How Much Does ESPN Plus Cost?

Updated on September 4, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 9 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

ESPN+ now costs $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year through the plan called ESPN Select. ESPN+ itself has not disappeared. ESPN Select is the subscription for people who want the ESPN+ content library without paying for the complete lineup of ESPN television networks.

The more expensive ESPN Unlimited plan costs $29.99 per month or $299.99 per year. It includes ESPN+ plus ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ACC Network, SEC Network, ESPN on ABC, and other ESPN services.

Disney also sells bundles combining ESPN with Disney+ and Hulu. Current new-subscriber prices start at $21.99 per month for the Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select bundle and $35.99 per month for the corresponding ESPN Unlimited bundle.

Article Highlights

• ESPN Select, the current way to buy ESPN+ by itself, costs $12.99 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 26 minutes, before taxes)/month or $129.99/year.
• Paying annually for Select saves $25.89 per year compared with 12 monthly payments.
• ESPN Unlimited costs $29.99/month or $299.99/year.
• Paying annually for Unlimited saves $59.89 per year.
• ESPN Unlimited includes the full ESPN network lineup plus ESPN+.
• Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select currently cost $21.99/month for the ad-supported bundle.
• Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited currently cost $35.99/month.
• UFC numbered events and Fight Nights are no longer on ESPN+ in the U.S. and no longer require ESPN+ pay-per-view purchases.

How Much Does ESPN Plus Cost?

Plan	Current price	What you get
ESPN Select monthly	$12.99 (about 26 minutes at $30 per hour)/month	ESPN+ content
ESPN Select annual	$129.99/year	ESPN+ content
ESPN Unlimited monthly	$29.99/month	All ESPN networks and ESPN+
ESPN Unlimited annual	$299.99/year	All ESPN networks and ESPN+
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select	$21.99/month	All three services with ads
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Premium	$32.99/month	Disney+ and Hulu without most on-demand ads, ESPN Select with ads
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited	$35.99/month	All three services with ads
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Premium	$44.99/month	Disney+ and Hulu without most on-demand ads, ESPN Unlimited with ads

ESPN’s current Select and Unlimited support center confirms the two-tier structure. Select is the replacement subscription name for people who want what was traditionally called ESPN+, while Unlimited is the full direct-to-consumer ESPN product.

Current standalone prices are $12.99 per month or $129.99 annually for Select and $29.99 per month or $299.99 annually for Unlimited.

Is ESPN+ Gone?

No. The branding changed more than the underlying ESPN+ library.

ESPN’s current ESPN+ guidance says existing ESPN+ subscribers became ESPN Select subscribers and continue receiving ESPN+ content.

ESPN also explains that ESPN+ is available inside both Select and Unlimited. The difference is that ESPN Select contains ESPN+ content, while Unlimited includes ESPN+ plus the broader ESPN television network lineup.

So someone searching for “ESPN Plus price” in 2026 is effectively deciding between two products:

• ESPN Select if ESPN+ content is enough
• ESPN Unlimited if the viewer also wants the main ESPN networks without a traditional pay-TV package

Annual vs Monthly Math

The annual plans offer meaningful savings for viewers who expect to keep ESPN for most of the year.

Mini case 1, ESPN Select: Twelve payments of $12.99 (about 26 minutes at $30 per hour) total $155.88. The annual subscription costs $129.99, saving $25.89, or about 16.6%.

Mini case 2, ESPN Unlimited: Twelve payments of $29.99 total $359.88. The annual plan costs $299.99, saving $59.89, or about 16.6%.

Monthly billing can still make sense for someone who only wants a particular portion of the sports calendar.

For example, four months of ESPN Select cost $51.96. That is $78.03 less than paying $129.99 for a full year. A viewer who genuinely watches only four months is therefore better off staying monthly despite the annual plan’s lower monthly equivalent.

Select vs Unlimited

ESPN Select is the lower-cost choice because it contains the ESPN+ library rather than the entire live ESPN network lineup.

According to ESPN’s current Select content guide, subscribers receive more than 30,000 events, including LaLiga, Bundesliga, FA Cup, PGA Tour coverage, NHL games, and a variety of college football, basketball, and other sports.

Unlimited is much broader. ESPN’s Unlimited lineup includes the main ESPN networks and programming across the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, college sports, tennis, golf, and studio programming such as SportsCenter, First Take, and College GameDay.

The monthly price gap is $17.

Worked example: Select costs $12.99 and Unlimited costs $29.99. Over 12 months at monthly rates, upgrading adds $204. Comparing the annual plans instead, $299.99 minus $129.99 produces a smaller annual difference of $170.

The decision therefore comes down to whether access to the full ESPN network lineup is worth another $170 per year when both subscriptions are purchased annually.

Disney Bundle Prices

Disney sells ESPN alongside Disney+ and Hulu in four main configurations. The current Disney+ pricing center lists the following prices for new subscriptions:

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select: $21.99/month
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Premium: $32.99/month
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited: $35.99/month
• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Premium: $44.99/month

The Select bundle prices changed for new subscribers on August 20, 2026. Disney says customers who subscribed to an affected Select bundle before that date will see the change during billing periods on or after September 17, 2026.

The word “Premium” can be misleading for sports viewers. Premium removes most on-demand advertising from Disney+ and Hulu. ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited themselves remain ad-supported, including live sports.

Mini case 3: Standalone ESPN Select is $12.99. The ad-supported Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select bundle is $21.99. The bundle therefore costs only $9 more per month, or $108 more over 12 months, to add Disney+ and Hulu.

For someone who already wants all three services, that can make more sense than buying ESPN Select alone and then separately adding entertainment subscriptions.

UFC Is No Longer an ESPN+ Cost

The biggest change to the old ESPN+ pricing model has nothing to do with a small subscription increase. UFC left ESPN in the United States beginning in 2026.

UFC and Paramount announced that Paramount+ became the exclusive U.S. home of UFC events under a seven-year agreement.

All 13 numbered UFC events and 30 Fight Nights moved to Paramount+, with selected marquee fights also appearing on CBS.

The deal also ended the old U.S. UFC pay-per-view model. Paramount+ subscribers receive the numbered events without paying an additional $79.99 or $84.99 ESPN+ PPV charge.

That means anyone calculating ESPN+ primarily to watch UFC should not subscribe for that reason in 2026. UFC is now a Paramount+ expense rather than an ESPN expense.

What ESPN Select Includes

ESPN Select remains strongest for viewers who want sports that sit outside the standard ESPN cable channels or need large amounts of out-of-market and international coverage.

Current programming includes:

• LaLiga
• Bundesliga
• FA Cup
• More than 1,000 NHL Power Play games
• PGA Tour coverage
• College football
• Men’s and women’s college basketball
• Additional college sports
• PLL and other specialty sports
• ESPN+ original and on-demand programming

Select does not automatically turn into the complete ESPN television package. A viewer who needs the main ESPN channel, ESPN2, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN Deportes, or similar linear networks should look at Unlimited.

Ads Are Still Part of ESPN

There is no general ad-free version of ESPN live sports.

The Select and Unlimited plans contain advertisements, and upgrading a Disney bundle to Premium does not remove advertising from ESPN programming.

This matters when comparing the $32.99 Select Premium bundle with the $21.99 basic bundle. The extra $11 per month primarily changes the Disney+ and Hulu experience rather than converting ESPN into an ad-free sports service.

Over a full year, that Premium difference equals $132.

How Many People Can Use ESPN?

ESPN currently allows most Select and Unlimited content to stream on up to three devices at the same time, according to its simultaneous-streaming rules.

That does not mean three unrelated households can split one subscription.

ESPN’s current subscription-sharing policy says the account may not be shared outside the subscriber’s household. ESPN defines a household as the devices associated with the primary personal residence and used by the people living there.

Splitting a $29.99 Unlimited subscription among friends living in separate homes should therefore not be presented as a legitimate cost-saving strategy.

Which ESPN Plan Makes Sense?

Makes sense to choose Select if:

• You primarily want ESPN+ sports and programming.
• NHL, European soccer, PGA Tour, and college coverage are major reasons you subscribe.
• You already get normal ESPN channels through another provider.
• You want to keep the standalone sports bill near $13 per month.

Makes sense to choose Unlimited if:

• You want the main ESPN networks without a conventional cable package.
• You watch major NFL, NBA, MLB, college, and studio programming carried on ESPN channels.
• You want ESPN+ and the linear ESPN network lineup under the same subscription.
• The additional $170 per year over annual Select is worth the extra programming to you.

Does not make sense to subscribe for UFC: UFC is now on Paramount+ in the United States.

What We Verified

• Checked: ESPN currently prices Select at $12.99/month or $129.99/year.
• Confirmed: ESPN Unlimited currently costs $29.99/month or $299.99/year and includes the full ESPN network lineup plus ESPN+.
• Cross-referenced: Disney’s current bundle pricing puts ESPN Select bundles at $21.99 and $32.99, and Unlimited bundles at $35.99 and $44.99.
• Verified: UFC numbered events and Fight Nights moved to Paramount+ in 2026 and no longer use the old ESPN+ PPV system.
• Checked: ESPN allows up to three simultaneous streams for most content but prohibits sharing a subscription outside the household.

Related Streaming Costs

For another service combining entertainment with live sports, compare current Peacock subscription prices.

Viewers looking for a larger replacement for a traditional channel package can compare ESPN Unlimited with current Fubo subscription costs.

Amazon also mixes entertainment and sports rights into its membership, which makes our Amazon Prime cost guide another useful comparison.

Answers to Common Questions

How much is ESPN Plus now?

ESPN+ content now comes through ESPN Select, which costs $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year.

What is the difference between ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited?

Select contains the ESPN+ library. Unlimited includes ESPN+ plus the full lineup of ESPN networks and services, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ACC Network, SEC Network, and ESPN on ABC.

Is ESPN+ still available?

Yes. ESPN+ did not disappear. Existing ESPN+ subscribers became Select subscribers, and the ESPN+ library remains available inside both Select and Unlimited.

How much do I save by paying annually?

ESPN Select saves $25.89 per year compared with 12 monthly payments. ESPN Unlimited saves $59.89 per year.

Can I still watch UFC on ESPN+?

No in the United States. Beginning in 2026, UFC numbered events and Fight Nights moved to Paramount+. Numbered events are included with Paramount+ rather than being sold as separate ESPN+ pay-per-view purchases.

Can I share ESPN with friends?

Not across separate households. ESPN permits up to three simultaneous streams for most content, but its subscription rules say the account cannot be shared outside the subscriber’s household.

Is the Disney ESPN bundle ad-free?

No. Even the Premium bundles continue to show ads on ESPN. Premium primarily removes most on-demand advertising from Disney+ and Hulu.