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Your next Crunchyroll billing notice may look very different, and not only by a few cents. Monthly anime streaming costs are jumping by a flat $2 per tier, right after the free ad-supported option disappeared.
For anyone trying to keep a tight entertainment budget, understanding how this subscription price increase works is the only way to avoid paying more than necessary for the same anime lineup.
Crunchyroll subscription price increase: Key numbers to know
Many subscribers only discover a price change when the bank alert arrives. With Crunchyroll, the new pricing is straightforward: every paid plan rises by $2 per month. The Fan plan moves from $8 to $10, Mega Fan climbs from $12 to $14, and Ultimate Fan shifts from $16 to $18. These changes are live immediately for new accounts, while existing members will see the adjustment starting with the first billing cycle after March 4.
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This timing matters if you are following big simulcasts such as Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, Hell’s Paradise or Oshi no Ko. For a lot of viewers, the new cost hits in the same month finales drop, reducing the incentive to cancel mid-season. Reports covered by outlets such as Polygon and others underline how the move follows the removal of the free tier only a few weeks earlier, which leaves fans with a simple choice: pay, or pause their viewing until box sets or alternative platforms appear.
What each Crunchyroll plan actually gives you now
The headline is a subscription price increase, but the fine print sits in the features. The Fan plan remains the entry point, now at $10 a month, still ad-free, and newly upgraded with downloads on a single device. For viewers like Aiko, a fictional college student commuting by train, this single change turns dead travel time into uninterrupted anime sessions without burning mobile data. She can finally store a batch of episodes of Oshi no Ko for offline viewing, something previously reserved for higher tiers.
Mega Fan, at $14, steps up with multi-device flexibility. You can stream on four screens at the same time, enjoy offline downloads across several devices, and access the Crunchyroll Game Vault catalog of mobile titles. For a household where one person follows Demon Slayer, another prefers sports anime, and a younger sibling plays through Game Vault, the extra $4 over Fan can feel justified. Ultimate Fan, priced at $18, keeps its position as the premium tier, with more generous screen allowances and perks such as exclusive discounts, merchandise offers, and access to special events when they are available in your region.
Bundles, annual memberships, and how to control your anime costs
The price jump does not only affect pure streaming. If you rely on Crunchyroll for both anime and manga, the bundle prices also climb by $2. Fan plus Manga now stands at $14 per month, up from $12, while Mega Fan plus Manga moves to $17.50, previously $15.50. For someone like Mark, a software engineer who follows weekly manga chapters on the app and watches simulcasts nightly, the combined increase can be felt across the year, equal to roughly one extra full-price game or several physical manga volumes.
To soften the impact, Crunchyroll is promoting limited-time annual deals for existing subscribers. A yearly Fan membership is offered at $67. The Fan plus Manga bundle is pitched at $115 for twelve months, and Mega Fan plus Manga at $142. When you divide those figures, the monthly effective cost becomes noticeably lower than the new standard prices. However, committing for a full year only makes sense if your viewing habits are stable. Some users prefer flexibility instead, especially when other platforms, highlighted by outlets such as CNET’s coverage of the streaming changes, also raise their fees or introduce bundled offers.
How this streaming price hike compares with the wider market
Crunchyroll isn’t acting in isolation. Over the past two years, Spotify, Paramount Plus, Netflix, Max, and Disney Plus all updated their pricing, often by $1 to $3 per month. Analysts describe this as a normalization phase after years of aggressive customer acquisition. For anime-specific streaming, Crunchyroll holds a dominant catalog, which gives the service more room to adjust rates than smaller platforms. Commentators from publications like The Verge and Engadget have underlined in their coverage that the latest changes bring the basic Fan tier close to the standard price of many generalist streaming services.
For subscribers, the question becomes whether a single-niche platform at $10 to $18 still delivers better value than a generalist service at a comparable cost. If your watchlist is mostly anime, Crunchyroll remains difficult to replace because of its simulcasts, extensive back catalog, and Game Vault extras. If you only follow one or two shows per season, rotating subscriptions might offer better control. Some users now subscribe for a quarter, binge the catalog, then pause and switch to another platform, repeating the cycle as new seasons arrive.
Practical strategies to adapt your Crunchyroll plan
Instead of accepting a higher bill passively, you can treat this moment as an opportunity to reset your streaming strategy. Start by mapping how you actually use your Crunchyroll membership. Do you ever stream on four devices at once? Have you tried Game Vault in the last three months? If the answer is no, dropping from Mega Fan to the upgraded Fan plan might reduce your cost while preserving ad-free episodes and offline viewing on one device. That adjustment alone can save $4 per month compared with staying on Mega Fan, offsetting a part of the overall price hike.
Households can implement shared rules to avoid redundancy. One person keeps a premium anime service, another maintains a generalist platform, and both share within the family rather than duplicate subscriptions. Some users even schedule “anime quarters” where Crunchyroll is active during major release windows and paused during quieter seasons. Articles from sources such as Engadget’s streaming analysis suggest that many viewers are increasingly comfortable rotating services, a behaviour that limits long-term cost without sacrificing access to big shows.
- Review all your current streaming subscriptions once per quarter and cancel those unused for a full month.
- Downgrade your Crunchyroll plan if you rarely use multi-screen viewing or Game Vault features.
- Consider an annual offer only if you watched Crunchyroll in at least eight of the last twelve months.
- Coordinate with family or roommates to avoid paying for overlapping services that nobody uses heavily.
- Plan short subscription windows around new anime seasons, then pause during off-peak periods.
When will the new Crunchyroll prices appear on my bill?
New subscribers are charged the higher rates immediately. Existing customers will see the new price on the first billing date after March 4, so the exact day depends on your regular renewal schedule. You can check this date at any time from your account settings page.
How much did each Crunchyroll subscription plan increase?
Every paid tier rose by a flat $2 per month. The Fan plan now costs $10, Mega Fan is $14, and Ultimate Fan is $18. Manga bundles also increased by $2, with Fan plus Manga priced at $14 and Mega Fan plus Manga at $17.50 per month.
Did Crunchyroll add any new features with the price increase?
Yes, the main functional change is that the Fan plan now includes downloads for offline viewing on one device. Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan keep multi-device downloads, more screens for simultaneous streaming, and access to the Crunchyroll Game Vault library of mobile games.
Are the annual Crunchyroll offers cheaper than paying monthly?
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The promotional annual plans reduce the effective monthly cost if you stay subscribed all year. For example, a yearly Fan membership at $67 works out lower than twelve months at the new $10 rate. However, the saving disappears if you would normally cancel for long periods.
What are my options if the new Crunchyroll cost is too high?
You can downgrade to a cheaper tier, move from a bundle to anime-only, rotate subscriptions by pausing during off-seasons, or share planning with your household to avoid redundant services. Some viewers also switch to buying select series digitally instead of maintaining a constant streaming membership.
