Plex debuts 5-year membership pass for $250 - Ars Technica

Skip to content

AI

Biz & IT

Cars

Culture

Gaming

Health

Policy

Science

Security

Space

Tech

Forum

Subscribe

Story text

Size

Small<br>Standard<br>Large

Width

Standard<br>Wide

Links

Standard<br>Orange

* Subscribers only

Learn more

Pin to story

Theme

Search

Sign In

Sign in dialog...

Text<br>settings

Story text

Size

Small<br>Standard<br>Large

Width

Standard<br>Wide

Links

Standard<br>Orange

* Subscribers only

Learn more

Minimize to nav

When Plex launched in 2012, it sold lifetime access to its media server software for $75. In 2014, Plex raised the price to be more sustainable for the company, it said, and for years, Lifetime Plex Passes cost $120. Even the pricier $250 rate, which Plex offered from March 2025 until yesterday, was a steal compared to what $250 buys you at Plex now: a five-year subscription.

As first spotted by The Desk, Plex yesterday launched the five-year Plex Pass. It comes alongside Lifetime Pass prices increasing to $750 yesterday, a change that Plex announced in May and, in a blog post update this week, said: “reflects the real, ongoing value of the software and our commitment to building, improving, and supporting Plex for years to come.”

The stark change in what $250 can get you at Plex is indicative of the company’s financial goals. Plex hasn’t yet announced profitability and has raised $87.6 million over nine rounds of funding, per CB Insights. The company is looking to squeeze more money out of its users and price its media server business higher.

The higher Lifetime Pass pricing and new five-year pass also appear aimed at pushing users toward subscriptions. More recurring revenue can help Plex extract greater value from its customers over their lifetimes, make cash flow more predictable, please investors, help fund new features, and reduce Plex’s dependence on the fickle advertising market.

In May, Plex said it had “considered eliminating the Lifetime Plex Pass in the past, given that recurring subscriptions help us sustain long-term development.” One can’t help but wonder if this five-year pass could someday be the longest-term pass available to Plex’s media server customers.

The dramatic pricing shift is also an effect of Plex’s evolution from its original media server pitch. Today, Plex also sells licensed movie rentals and operates hundreds of free, ad-supported streaming TV channels. It has been rolling out more social features over the past few years and has been monetizing user data, as Plex CEO Keith Valory told TechCrunch in 2024. Plex even dipped a toe into gaming (and quickly removed it from the competitive waters).

The Silicon Valley-headquartered firm’s newer interests and prohibitively expensive long-term pricing for its legacy media server business illustrate the company that Plex thinks it needs to be to survive and make money. That business isn’t one that favors letting you pay one time to use media server capabilities forever. It’s not necessarily a media server-first business, either.

Ad revenue has been a significant driver of revenue growth for Plex in recent years. In 2023, Plex said that since 2022, more people had used its online streaming service than its media server capabilities. Jason Chapnik, CEO at Intercap, one of Plex’s lead investors, described the type of company Plex is becoming in a 2021 chat with TechCrunch:

Content providers, creators, and consumers are all paying the price for the explosion of so many streaming media services, and the industry needs a trusted way for the experience to be as enjoyable as possible. Plex has always been at the forefront of solving new media challenges, and we believe they are primed to solve this problem—they are the cable company of the future.

Scharon Harding

Senior Technology Reporter

Scharon Harding

Senior Technology Reporter

Scharon is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer gadgets and services. She's been reporting on technology for over 10 years, with bylines at Tom’s Hardware, Channelnomics, and CRN UK.

153 Comments

Comments

Forum view

Loading comments...

Prev story

Next story

1.<br>Sony erases digital content from libraries; we're reminded we don’t own what we buy

2.<br>Newly discovered PamStealer isn't your typical macOS malware

3.<br>FAA proposal: Supersonic airliners can fly over US cities if they’re quiet

4.<br>Woman's hip replacement disintegrates, causing severe metal poisoning

5.<br>Plex debuts 5-year membership pass for $250

Customize