Streaming services can do more than deliver on-demand shows and live TV. Check out our top 10 picks that bring the movie theater experience to your living room.<\/b>
\nAre you a cinephile who wants to replicate the theatrical experience at home? You need a video streaming service with a large library and high-quality audio and visuals. But where to start? We’re here to help. The PCMag staff loves movies and has thoroughly tested the top streaming services for more than a decade. So you can trust us when to tell you which services are worth your money, such as Netflix, our highest-rated Editors’ Choice winner. The streaming video champ offers many original films, several price tiers, and Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support. Read on for more of our top picks and what to consider when picking the best movie streaming service for your tastes and budget.Why We Picked It
Netflix is the standard-bearer for streaming video services. It hosts an impressive selection of content, with new titles exchanged for older ones on a monthly basis. Then there’s Netflix’s constantly growing library of premier, original programming that outclasses every other streaming service’s offerings. Apart from its original movies, such as El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and The Irishman, Netflix has the most high-quality movies of any streaming service.Who It\u2019s For
Netflix is a premium service for people willing to pay premium prices. Netflix recently raised the price of its subscription plans, and not for the first time. However, a cheaper, ad-supported version is also available.Why We Picked It
Hulu is one of the best, all-in-one options for cord cutters, given its diverse set of streaming options. Movies are a key part of its content library, alongside on-demand streaming and live TV. Who It\u2019s For
Hulu\u2019s film library especially shines as part of the Disney bundle. This discounted collection also includes subscriptions for Disney+ and ESPN+. Disney movies and sports are great, but Hulu provides the thoughtful entertainment for adult audiences that’s desperately missing from those other services. Why We Picked It
NBC’s Peacock offers two plans: an affordable base tier with 20,000 hours, some live sports, and clips-based channels; and a Premium Plus option that builds upon the previous tier by removing ads when you stream on-demand titles. Peacock’s streaming library includes hundreds of movies, and some Hollywood blockbusters are available just a few weeks after their theatrical runs.Who It\u2019s For
Who doesn’t appreciate quality, low-cost films? Peacock is an Editors\u2019 Choice pick because of its generous affordable tier, but you can upgrade to Premium Plus if you want an even better experience.Why We Picked It
Tubi is a free video streaming service that claims a collection of 50,000 movies and TV shows. Its film catalog includes popular hits such as A.I. Artificial Intelligence; Black Hawk Down; Donnie Darko; Legally Blonde; Memento; Minority Report; Planes, Trains, and Automobiles; Rain Man; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; and We Need to Talk About Kevin. Note that Tubi’s library regularly changes.Who It\u2019s For
Tubi is for people who want a free service that doesn’t feel cheap. Tubi’s web interface and mobile apps have clean designs that neatly organize everything into descriptive categories. Unfortunately, the streaming resolution has a 720p cap, and you can\u2019t download movies for offline viewing. On the upside, the service keeps track of the content you’ve watched, and lets you manage a watchlist.Why We Picked It
Amazon’s streaming video library includes many popular and classic movies, either from a subscription, rental, or purchase. In addition, Amazon’s $8.45 billion MGM acquisition considerably improved the movie selection. Who It\u2019s For
Although it has a subscription option, Prime Video is also for people who want to buy or rent movies a la carte. That\u2019s where you\u2019ll find the biggest selection. Don\u2019t sleep on the subscription option, though. You can view video content in one of two ways: a standalone Amazon Video subscription or an Amazon Prime subscription. Either way, you’ll find numerous films to enjoy.Why We Picked It
Star Wars. Marvel. Pixar. Disney+ is the exclusive streaming home for family-friendly blockbusters that continue to leave everlasting impressions on generation after generation. Forget films, Disney makes entire cinematic universes. Although these movies may be best enjoyed on the big screen, Disney+ is where you can watch them again and again. Who It\u2019s 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. Select Disney+ films are even available in \u00ab\u00a0IMAX Enhanced\u00a0\u00bb quality, bringing the fidelity of the large-format film theater resolution to displays that support it.Why We Picked It
Max bundles an impressive collection of popular movies from Warner Bros. Discovery’s portfolio (DC Comics, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros.) and other sources (such as The Criterion Collection and Studio Ghibli). HBO, in particular, has a long history of offering new and classic movies from across the industry. That\u2019s why it\u2019s the home box office. Who It\u2019s For
Max has one of the best and most well-rounded streaming libraries, thanks to Warner\u2019s deep bench of brands ranging from Cartoon Network craziness to HBO prestige to Discovery reality trash. However, its impressive film library is especially appealing to mainstream cinephiles who care about movies beyond what was released this century.Why We Picked It
KweliTV is your destination for films from Africa and beyond. The service features more than 400 total curated entries, including Africa United and Black Enuf, along with other documentaries and titles you might find at an indie film festival. There\u2019s a free, live streaming component, and you can rent individual films.Who It\u2019s For
KweliTV is for anyone who celebrates the fact that incredible cinematic art exists outside their own borders. Apart from access to KweliTV’s streaming library, a subscription grants you discounts with more than 35 Black-owned brands, plus invites to members-only events.Why We Picked It
Previously known as IMDb TV, Freevee is Amazon\u2019s free alternative to Prime Video. You can watch ad-supported versions of popular movies, such as The Invisible Man, Logan, and Undercover Brother. Freevee also has original movies, such as Love Accidentally.Who It\u2019s For
Freevee is just one more reason to step into the Amazon ecosystem. When you aren\u2019t buying products or enjoying the company\u2019s other subscription services, you can watch movies without forking over cash.Why We Picked It
True cinephiles love the Criterion Collection for its lovingly curated collection of classic films. The Criterion Channel offers that same artistry and historical preservation as a convenient streaming service.Who It\u2019s For
The Criterion Channel doesn\u2019t feature the entire Criterion Collection, but it has more than enough content to appeal to serious film fans. It may not replace a physical edition, but you can download movies to mobile devices for offline viewing. The Criterion Channel even includes extras, such as interviews and commentary, to provide even more insightful historical context.Which Movies Can You Stream Online?
The movies available for streaming on a service depend on the distribution rights. It’s similar to how live TV streaming services negotiate with cable channel owners to get streaming rights. The services that own the rights to huge catalogs of content (or have the money to get streaming rights) have an advantage. Take, for example, four of the biggest names in the media business: Comcast (Peacock), Disney (Disney+), ViacomCBS (Paramount+), and Warner Bros. Discovery (HBO Max).
Comcast owns several movie studios, including DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, and Universal Pictures. Disney+ has classic Disney films, Marvel movies (but not all Marvel movies), Pixar animations, and Star Wars films. ViacomCBS owns Paramount Pictures. HBO Max includes movies from Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, and it has exclusive streaming rights to Studio Ghibli films in the US.
Netflix and Prime Video aren’t backed by traditional media behemoths, but they have large (albeit constantly changing) libraries of movies. Check out our features on what’s arriving on Netflix and Prime Video to stay up to date with the streaming offerings.
Both companies produce original movies, some of which have earned critical acclaim. Some of the top Netflix original movies are El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story, I Care A Lot, The Irishman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Roma, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Prime Video’s best original movies to date include Honey Boy, I Am Not Your Negro, Manchester by The Sea, One Night in Miami, Sound of Metal, and The Big Sick. Part of the reason Amazon and Netflix need to produce their own titles is that some traditional media powerhouses are releasing movies exclusively on their own services. Hulu doesn’t produce many original movies, but it is owned by Disney, which likely has some financial upside.
Apple TV+ doesn’t license content from traditional media giants and thus is in the unenviable position of creating most of its content in-house, though it has acquired some films and documentaries. This means that its movie library is minimal compared with other streaming services. On top of that, Apple TV+’s focus appears to be on creating original series more so than original movies. The most notable Apple TV+ films available for streaming are The Banker, The Elephant Queen, Greyhound, Hala, and Wolf Walkers.
Other services have a more specific focus. The Criterion Channel focuses on classic and foreign films. Filmatique, Mubi, and Ovid.tv curate a rotating library of indie movies and documentaries. Angelika Anywhere lets you rent or purchase streaming films curated by the arthouse theater chain. If that is your primary interest, check out our roundup of the best documentary streaming services.
KweliTV is one of the best video streaming services for celebrating Black art. Tubi and Crackle, which are free services, offer popular movies from years past, though you probably won’t recognize a good portion of the titles in their libraries.
Note that you won’t be able to watch the latest movies from traditional film giants on these services; often, a film has a theatrical release period, which lets it qualify for awards.Do Movie Streaming Services Support 4K, HDR, and Surround Sound?
Some video streaming services support high-end audio and video standards. For example, Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video all support 4K streaming. Other streaming film services top out at 1080p streaming, among them The Criterion Channel, Filmatique, KweliTV, Mubi, Ovid.tv, Peacock, and Shudder. Crackle and Tubi have maximum streaming resolutions capped at 720p.
Some services, such as Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, and Prime Video, support HDR streaming (either HDR10 or Dolby Vision). Support for higher-end audio standards (5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Atmos, or Dolby Digital Plus) is more common. Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, and Tubi all support at least one of these standards.
Note that not every movie on these services is available to stream at the absolute highest quality. The best way to find content that supports these high-end video and audio standards is to search for them in a service’s interface.
You also need a playback device that supports these standards. Check out our roundups of the best media streaming devices, projectors, smart TVs, and soundbars to find all the top audiovisual gear, keeping in mind that some services restrict the highest playback standards to certain devices. For instance, Netflix subscribers on macOS only recently gained the ability to stream in 4K. Prime Video restricts 4K streaming to select media streaming devices and smart TVs. No streaming service we’ve reviewed offers 8K content, so don’t feel you have to buy an 8K TV to enjoy movie streaming services. You don’t have to spend a fortune to create the perfect backyard movie night, either, but higher-end components will help you get the most out of the movie streaming service you choose.Movie Streaming Accessibility Options
Most of the video streaming services in this roundup include closed captions for the vast majority of their content, but only a few let you fully customize them. Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, IFC Films Unlimited, IMDb TV, Netflix, Peacock, Prime Video, and Tubi support subtitle customizations.
Only a few services support audio descriptions, which are audible narrations of on-screen events that would not be discernible through dialogue alone. Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, IMDb TV, Netflix, and Prime Video have this accessibility feature.Streaming vs. Blu-ray
There’s one major reason to consider a video streaming service over physical media for watching movies: potential savings. If you buy one or more 4K UHD Blu-rays every month (typically $15 to $30, depending on how recently they were released), it’s likely cheaper to subscribe to a video streaming service\u2014at least as far as watching movies goes. However, if you only buy 4K UHD Blu-rays occasionally or only feel the need to buy standard DVDs or Blu-rays, you might end up paying less over the same period compared with subscribing to a video streaming service.
Not all streaming services offer 4K plans, but those that do (Apple, HBO Max, and Netflix, for instance) typicaly reserve that high-resolution content for their top-tier packages that cost more than $20 per month. Don’t need 4K? Don’t want to spend any money? Tubi is free. No matter what you want to pay each month, our guide to the best video streaming services for every budget has a specific category for movie lovers.
On the one hand, the services’ constantly changing libraries may not appeal to people who like to rewatch movies from time to time. Presumably, when you buy a physical disk, you want to watch that movie many times or keep it for collection. The fact that a service might not have all the movies you want to watch is also problematic. Other people may just like the prospect of having physical disks offline for eternity. If you buy a digital movie from iTunes or Amazon, a recent lawsuit reminds us that digital content ownership may still be subject to factors outside your control.
Still, the opportunity to discover new films is a definite benefit of a changing movie library. Mubi, for instance, updates its Now Streaming section of 30 curated films every day, so you always have something new to watch. There are ways to use video streaming services offline, too. Many services support offline downloads on mobile devices, for example. Watching a movie on a mobile device’s small screen may not be ideal, but it’s still more convenient than carrying around a portable Blu-ray player or laptop with a compatible disc drive.
There are other options for people who don’t like the prospect of streaming services but who still want to go digital. For example, you could purchase digital copies of movies online and organize them in one place with Movies Anywhere. Alternatively, you can upload any films you already own to a Plex server and enjoy them anywhere.Which Movie Streaming Service Is Best?
When you pay for an on-demand video streaming service, you generally aren’t limited to just watching movies. Some of the best new shows are exclusive to on-demand services. For example, Netflix is the only place to watch Squid Game, Disney+ is Hawkeye’s streaming home, and Prime Video is the place to catch The Wheel of Time. These all-you-can-watch subscriptions make it easier to justify the services’ costs.
Video streaming services may not be perfect for watching movies, but those with the best features, large movie libraries, and support for high-end standards are viable alternatives to purchasing physical discs or paying exorbitant ticket prices.<\/p>\n