How Much Are You Actually Spending on Streaming?
Most people who subscribe to multiple streaming services have no idea what they're paying in total. The charges are small, they come at different times of the month, and they're easy to ignore. Until you add them up.
The numbers, as of 2026
| Service | Monthly (ad-free) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | $17.99 | Standard (with ads: $7.99) |
| Hulu | $17.99 | No ads (with ads: $7.99) |
| HBO Max | $15.99 | Ad-free (with ads: $9.99) |
| Disney+ | $13.99 | Ad-free (with ads: $7.99) |
| Prime Video | $8.99 | Standalone |
| Apple TV+ | $9.99 | Standard |
| Paramount+ | $11.99 | With Showtime (ad-free) |
| Peacock | $7.99 | Premium Plus |
| All 8 services | $104.92/mo | $1259/year |
* Prices are US ad-free tiers as of early 2026. With-ads tiers are typically 40–55% cheaper but include advertising.
What the average household actually pays
Industry research puts the average US household streaming spend at around $86/month — subscribing to roughly 4–5 services. That's $1,032/year, which for most households is more than they spend on any single entertainment category except possibly a gym membership they also don't fully use.
The "cable replacement" pitch that launched the streaming era was built on the premise that consumers would subscribe to one or two services and save money versus a $150/month cable bill. Nobody expected the market to fragment into eight competing platforms, each requiring a separate subscription for its best content.
The math nobody does
If the average subscriber uses 60% of the content they pay for, they're wasting about $34/month — $408/year — on services they're underusing. That's the problem WatchDeck was built to help solve.
How to audit your streaming spend in 15 minutes
List every service you're currently paying for
Check your bank statement or credit card for the last 3 months. Look for charges from Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Disney, Amazon, Apple, Paramount, Peacock, BritBox, Acorn, Shudder, MUBI, AMC+, and any others. Include annual subscriptions — they're easy to forget.
Note when you last actually used each one
Be honest. If you signed up for Paramount+ for one show and that show ended, you might not have opened the app in months. If you have Prime Video as part of Amazon Prime but only use it to ship packages, it still counts as a service you're not watching.
Identify the content anchor for each service
Every service should have at least one thing you actively want to watch, either currently airing or coming soon. If you can't name a specific show or film you're waiting for on a service, that's a cancellation candidate.
Check for overlap
Many services license the same content. Shows and movies rotate between platforms constantly. Before keeping a service for one title, check whether that title is also available on a service you're already paying for — JustWatch is the fastest way to do this.
Calculate the real cost of each service per hour watched
If you watch 8 hours of Netflix in a month at $17.99, that's $2.25 per hour. If you watch 1 hour of Paramount+ at $11.99, that's $11.99 per hour. Put it in those terms and the decision becomes easier.
The rotation strategy that saves the most money
The smartest approach most heavy streamers land on is service rotation: maintaining 2–3 core services always (usually Netflix plus one more) and rotating a third or fourth slot monthly based on what has compelling content that month.
This requires knowing what's worth watching on which service each month — which is exactly what WatchDeck's Worth Watching section is built for. Each month it publishes curated picks for every major service, so you can make the cancellation/resubscription decision with actual information.
Example: 4-service household saving $35/month
vs. $65.96/month for the top 4 services simultaneously — saving $22.99/month
The services most likely to be wasted
Based on subscription pattern data and common usage reports, these are the services most frequently kept active without being actively watched:
Paramount+
Most subscribers signed up for one show (Yellowstone, Star Trek, a specific sports event) and never diversified. The content library is deep but the discovery experience makes it hard to find.
Apple TV+
Often comes free with device purchases and auto-renews without users noticing. The content is excellent but the catalog is small — once you've watched the shows you care about, there's less urgency to stay.
Peacock
Signed up for sports (NFL, Premier League, WWE) or one original series. Peacock's content rotation is aggressive — shows that drew subscribers may no longer be there.
Any service kept for 'the back catalogue'
There's always a reason to keep a service: 'I still haven't watched Breaking Bad' or 'I'll get to The Wire eventually.' If you've been saying this for 6 months, it's not actually why you're keeping it.
Related reading
The Best Apps to Manage Multiple Streaming Services in 2026
Once you know what you're paying for, here's which apps actually help you get value from every subscription.
How to Know When Content Is Leaving Netflix (And Every Other Service)
Knowing when titles leave helps you decide which services are actually worth keeping.
See exactly what you're paying for.
WatchDeck connects your services and shows you what's worth watching on each one this month — so you can make informed decisions about what to keep and what to cancel. Free with unlimited access during the beta period, $2.95/month after.
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