Skip to content
Skip to main content
header search
Craftsman Practical Guide
Menu
sticky search

Netflix launches cheaper extra members subscription with a catch

Netflix announced the launch of a new extra members option. Standard and Premium subscribers may add extra members to their account for a discounted price. These members do not have to live with the primary account owner.

Each slot gives the extra member access to the entire Netflix library without ads. Netflix has now launched a second option to add extra members. This one, you guessed it, comes with ads.

The details:

  • Extra members with ads is cheaper, but ads are shown.
  • In Germany, subscribers pay €3.99 instead of €4.99 per month for each extra members slot. That's about a $1 difference.
  • The new option is rolling out in other regions as well, including the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada.

Netflix Standard or Premium subscribers have two options now when it comes to extra member slots:

  • Pay the regular price so that the extra member can watch Netflix without ads.
  • Pay a little bit less, which means that the extra member gets Netflix with ads.

Netflix with ads offers a limited experience when compared to the ad-free options. The company does not reveal that on the sign up page, but only on a support page.

There, Netflix admits that "all but a few movies and TV shows" are available. Netflix does not say which titles are not available though.

Extra member accounts are also limited in other regards:

  • Netflix can be watched on a single device at the same time.
  • Downloads are allowed, but only to one phone or tablet at a time.
  • Only one profile can be created.

Not an attractive option

The new extra members with ads option does not look too attractive on first and also second glance. For 1 Euro less per month, your extra member has to endure ads on Netflix. This comes next to all the other disadvantages of ad-powered plans, such as that some content is not available.

It becomes stranger even when you compare the price of Standard with Standard with ads. The former costs €13.99 in Germany currently, the ad-powered version €4.99. That's almost a third of the costs.

Adding an extra money with an ad-free slot costs €4.99 in Germany, while the ad-powered version is available for €3.99. That's a great deal for Netflix, which appears to earn a lot from advertising on its platform. Not so great of a deal for users on the other hand.

Closing Words

All in all, this does not look like it will become a homerun for Netflix. It may be different in other regions and countries, if the price difference is larger.

More exciting content