Netflix Plans Compared: Price, Streams, Quality, and the Extra Member Rules
Netflix has three US plans in October 2026: Standard with ads $8.99, Standard $19.99, Premium $26.99. Streams, video quality, downloads, and what an extra member costs.
Netflix sells three plans in the US as of October 9, 2026, and the names hide the two numbers that matter: how many screens can play at once and how sharp the picture is. Standard with ads is $8.99 a month for two streams in 1080p with ads; Standard is $19.99 for the same two streams and 1080p without ads; Premium is $26.99 for four streams, 4K with HDR, spatial audio and six download devices. Anyone outside your household needs an extra member slot, $7.99 a month with ads or $9.99 without, and only Standard and Premium can buy one. This guide sets out the three plans and the extra member rules from Netflix’s own help pages, plus the arithmetic Netflix does not print: Standard plus one extra member costs more than Premium. For how Netflix sits against the other services, see our streaming price guide, and for leaving, the Netflix cancellation guide.
The quick answer
- Standard with ads, $8.99: “Watch on 2 supported devices at a time,” “Watch in 1080p (Full HD),” “Download on 2 supported devices at a time,” ads, and no extra members
- Standard, $19.99: the same two streams and 1080p, ad-free, with the “Option to add 1 extra member who doesn’t live with you”
- Premium, $26.99: “Watch on 4 supported devices at a time,” “Watch in 4K (Ultra HD) + HDR,” “Download on 6 supported devices at a time,” “Netflix spatial audio,” and the “Option to add up to 2 extra members who don’t live with you”
- Extra members: $7.99 a month with ads or $9.99 without, paid by the account owner; one stream, one profile, same country as the owner
- Billing: monthly only. “We do not offer annual, multi-month, or lifetime membership plans.”
- Our math: Standard plus one extra member is $27.98 (with ads) or $29.98 (without), both above Premium’s $26.99, which also allows two extra members and 4K
Key facts at a glance
| Standard with ads | Standard | Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (US, before tax) | $8.99 a month | $19.99 a month | $26.99 a month |
| Ads | Yes | No | No |
| Streams at once | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Video quality | 1080p (Full HD) | 1080p (Full HD) | 4K (Ultra HD) + HDR |
| Spatial audio | No | No | Yes |
| Download devices | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Catalog | ”A lock icon will appear on unavailable titles.” | Full | Full |
| Extra members allowed | None | 1 | Up to 2 |
| Extra member price | Not applicable | $7.99 with ads or $9.99 without | $7.99 each with ads or $9.99 each without |
Plans, features and prices from the Netflix Help Center’s Plans and Pricing and Extra Members pages, US versions, read October 9, 2026. Taxes may be added “Depending on where you live.”
The three plans
Netflix’s Plans and Pricing page lists the US prices in one block: Standard with ads at $8.99 a month, Standard at $19.99, Premium at $26.99, and under each paid tier the extra member add-on at $7.99 a month with ads or $9.99 without. A line at the bottom closes an old option: “The Basic plan has been discontinued.”
The feature lists are short. Standard with ads: “Watch on 2 supported devices at a time,” “Watch in 1080p (Full HD),” “Download on 2 supported devices at a time,” and a catalog caveat: ad-supported, with all games and most movies and shows available, and “A lock icon will appear on unavailable titles.” Standard: “Unlimited ad-free movies, TV shows, and games,” the same two devices and 1080p, two download devices, and the “Option to add 1 extra member who doesn’t live with you.” Premium: the same unlimited ad-free catalog, “Watch on 4 supported devices at a time,” “Watch in 4K (Ultra HD) + HDR,” “Download on 6 supported devices at a time,” the “Option to add up to 2 extra members who don’t live with you,” and “Netflix spatial audio.”
Two billing facts apply to all three. Plans are billed monthly on your sign-up date, and “We do not offer annual, multi-month, or lifetime membership plans.” And “Depending on where you live, you may be charged taxes in addition to your membership price.” If Netflix comes through a package, “Plan prices and extra member eligibility may vary if you have Netflix through a package or add-on.”
What the $11 from ads to Standard buys, and the $7 from Standard to Premium
The jump from $8.99 to $19.99 removes ads and unlocks the locked titles. It does not add a stream, a pixel, or a download device: both plans are two screens, 1080p, two download devices. What Standard adds besides ad removal is the right to buy one extra member slot.
The jump from $19.99 to $26.99 is where the hardware numbers change: four streams instead of two, 4K and HDR instead of 1080p, six download devices instead of two, spatial audio, and a second extra member slot. On a per-stream basis, Standard is $10.00 a stream and Premium $6.75; that is our arithmetic, not Netflix’s.
Extra members: who, where, and what they get
The Extra Members page defines the product: a way to share “with people outside of your household” at “a lower price,” where “The account owner pays for the extra member’s slot.” The owner also “manages the addition and removal of extra members,” and “Extra members have their own account, password, and profile.”
Three eligibility rules decide whether you can buy one. Plan: “you need a Standard or Premium plan,” and “Extra members cannot be added to an ad-supported experience, third-party billed accounts, or some packages (this does not apply to mobile carrier billing).” Country: “Extra members need to be in the same country where the account owner signed up.” Device for purchase: “The TV app only allows you to add an extra member with ads”; an ad-free slot has to be bought in a web browser.
What the extra member gets depends on which slot you buy. With ads, the page lists the differences from a full plan: “Video in 1080p (Full HD) only and no spatial audio,” “Watch on only 1 supported device at a time,” “Download on only 1 supported device at a time,” “15 downloads per calendar month,” “Only 1 profile (not Kids),” and “Date of birth and gender are collected for the ads experience.” Without ads: “Same video and audio quality as the account owner’s,” still one stream and one download device, “Monthly limit matches account owner’s plan,” and “Only 1 profile (not Kids).”
Buying one on the web runs through netflix.com/account, “Buy an extra member slot,” a choice between the with-ads price and “Or pay for no ads,” then a confirmation screen; “You will not be charged until you confirm the new amount,” though “Your billing date may change based on the remaining balance of your last payment, or you may be charged a prorated amount for the balance.” The extra member gets an invitation email with a unique link.
The household rule behind all of it
Extra members exist because sharing outside the household is not allowed. The Netflix Household page defines it: “A Netflix Household is a collection of devices connected to the internet at the main place where you watch Netflix.” Netflix sets it automatically: when you sign in on the same connection as your TV, “we will automatically establish your Netflix Household based on IP address, device IDs, and account activity.” It can be changed: “You can always update your Netflix Household from a TV.” Anyone outside that household who wants to use your account needs a slot, and on Standard with ads there is no slot to buy.
Where the documents disagree or leave gaps
Standard plus a slot costs more than Premium. $19.99 plus $7.99 is $27.98 with ads for the extra member, or $29.98 ad-free; Premium is $26.99, includes two slots’ worth of eligibility, and upgrades the owner’s own picture to 4K. Netflix’s pages do not make this comparison.
Two streams means two streams, extra member included. An extra member on a Standard account gets “only 1 supported device at a time”; the owner’s two-stream limit is separate.
“Most movies and TV shows” on the ad plan is not quantified. The page says a lock icon marks unavailable titles but does not say how many.
Monthly only. No annual discount exists, unlike several rivals; the price you see is the price every month.
Packages change the rules. Both pages warn that prices and extra member eligibility “may vary” through a package or third-party billing.
Before you choose
This is a sequence of checks, not a recommendation:
- Count screens, not people. Two at once on Standard with ads and Standard, four on Premium
- If anyone lives elsewhere, start from Standard or Premium. The ad plan cannot add an extra member
- Do the slot math before buying Standard. One extra member on Standard costs $27.98 or $29.98; Premium is $26.99
- Buy an ad-free slot from a browser. The TV app only sells the with-ads slot
- Check the country. Extra members must be in the same country where the account owner signed up
- Know the bill arrives monthly. No annual plan exists; the Subscription Tracker carries the three Netflix rows
Quick answers to what people search
How much is Netflix a month? $8.99 for Standard with ads, $19.99 for Standard, $26.99 for Premium, before tax, per Netflix’s US help page read October 9, 2026.
What is the difference between Netflix Standard and Premium? Premium has four streams instead of two, 4K with HDR instead of 1080p, six download devices instead of two, spatial audio, and up to two extra member slots instead of one.
How much is a Netflix extra member? $7.99 a month with ads or $9.99 without, paid by the account owner, on Standard or Premium only.
Can I add an extra member on Netflix with ads? No. Netflix says extra members “cannot be added to an ad-supported experience.”
Does Netflix have an annual plan? No. “We do not offer annual, multi-month, or lifetime membership plans.”
Is Netflix Basic still available? No. “The Basic plan has been discontinued.”
How many profiles does a Netflix extra member get? One. The extra member account has “Only 1 profile (not Kids).”
Bottom line
As of October 9, 2026, Netflix is $8.99, $19.99 or $26.99 a month in the US, with two streams and 1080p on the first two plans and four streams, 4K and spatial audio on Premium. Extra members cost $7.99 or $9.99, only on the two ad-free plans, only in the owner’s country, and only one stream each; by our math, Standard plus one slot already costs more than Premium. Decide by screens and picture quality, and buy any ad-free slot from a browser.
Prices, features and quotations from the Netflix Help Center’s Plans and Pricing, Extra Members and Netflix Household pages, US versions, read on October 9, 2026. The per-stream and plan-plus-slot figures are our own calculation. Netflix’s pages are the authority and may change. This is general information, not financial advice.
Official sources
- Netflix Help Center: Plans and Pricing (US plans, features, prices, extra member prices, Basic discontinued), read October 9, 2026
- Netflix Help Center: Extra Members (eligibility, same-country rule, what an extra member gets, how to add one), read October 9, 2026
- Netflix Help Center: What is a Netflix Household? (how the household is set and updated), read October 9, 2026