“I’ll see you in the winter”: Zwift accused of “taking subscribers for granted” as monthly subscription rises from £12.99 to £17.99 – but company says price hike “necessary” for platform’s development

Zwift has been accused of “taking its subscribers for granted” after the popular virtual online training app announced yesterday that the cost of its monthly subscription was rising from £12.99 to £17.99 – a 38.5 per cent price hike.

However, Zwift says the prise rise, the first time the company has raised its fees since 2017 and coming just three months after co-CEO Kurt Biedler resigned amid further redundancies, is “necessary” to support the “future development of the platform”.

Yesterday, Zwift users were sent an email informing them that the cost of using the virtual training app was set to rise to £17.99 per month from £12.99, a price that had been in place since November 2017, when the monthly cost jumped from £7.99. US-based users will see their fees rise from $14.99 to $19.99 (an increase of 33 per cent), while European Zwifters will now have to shell out €19.99 a month to use the platform.

The changes are set to come into effect across the world from 6 June, and will apply to both new and existing members.

In the email sent to consumers, Zwift said: “We hope you’re enjoying your time on Zwift. We have worked hard to keep prices locked since 2017 and have made this change to allow us to continue making indoor cycling fun with more content experiences and product innovation.”

> Zwift users unhappy over price increase from £7.99 to £12.99 a month

However, despite Zwift being one of the last virtual training platforms to increase its prices in recent years, the decision has come under fire from customers, who accused the company of treating them like “cash cows”.

“It appears Zwift have introduced a new climb – a 40 per cent price hike,” British comedian and writer Stephen Grant posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Not sure I’m fit enough for that. And oh look, it’s sunny. Byeeee!”

“Wow! Zwift proving to be the latest company to take their subscribers for granted. £18 per month? Goodbye,” wrote James.

“Wonder how many people cancelled their Zwift membership today?” asked Chris. “£12.99 was just about justifiable for something that was a fun distraction, but I don’t ride indoors anywhere near enough to spend £17.99 a month.

“Bold move to increase prices by 40 per cent just as the weather is improving.”

“If Zwift had explained to me why their prices were increasing – such as improvements to the platform – then I’d have contemplated staying,” added Bob. “However, it’s just a basic ‘f*** you, we’re hiking prices, deal with it’. So I’ll see you in the winter, lads.”

> Strava criticised after monthly subscription price rises by almost 30 percent

Responding to this widespread criticism, a Zwift spokesperson told road.cc that while it is “never an easy decision” to raise prices, this latest hike is necessary due to the increased costs of running and growing the popular platform.

“We have worked hard to keep prices locked since 2017. In response to rising costs and inflation, we have changed our membership fee to support the continued development of our platform experience,” the spokesperson told road.cc.

“It is never an easy decision to increase prices but it now costs more to run the business than it did in 2017 and it is necessary to raise prices in order to support the future development of the platform.

“Zwifting today is a very different experience to 2017 when there were just three worlds and Group Workouts were just starting to be experimented with.

“We are proud of the additional platform benefits introduced since 2017 that Zwifters now enjoy daily. With an additional seven worlds, two event maps, plus a host of new experiences like the always-on Robo Pacer group rides, or the Climb Portal that transports Zwifters to iconic climbs from the world over. The possibilities on Zwift have never been greater.

“And yet the best is to come. Zwift will always be investing into the future of our member's product experience. The most recent edition of This Season on Zwift revealed some of the highlights Zwifters can expect to see over the coming months.

“We are committed to delivering more user benefits, new game features, and content experiences in the months and years ahead.”

> More redundancies at Zwift as co-CEO resigns, but company insists "business is healthy" and "our community is growing"

As noted earlier, the price hike set for June comes in the wake of a turbulent few years for Zwift, whose co-CEO Kurt Biedler resigned in February following the third wave of staff lay-offs in the space of two years.

Those February job losses – the exact number of which Zwift refused to clarify, except to note that they impacted “all areas of the business” – came after around 150 staff were let go in May 2022 before a further 80 jobs were cut the following March, that second round of redundancies accounting for around 15 per cent of the workforce.

Despite the redundancies and boardroom turbulence, Zwift nevertheless insisted that the company “remains a healthy, global business with a passionate community”.