Plex’s expensive 200% Lifetime Pass tries to force users to sign up for another subscription

As of July 1, at 12:01 a.m. UTC—or June 30 at 8:01 p.m. ET—people who want access to Plex’s server features in a one-time purchase will have to pay $750. That’s three times the current price of $250.

The new price will not affect Lifetime Plex Pass holders.

Lifetime Plex Pass allows you to stream from your Plex Media Server to a device connected to your network, to stream from the server remotely, and to allow others to browse remotely from your server.

When it first launched in 2012, the Lifetime Plex Pass was $75. In 2014, Plex raised the price to $150 because “at 2.5x the annual price, it was priced in an unsustainable way for us,” Plex said. blog post at that time. In the end, lifetime passes were available for $120 for years until March 2025, while the price it went up to $250. This brings us to today’s announcement.

In the email and blog post to customers today, Plex said it sold lifetime after launch “because we knew many of our customers could pay a one-time fee for software they could rely on every day.” However, as evidenced by several price hikes, Plex has struggled to reconcile the lifetime trend with its financial goals. The company’s message reads:

We’ve considered removing the Lifetime Plex Pass in the past, as recurring subscriptions help us improve long-term development, but we know it’s still a valuable option for many in our community. So instead of giving it up, we’re keeping it at a price that reflects the true value of a program we’ve been committed to building and maintaining for years.

The 200 percent price increase and Plex’s admission that it has messed around with killing Lifetime Passes shows that Plex is changing its approach. they want profit. Notably, Plex has not announced any monthly or annual price increases.

In its blog, Plex offered some reasons for the upcoming price hike:

Over the years, as our software and products have evolved, the range of features and benefits included with your Plex Pass has grown. This increase ensures that we can continue to invest in building and maintaining the Plex media platform, while continuing to offer a Lifetime solution.

As explained in the announcement, Plex prefers that people pay monthly or annually for its premium media features rather than a one-time fee. With annual subscriptions currently at $70, it will take 11 years for the $750 lifetime subscription to become a better value.