Last updated: October 7, 2026. Enforcement policies change frequently. Always check the service's own help documentation before relying on this information.

Nearly every streaming service forbids sharing your account outside your household in its terms of service. That is the simple part. The complicated part is that enforcement varies enormously. Some services verify your location and block outside viewers. Others have written the same rule and never acted on it. A few explicitly allow sharing as a feature. Knowing which is which is the difference between a working arrangement and a locked account. Every policy in this post was checked against the service's own help documentation or terms of service.

Services That Actively Enforce Household Rules

These services verify that viewers are in your household and offer a paid extra-member option for people who are not.

Netflix

Netflix was the first major service to limit sharing and remains the most aggressive enforcer. A Netflix Household is defined as the collection of devices connected to the internet at the main place where you watch Netflix. The service periodically verifies your household by prompting devices to confirm they are on your home network.

If someone outside your household tries to watch, they will be blocked and prompted to start their own account or be added as an extra member. Extra members get their own login and password, but the account owner pays for the slot.

Stream limits and extra member costs by plan:

• Standard with ads ($8.99/month): 2 simultaneous streams. No extra member option.
• Standard ($19.99/month): 2 simultaneous streams. Add 1 extra member for $7.99/month with ads or $9.99/month without ads.
• Premium ($26.99/month): 4 simultaneous streams. Add up to 2 extra members at $7.99 each/month with ads or $9.99 each/month without ads.

Source: Netflix Help Center, "Sharing your Netflix account" and "Plans and Pricing."

Disney+

Disney+ began enforcing household rules in 2024. A Household is a collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence. The service prompts users to verify their household, and people outside the household are directed to create their own accounts.

Disney+ offers an Extra Member add-on that lets one person outside your household stream on one device at a time with their own profile. The cost depends on your plan:

• Disney+ With Ads: Extra Member costs $6.99/month.
• Disney+ Premium: Extra Member costs $9.99/month.

Extra Member is not available with certain bundle plans, including the Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle and the Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle plans.

Source: Disney+ Help Center, "Extra Member on Disney+" and "Disney+ plans and prices."

Hulu

Hulu shares the same subscriber agreement as Disney+ and enforces the same household rules. The Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu Subscriber Agreement states: "Unless otherwise permitted by your Service Tier, you may not share your subscription outside of your household."

Hulu offers the same Extra Member add-on as Disney+. The cost matches the Disney+ pricing:

• Hulu With Ads: Extra Member costs $6.99/month.
• Hulu Premium: Extra Member costs $9.99/month.

Hulu allows 2 simultaneous streams on most plans. An Unlimited Screens add-on is available that lets you stream on all devices connected to your home network, plus up to 3 mobile devices outside the home. Extra Member is not available with Hulu + Live TV plans or certain bundle plans.

Source: Hulu Subscriber Agreement, Section 2.m; Hulu Help Center, "Sharing your Hulu subscription" and "Hulu plans and prices."

Services That Restrict Sharing on Paper but Do Not Actively Enforce

These services prohibit sharing outside your household in their terms of service. They reserve the right to limit, suspend, or terminate your account. In practice, they do not currently block outside viewers the way Netflix and Disney+ do. This does not mean they will not start. The terms give them the right to act at any time.

Max

Max states that accounts are intended for the account owner and the people they live with. The service has begun sending household verification notifications to some subscribers and offers an Extra Member Add-On for WarnerMedia-billed subscribers at $7.99/month. The HBO Max FAQ page addresses the scenario directly: "I was notified that I'm sharing my HBO Max account with people outside of my household." The prescribed response is to add an Extra Member, review your signed-in devices, or reset your password. The help center also describes a household verification process that sends a code to a TV on your home network.

This is notification-based enforcement, not the access-blocking model Netflix and Disney+ use. Max prompts you to verify your household and offers a paid extra-member option, but it does not currently block outside viewers from streaming the way Netflix does. Stream limits by plan:

• Basic with Ads ($10.99/month): 2 simultaneous streams.
• Standard ($18.49/month): 2 simultaneous streams.
• Premium ($22.99/month): 4 simultaneous streams (2 for sports).

Source: HBO Max FAQ, "Sharing Your HBO Max Account"; HBO Max Help Center, "HBO Max account sharing," "Extra members on HBO Max," and "HBO Max plans and prices."

Peacock

Peacock's help documentation states: "Peacock is for your personal, non-commercial use only and should not be shared outside of your household." A household is defined as the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence. Peacock updated its terms of service in early 2025 to include this language, but there are no widespread reports of active household verification or account blocks. Peacock does not offer a paid extra-member option.

Source: Peacock Help Center, "What is a Peacock household?"

Paramount+

Paramount+ allows 3 simultaneous streams on all plans. The terms of service restrict sharing to your household, but the service does not currently verify locations or block outside viewers. There is no paid extra-member option.

Source: Paramount+ Help Center, "Can I access Paramount+ on multiple devices?"; Paramount+ plan selection page.

Criterion Channel

The Criterion Channel's terms of use state: "You will not allow others to use your account and you are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your account." This is a strict prohibition on sharing, though it does not use the word "household." The service allows 3 simultaneous streams. There is no extra-member option, and there are no widespread reports of active enforcement.

Source: Criterion Collection Terms and Conditions, Section 2.2.

Shudder and Acorn TV

Both Shudder and Acorn TV operate under the AMC Streaming Services Terms of Use. These terms limit accounts to one household. Acorn TV allows up to 4 simultaneous streams. Shudder's stream limit varies by platform. Neither service is known to actively verify households, but the terms give AMC the right to act.

Source: AMC Streaming Services Terms of Use; Acorn TV Help Center.

Services With Permissive or Unstated Rules

Some services explicitly build sharing into their product as a supported feature. YouTube TV family groups, Apple Family Sharing, and Amazon Household are the clearest examples: each one defines who can join, how many people can stream, and what data stays separate. Sharing within those structures is sanctioned, not merely tolerated.

Other services simply do not address household sharing in their terms. That is a different thing. Silence means the rule is unstated, not that sharing is sanctioned. A service with no household restriction today can add one tomorrow and enforce it the next day. The services below fall into this second category.

Mubi

Mubi's help center confirms that each account can be logged in to 5 devices with 2 of those watching films simultaneously. The terms of service do not include a household restriction or a prohibition on sharing. This means sharing is not prohibited, but it is also not explicitly permitted. Mubi does not verify locations. The terms give Mubi the right to add a restriction at any time.

Source: MUBI Help Center, "How many screens can I watch on?"; MUBI Terms and Conditions.

Starz

Starz allows up to 4 simultaneous streams and supports up to 5 profiles. The help center describes profiles as a way to share your account with family members. The terms of use do not include a household restriction comparable to Netflix or Disney+. As with Mubi, the absence of a stated restriction is not the same as permission. Starz does not offer an extra-member add-on, and its terms reserve the right to change usage rules at any time.

Source: Starz.com Terms of Use; Starz Help Center, "How do I set up and manage Profiles?"

Live TV Services

Live TV services work differently from on-demand streaming. They use family groups, home area requirements, and stream caps rather than household verification.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV lets you share with up to 5 other family members through a Google family group. Each member gets their own login, DVR library, and personalized recommendations. The base plan allows 3 simultaneous streams. Family group members must be in the same household to join, but once added, they can watch from different locations. There is no extra-member fee.

Source: Google Support, YouTube TV Family Sharing.

Fubo

Fubo allows streaming on multiple devices connected to your home network. With the Family Share + Unlimited Screens add-on, you can stream on up to 10 devices on your home network plus 3 streams outside the home. Fubo does not verify household membership the way Netflix does. If family members try to watch from TVs in two different locations, one will need to stop streaming.

Source: Fubo Support, "How Many Devices Can I Stream Fubo From at the Same Time?"

DirecTV

DirecTV has the most generous stream limits among live TV services. Up to 20 simultaneous streams are allowed within your home network, and up to 3 concurrent streams are available outside your home. All streams must be on the same home network for the full count. DirecTV does not use household verification.

Source: DirecTV Support, "DIRECTV device and DIRECTV app streaming limits."

Sling TV

Sling TV's stream limits depend on your package:

• Sling Orange: 1 simultaneous stream.
• Sling Blue: 3 simultaneous streams.
• Sling Orange + Blue: 4 simultaneous streams (3 from Blue channels, 1 from Orange channels).

Sling does not include a household restriction in its terms and does not verify locations. The stream cap is the main limit.

Source: Sling TV Help, "Watching Sling TV on multiple devices."

The Apple TV+ Problem

Apple TV+ costs $9.99/month and allows up to 6 simultaneous streams. The correct way to share it is through Apple's Family Sharing feature, which lets you and up to 5 other people share access to Apple TV+, Apple Music, iCloud+, and other Apple services at no extra cost.

The problem is that many people share Apple TV+ by giving someone their Apple ID login instead of setting up Family Sharing. This is a genuine safety issue. Logging into an Apple ID on a device grants access to iMessage history, iCloud Photos, contacts, notes, and other personal data. Family Sharing keeps each person's data separate while sharing the subscription. Sharing the login does not.

If you are sharing Apple TV+, use Family Sharing. If you would not hand someone your phone unlocked, do not hand them your Apple ID.

Source: Apple Support, "How Family Sharing works"; Apple, "Family Sharing."

If You Can't Share, What Should You Actually Pay For

If sharing is off the table, the question becomes which subscriptions are worth keeping individually. That depends on what you actually watch and what you are currently paying for. If you are subscribed to four or five services and only watch one or two regularly, you are likely overspending. The Cost Calculator breaks down what each service costs per month and helps you see the total. For a broader look at how streaming spending adds up, see how much you are really spending on streaming.

How StreamingBeam Helps

StreamingBeam searches across every major streaming service at once, so you can see where a specific movie or show is available without checking each app individually. If you are deciding which subscriptions to keep after a password-sharing change, search for the titles you watch most and see which services carry them. The Cost Calculator then shows you what those services cost together, so you can compare the total against what you actually watch.

Bottom Line

The gap between what a streaming service's terms say and what it enforces is real, but it is not permanent. Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Max have all moved from written rules to active enforcement. Peacock, Paramount+, and the AMC services have the same rules written down and could enforce them at any point. If you are sharing an account with someone outside your household, check the service's own help documentation before assuming the arrangement will last. More details on managing your streaming subscriptions are at streamingbeam.com.