Price increases are inevitable. People will bitch about them no matter what. Whether it be a single dollar or ten, many people will suck it up and deal with it. In this economy, companies run the risk of losing people when they increase prices. When it’s services like Netflix, Spotify, or YouTube, they can usually whether the storm. Someone major companies will change course, like in the case of Microsoft. However, some companies get insane with their increases. For example, the Lifetime Plex Pass has been $249.99 for a long time. Everyone knew a price increase was coming.
Someone at the company lost their goddamn mind when they opted to increase the price to $749.99, starting July 1, 2026. Yes, you read that right. When I first saw it, I thought it was a joke or misprint. Then I received the email from Plex stating this.
Now, I don’t pay for the service at all. I don’t need access to my streaming library on a mobile device or on the road. I have my library connected to my PC so I can stream movies through the app on my various TVs in my place. A $500 dollar increase is insane. But, you can still lock in that $250 price before the change.
Lifetime Plex Plass Increase is Insane
“We’ve considered eliminating the Lifetime Plex Pass in the past, given that recurring subscriptions help us sustain long-term development, but we know it’s still a valuable option for many in our community,” Plex said in their post. “So instead of retiring it, we’re keeping it available at a price that reflects the real, ongoing value of the software we’re committed to building and maintaining for years to come.”
“All current Lifetime Plex Pass holders will continue to have access to all benefits and perks associated with a Plex Pass,” stating that “Nothing will change for you.” As it shouldn’t since you already paid the initial price. You will be grandfathered in. “Monthly & annual subscription pricing for Plex Pass and Remote Watch Pass will remain unchanged,” Plex stated. However, you know that will change at some point.
Again, I understand prices need to go up. That is one helluva sticker shock. That would be like Microsoft stating that to continue improvement of Microsoft Office, they will raise the price from $130/year to $1000/year. Let’s be honest, that isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Even for Free Customers, They May Look for Alternatives
Plex listed some ways that extra $500 will benefit you:
Improvements to Downloads, such as grouping by show and the ability to automatically download new episodes
- Support for Playlist creation and editing in the mobile apps
- Music and photo library support will be restored in the mobile apps and the new experience on TV apps.
- Support for NFO metadata
- All server and library management features currently available on app.plex.tv will be added to the mobile apps (and TV apps where it makes sense)
- Audio enhancements such as boosting dialog and normalizing loudness
- Additional transcoding video improvements
- IPv6 Support
In light of X/Twitter is limiting people to post for free on their platform, companies are starting to limit access. As Ray Liotta’s character said in Goodfellas, “you’re store got robbed, fuck you. Pay me.” That is the sort of society we have always been in. It is just getting worse. I mean, if people just accepted some inconvenience and cancel accounts. Things could change.