Crunchyroll Is Increasing Prices Right After Removing Its Free Streaming Plan

Crunchyroll has announced a terms hike crossed each of its streaming plans for U.S. subscribers. The terms increases spell into effect for caller subscribers starting today, portion existing subscribers volition spot the caller prices reflected successful billing cycles aft March 4.

The changes mostly summation each monthly subscription program by $2, breached down arsenic follows:

• Fan Tier volition summation from $7.99/month to $9.99/month.
• Mega Fan Tier volition summation from $11.99/month to $13.99/month.
• Ultimate Fan Tier volition summation from $15.99/month to $17.99/month.

This is Crunchyroll’s 2nd terms summation since merging with Funimation. The erstwhile increase, which took effect successful May 2024, had been the service’s archetypal terms hike successful implicit 5 years. The caller terms hike notably follows Crunchyroll's removal of its escaped streaming program astatine the extremity of 2025.

The terms increase, announced done a station connected the Crunchyroll website, includes the pursuing connection astir Crunchyroll’s existent value: “Crunchyroll subscribers bask the world’s largest dedicated anime room with 50,000+ episodes, 25,000 hours, and 2,000 bid and films, alongside euphony videos, concerts, games, and more.”

The connection goes connected to item “Recent and upcoming level enhancements,” including:

• Teen profiles and PIN protection
• Multiple profiles
• Skip Intro/Credits
• Expanded instrumentality compatibility

The work besides precocious expanded its offerings with Crunchyroll manga, a digital-only work bolstered by connections with publishers similar Viz Media and Square Enix.

The announcement is not accompanied by immoderate denotation of fiscal challenges. Crunchyroll, which is presently streaming the wintertime anime season, reported crossing 17 cardinal paying subscribers successful March 2025. Deadline reported Sony’s tendency to treble down connected the streaming work aft reaching the subscriber milestone: “Amid the anticipated continued maturation of the anime market, Sony plans to accelerate Crunchyroll’s growth.”

This strategy volition leverage connections with different Sony properties, including the animation workplace Aniplex arsenic good arsenic PlayStation. The Ghost of the Tsushima anime, which volition watercourse exclusively connected Crunchyroll successful 2027, is an illustration of the synergy Sony seems to beryllium pursuing. It remains to beryllium seen whether that synergy offers capable worth to consumers implicit the dispersed of escaped anime streaming options.

Blythe (she/her) is an Audience Development Coordinator astatine IGN who, erstwhile she isn't pursuing streaming news, spends mode excessively overmuch clip successful quality customization screens and tracking down collectibles.