Paramount Plus price hike is official — what you’ll pay now and how to get around it

Paramount Plus app on a phone next to popcorn
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Back in June, we reported that Paramount Plus was raising its prices. Now, those price hikes are officially here.

As of Tuesday (Aug. 20), new subscribers for both the Paramount Plus Essential plan (ad-supported) and the Paramount Plus with Showtime plan (ad-free) are paying anywhere from $1-2 more per month. 

New Paramount Plus Essential subscribers now pay $7.99 per month, a $2 increase, and New Paramount Plus with Showtime subscribers now pay $12.99 per month, a $1 increase. Current subscribers to the legacy Paramount Plus Limited Commercial plan, which has been discontinued for new subscribers, have also had their monthly fee increase by $1, to $7.99 per month. 

Existing Paramount Plus with Showtime subscribers keep their old price for one month. However, on Sept. 20 their subscription will also increase by $1 to $12.99 per month.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Row 0 - Cell 0 New PriceOld Price
Paramount Plus Essential$7.99$5.99
Paramount Plus With Showtime$12.99$11.99
Paramount Plus Essential (annual plan)$59.99$59.99
Paramount Plus With Showtime (annual plan)$119.99$119.99
Paramount Plus Essential (existing subscribers)$5.99$5.99
Paramount Plus Legacy Limited Commercials$7.99$6.99

As you can see in the table above, there is some good news. Existing Paramount Plus Essential subscribers are not getting a price hike at this time, even on Sept. 20. Also, the annual plans aren't increasing in price. In fact, Paramount Plus has marked them down 50% off for a limited time.

Score 50% off on Paramount Plus annual plans for a limited time

Yes, what Paramount takes away with one hand, it gives with the other. Despite raising prices on new and existing subscribers, you can still get a deal on Paramount Plus Essential and Paramount Plus with Showtime annual plans. Even better, these plans haven't gone up in price yet, so you're still getting this streaming service at pre-price hike prices.

Right now, you can get Paramount Plus starting at $29.99 for 12 months. That price gets you the essential plan, which comes with ads and misses out on some premium shows and movies, but does include NFL live streams and UEFA Champions League matches.

Paramount Plus: annual plans now 50% off

Paramount Plus: annual plans now 50% off
Mixing live news and sports with original TV shows and recently released movies, Paramount Plus is a strong option for cord-cutters. And while prices for new monthly subscribers have gone up, right now you can score 50% off annual subscriptions. That's $29.99 for 12 months of Paramount Plus Essential or $59.99 for the premium Paramount Plus with Showtime.

If you want everything Paramount Plus has to offer though, you'll want Paramount Plus with Showtime. This plan gives you everything from the Essential tier, gets rid of the ads (with few exceptions) and adds in a ton of premium shows and movies from Showtime. It also adds a live feed of your local CBS channel, giving you access to even more live news and sports, including college football.

Right now, you can get Paramount Plus with Showtime for just $59.99 for 12 months. Sign up today before this deal disappears for good so you can lock into this incredibly low price point before the next — inevitable — price hike.

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Malcolm McMillan
Senior Streaming Writer

Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.

Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.