With traditional cable TV slowly disappearing many people are considering switching to other streaming services, such as Roku. But when going on the streaming route you indeed have questions about costs and how these compare to your monthly TV provider costs.
When you’re starting your Roku research you surely have questions like “how much does Roku cost?”, “Does Roku have a monthly fee?”, “How much is Roku subscriptions cost?” or “do I need to pay for Roku channels?”.
Is there a monthly subscription fee for Roku?
The first question everyone is asking when considering getting a Roku is if you need to pay a monthly fee or a tax to get your Roku activated. And the answer to that question is simple:
No, Roku does not charge a monthly subscription or equipment fee. You only need to pay the one-time purchase fee for a Roku device. However, you can pay monthly fees if you access premium content on apps like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, or HBO GO. Each of these services has its independent subscription costs.
Roku devices cost between $17.99 and $169.99 depending on how advanced the Roku device is. You can get them directly on the Roku website, or Amazon.
After you get a Roku device and finish setting it up you can access the free channels to watch movies and tv shows. Once you get the device you will need to create a free Roku account and link the device you got to that account.
You will be asked for payment details during the account activation process, but those are only required for channel subscriptions.
When registering to a Roku account make sure you are on the official website and you’re not entering your payment information on scam websites that are trying to steal your money. Always verify the site is legit before you enter any personal or payment information.
Roku Streaming devices
- Roku Ultra – Roku Ultra is the highest-end Roku device available. It is the fastest, most powerful Roku player ever. It has the fastest Wi-Fi, streams in 4k, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+, and has the Roku Voice Remote Pro and hands-free voice controls. If you want the high-end Roku device then the Roku Ultra device is what you’re looking for. Roku Ultra has functions like find your lost remote where you just ask the device about your remote or press a button on the streaming device and the remote will play a sound. Roku Ultra can be found on Amazon at a price around $79,99.
- Roku Streaming stick 4k – Roku Streaming stick 4k is the most portable device in the lineup, being the size of a flash drive and using a single HDMI connection with your TV. Similar to Roku Ultra it streams in 4k, Dolby Vision, and has voice search and control. Roku streaming stick 4k costs around $29.99 on Amazon.
- Roku Premiere – Roku Premiere is similar to a streaming stick in the sense that it’s connected to the TV using an HDMI cable and it offers an easy set up for viewing your favorite content in HD, 4k and HDR. The high-quality and high-speed HDMI cable is included.
- Roku Express – Roku Express is the cheapest available option, but the downside is that it can only stream in HD quality at 1080p and it doesn’t have 4k capabilities. Roku Express comes with simple remote control and it’s mostly recommended for people new to using streaming services or people who want don’t want to invest a lot of money in a backup device.
- Roku Express 4k – Roku Express 4k is really similar to the basic Roku Express but offers 4K and HDR capabilities. It is the most affordable way to stream in 4K and it offers good performance for its price. Roku Express has a price of around $34.99 on Amazon.
- Roku Streambar – Roku Streambar is a powerful streaming and cinematic speaker with a built-in Roku player which will enhance your television audio output. It supports Dolby Audio and Bluetooth to connect with your existing sound systems and works with popular voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, or Google.
- Roku TV – If you don’t want to buy a separate Roku device or you’re looking to update your TV as well then you can buy a Roku TV which comes with a built-in Roku player. This provides you with a full smart TV experience without having to use 2 remotes. Roku TV comes in hundreds of models from manufacturers like Hisense, TCL, Sharp, or Sanyo.
Which channels are free on Roku?
The cool thing about Roku is that you don’t need to subscribe to paid Roku channels and instead can watch free movies and tv shows without paying a monthly subscription fee. Also, make sure to check if the channels you want to subscribe to offer free trials or free versions for Roku users.
The most popular free channels on Roku are:
The Roku channel
Roku Channel was launched by Roku and it’s a complete entertainment app that includes live TV channels, movies, and tv shows. You can purchase premium content through it, but it’s not required.
You can watch some of the most popular live TV channels through it, like ABC News, NBC News NOW, Reuters, and USA Today.
If you already have subscriptions to premium streaming services you will not be able to access these through the Roku channel. If you want to access them through the Roku channel you will have to sign up for them again from the channel.
Another thing to consider is that you can access the Roku channel from a computer, smartphone, or tablet. You don’t need a Roku device to be able to access its content. You can search for the Roku channel in various app stores.
Pluto tv
Pluto TV is one of the most popular free channels and offers more than 100 channels and thousands of movies for free.
You can also browse live TV without paying anything. You can search by category and watch food and cooking shows, sports, and kids’ TV.
Pluto TV also offers over 45 channels in Spanish, including native language and dubbed movies, reality TV, telenovelas and sports.
Tubi tv
On Tubi, you can watch thousands of hit movies and tv shows for free, with no subscription required. Tubi TV offers over 40,000 movies and television series.
You can find something for any taste, from Western drama True Grit to horror shows or Korean dramas.
The is content for everyone ranging from drama, kids, classics or anime, and British series.
Crackle
Crackle is a streaming service with a respectable library of movies and TV shows, but also Crackle’s original programming.
You can find categories like comedy, action, drama, Crackle original, thriller, reality show, or anime.
Some other free and popular Roku channels are:
- CBS Sports
- Vevo
- Crunchyroll
- PBS
- PBS Kids
- TED
Does it cost anything to create a Roku account?
No, creating a Roku account is free. All you need to do is go to the official Roku website and create the account by providing the required information.
After creating your account you can link as many Roku devices as you want to your account. This way you can sync your settings between multiple Roku devices if you have more than one.
When creating your account you will be required to provide payment information so that you can pay for channel subscriptions directly from your device without having to enter your credit card information every time you want to purchase a subscription.
Types of Roku channels
Although Roku refers to them as “channels” these are apps that you can search for and install from the Roku channel store and place on your home screen. The different channel types are:
- Free channels. These were already covered a little in the section above, but these are channels where you can watch content without paying a subscription cost. The Roku channel, Pluto TV, Youtube, etc enter this free category.
- Subscription channels. These are channels where you have to pay a monthly fee to be able to access their content. The most popular paid Roku channels are Netflix, Cinemax, STARZ, Disney+, etc. These usually come with a 7-day free trial so you can check them out before deciding if you want to keep the subscription active for a longer period
- TV Everywhere channels. There are apps where you are required to log in with sign-in credentials provided by your TV provider. Some of the TV Everywhere channels that are free with your TV subscription are A&E, CNN Go, FOX Now, Fusion, FXNOW, HBO Go, Nat Geo TV, etc.
- Rent channels. These are channels where you pay a one-time fee to rent or buy a movie or TV show without having to pay a monthly fee.
Payments on Roku App Store
Roku App Store is a marketplace similar to the Google Play store or Apple App store which offers various apps for download or purchase. You can access the Roku App Store from Roku streaming devices.
This store allows you to install apps like The Roku Channel app, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, or HBO Max.
When it comes to these apps there are 2 payment models: channels where you have to pay a monthly fee(like Netflix, Sling tv, etc) or channels where you can rent or buy a specific TV show or movie, and only a one-time payment is required.
Each service comes with its own subscription cost and terms and conditions, with prices varying from $5.99/month for Hulu to $35 /month for Sling TV.
Besides apps that offer TV shows and movies, you can also find music streaming apps on Roku devices like Spotify, Pandora, or TuneIn.
The app store is constantly updated with new apps so make sure you check it out from time to time to see what is launched recently.
Do you need a cable or satellite subscription for Roku?
No, you don’t need a cable or satellite subscription to be able to use a Roku device.
People are more and more attracted to streaming services like Roku because they have the possibility of using these devices without having to pay a monthly cable bill and instead can subscribe to the channels they like.
Although a cable subscription is not required for Roku, having one can come with some benefits like the ability to connect to TV Everywhere channels. This is free content that you already paid for that you can access through the dedicated Roku apps.
Why I am getting a Roku bill?
If you receive a bill from Roku there are only two possible explanations:
- You rented or bought a TV show or movie
- You got a premium subscription to one of the paid channels through the Roku Channel app
If you’re not aware of any purchases done recently then maybe you activated the 7-day trial for one of the channels and then forgot to cancel before the trial period was over so you got billed for a full month.
You should also check with the other members of your family or whoever else has access to your Roku device to see if they subscribed to a paid service if you don’t have any recollection of doing it yourself because it’s impossible for a service to activate itself without a human opting in.
How to cancel a Roku premium subscription
If you’re ever in a situation where you want to cancel one of your premium subscriptions you can follow these steps to cancel it:
- Press the Home button on your Roku remote
- Move to and hover the app for which you want to cancel the subscription
- Press the * button on the remote to open the menu
- Press the Manage Subscriptions button
- Select the Cancel Subscription option
- In the confirmation popup press the Cancel Subscription button again
- Press Done
You need to repeat the same process for every app if you need to unsubscribe from multiple paid subscriptions. Make sure to check your Roku billing information the following month to make sure you are not billed again.
How to view Roku purchase history?
If you bought Roku channel premium, rented or bought a movie or TV show, or activated a subscription for channels like Netflix, Hulu or STARZ you can check your Roku invoice for details about your purchases.
To view your purchase history all you have to do is follow these steps:
- Go to my.roku.com on your computer or smartphone
- When prompted sign in to your account
- Scroll down and click on View your purchase history
One thing to remember is that your purchase history will only show a Roku channel purchase if the purchase is done through the Roku channel premium. If you subscribed to Netflix or Hulu directly on their website then the payment information is not shown in your Roku account.
Conclusion
The most important thing to remember is that Roku doesn’t require an activation or account-creating fee from its users, and creating an account is completely free.
If anyone contacts you asking for payment to activate your Roku account then that is most definitely a scam and you shouldn’t provide them with any personal or payment information.
Once you purchase a Roku device you have access to completely free content through the free channels, but you can also subscribe to popular streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ where you will pay a monthly fee.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to have Roku per month?
Roku has no subscription fee. The only upfront payment is the cost of your Roku device, but there is a large variety of devices ranging from $17.99 to $169.99 depending on your preferences and functionality.
Why do I pay a monthly Roku fee?
If you are billed by Roku then you used the Roku channel to subscribe to a different service like Netflix or Disney+ which is billed monthly, or you rented or bought a TV series or movie in one of the channels you installed.
If you are subscribed to a channel you don’t use you can just stop your subscription by following the steps described above.
Is Netflix free on Roku devices?
No, Netflix has its own subscription which you will have to pay if you want to be able to access their content.
Each of the major streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu or HGO Max has a specific monthly rate determined by the respective company.