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Researched by
Kathryn CasnaSenior Staff Writer
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Is ESPN+ worth the cost?
Sports fans put up with a lot to watch their favorite teams, and that won’t change with ESPN+. It costs around $10 per month—$3 higher than it did earlier in 2022. That’s a lot, considering you won’t get any ESPN channels, get around regional blackouts, or avoid pay-per-view fees. It’s really a supplemental service for superfans who want replays of some events, sports talk shows, documentaries, clips, and some live national or international sports. But if you’re looking for local games or a ton of live events, you’ll be disappointed. Also, be ready to share your location, use login credentials from a cable or live streaming service, and be completely unable to record or download most content. That’s a whole lot of downside that plenty of sports fans won’t put up with.
Given that ESPN+ has been steadily increasing in price but hasn’t seemed to add a corresponding number of live events, it’s hard to give ESPN+ high marks for value. But the truth is, ESPN+’s hidden cost shenanigans will be worth it for a lot of fans who would pay any price to watch their teams. And if that’s you, we admire your dedication. But if you’re not a super sports fan or you can find other ways to get the games you want? Honestly, you could probably skip ESPN+.
Before digging too deep...
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Featured plans and prices
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Disclaimer: Prices and plans are subject to change. Conditions may apply.
How to cancel or reactivate
Canceling ESPN+ was super easy. We just found the “Manage My Subscription” area and went through two screens to cancel. At the end, ESPN promised we could re-up at any time, but we had trouble finding a place to do that online. When we tried to manage our subscription again, it just reiterated that our ESPN+ access would go away at the end of our current billing cycle. It looks like we’ll have to wait until we lose access to get it back, which is a pain. Most other services we tested let us reinstate our subscription immediately so we didn’t have to think about it again later.
Add-ons and tiered plans
- ESPN+: $9.99/mo. or $99.99/year
- Disney+ bundle (Disney+ with ads, Hulu with ads, and ESPN+ with ads): $12.99/mo.
- Disney+ ad-free bundle (Disney+ without ads, Hulu without ads, and ESPN+ with ads): $19.99/mo.
Compatible devices
We tested ESPN+ on both Mac and PC using Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browsers. We also tried it on two Samsung Smart TVs, a Chromecast, and an Android phone. Each experience had its quirks, but it worked pretty well everywhere. ESPN+ also works on an Apple TV, Oculus, Firestick, Roku, Playstation, and Xbox.
Free trial
ESPN+ used to have a free trial when it first launched in 2018, but it doesn’t have one now. That means you’ll have to spend nearly $10 to know if you even want the service, which is a bummer.
Costs to consider
- Monthly fees: $9.99
- Add-ons: N/A
- Price for 4K: N/A
- DVR: N/A
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