In the digital era, streaming services have revolutionized how we consume entertainment, offering a plethora of options at our fingertips. And with the market flooded with choices, it can be daunting to sift through the various offerings to find the best fit for your preferences and budget. To help you navigate this landscape, we’re going to do a pricing breakdown of 9 of the top streaming services and give our opinions on each of them:
Netflix:
The leading streaming service by a long shot, Netflix hosts an extensive library of original content, movies, documentaries, and stand-up specials including hit series like "Stranger Things" and "The Crown."
Pricing:
Netflix offers 3 subscription tiers; Standard with Ads at $6.99/month, Standard at $15.49/month, and Premium at $22.99/month. The Standard with Ads and Standard tiers boast similar features, with both allowing for 2 devices to stream simultaneously in Full HD, but for an additional $7.99/month you can also add an extra user IP to the Standard plan. If you were to add an extra user, the Standard tier would come out to $23.48/month, which is more expensive than Premium. So what do you get with Premium? The Premium tier allows you to watch on 4 devices simultaneously in Ultra HD, plus additional features such as downloading content on 6 devices (whereas Standard only allows for 2 devices) and the option to add up to 2 extra user IPs at $7.99/month each.
So what plan works best for you? If you don’t mind ads, $6.99/month is hard to beat. At a hefty $22.99/month, Premium is best for large households with multiple simultaneous users, or for power users who really want the best resolution and quality streaming experience. For everyone else, there’s Standard which sits at a decent middle ground.
Disney+:
The home of beloved franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Disney classics, Disney+ has a lot to offer in family-friendly entertainment.
Pricing:
Disney+ has 2 subscription tiers, the Basic at $7.99/month and the Premium at $13.99/month or $139.99/year. The major differences between the tiers are that the Basic tier has ads, a lower sound quality, and doesn’t allow users to download content to watch offline.
Besides the Disney+ subscriptions, there are also the Disney+ Bundle Plans that include Hulu and ESPN+. The Bundle Plans are as follows; Duo Basic offers Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) at $9.99/month, Duo Premium offers Disney+ and Hulu (without ads) at $18.99/month, Trio Basic offers Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ (with ads) at $14.99/month, and Trio Premium offers Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ (without ads for Disney+/Hulu but ads for ESPN+) at $24.99/month. There is also a legacy plan that offers Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ (without ads for Disney+ but with ads for Hulu/ESPN+) but it is no longer available for new users.
All in all, you could summarize the Bundle plans as choosing between ads or no ads and adding on Hulu/ESPN+.
To simplify, if you plan on watching a combination of Disney+, Hulu, and/or ESPN+ then buy one of the bundles. If not, then you’re realistically only choosing between ads or no ads.
Hulu:
With a vast library of current TV shows, classic favorites, and original programming, Hulu has something for everybody. Uniquely, Hulu allows you to stream new episodes shortly after they air on traditional television.
Pricing:
Hulu also has 2 basic subscription tiers, the Ad-Supported Plan at $7.99/month or $79.99/year and the No Ads Plan at $17.99/month. They also have a set of Live-TV plans that start at $75.99/month that allow you to stream 75+ Live and On Demand TV channels including sports, news, and entertainment. You can choose to purchase the Live-TV option as a standalone, or bundle it with Hulu, Disney+, and/or ESPN+.
They also have a couple of Ad Ons. They have Partner Ad Ons, which include adding on ESPN+ for $10.99/month and Disney+ (with ads) for $2.00/month. You can also choose from Premium Ad Ons, which include Max for $15.99/month, Cinemax for $9.99/month, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME for $11.99/month, and STARZ for $9.99/month. Note that you aren’t getting a better price for Premium Ad Ons when purchasing them with Hulu, it just saves the trouble of opening multiple accounts.
While the option to stream Live TV is nice, the vast majority of people won’t be considering it. So again, if you want to watch multiple services then purchase the bundles or the add ons, but otherwise the choice is simple. Ads or no ads?
ESPN+:
The number 1 platform for sports enthusiasts, ESPN+ provides access to live sports events, exclusive content, documentaries, and analysis across various leagues and disciplines.
Pricing:
ESPN+ has 1 plan that costs $10.99/month or $109.99/year. They also have a Pay-Per-View add on which costs $79.99 per event.
As previously mentioned, ESPN+ has bundle deals with Disney+ and Hulu. If you want a combination of services, it’s best to pick a bundle. If you don’t care for other services then there’s only one choice, do you want ESPN+ or not?
Prime Video:
Prime Video boasts a wide selection of movies, TV shows, and Amazon Originals. Subscribers can also rent or purchase new releases not included with their Prime membership.
Pricing:
Prime Video by itself is $8.99/month but comes free with Amazon Prime membership. Amazon Prime membership is $14.99/month or $139/year. If you happen to be a student, it gets even cheaper at $7.49/month or $69/year for Amazon Prime membership. Amazon Prime membership, besides the delivery benefits, also gives you access to Amazon Music and Prime Reading.
While Prime Video has been putting out more and more original content over the years, we think the service has not yet grown to the point that you'd buy Prime Video by itself. Either you purchase Amazon Prime membership, or you don’t, and Prime Video is a nice little add on.
Peacock:
With a focus on NBCUniversal's vast catalog of TV shows, movies, and original programming, Peacock offers a diverse range of content, including news, sports, and reality TV.
Pricing:
Peacock has 2 subscription tiers, Premium at $5.99/month or $59.99/year and Premium Plus at $11.99/month or $119.99/year. Premium Plus removes ads, allows you to download and watch titles offline, and gives 24/7 access to streaming NBC.
Another easy decision if you want Peacock, do you mind ads or not?
Max (HBO):
Known for its quality over quantity approach, Max features a curated selection of critically acclaimed series, blockbuster movies, and exclusive HBO originals like "Game of Thrones" and "Succession."
Pricing:
Max has 3 subscription tiers, Ads at $9.99/month or $99.99/year, Ad-Free at $15.99/month or $149.99/year, and Ultimate Ad-Free at $19.99/month or $199.99/year. If you care about downloading content to watch offline, Ad-Free and Ultimate Ad-Free allow you 30 downloads and 100 downloads respectively. If you’re a power user and really like to max out your streaming quality, Ultimate Ad-Free allows you to stream in 4K UHD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and HDR 10.
Interestingly, when compared to the other streaming platforms the price differential between Ads and Ad-Free for Max is not as large. The price differential is typically $6-10/month for other services, but for Max it’s $5/month. It’s not a price differential that should drastically alter your choice of what services to utilize, but we just wanted to note that.
Paramount+:
Formerly known as CBS All Access, Paramount+ offers a vast library of shows from CBS, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and more. Subscribers can enjoy a mix of current series, classic hits, and exclusive originals. This may change soon given Sony’s attempt at buying out Paramount.
Pricing:
Paramount+ has 2 subscription tiers, Paramount+ Essential at $5.99/month and Paramount+ SHOWTIME at $11.99/month. While both tiers are similar, Paramount+ SHOWTIME allows access to SHOWTIME exclusive originals and movies, CBS, live sports & events, the ability to download content for offline viewing, and ad-free viewing.
A simple choice: there’s not much else to dissect between the 2 subscription tiers.
Apple TV+:
While still relatively new to the streaming scene, Apple TV+ is making waves with its growing lineup of original series, movies, and documentaries, including hit series Dark Matter and Ted Lasso. With a focus on high-quality storytelling and star-studded productions, it's quickly gaining traction among viewers.
Pricing:
Apple TV+ has 1 basic subscription at $10.99/month.
It's also a part of Apple’s bundle plan Apple One, which bundles iCloud storage, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, and Apple TV+ into 3 tiers: Individual at $19.95/month for 1 user, Family at $25.95/month for up to 6 users, and Premier at $37.95/month for up to 6 users. To note, Fitness+ and News+ are only included in the Premier tier.
Differing from other streaming platforms, Apple also offers 3 free months of Apple TV+, redeemable in the first 90 days after you purchase an Apple device.
It’s difficult to make an objective choice for Apple TV+ given the number of options and differing preferences people have. Apple Music is arguably competitive with Spotify, thus if you want to bundle your video and music streaming services then an Apple One bundle might be the best option. If you only care for Apple TV+ originals, you can choose to wait until you buy a new iPhone or iPad or Macbook and enjoy the included 3 months of Apple TV+. Or you can choose the simplest option and pay $10.99/month. Compared to other services, there’s a lot of choices to make.
Conclusion
So all-in-all there you have it, 9 of the most popular streaming services broken down. It may be a lot, so let’s try to simplify it some more.
Do you want to stay up to date with trends? Then Netflix and Hulu will be your friends.
Care more for sports and athletics? ESPN+, no questions about it.
Craving that child-like whimsy? Well there’s nowhere better than Disney+.
Looking for more exclusive movies or shows? Catch the action on Peacock, Max, and Paramount+.
Happen to have an Amazon Prime membership or new Apple product? Try out Amazon Video and Apple TV+ and see how you like them.
Not sure what you want to watch? Try each service for a month and see how you like them.
Yeah, I ran out of rhymes. In any case, the choice is ultimately up to you. In matters of taste the customer is always right, we’re just here to try and help you make decisions with financial clarity. Happy streaming!