LWN raises subscription prices by about 20 percent from September 15

LWN.net, the long-running Linux and free-software news publication, will raise its subscription prices by roughly 20 percent on September 15, editor Jonathan Corbet announced in a note posted on September 1, 2026. It is the third increase since the site adopted the subscription model in late 2002 and the first since early 2022.

Matching inflation, not more

Corbet writes that the online publication industry as a whole is struggling, and that LWN appears to be doing better than most thanks to its readers, but that the world around it has changed and prices in particular have risen considerably. According to US government consumer-price figures, inflation since the 2022 change has added up to almost exactly 20 percent, and LWN says it will match that number. Some of the publication's own costs, health insurance in particular, have risen by more than the average.

New monthly tiers

From September 15 the monthly levels will be: Starving hacker $6.00, Professional hacker $11.00, Project leader $19.00 and Maniacal supporter $55.00. Group subscription prices will rise by the same amount. Subscriptions bought before the change remain valid until their original expiration date, and monthly subscribers already active before the announcement will keep paying the old rate for the following six months; reminders will be sent before the new rates take effect.

What the 2022 increase paid for

The last increase, nearly five years ago, helped put the publication on a stable footing and more, Corbet notes: it allowed LWN to hire Daroc Alden and Joe Brockmeier, which he says greatly increased the depth and range of its coverage. The site has since added EPUB versions of articles, markdown formatting in comments, its kernel source database, full-text email and RSS feeds, dark mode and a public topic list. Considerable effort has also gone into keeping it responsive in the face of escalating scraper attacks.

A stalled subscriber base and a 30th year

Corbet says subscriber growth has stalled in recent years, which makes the strategy of keeping prices as low as possible and making it up in volume unworkable for now, and that LWN is working on ways to bring in more subscribers. He adds that in January the publication will begin its 30th year, and that the support of its readers is the only reason it is still around.