The Netgem Pleio – the first standalone Freely streaming box – has jumped in price from £99 to £119.88, making an already expensive device harder to justify for viewers who just want live TV without buying a new television.
The price increase, which went live this week, caps off a remarkably turbulent two months for the new device.
Since launching in late November as a streaming alternative to Freeview (and Freesat), the Pleio has faced repeated stock shortages, changed how it’s actually sold, and now costs 21% more than its launch price.
For anyone interested in the cloud gaming that comes with the subscription, the new pricing might still make sense.
But for viewers who only want Freely for live TV and catch-up? Paying nearly £120 for a streaming box is becoming a very tough sell – particularly with alternatives on the horizon.
The Pleio’s Chaotic Two Months
The Pleio launched on November 21, 2025, as the first device bringing Freely to existing TVs without requiring a complete hardware upgrade.
At £99, it delivered live streaming channels from BBC, ITV, Channel 4, 5 and around 55 others through your broadband, alongside full Android TV access and 250+ cloud games with an included gamepad.
Demand was immediate and overwhelming. The device sold out on Amazon within hours, creating stock shortages that lasted weeks.
Early buyers who ordered on launch day received their devices quickly, but anyone else faced lengthy waits or complete unavailability throughout late November and December.
By early December, Netgem extended the included gaming and extra channels trial from 3 months to 12 months – a significant improvement that made the value proposition considerably better.
The device continued selling out whenever stock appeared, with frustrated buyers checking Amazon multiple times daily hoping to secure one.
Then, the terms changed when Netgem updated how the Pleio is sold. What was originally framed as buying hardware with a trial subscription became explicitly purchasing a 12-month subscription that happens to include hardware.
According to the current terms, the puck itself remains Netgem’s property for the entire first year, only transferring to your ownership once those 12 months are complete.
It’s an unusual structure for consumer streaming hardware – more common in broadband provider bundles than retail purchases.
Sylvain Thevenot, Managing Director of Netgem UK, explained the approach reflects the company’s roots in providing services to ISPs rather than selling direct to consumers.
“Our primary distribution model has always been to provide a service for ISPs; we have now applied this same approach to our retail customers,” Thevenot told Cord Busters.
“Pleio is a living service that evolves every month. If you buy a standard set-top box, the software and content are often frozen in time on the day of purchase. With the Pleio Subscription, the fee covers a year of active, curated expansion.”
He compared it to phone contracts, where consumers don’t pay full hardware prices upfront but instead pay for access and ongoing service, with Netgem retaining ownership to “protect that ecosystem” and ensure active users get the full experience with support, warranty, and updates.
The practical impact of this ownership structure is limited for most buyers – the main restriction is you can’t sell or gift the Pleio during those first 12 months, since the device is locked to the Netgem account you create when first turning it on.
After 12 months, the hardware becomes yours whether or not you continue the optional subscription, and Freely continues working forever.
And now, just as stock has stabilised and the device is more consistently available, the price has jumped to £119.88.
What £119.88 Actually Buys You
The price increase makes the value calculation more complicated, particularly for different types of buyers.
For households genuinely interested in cloud gaming, £119.88 for a full year of access plus the hardware isn’t unreasonable.
The 250+ game library includes recognisable titles (mostly older ones), racing games, casual games, and family-friendly options that stream instantly without downloads or storage concerns – but you don’t get some of the more premium games that come with services like Amazon’s Luna.
The included wireless gamepad is functional, and the service works well with minimal lag (but that depends on your broadband speed and WiFi connection).
If you’d otherwise be paying £9.99 monthly for a similar service, getting the hardware bundled in at that rate makes sense. And after the free year, you can decide whether to continue or just use the device for Freely and streaming apps.
For viewers who only want Freely, though, £119.88 is a significant investment in a feature you’ll never touch.
You’re paying for a gamepad you won’t use, gaming servers you won’t access, and 150+ extra FAST channels you probably don’t need (since many are available elsewhere for free) – all to get live TV that should, in theory, be available through cheaper hardware.
The comparison to alternatives becomes stark. A Fire TV Stick 4K costs £59.99 (or less, with frequent discounts) and provides BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and other channels through individual apps with a unified Live tab – not quite as seamless as Freely’s single interface, but functional.
Roku’s Streaming Stick Plus comes in at £39.99 with similar capabilities and legendary simplicity.
The Pleio’s advantage remains that it offers something neither of those can: proper Freely integration with a unified EPG that treats live and catch-up as one seamless experience, and no need for an aerial.
Whether that’s worth paying double (or triple) the price of mainstream streaming sticks depends entirely on how much you value that convenience versus just opening apps.
The Amazon “Price Higher Than Typical” Flag
The price jump was significant enough to trigger Amazon’s “Price higher than typical” notice on the product page – a flag that appears when recent price increases exceed certain thresholds compared to the past 30 days or so.
This notice typically disappears once the new price has been active long enough to become the established norm, but for now it serves as a visible reminder that the Pleio has become noticeably more expensive in a very short time.
For anyone who was on the fence at £99, seeing that warning might be enough to prompt reconsideration.
Furthermore, the price increase was so swift, that – as of this writing – the product page on Amazon still says “12 MONTHS FOR THE PRICE OF 10” – which is no longer the case.
Netgem’s own Pleio page already shows the correct offer, stating “12 months subscription for £119.88 with your purchase”.
More Freely Boxes Are Coming
The timing of this price increase is particularly interesting because the Pleio won’t remain your only option much longer.
The Humax “Aura EZ 4K Freely Recorder” exists and is under internal testing, according to Humax. Unlike the streaming-only Pleio, it appears to offer both Freely streaming and an aerial port for traditional Freeview channels, with specifications suggesting recording capability.
Whether it can record from Freely’s streaming channels or only from aerial-based broadcasts remains unclear, but it represents genuine competition.
The BBC is exploring a “radically simplified” Freely device designed specifically for people who find modern streaming technology overwhelming – potentially the solution for elderly relatives who just want straightforward TV without complicated interfaces.
And TiVo has achieved certification from Everyone TV, meaning any manufacturer can now use TiVo OS to power Freely streaming boxes.
Multiple TV and device makers could potentially launch their own Freely boxes using TiVo’s software, creating real market competition that should drive prices down and features up.
None of these alternatives have launch dates yet, but they’re all actively in development. For anyone not desperate for Freely immediately, waiting a few months could provide more choice at potentially better prices.
Should You Buy At £119.88?
If you live somewhere with terrible Freeview reception and you’re genuinely interested in cloud gaming or letting visiting family members play casual games, £119.88 for a year of service plus hardware isn’t outrageous.
You’re getting what you pay for, the device works well for its intended purpose (aside from some limitations and UI issues, as mentioned in my full review of the Pleio), and Freely solves real problems for households with dodgy aerial signals.
If you only want Freely for live TV and have zero interest in gaming, £119.88 is a lot to spend on a streaming box – particularly when cheaper alternatives deliver similar functionality through apps, and more Freely devices are coming that might better suit your needs.
The Pleio remains available on Amazon (check the current stock here). But “available” and “worth buying at this price” are increasingly two different questions.
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I am very happy with the netgem puck it replaced sky stream. Had no issues with it, it’s been running perfectly but I do wish it had Ethernet port as WiFi can get diecy at the best of times. Been trying to buy another one but not available anywhere at the moment
Freely sold out at £100, and could have sold many more, if they had the stock. It makes business sense to put the price up, if only to cool demand in the short term. When the initial buying frenzy is over it will reduce in price.
The market place will determine if this product represents good value or not.
My guess is that their revenue model depended on people subscribing, and less people than they expected have done so.
I am sure their thinking will evolve over time and maybe they will produce a more straightforward offering as their volumes go up and manufacturing costs come down. This is presumably a UK-only product, whereas some of the products it is compared to are worldwide products with much larger production runs as a result.
My personal view is that this is a really well-executed product and I am very happy with it as an alternative to a SkyQ box which it has replaced. My only complaint is that it is WiFi only with no ethernet option.
Nothing is perfect but I think this is pretty decent. You can always find something to criticise; the secret is to try and recognise where the balance lies and in my view it is very positive. Furthermore this is very much a version 1 product, and I expect there will be improvements and enhancements coming down the track.
The claim that with other set top boxes their operating systems are frozen and get no updates almost seems like he has no clue about the competition. Humax and Manhattan regularly role out updates to their software and don’t have to charge the owners of the boxes for it it seems like Netgem just wants a subscription only model and that is fine when included in a package with an ISP as an extra but on it’s own for what it offers it isn’t a great deal since the channels they offer as extras are all available through free apps that you can download on the device and it isn’t available without the controller and games as part of the subscription which very few will be interested in as they will probably have better dedicated gaming options if they are interested in that. It’s a device that seems to get less appealing as time goes on.
“If you buy a standard set-top box, the software and content are often frozen in time on the day of purchase.”
What nonsense is this? Almost any set-top box you buy will receive app and firmware updates until it becomes obsolete. I’m not sure this statement justifies the price rise. The price has risen, I suspect, because demand exceeds supply.
It’s still full of bugs most of the players are out of sync and it some writing comes up in Brazilian
No issues on mine
No issues on mine either.
I purchased at £99 and returned it after a couple of weeks and upgraded to a Fire TV for £179 with Freely built in. So I no longer need a firestick and sold my old TV for £66 on eBay.
The Freely only puck/box should be £50 max..
I believe they have managed to sort the problem out of various stores running out of stock.
Think £120 is too much as you are now in Entire TV with Freely built in Pricing. Granted it won’t be the best panel in the world but all the Freely sets are basically budget brand stuff anyway. Be interesting to see what the other boxes go for when they release with component prices i.e RAM/Storage costing a pretty penny now.
I had no issue paying £99 for my Pleio, I have no access to an aerial so this is a godsend. You can install Google Play Apps like Amazon, NowTV, Plex, Pluto TV, Tubi UK, TiviMate and all the other usual apps. It’s great. My Only issue is the Freely TV Guide, it keeps losing internet connection and comes up with an error even through Freely channels play fine. After 45-60 mins I have to force close the Pleio app, then press the Home Button. Then I can press the TV Guide button again. I’ve tried factory resetting and everything.
Not had that with mine, that said my router lives just behind it as that’s where the Fibre line comes into the house. I have had to restart once of twice as some apps don’t always close properly and end up with the sound coming from them and Freely at the same time.
I had this issue. I solved this by using a guest WiFi network with EE. There must be a security issue with the normal network but I managed to bypass it by using the guest WIFI. Hope this helps.
Well, that’s my mind changed, I thought it was too expensive as it was, but with the price rise no thank you, why don’t they give you the option to just buy the device purely as a freely device, I have no interest in their game’s catalogue, plus am not bothered about the extra channels, you can probably find most of them on free streaming services anyway, total letdown from Netgem, shooting themselves in the foot 🤬
I just really want Freely as an app. I already have consoles and Shields, I don’t need another box, and I won’t buy one.
I’d happily pay a one off fee (I’d say up to £50) for the app, or (possibly) a very reasonable annual fee (no more than £20).
I have no issues with helping to support the platform, but enough already with the boxes!
Yes, (mostly) agree with Jim Simpson.
We too already have existing devices and have no desire to purchase another so an app to install would be favourable for us. I hadn’t considered the possibility of these apps coming at a cost, but I could be interested in paying a reasonable fee to have, at least, an EPG/program guide available (Not particularly interested in the Freely app itself though).
We use Google TV devices, and an EPG is a glaring omission of this brand. Is anyone even listening? EveryoneTV, Google themselves? Who is responsible for not having such a service available on the Google/Android TV platform? A freely/EPG app would be perfect and I could be interested in paying a one-off fee to have such a product available. (Not sure I would be interested in the more long-term subscription model though).
Does @Or Goren himself have any contacts in this field that could help pull some strings?
Fingers crossed! (Yet again!)
Wasn’t impressed with the pleio and low frame rate stream taken from apps & a cabbaged OS . £120 is daylight robbery
That’s almost as much as an Apple TV 4K which with the TV Launcher app gives a great experience
Same old, same old, just part of Rip off Britain, thankfully I have absolutely no need for this device whatsoever .
As this device has as much in common with phones as cars why not go down that route, pay £30 initially then £10 a month for the year and if you want to own it outright pay £100 as an optional final payment or hand it back. Then again if they compared it to say other streaming devices it would be hard to justify the ludicrous cost. For what was touted as mainly a freely device it’s now so far away from that it’s become another overpriced box not worthy of consideration. In my opinion of course.