As of July 1, a new Plex lifetime pass costs $749.99, up from $249.99. The monthly and yearly plans did not move, so they stay at $6.99 and $69.99. If you already own a lifetime pass, nothing changes for you. This is for the people deciding whether to buy one now.
What $750 actually buys
A lifetime pass is a bet that you will use the software long enough for one payment to beat the yearly one. At $69.99 a year, the old $250 price paid for itself in about three and a half years. At $750, it takes closer to eleven. That is a long time to bet on one company's plans staying put, especially right after the price tripled.
The price is the smaller story
Prices go up. That happens. The part worth looking at is why. Plex has raised around $132 million from venture investors, and a good share of that went into building an ad-supported side of the business. When a company is funded that way, the math points one direction: each user has to be worth more over time. A higher price fits that, whether or not anyone enjoys paying it.
tofa is built the other way around. There are no outside investors, so there is no one to answer to except the people running the servers. That is why remote streaming is part of it rather than something sold back to you later.
How the two line up
Here is what each costs as of this week.
- tofa: $4.99 a month, $49 a year, or $120 for a founding lifetime that settles at $250 after the beta.
- Plex: $6.99 a month, $69.99 a year, or $749.99 for lifetime.
tofa's standard lifetime, $250, is about what Plex charged for lifetime right up until this week. The founding price is less than half of that, and it includes remote streaming, hardware transcoding, and the tool that brings your library and watch history across.
What we will not pretend
tofa is younger. There are things Plex does that we do not do yet, like live TV and recording, music, and photo libraries, and we are honest about that list. What we will not do is put remote streaming behind a paywall, run ads against your own library, or change the deal later because the business needs more out of you.
If you were about to spend $750 to lock something in, it is worth a look first. The beta is free while we send out invites. Point tofa at your existing folders, bring your watch history, and run both side by side until you are sure.