Crunchyroll, a favorite among anime enthusiasts, has announced a significant increase in subscription prices, rising by up to 20%. This comes after a history of price adjustments over the past six years.
In 2020, Sony acquired Crunchyroll from AT&T, when the service boasted 3 million paid subscribers alongside 197 million users enjoying its free, ad-supported tier. Subscription costs at that time ranged from $8, $10, to $15 monthly.
Post-acquisition, Sony implemented changes often seen when large corporations take over smaller beloved entities. The Tokyo-based company merged Crunchyroll with its former competitor Funimation, which it had purchased in 2017. Funimation was shut down in April 2024, erasing users' digital libraries marketed as available 'forever,' subject to certain conditions. Additionally, in 2022, Crunchyroll reduced its number of free titles and eventually discontinued the free option entirely by December 31, 2025.
Price Increase Details
As of today, Crunchyroll has raised prices across its subscription tiers. The basic 'Fan' plan increased from $8 to $10 monthly, the 'Mega' plan allowing streaming on four devices hiked from $12 to $14, and the 'Ultra' plan supporting simultaneous streaming on six devices and including access to the Crunchyroll Manga app went up from $16 to $18.
For existing subscribers, these changes will be reflected after March 4, while new subscribers will face the new pricing immediately. The last significant price update was in May 2024.
Crunchyroll attributes these price changes to providing “more of what they love” to fans. They highlighted recent and upcoming developments, such as introducing teen profiles with PIN protection, multiple user profiles, the option to skip intro and ending credits, and enhanced device compatibility.