Peacock Free vs Paid: What's the difference and how to sign up

Peacock Home
Peacock Home (Image credit: Keegan Prosser/Android Central)

Best Answer: NBC's Peacock streaming service offers a free tier that allows you to stream shows and movies on-demand at no cost. If you choose to sign up for a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus paid subscription, you can unlock even more content including the 2022 Super Bowl on NBC.

Peacock offers one of the best values on the market right now. After all, how many streaming platforms do you know of which have a free streaming tier? Unlike Netflix, Disney+, and other popular services, you don't need to pay a cent to start streaming Peacock. The platform also offers Premium and Premium Plus subscription tiers, which provide access to exclusive content for a small monthly fee. If you're wondering what the difference is between Peacock Free vs. paid, or how to sign up, we've got the scoop.

Is Peacock TV really free?

Peacock Home Browser

Source: Keegan Prosser / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Keegan Prosser / Android Central)

Yes. Signing up for an account at Peacock is free and gives you instant access to a ton of NBC TV series, as well as content from WWE Network and select episodes of Peacock originals. You'll also be able to use the Peacock app or visit the website to stream full-length films like Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, Hitch, the original Blade Trilogy, and Grown Ups, along with complete series collections of shows like Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, and Downton Abbey.

The free tier of Peacock TV even lets you watch past seasons of popular shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation, as well as select episodes of Peacock original series like Saved By The Bell and Girls5eva. Plus, WWE Network has merged with Peacock, so you can also watch series like Raw and Smackdown.

How can I get Peacock TV for free?

Peacock Sign Up

Source: Keegan Prosser / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Keegan Prosser / Android Central)

There are no tricks when it comes to watching Peacock TV content for free. Simply sign up at Peacock to start your free account. If you're wondering what content you'll be missing on the Free tier, all you have to do is sign up for an account and see which content is marked with a purple feather logo in the upper left corner. If it has the logo, it's exclusive to the paid tiers.

When it comes to Peacock Free vs. paid memberships, Xfinity and Cox subscribers can stream Peacock Premium for free by linking their accounts to the streaming service via Peacock's Account Settings. Xfinity and Cox subscribers can also choose to upgrade to the ad-free Premium Plus tier for just $4.99/month.

Peacock Free vs. paid: What's the difference?

Peacock's Free tier includes 7,500 hours of ad-supported programming, including next-day access to episodes of first-year NBC shows, as well as a rotating lineup of classic films and television series. In comparison, becoming a Peacock Premium member unlocks 15,000 hours of ad-supported programming, including all nine seasons of The Office, as well as the entire lineup of Peacock Originals and movies.

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Header Cell - Column 0 PeacockPeacock PremiumPeacock Premium Plus
PriceFree$4.99/mo.$9.99/mo.
HD streaming (select content)✔️✔️✔️
4K streaming (select content)✔️✔️
Offline downloads✔️
Live sports✔️✔️
Concurrent streams333
Profile limit per account666

If you're considering opting for a Peacock Premium membership, there are two paid tiers to consider: Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus. While both tiers will let you stream everything on Peacock, only the higher-priced Premium Plus tier offers commercial-free streaming and the option to download select content for offline viewing.

It's also worth pointing out that all three tiers of Peacock offer an impressive lineup of on-demand sports coverage. Specifically, subscribers can stream episodes of sports talk shows such as The Dan Patrick Show, The Rich Eisen Show, and the Peacock Original Brother From Another. As mentioned previously, a selection of WWE Network content is available on the Free tier, but subscribing to either Premium plan will give you access to live pay-per-view WWE events like Wrestlemania and SummerSlam.

Peacock's Premium tiers are also the exclusive United States hub for live Premier League matches and on-demand replays, hosting 175 games per Premier League season. You can also expect live coverage of events like the Ryder Cup and the Olympics.

How much does Peacock Premium cost?

Pick Your Peacock

Source: Keegan Prosser / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Keegan Prosser / Android Central)

Once you've created your free account, you can upgrade to a paid membership (or downgrade) at any time. The Peacock Premium tier is just $4.99 per month and unlocks everything available on the service. However, this tier does not eliminate commercials from being played while you're watching.

If you're looking for an ad-free tier, you'll have to upgrade to Peacock's Premium Plus plan for $9.99 per month. This plan includes the same content as Peacock Premium — but without commercials.

Additionally, both the Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus plans include a free 7-day trial. You get a week to look at what's available before deciding if you want to become a paying member or remain a free tier streamer. Keep in mind that the trial will become a paying membership automatically unless you cancel the subscription beforehand.

You can start your free 7-day Premium trial on the Peacock homepage before creating a free account, or upgrade via the account settings section after creating your free account. Peacock also allows you to end your subscription at any time, so you can join for a month to watch the series you're interested in and then downgrade to the free membership until something else you'd like to watch appears.

Alex Smith
Alex is a graduate from the University of North Florida with a background in sales and merchandising. When he’s not hunting down the next great deals to post on Thrifter, he can be found making music and working on his eBay business.