Crunchyroll's subscription price cap is ending after a 5-year freeze

Crunchyroll this week announced full details of its latest subscription tier price increase, effective May 1, 2024.

it's about to happen Two years after Funimation's merger with Crunchyroll To create the world's largest online anime database (legally speaking!). This week (Wednesday, May 1, 2024), Crunchyroll released an email and announcement on its website that Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan membership fares will be increasing in several countries. In a quick change, these price hikes are effective from May 1.

So what are the new prices for Crunchyroll's subscription tiers? Thankfully, the cheapest Fan tier remains at $7.99 per month (USD). However, the Mega Fan membership level will increase from $9.99 per month to $11.99 per month; And the Ultimate Fan membership level will increase from $14.99 per month to $15.99 per month. This change will affect pricing in Argentina, Colombia, France, Portugal, the United States, and select additional countries.

New membership tiers and benefits were introduced in 2020, with price reductions in approximately 100 areas in July 2022. The Crunchyroll free-trial period has also moved from the previous 14 days to seven days of free viewing. This will mean that there will be less time for new users to test the anime-viewing service and decide to subscribe to it. So, now new fans have 7 days to watch over 1,000 episodes a piece Versus the earlier 14-day trial!

Even though these price changes go into effect this month, users still have until their next billing cycle (which should be around June 1) to decide whether to downgrade the service or unsubscribe. Here's a simple explanation of the differences in each Crunchyroll membership tier:

As Crunchyroll slowly absorbed Funimation's exclusive database, the orange anime streamer has seen a major change. Now, the anime library is home to over 45,000 episodes and approximately 1,400 series and movies; They have one of the best simulcasts coinciding with broadcasts in Japan; A dedicated collection of anime-related music videos and concert specials; And Crunchyroll Games has expanded its mobile games into its game vault. The company said the price increase was a result of greater investment in anime and additional offerings of games and music.

This news of the price adjustment comes just after the streamer announced the launch of its website store in Europe, and just days after the launch of the highly requested multiple profiles feature on the platform. This new feature allows multiple users in the same household to have their own customizable profiles, watchlists, and recommendations. Now, I have a cute Anya and Spy x Family-inspired design on my account. Overall, Crunchyroll is working to offer more to its users.

But sometimes more isn't really better. The community has already noted that they are unsubscribing, or those who have subscribed to higher tiers are moving to a cheaper plan. This could be a big step forward to their direct competitors like HiDive. Whereas highdive It doesn't have a huge anime library, its basic plan is cheaper at $5.99. Anime series are also ongoing Disney+, Netflix And Prime Video.

Although this big change will affect anime fans one way or another, there are many options out there. This is sad, but not surprising as many subscriptions and companies are reorganizing themselves. I will maintain mega fan status while sighing deeply as I see my monthly billing increase. I only use this platform to stream anime and some gaming but perhaps now I'll need to explore it more to get the most out of it.