Add up Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Paramount+, and Peacock — each at its cheapest ad-supported plan — and the total is $84.92/mo, or $1,019.04 a year. That's before sports add-ons, premium channels, or a cable package. For most households, that number is genuinely surprising the first time they actually add it up.
The full breakdown
| Service | Monthly (ad-supported) |
|---|---|
| Netflix | $7.99 |
| Prime Video | $8.99 |
| Paramount+ (Essential) | $8.99 |
| Max | $10.99 |
| Peacock (Premium) | $10.99 |
| Disney+ | $11.99 |
| Hulu | $11.99 |
| Apple TV+ | $12.99 |
| Total | $84.92/mo |
Add a sports-focused service or a live-TV bundle on top and the number climbs further — a full live-TV package like YouTube TV alone runs $82.99/mo, which would very nearly double the total above.
The catch: almost nobody needs all eight running at once
The number that actually matters isn't "every service." It's "every service that has something I'm watching right now." Most people are only actively following two to four shows at any given time — the rest of the subscriptions are running out of habit, not use.
A simple gut-check: list every show or event you've watched in the last 30 days. Match each one to the service it's on. Cancel or pause anything not on that list. That alone typically cuts the total by a third or more — before you've touched bundles or annual pricing.
Bundles change the math further
If Disney+, Hulu, and Max are all on your actual watchlist, the official trio bundle brings those three down from $34.97/mo standalone to $19.99/mo — a savings of $14.98/mo, or nearly $180 a year, just from combining services you were already going to pay for individually.
Automating the whole exercise
StreamStretch takes your actual watchlist — shows, movies, sports, whatever you follow — and tells you exactly which services cover it for the least money, factoring in bundles and rotation automatically. No more manually cross-referencing eight pricing pages.
FAQ
Is $84.92/mo higher than a cable package?
It's in the same range as a standard standalone cable package (roughly $83/mo on average, varying by provider and region) — which is exactly the irony: running every major streaming service at once can cost about as much as the cable package streaming was supposed to replace.
Does this include ad-free tiers?
No — the total above uses each service's cheapest ad-supported plan, since that's what most subscribers actually buy. Ad-free and premium tiers cost more on every service listed.
What's the fastest way to bring this number down?
Run the 30-day audit above first — it's free and takes a few minutes. Then check whether any bundle covers multiple services you actually need before subscribing to each separately.
See your real monthly total
StreamStretch tells you exactly which services you need this month.
See your real monthly total