable due to licensing restrictions.
Standard lets you add 1 extra member, while Premium lets you add up to 2. Extra members now cost $7.99/month with ads or $9.99/month without ads.
Netflix is intended for people in the same household, and the old Basic plan is no longer offered.

Last checked: 5th September 2026. Prices and features can change; taxes may apply.

What Premium changes

Moving up from the advert-supported plan mainly changed two things for me: the normal advert breaks disappeared and I could use the higher picture-quality options. Live events can still include adverts or sponsor breaks, so Premium does not remove every advert from everything Netflix shows.

On my larger TV, 4K and HDR are noticeable on the right film or series. The problem is the price. Premium costs £20.99 in the UK and $26.99 in the US. It also gives you four simultaneous streams and Netflix spatial audio, with Dolby Atmos on compatible titles and equipment.

I would only pay for Premium if I regularly used a good 4K TV, needed four streams or cared about the better audio options. On my phones and laptop, the picture-quality upgrade alone would not persuade me to pay the extra.

Household rules

Netflix says an account is meant for people who live together in one household. If someone regularly watches outside that household, they may be asked to verify access or use their own account instead.

Extra members (the official way to share)

If you want to share with someone who doesn’t live with you, Netflix offers “extra member” add-ons on eligible plans. The extra member gets their own account and password, while you keep paying the bill.

In the UK, extra members now cost £5.99/month with adverts or £6.99/month without adverts. In the US, they remain $7.99/month with ads or $9.99/month without ads. Last checked: 5th September 2026.

Plan limitations

Extra members cannot be added to ad-supported base plans. Standard lets you add 1 extra member, and Premium lets you add up to 2. When you do add one, you can choose an extra member with ads or pay more for one without ads.

Using Netflix while away

Travel and commuting still work normally, but signing in on a TV outside your usual household can trigger a verification code or temporary access prompt. Logging out before you leave is still the safest move if it is not your device.

The Gentlemen — Season 2

I watched the new season as soon as it landed. Eddie is much more comfortable with the criminal side of the estate now, which changes his relationship with Susie and makes him less of the reluctant outsider he was before. Theo James and Kaya Scodelario are the main reason it works for me. It has the same dry humour and flashy Guy Ritchie style, although some of the criminal plotting gets a bit busy. Of the three things I watched this week, this was my favourite.

Turning Point: Generation 9/11

I expected a lot of familiar 9/11 footage, but the series spends more time on what came afterwards and on people who grew up with the consequences. The interviews with people who lost parents, journalists, young Afghans and Marines are what kept my attention. It is a heavy watch and not something I would put on in the background, but I kept thinking about it afterwards.

Earle Meets World

I expected fairly disposable influencer reality TV, and parts of it are exactly that: relationships, friends, family, work and online drama. I liked the family scenes more because they felt less polished than the social-media side of it. You can feel the cameras in plenty of moments, but the episodes move quickly and I watched more in one sitting than I expected. I would not subscribe to Netflix just for this, but it is an easy binge if you already follow Alix Earle.

The old interactive specials are no longer available

Netflix removed its final native interactive specials, including Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, in May 2025. Netflix now puts more of that interactive effort into games that run on TVs and computers with a phone as the controller.

Unhinged brings some of that interactive feeling back

Netflix released Unhinged on 30th June 2026, and it is the closest I have felt to that old interactive-night energy in a while. It is a Netflix game rather than an interactive episode: on a supported TV or computer you open it from Games, scan the QR code, and use your phone as the controller. The phone’s movement points the on-screen flashlight, while in-game calls, messages, vibration, and audio come through the handset, so it feels more physical than just clicking choices with a remote.

I played it with the lights down. Using the phone as the controller works well because the buzzing, calls and quick prompts make it feel more physical than just pressing buttons on a remote. I would not play it every night, but for a short horror game on the sofa it worked.

Netflix describes TV and computer games as a beta feature. The UK and US are supported, but availability depends on the account and device, and not every TV or streaming device can run them.

Why I count it as a small win

Unhinged works better for me than a random mobile game because it uses the TV or computer and phone together. It is short, simple to start and feels connected to the main Netflix experience.

For more context on that shift, here is our guide to why Netflix started games — and a practical guide to what Netflix games work on web browsers .

WWE fans

WWE Raw being live on Netflix every week is useful if you already follow wrestling. It gives you one place for the weekly show without needing a separate traditional TV package.

People who want the cheapest plan

Standard with Ads makes the most sense if price matters most. It gives you 1080p Full HD and two streams for £7.99 in the UK or $8.99 in the US. If adverts do not bother you, I would start there.

People who watch international shows

Netflix is very good for people who watch dramas, thrillers and films from outside the English-speaking world. I find more Korean, Spanish, Indian and European titles here than I do on most of the other apps I use.

People who like the big current shows

Netflix is useful if you like watching the shows everyone starts talking about at the same time. Big returning series, documentaries and reality shows tend to show up in conversations quickly.

Solo viewers who want 4K

If you live alone and mainly want Premium for 4K, the price is difficult to justify. You pay £20.99 in the UK or $26.99 in the US and also get four simultaneous streams that a solo viewer may never use.

People who only want background TV

Treating a streaming service as mere background noise is becoming far too costly at today’s prices. Free platforms like YouTube or terrestrial catch-up apps provide plenty of ambient content without the monthly bill that Netflix now demands. Paying £7.99 for the cheapest UK tier or $8.99 in the US no longer makes much sense if you mainly want background noise while doing chores.

Families split across two homes

Managing a family that is spread across two locations, such as students away at university, has become a logistical headache. Household rules, verification prompts, and paid extra-member options make the service feel less flexible than it once did, which can push modern, mobile families towards services with fewer sharing restrictions.

People who hate cancelled shows

If cancelled shows really annoy you, Netflix can be frustrating. Some originals end after one or two seasons, which makes starting a new series feel like a bit of a gamble.

Home-cinema enthusiasts

If picture and sound quality are the priority, a good 4K disc can still look and sound better than streaming. Netflix Premium is convenient, but people with high-end home-cinema setups may notice the difference.