If you can only afford one, which video-streaming service is worth your cash, Netflix or Hulu?
It’s hard to remember a time before streaming video services were everywhere. It’s almost impossible to pick up a device with a screen that doesn’t support them, especially the big two: Netflixand Hulu.
Netflix got started in 1997 as a DVD-by-mail service with no late fees. That idea pretty much put movie rental places out of business. In 2007, it started offering streaming content, which has quickly become its core business (and a major source of internet traffic).
Netflix has 137 million members worldwide as of Q3 2018, more than 58.46 million of which are in the US (about 2.8 million still get DVDs). While movies were once the main reason to watch Netflix, these days it’s known for original TV programming that has inspired many a binge watch. It literally spends billions on original shows and movies.
Hulu started as a similar beast, though centered more on network TV than movies. It launched in 2008, mainly as a syndication engine for its owners, like NBC Universal, and quickly became the go-to service for finding programs from most of the major television networks (minus CBS and The CW) shortly after they aired. It’s the second most watched streaming service in the US, according to comScore—behind Netflix.
Hulu is only available in the US (with a knock-off service in Japan; you can’t even get it in Canada) and recently hit 25 million subscribers. That’s great growth, double what it had in 2016.
Hulu’s biggest change was the May 2017 jump into live TV, which is actually a completely separate service on par with Sling TV and DirecTV Now, so we’re not really considering it here. But if you need a Live TV service without paying for basic cable, Hulu with Live TV is our Editors’ Choice.
If you’re the type of person who will only subscribe to one streaming video service, how do you pick? We’ll look at each service and pick a winner in several categories to determine which service is best. Price
Hulu used to have a free tier with limited shows and advertising, but killed it in 2016. Right now, the base price is a flat $7.99 per month for its base content. (Hulu used to call this tier « Hulu Plus, » but now it’s just Hulu.) But as of Feb. 26,2019, that price will drop to $5.99.
That price is great, but the biggest problem with that base tier is it still shows commercials. If you’re okay with that, then enjoy. But you can go commercial free, if you want to pay for it. (Thank Twitter for that one.) For $11.99 per month, watch sans commercials with a few exceptions that, due to streaming rights, must show commercials before and after a show. With that tier of service, you can view Hulu on only one device at a time officially, but typically it’ll run on two or three at a time. You can create up to six different profiles per account, and put a Hulu account on hold for up to 12 weeks if you’re going to be traveling. (Hulu With Live TV will set you back $39.99 per month, increasing to $45 come Feb. 26.)
Netflix pricing is a little more complicated. As of its 2019 price hike, standard definition (SD) is $8.99 per month for one stream at a time; two screens simultaneously in high definition (HD) is $12.99 a month. That HD part is key—two screens are fine and all, but HD is a necessity on most TVs and computers. SD just doesn’t cut it, quality-wise.
You can go to four screens at a time for $15.99 a month—and with that Premium plan you also get support for Ultra HD. That’s necessary for a 4K TV…as is a pretty rock-solid 25 Megabit per second (Mbps) or higher internet download connection and some specific hardware.
All Netflix tiers are ad-free (beyond it pimping its original content on log-in screens incessantly). You get up to five profiles per account, so everyone in the household can have their own « My List » of shows. Also, while Netflix likewise states in its terms of service that users shouldn’t share their password, the company is on record saying it doesn’t really care about that. It’s also testing a $4-per-month, mobile-only subscription. Netflix does not have a live TV option.
WINNER: Tie. Netflix Standard is worth that extra dollar per month over Hulu, even commercial free. Overall Content Selection
The most important criteria when it comes to picking a video-streaming service is what you can watch.
