Disney+ follows Netflix in raising prices for consumers, while eliminating family sharing

Disney is raising prices and shutting out users who've been saving money by sharing their accounts with family and friends. The company is following Netflix's lead by announcing changes to its Disney+ app that will mirror its streaming competitors' practices. 

There is good news, however. While rolling out this new price increase and password-sharing crackdown, Disney+ will also allow users to add friends or family outside of their house to their account—for a price. Giant Freakin Robot provides details.

Disney issued a statement about the new paid-sharing plans, making clear what will be allowed under the new set of rules. 

A Disney+ subscription is now associated with a Household and can only be used by devices at that residence or specific address. When it comes to those outside the Household, Disney clarified that those customers will now need to subscribe under their own plan. 

Disney did offer a third streaming option which allowed specific users outside of the Household to be added to the same plan. The pricing is fairly straightforward, with an extra $6.99 for Disney+ Basic and an extra $9.99 per month for Disney+ Premium. 

Paying users may already notice these add-on prices are less than current Disney+ subscriptions alone. The current Disney+ and Hulu Basic plan runs $9.99 per month, while the Disney+, Hulu, and Max Premium plan is $16.99 per month. To take advantage of these add-ons, Disney+ users will have to add the additional fee on top of these base-level streaming prices.

Unfortunately, Disney+ accounts that had been shared with multiple family members and friends outside of the house will now have to pick and choose their favorites. Disney is only allowing one extra member per Household account. 

When traveling or going to a new location, Disney does have a way to log in to devices outside the house through one-time passcodes sent to the user's email. But again, they are one-time use, so logging in each time does require jumping through a hoop. 

Disney+ is following in Netflix's footsteps where account sharing is concerned. Back in May 2023, Netflix fully implemented its policy moving away from out-of-household account sharing. Now, Netflix users on the standard plan can add one member outside the house and premium Netflix subscribers can add two. Each of those costs an additional $7.99 per month. 

The one exception here is that users only watching on a mobile device don't need to establish the household specifically. When things move to the television, then the household definition takes shape. 

Both Netflix and Disney+ use IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity to determine if accounts are being used inside or outside the designated household. 

When Netflix instituted account-sharing limits outside of the home, it was likely only a matter of time before Disney+ followed suit. With the two biggest streamers going in this direction, it's likely the new pricing and regulations will become an industry standard going forward. 

Have you shared your Disney+ account with family and friends? Or, is someone you know borrowing a Disney+ account for free from a family member? The party might be over. Users will have to pay more money for less access, with their crackdown on this key feature.