There are far more ways to stream video than Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Netflix. These are the top streaming services based on price, catalog, features, and more.
Fast internet connections and an abundance of media streaming devices have accelerated the decline of traditional cable. An increasing number of people are cutting the cord in favor of dedicated streaming alternatives (even if there are still some good reasons to keep cable). Streaming services are only growing larger and more numerous, leaving you with an overwhelming number of options.
If you’re looking to toss some money at a streaming video service, our top picks are a terrific starting point.Why We Picked It
Netflix is the standard-bearer for streaming video services. It hosts an impressive content selection, with new titles exchanged for older ones every month. And then there’s its constantly growing library of premier original programming, which outclasses its rivals. Netflix’s impressive catalog includes Altered Carbon, Black Mirror, BoJack Horseman, Dead to Me, Mindhunters, Orange Is the New Black, Russian Doll, Stranger Things, The Umbrella Academy, The Witcher, and even original anime. That’s in addition to its original movies, such as El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. Unfortunately, Netflix has lost some top titles recently, such as Friends (to Max) and The Office (to Peacock). Who It’s For
Netflix is a premium service for people willing to pay premium prices. It recently raised the price of its two higher-end subscription plans. The Standard tier, which costs $15.49 per month, unlocks HD content and supports streaming on two devices simultaneously. The top-of-the-line Premium plan costs $22.99 per month. This gives you four concurrent streams and access to 4K content where available. Netflix also offers a cheaper, ad-supported tier for $6.99 per month. Besides lacking premium perks, this budget tier doesn’t include every show in Netflix’s library.
You can download Netflix apps on a variety of devices, including your Chromecast, game console, PC, and tablet. And, yes, you can finally disable the obnoxious auto-playing previews. Other new Netflix features include Screen Lock on Android devices, which prevents unintentional screen taps, and more parental control settings that let you better restrict content and profiles. Alongside Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Disney+, Netflix is one of the few streaming services that supports both offline downloads and 4K and HDR streaming (now on Macs, too).
Netflix’s DVD mailing service ended on September 29, 2023. Streaming is clearly the company’s primary business.Why We Picked It
Given its diverse streaming options, Hulu is one of the best all-in-one options for cord-cutters. In addition to an extensive library of classic shows and a strong movie selection, Hulu offers a robust live TV option (more than 70 channels of news, sports, and entertainment programming). Still, Hulu trails some top competitors, given its lackluster original content and limited selection of 4K content. Hulu recently added Viacom channels to its lineup, including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, NFL Network, Nickelodeon, and Paramount Network.Who It’s For
Hulu is great for anyone seeking streaming convenience without abandoning traditional live TV. Its basic on-demand streaming plan currently costs $7.99 per month, while the ad-free version is $17.99 per month. College students can get Hulu’s ad-supported version for $1.99 per month. The Hulu + Live TV plan costs $76.99 per month and combines Hulu’s live TV service with the ad-supported streaming plan. In addition, all subscribers now enjoy Enhanced Cloud DVR, increasing the available DVR storage from 50 to 200 hours. You can also add the Unlimited Screens package (it allows an unlimited number of concurrent device streams in your home and up to three outside of it) to your plan for $9.99 per month.Why We Picked It
NBC’s Peacock offers two plans: a Premium tier with 20,000 hours, some live sports, and clips-based channels; and a Premium Plus option that builds upon the Premium tier by removing ads when you stream on-demand titles. Although you can’t stream some of NBC’s biggest hits on-demand (Friends, Seinfeld), you can watch other popular past and current entries from NBC, such as 30 Rock, Cheers, Chicago Fire, Friday Night Lights, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, Will and Grace, Law & Order: SVU, Superstore, and This is Us. Who It’s For
Who doesn’t appreciate affordable quality content? Peacock is also slowly expanding its live sports content, and now lets paid users watch Sunday Night Football games. Other sports programming on Peacock includes Premier League soccer, IndyCar coverage, and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) content. Note, however, Peacock no longer offers a free tier for new subscribers. Existing free subscribers are unaffected for now.
Peacock doesn’t support 4K streams, which is disappointing, but it lets you stream on up to three devices per account. Only Premium Plus users can download shows for offline viewing on mobile devices. You can download the Peacock app on mobile platforms (Android and iOS), media streaming devices (Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), and gaming consoles (last-and-current-generation PlayStation and Xbox systems).Amazon Prime VideoWhy We Picked It
Amazon offers two ways to get Prime Video: a standalone subscription ($8.99 per month) or an Amazon Prime subscription that includes shipping and shopping perks ($14.99 per month or $139 per year). Note that ads are headed to Prime Video in 2024.
In recent years, Amazon has focused on curating high-quality original shows such as Bosch, The Boys, Catastrophe, Fleabag, Hanna, Hunters, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Patriot, Tales From The Loop, Undone, and Upload. The $416 million Lord of the Rings series is still on track, too. Many of these shows are excellent and on par with Netflix’s offerings, though the latter has a much deeper content library. There’s one advantage that Prime Video has over Netflix: It broadcasts Thursday Night Football games, select MLB matchups, and most recently, WNBA games.Who It’s For
Although it has a subscription option, Prime Video is also for people who want to buy or rent shows or movies a la carte. Amazon’s video library also includes tons of popular and classic movies available for streaming at no additional cost. Amazon’s purchase of MGM for $8.45 billion should considerably improve the movie selection.
Prime Video is notable in that it supports 4K and HDR streaming, as well as downloads for offline viewing. Amazon’s video service works on a web browser, plus Android and iOS devices, game consoles (PlayStation, Xbox), smart TVs, and media streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Nvidia Shield, TiVo). With Prime Video, you can stream up to three titles at the same time from the same account, but it limits you to streaming the same title to two devices simultaneously. Prime Video also lets you create multiple viewing profiles per account, a fairly recent addition.Why We Picked It
Max’s greatest strength is its catalog of prestige original shows, including Barry, Big Little Lies, Chernobyl, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Sex and the City, Silicon Valley, Six Feet Under, Succession, The Sopranos, The Wire, and Westworld.
The service acquired the streaming rights to several other popular shows, such as Friends (including a reunion show), Rick and Morty, and South Park. Babylon 5 Remastered is also now available for streaming. In addition, Max includes select content from other sources within the greater Warner Discovery universe, including CNN, Crunchyroll, DC Comics, and Looney Tunes. Read our feature on everything coming to Max this month to find out what you can watch.
In addition to all those TV shows, Max bundles an impressive collection of popular movies from other Warner properties (Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema ) and other sources (such as The Criterion Collection and Studio Ghibli). Plus, you get all the wonderful reality trash of the Discovery universe, from cooking shows like Chopped to dating nightmares like 90 Day Fiancé. Who It’s For
HBO is arguably the biggest name in quality TV, and you can only stream it with Max. If Max’s $15.99-per-month plan is too expensive for you, a cheaper, ad-supported version is available for $9.99 per month. This tier does not include access to the aforementioned Warner Bros. same-day releases, nor does it let you stream in 4K or download titles for offline viewing. The ad experience is reasonable, however; Max says the total playtime of ads will not exceed four minutes per hour, and that ads will not play during its own content.
Max has all the top features found in other video streaming services, including offline downloads on mobile devices, support for multiple viewing profiles (up to five), simultaneous streams (up to three), audio descriptions, and modern apps. However, only a few titles currently support 4K streaming. Check out our Max tips story to get the most from your subscription. The service is available on mobile devices (Android and iOS), TVs (Apple, Android, and Samsung), and current-and-last-gen gaming consoles (PlayStation, Xbox). It supports Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku media streaming platforms, too.Why We Picked It
Disney+ packages a ton of Disney’s media properties, including content from Marvel, National Geographic, Pixar, and Star Wars, into a full-featured streaming service. In addition to classic Disney content, you can also watch originals such as Encore!, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Marvel’s Hero Project, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki, The Mandalorian, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, WandaVision, and What If…? Note that most of the content Disney acquired from its 21st Century Fox takeover is missing from the service, though a lot of those shows are on Hulu.Who It’s For
If you have even a passing interest in just one of the many beloved properties under the Disney corporate umbrella, Disney+ is for you. Aside from all the Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars movies already on the service (although not all Marvel movies are available here), Disney continues to debut its latest films here too.
Disney+’s monthly price is reasonable relative to the rewatch value of its content, but its basic tier now comes with ads. To remove adds and download videos for offline viewing, you must pay for a more expensive tier.
