Twitch is set to increase its mobile subscription prices starting in October 2024. The company announced that the cost of Tier 1 and gift subscriptions on iOS and Android apps will rise in over 40 countries. The new pricing will see Twitch mobile sub prices for Tier 1 subscriptions jump from $5.99 to $7.99 per month on mobile devices. This Twitch mobile price increase follows a recent rise in the cost of Tier 1 subscriptions on the web, which went up by $1 to $5.99 per month in July 2024.
The upcoming changes mean that subscribing through the Twitch mobile app will once again be more expensive than subscribing via the web. This discrepancy is due to the additional fees that Apple and Google charge on their respective app stores. To accommodate these fees, many companies, including Twitch, adjust their mobile prices, resulting in higher costs for consumers who subscribe via mobile apps.
While the cost for Tier 1 and gift subscriptions on mobile is increasing, it’s important to note that the prices for Tier 2 and Tier 3 subscriptions will remain unchanged. This pricing strategy allows Twitch to offer more affordable options for users who prefer enhanced benefits but want to avoid the higher costs associated with Twitch mobile subscriptions.
Twitch’s decision to implement a mobile price increase aligns with a broader trend of subscription price hikes on the platform. For instance, in 2023, Twitch raised the price of its Turbo subscription in the US from $8.99 to $11.99 per month. This increase reflected the company’s strategy to boost revenue while continuing to expand and maintain its services.
The reaction to the Twitch mobile price increase has been mixed. Many users have expressed frustration over the rising costs, particularly on social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter. Some feel the price hikes are becoming too frequent, while others understand that the added expense of subscribing through mobile apps is largely due to the app store fees imposed by Apple and Google, which are beyond Twitch’s control.
As Twitch continues to grow, it faces the challenge of balancing its need to generate revenue with maintaining user satisfaction. With the new Twitch mobile sub prices, the company aims to offset app store fees while still offering competitive pricing for web-based subscriptions. Whether this strategy will be successful in the long run remains uncertain, but for now, mobile users must decide if the convenience of subscribing through the app is worth the additional cost.
