In the past few months alone, HBO Max, Peacock, and Quibi have been released, adding to the glut of streaming services available. Ten years ago, going cordless was simple and good for your wallet. Cutting out cable TV and replacing it with thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows was a no-brainer, and the only real decision you had to make was whether to go with Netflix or Hulu (or both). Now, streaming services and content seem endless, but our time and pocketbooks certainly aren’t, especially with the ever increasing subscription prices. In addition to HBO Max and Peacock, in the last year or so, Disney+, Criterion Channel, Apple TV+ all debuted, and these are just the major ones that you’ve heard of.
It’s all a little overwhelming. It can be confusing enough to find a movie to watch – nowadays, you need an app just to figure out what’s streaming where. But it’s clear that technology has changed our movie-viewing habits for good. We don’t know the future of movie theaters, and the pandemic has moved the needle for this crisis from impending to imminent, but what’s certain is that SVOD is here to stay. Even the most stuffy and pretentious in the biz have been forced to acknowledge this.
But with the rise and expansion of streaming platforms comes the ever more confusing question of what you should subscribe to – the costs can quickly add up, and with the cannibalizing of each other’s content, it feels increasingly like we’re paying more and more to get less and less. There is plenty of data out there about the quality and quantity of content on the streaming services, but here’s my personal breakdown of each of the major streaming services1 that I’m personally subscribed to (all information is current as of the time of this writing). And the good news is almost all of these offer free trials, so you can find what’s best suited and most worth it for you.
1. NETFLIX
Cost: Basic/Standard/Premium ($8.99/$12.99/$15.99 per month). HD not available for Basic.
Simultaneous streams: 1/2/4
User Profiles: 5
Mobile app: Easy to use, very similar to the website.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Robust overall library, with probably the best combination of watchable licensed and original content
- International content is getting increasingly better, great for documentaries, and has cornered the market on standup comedy
- Still the most popular streaming platform, and as a result there are also plenty of browser extensions to enhance your viewing experience, like Netflix Party.
Cons:
- Got rid of what was the best rating/recommendation system of any streamer
- Very difficult to browse and actually figure out what to watch – it’s the virtual equivalent of shopping at Costco
- Plenty of duds out there, and a tendency to push/promote its own original content (which has taken a quantity over quality approach)
- History of frequent price hikes
Overall: Still #1. There are clearly a lot of grievances, but Netflix had such a big head start on everyone else that if you have to get one service, this is still a hard choice to beat. Content is king and you still can’t beat Netflix for sheer volume of zeitgeist-needle-moving content – at least for now.
2. HULU
Cost: Standard/No Ads ($5.99/$11.99), plus many bundle options with other streamers and live TV
Simultaneous Streams: 2/2
User Profiles: 6
Mobile app: Works fine but a little clunky. No mobile downloads for the lowest (ad-supported) tier.
Pros:
- Low starting price point
- Extremely flexible, with tons of bundles and add-ons, including live TV and sports
- The best overall catalog of TV shows
- Clearly indicates what is about to expire.
- More streamlined content than Netflix, and fewer bad movies/shows
Cons:
- Lack of substantial original programming could spell trouble in the future
- Very limited movie options relative to other services
- Rating system gets glitchy, can be hard to even give a thumbs up rating
Overall: Hulu might be the most flexible and customizable option here (Prime is a close second), with its variety of bundle/package options. It’s the clear winner in the TV show department, an increasingly important aspect in modern entertainment, and with plenty of sports and live options, Hulu probably most closely represents the modern TV watching experience.
3. AMAZON PRIME
Cost: $8.99 per month for Prime Video only (for full Prime membership, $12.99/month or $119/year)
Simultaneous Streams: 3
User Profiles: 6
Mobile app: Very easy to use, possibly the best streaming mobile app available
Pros:
- Huge library of streamable content that cycles through, including lots of classic films
- Access to a ton of other content outside of Prime Video on Amazon Prime.
- Willingness to be innovative – just recently it partnered with studios to show first run films and online film festivals.
- Promising future as a major player in original programming and distribution with Amazon Studios
- Cool integration with IMDB so that you can see what’s available on Prime on IMDB, and while watching movies you can hover to see IMDB info like cast and trivia
- Prime Video Watch Party (equivalent of Netflix Watch Party)
Cons:
- No simple rating system (you have to write a review)
- Content gets added and expires quickly, so it’s hard to keep track
Overall: Prime Video somehow remains one of the most underrated streaming services available, especially after just adding Prime Video Profiles and Prime Video Watch Party in the last few months. I was a Prime subscriber long before there were free streaming videos, and would continue to be even if Prime Video were removed – it just happens to be an insane perk. And the single best thing about Amazon Prime is that you have easy and cheap access to a ton of other content that isn’t part of Prime Video (often, HD rentals are $3.99 and HD purchases are $9.99).
4. DISNEY+
Cost: $6.99/month or $69.99/year
Simultaneous Streams: 4
User Profiles: 7
Mobile app: Well organized, easy to use
Pros: Huge library of nostalgia-bait
Cons: Nothing outside of its existing content library, which is bad news if you are not a Star Wars/Marvel/Disney fan
Overall: Great value for the price but really seems aimed at people who love to rewatch their favorite movies rather than the curious moviegoer. Its library is large enough that that works for now, but it doesn’t seem like a sustainable strategy.
5. THE CRITERION CHANNEL
Cost: $10.99/month or $99.99/year
Simultaneous Streams: 3
User Profiles: None
Mobile app: Not bad, but downloading movies uses huge file sizes (not adjustable)
Pros:
- Unmatched selection of classics, arthouse, and independent films from around the world
- No ads
- Specially-made video extras like interviews, commentaries, introductions for specific films and filmmakers, get ready to go down the rabbithole
Cons:
- Only available in the US and Canada
- Criterion is clearly not a tech company, there are sometimes technical issues, and super unwieldy to use from a UX perspective (hard to get to your watchlist, no automatic 10 sec fast forward/rewind, no viewing history, and no option to “continue watching” something you had started) as well as inconsistencies with playback issues and buffering
- Doesn’t include the entire Criterion Collection
Overall: Kurosawa. Bergman. Kiarostami. Truffaut. Fellini. Scrupulously and lovingly curated, The Criterion Channel is the must watch for any true cinephile (and avid readers) and a stay-at-home film education wrapped up in a convenient streaming package. Not only are there no bad films, but there are hand crafted channels, for movie lovers, by movie lovers. There are highlights every week like Saturday Matinees, Tuesday Double Features, and curated collections like Scorsese’s World Cinema Project, Palme D’Or Winners, Women Filmmakers.
- Of course, there are plenty of small, more specialized services like the popular horror-focused Shudder, or the free (with library card) Kanopy, but this post focuses on the big name brand ones [↩]
