Peacock costs $8.99, $12.99 or $19.99 a month in 2026 — and picking the cheapest one by mistake is the easiest streaming error you can make right now. After the price rise that took effect on August 18, 2026, Peacock’s three plans are Select at $8.99/month, Premium at $12.99/month and Premium Plus at $19.99/month, with annual plans at $89.99, $129.99 and $199.99. The trap is in the names: Select is not a smaller version of the full service. It leaves out movies, live sports and Peacock Originals entirely. Premium is the first tier that gives you the whole of Peacock. This guide breaks down exactly what each dollar buys, who should pay for what, and how the student, military and annual discounts change the maths.
How Much Is Peacock in 2026? Every Plan at a Glance
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Ads | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Select | $8.99 | $89.99 | Yes | Current and past seasons of NBC and Bravo shows only |
| Premium | $12.99 | $129.99 | Yes | The full library: movies, live sports and events, Peacock Originals, NBC and Bravo |
| Premium Plus | $19.99 | $199.99 | Mostly no — see the caveats below | Everything in Premium, plus downloads of select titles and your live local NBC channel |
These prices took effect on August 18, 2026 for new and returning subscribers — Peacock’s fourth consecutive year of price rises. Existing subscribers moved to the new rates on their first billing date on or after September 17, 2026, while anyone on an annual plan or an active promotion keeps their old price until that plan or offer expires. Select rose $1 from $7.99, Premium rose $2 from $10.99, and Premium Plus rose $3 from $16.99. Annual plans each cost roughly ten months of monthly billing, so paying yearly saves you about two months — around 17% — on every tier.
The Select Tier Trap: What $8.99 Does Not Include
Select, introduced in 2025, is the tier that generates the angry reviews, because people buy it assuming it is "Peacock, but cheaper." It is not. Select gives you current and past seasons of NBC and Bravo television — the broadcast and reality line-up — and that is close to all it gives you. Specifically, Select excludes:
- Movies. Peacock’s film library, including Universal theatrical releases after their cinema run, is not on Select.
- Live sports and events. No Sunday Night Football, no Premier League, no WWE, no Olympics coverage — live sports start at Premium.
- Peacock Originals. The service’s own commissioned shows — the titles Peacock advertises hardest — are not included.
If you only watch NBC dramas and Bravo reality shows and nothing else on the service, Select is honestly fine, and it is the cheapest way to follow those shows next-day. For everyone else, Select is a false economy: the first time you sit down to watch a film, a match or an Original, you will be upgrading to Premium anyway — and Peacock does not refund the difference in your expectations. Read the tier name as a warning label: you are selecting a slice of Peacock, not Peacock itself.
Premium vs Premium Plus: What the Extra $7 Buys
Premium at $12.99 is the full service with ads, and for most households it is the right plan. You get the complete on-demand library, live sports and events, and next-day episodes of NBC and Bravo series. The ads are real but broadcast-like — roughly five minutes per hour on typical viewing, placed where breaks would fall on TV.
Premium Plus at $19.99 removes ads from most on-demand viewing, and adds two features Premium lacks: the ability to download select shows and movies to watch offline, and a live stream of your local NBC channel, around the clock. The downloads come with the usual limits — titles expire 30 days after you download them, or 48 hours after you press play.
Why Premium Plus Is "Mostly" Ad-Free, Not Ad-Free
Peacock is careful with its wording, and you should be too. Even on Premium Plus, ads can still appear in live sports and live events, in linear channels including that live local NBC stream, and in a small number of shows and movies where licensing requires it. If your main reason for upgrading is watching live football without commercials, the upgrade will not deliver that — live events carry ads on every plan. Premium Plus earns its money for commuters, travellers and anyone who hates interruptions in on-demand drama and comedy, not for sports fans.
Discounts: Students, Military, Teachers and First Responders
Peacock runs one of the better discount programmes in streaming, all aimed at its Premium tier and all verified through an eligibility check. Verified college students can get Premium for $5.99/month for 12 months — less than half the standard $12.99. Military members, teachers, medical professionals and first responders can get Premium for $6.99/month for 12 months. In each case, when the 12 months end the plan renews at the standard rate unless you reverify your status or cancel, so put a reminder in your calendar for month eleven. Some listings still show older discount figures from before the August rise, so trust the price shown at checkout after verification rather than any third-party page — including, between updates, articles like this one.
There is no general free trial for Peacock’s plans and no free tier for new accounts; the app is free to download, but the subscription catalogue needs a paid plan. One bundle worth knowing about runs through Apple: Peacock and Apple TV are sold together for $17.99/month with Peacock Premium, or $22.99/month with Premium Plus — cheaper than buying Apple TV at $14.99 and Peacock separately. Some internet providers, including certain Xfinity, Cox and Spectrum packages, also include Peacock Premium with broadband, so check your existing internet bill before paying twice.
Which Peacock Plan Should You Buy?
Buy Select ($8.99) only if your Peacock is genuinely just NBC and Bravo series. Buy Premium ($12.99) if you want movies, Originals or any live sport — this is the default recommendation, and the student and military discounts make it the value pick of the whole line-up when you qualify. Buy Premium Plus ($19.99) if you download shows for offline viewing, want your local NBC channel live, or watch enough on-demand content that $7 a month is a fair price for silence. On any tier, choose annual billing if you are confident you will keep the service for a year: $89.99, $129.99 and $199.99 respectively each work out at roughly ten monthly payments for twelve months of service.
One last piece of timing advice: Peacock knows its audience shows up for events. If you mainly want one football season, one tournament or one reality series, monthly billing with a calendar reminder to cancel will beat an annual plan bought in a moment of enthusiasm — even at the higher monthly rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Peacock per month in 2026?
Select is $8.99/month, Premium is $12.99/month and Premium Plus is $19.99/month. Annual plans cost $89.99, $129.99 and $199.99. These prices took effect on August 18, 2026.
What does Peacock Select not include?
Select covers current and past seasons of NBC and Bravo shows only. It excludes movies, live sports and events, and Peacock Originals — all of which start at the Premium tier.
Is Peacock Premium Plus really ad-free?
Mostly, not completely. Premium Plus removes ads from most on-demand viewing, but live sports and events, linear channels such as your local NBC stream, and a small number of licensed titles can still include ads.
How much is the Peacock student discount?
Verified students can get Peacock Premium for $5.99/month for 12 months. Military members, teachers, medical professionals and first responders can get Premium for $6.99/month for 12 months. After 12 months the standard rate applies unless you reverify.
Does Peacock offer a free trial?
No. Peacock does not currently offer a free trial or a free tier for new subscribers. The cheapest legitimate routes in are the annual plans, the verified discounts above, an Apple TV bundle, or a broadband package that includes Premium.
Prices checked against Peacock’s August 2026 price-rise reporting in October 2026. Streaming prices change frequently — confirm the current price at checkout before subscribing.
Founder & Editor at Durofy
