Plex's lifetime pass is now $750. Here's the math.

As of July 1, a new Plex lifetime pass costs $749.99, up from $249.99. The monthly and yearly plans didn't 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'll 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's 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's no one to answer to except the people running the servers. That's why remote streaming is included rather than sold back to you later.

How the two line up

What each costs as of this week:

• tofa: $4.99 a month, $49 a year, or $120 for a founding lifetime, limited to the first 500, 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 won't pretend

tofa is younger. There are things Plex does that we don't do yet, like live TV and recording, music, and photo libraries, and we keep that list out in the open. What we won't 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's 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're sure.