How much does Disney+ cost in the UK and US, and what’s included?

Disney+ is one of the latest streaming platforms to hit the UK, but thanks to the global media giant’s unmatched back catalogue of TV shows and movies, as well as its competitive price plan, it’s just become the most popular.

But that explosive customer growth hasn’t come cheap for the streaming platform. Disney+ lost the media empire more than $1bn last quarter, which it now hopes to begin to claw back with a recently announced ad-supported tier in the US.

From 8 December, Disney+ with ads will cost $7.99 in the US, the same as the regular ad-free version does today. Meanwhile the ad-free version will cost an extra $3 at $10.99.

While there are no official plans to raise the price of Disney+ outside of the US yet, the UK pricing plan could follow suit.

Launched in 2019 and first available in the UK in 2020, the Walt Disney Company’s flagship streaming platform has been outpacing growth forecasts and gaining new viewers while rivals are losing them. Combined with Hulu and ESPN+, Disney reports that the service now has more than 221.1 million subscribers around the world.

With more and more new streaming apps arriving in the UK – Paramount Plus was the latest to join in June – rival services are trying to outdo one another on content and price. So how does Disney+ compare to the competition?

How much does Disney+ cost in the UK?

Disney+ costs £7.99 per month in the UK. Or, if you pay per year Disney+ costs £79.90, which is a saving of £15.98. That means you essentially get 12 months for the price of 10.

In February 2021, Disney+ expanded its catalogue with content from Star and increased the price of its subscription from £5.99 per month to its current price of £7.99.

How much does Disney+ cost in the US?

Disney+ costs $7.99 per month in the US. If you subscribe for a full year Disney+ costs $79.99, which is a saving of $15.89.

From 8 December, Disney+ will cost $10.99 per month in the US. The platforms will also introduce a cheaper price tier, with ad breaks, for $7.99 per month.

What's included in the regular monthly price?

Disney+ includes the entire catalogue of TV shows and movies in its monthly price plan.

Unlike Amazon Prime Video, which includes some shows and movies for free but charges a rental fee for others, you’ll get everything included in your Disney+ membership.

And unlike Netflix, which charges extra for HD content and to watch on more than one device at a time, Disney+ allows you to stream in HD as standard on as many as four different devices. That makes it ideal for families who watch in separate rooms.

What’s not included is Disney+ Premier Access, a premium service that unlocks access to new Disney movies at the same time as their theatrical release.

What is Disney+ Premier Access?

Disney+ Premier Access was introduced in September 2020, when much of the US and the UK was in lockdown. With cinemas shut to the public, Disney+ Premier Access was pitched as a home for displaced movies originally intended for theatrical release. Disney launched the service with the live-action remake of Mulan.

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Disney+ Premier Access costs £19.99 (or $29.99 in the US) on top of your usual monthly charge for Disney Plus. Once purchased you can watch the film as many times as you like. That might sound steep for a single movie, but Disney hopes viewers will compare it to the cost of a couple of cinema tickets and an extra large popcorn.

If you’re not too bothered about seeing the latest titles as they open, you’re in luck. Disney+ Premier Access movies eventually move to the regular Disney+ service after a few months, so they’ll become part of your monthly subscription in time.

To date, only five movies have debuted on Disney+ Premier Access:

• Mulan

• Raya and the Last Dragon

• Cruella

• Black Widow

• Jungle Cruise

Is Disney+ free with Amazon Prime?

No, Disney+ does not come free with Amazon Prime. Amazon has its own rival streaming service, called Amazon Prime Video, which competes with Disney+ for viewers. This makes it very unlikely that we’ll ever see both services bundled together as one.

How does the price of Disney+ compare to other streaming services?

Disney+ costs £7.99 per month in the UK, which gets you access to the vast majority of content on the platform in HD, and lets you watch on up to four devices simultaneously. Compare that to the industry leader Netflix, which charges £10.99 per month to watch in HD on two screens. Netflix also offers a basic £6.99 per month plan if you only want to watch in standard definition on a single screen.

Read more: Between Netflix an Hulu, which TV streaming service is best?

In the US the price difference is more stark. Disney+ costs $7.99 per month in the US, considerably cheaper than the cheapest Netflix plan of $9.99. For HD viewing Netflix charges $15.49, almost twice as much as the comparable Disney+ plan.

Here’s how Disney+ compares to other leading streaming platforms in the UK:

* Now price based on average price of entertainment or cinema membership

What to watch on Disney+

Take a look at the sprawling catalogue of content on Disney+ and it’s easy to see why subscribers are flocking to it. The streaming app is home to hundreds of classic Disney and Pixar films, almost all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and the entire Star Wars catalogue.

Plus, there’s plenty of new comedy like Only Murders in the Building on top of bingeable boxsets from FX, Fox and ABC like How I Met Your Mother, Bob’s Burgers and all 33 seasons of The Simpsons.

The service also became home to Disney’s new theatrical releases during lockdown. For an extra fee on top of the usual monthly subscription, Disney+ Premier Access allows viewers to watch new Disney movies as soon as they hit the cinemas.

How many devices can you watch Disney+ on?

Four devices can use the same Disney+ account at the same time. That means the kids can watch different shows on their tablets while the parents kick back with a move in the living room.

While only four can be watching at once, you can have seven profiles associated with one Disney+ account. This allows you to configure parental controls for little ones, or keep your watching habits from affecting your housemate’s recommendations.

How to get Disney+ on your TV

First, create an account on the Disney+ site and activate your subscription. This saves you having to enter too much information using your TV remote, which is fiddly.

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If you have a smart TV, make sure it’s connected to wi-fi and then navigate to the app store and search for the Disney+ app. Launch the app and follow the instructions to add the Disney+ icon to your list of available apps.

If you don’t have a smart TV, don’t fret. You can turn any TV smart by plugging a device like the Fire TV stick (£29.99, Amazon.co.uk) into an available port in the back. Follow the setup instructions that come with the stick, download the Disney+ app to it, and enjoy more episodes and films than you could ever desire.

How does Disney+ compare to Netflix?

We’ve outlined the price differences above, but what about features and content? For a start, there is only one tier of Disney+, which makes it easier to get a sense of value compared to the three-pronged Netflix approach. Unlike Netflix, every Disney+ subscriber gets the best video quality their device and internet connection can handle (up to 4K video and surround sound, if offered by the content itself).

Content from one Disney+ account can be streamed to up to four devices simultaneously, meaning you and three family members in the same household could all be watching different things at the same time, which is of course great news for larger families. The basic Netflix tier only allows one stream at a time, and the standard only offers two, while it’s only the premium tier (which costs £15.99 a month) that can handle four simultaneous streams.

Read more: How to sign up for a Now membership, the free trials and what to watch

As for content, it is Netflix that arguably has the broader catalogue, owing to being around for much longer than Disney’s new streaming service. However, fans of Disney, Marvel and Star Wars won’t find much outside of Disney+, so if that’s you then a subscription is a bit of a no-brainer.

Despite being so new, Disney+ has decades of content, as well as new and exclusive shows too. You’re looking at 500 films, 15,000 TV show episodes and 80 Disney+ originals, so at £7.99 it’s great value for money. Netflix is estimated to have in the region of 4,200 movies and episodes from 2,000 different TV shows, with more added all the time.

How does Disney+ compare to Amazon Prime Video?

It’s a similar story here, as you won’t find Disney+ content on Amazon Prime Video. Prime exclusives include Bosche, Mr Robot, Mad Dogs, The Grand Tour, Jack Ryan, The Wheel of Time, Clarkson’s Farm and Night Sky. Prime Video also has every James Bond film, including No Time To Die, thanks to Amazon’s purchase of MGM earlier in 2022.

The latter is £2 a month cheaper if subscribed to individually, at £5.99, or is included with Prime membership, which costs £7.99 a month and includes a range of other benefits, including free next-day delivery from Amazon.

Prime Video content streams in 4K if your device and internet connection can support it, and you can stream on up to three devices from one account simultaneously, compared to four with Disney+.

How does Disney+ compare to Apple TV+

The Apple TV+ streaming service arrived in 2019 and focuses mostly on exclusive, home-grown content you won’t find anywhere else. These shows include Ted Lasso, Severance, Trying, The Morning Show, For All Mankind and Slow Horses. The Apple TV+ content library is smaller than its rivals, but at £4.99 a month it is the cheapest streaming service.

When it comes to simultaneous streams, Apple is the leader. Up to six devices can watch content from one Apple TV+ subscription at a time, which is great news for larger families. As with other services (but not Netflix) the flat rate pays for 4K resolution and surround sound on all compatible content.

What are the Disney+ bundle options?

In the US you can bundle your Disney+ subscription with ESPN Plus and Hulu for $13.99 per month. Separately, the three subscriptions would cost $21.97. For $6 per month extra you can watch Hulu without ads.

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When it launched, Disney+ was characterised as the family-friendly streaming platform thanks to its giant back catalogue of classic Disney and Pixar animated films. Partnering with ESPN Plus and Hulu means the service can appeal to a more mature audience, with sports on ESPN Plus and grittier, more adult programming on Hulu.

There are no such Disney+ bundles currently available in the UK, though the addition of Star in 2021 brought a wider variety of mature TV shows to the streaming platform, including classics like 24, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and The X-Files.

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