Want to watch TV online? Here are the best streaming services you can subscribe to right now – perfect for cord cutters.
The best streaming service is more than just a matter of who has the greatest shows. It’s about the app experience, how quickly they release new content and value for money. Viewers have signed up to the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime in droves, and for good reason. There’s never been so much choice when it comes to picking the best streaming service for your needs, which is great for viewers in some respects but it can be overwhelming and expensive to make the right decision. The TV landscape has been changing fast – and that means every major studio in the US is figuring out how to play catch-up when faced with huge competition from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. In 2022, Paramount Plus will join in, rebranding the existing CBS All Access service into a broader service. In 2020, Peacock and HBO Max made the market even more competitive, to mixed effect. That’s why we’re here to help. We spend all day looking at these services, monitoring their original content, and looking out for what makes the best streaming services in 2021. To help you choose which ones are actually worth paying for these days, we’ve put together this guide to the essentials. What is the best TV streaming service you can get right now? If you’re a connoisseur of movies and/or TV, there’s only one must-have player in town and that’s Netflix. It is, unequivocally, the biggest and best streaming service, despite not always stocking its digital shelves with must-have new movies and TV; that said, this is the staple streamer you need to own if you ever plan on cutting the cord and surviving without it. These days, most smart TVs have Netflix apps and finding a streaming box without it is the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. The quality of the movies and TV we tried – mostly streamed in Ultra HD – on both TV and on tablets is exquisite. Since launching its own original content in 2013, Netflix’s originals library has swelled to an enormous size, boasting dozens of award-winning shows including Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black, The Crown, Master of None, House of Cards and later The Witcher and Top Boy – you can see our pick of the best Netflix series in the US. The number one threat to Netflix is its licensed content disappearing to newer, competing networks. Friends and The Office, for example, have both departed already. Both garnered significant audiences on Netflix in the US. Netflix will have to work hard to make up for those losses. Subscription costs have gone up by $1-2 a month as of 2021, with the basic plan at $9, HD plan at $14, and 4K Premium plan at $18. But don’t forget you can also give Netflix a spin with the 1-month free trial (in the US, anyway) to see if it’s worth your money. Verdict: 5/5 Amazon and Netflix are two sides of the same coin. That’s not to say they’re identical – they’re definitely not – but the differences are few and far between, and Prime comes a close second in the battle of the best streaming services. Like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video has its own set of original series – The Expanse, Hunters, and The Boys among others – but, generally speaking, they don’t receive the same fanfare as their Netflix-bred brethren. Although Netflix is as guilty for dud programming as the rest of them, it’s worth mentioning Amazon Prime does get some pretty terrible new additions from time to time. So always check out guide to the best Amazon Prime TV shows before you dive in head-first. The two big differentiators between the services are the fact that access to Amazon’s streaming service comes standard with a subscription to Amazon Prime – meaning access to Amazon Music and premium delivery services. A subscription to Amazon Prime will run up $12.99 per month, a dollar less than Netflix, but great value when you factor in the other benefits of the service. Prime Video is available for PC and Mac, the Kindle Fire HD, iPad, Xbox, PlayStation, internet-enabled TVs and Blu-ray players, Sony’s Home Cinema system, Sony’s Network Media Player and myriad other minor devices that will go unmentioned. Verdict: 4.5/5 Video streaming service Hulu offers big-name titles like The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, and South Park alongside a huge number of titles from NBC, FOX and Comedy Central. It’s also the only streaming service app on the Nintendo Switch. Hulu comes in two flavors: the standard on-demand streaming service you’ve always known and loved, and the new Hulu with Live TV -to learn more you can read our full Hulu review here. The former works well and is well worth its cost of entry – especially since Hulu’s price cut brought the monthly subscription to only $5.99 (you can also combine it with Disney Plus and ESPN Plus for $12.99 per month). Sure, it’ll air with a few advertisements, but it’s nothing you’re not used to coming from traditional cable. On the homepage you’ll find highlighted shows based on your past visits to the site. It’s got a pretty great anime section, too. The other option on the table is Hulu with Live TV, a cable alternative that will run you around $64.99 a month – which is, unfortunately, limited to the US. The service lives up to its name by offering you a bevy of live TV channels and 50 hours cloud DVR service and two simultaneous screens. This is a bit less than the next contender on our list – YouTube TV – which offers more screens and unlimited DVR space. The biggest problem with Hulu is that it lets users run head first into the paywall, keeping you from the content you’re most apt to pay for. Some call this good business. Some call it extortion. Wherever you stand on the subject the fact that you get so much free content upfront means that the old adage of „you get what you pay for“ definitely does not apply here. Verdict: 4/5 Disney Plus doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be the main TV streaming offering in your life.
