TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What Are The Best Streaming Services Available?
- Side-by-side Streaming Services Comparison
- Streaming Services FAQs
- Bottom Line
The number of available streaming services has exploded over the past five years. The launch of new options such as Max, Peacock, Disney+ and Apple TV+, joining older ones like Netflix
What Are The Best Streaming Services Available?
There are more than 200 streaming services available worldwide. Many of them focus on special interests, such as BET+, which offers entertainment focused on Black culture. Less than three dozen have at least 50 million subscribers, with Netflix the most popular at 247 million subscribers.
Determining the best TV streaming service means looking at things like:
- The cheapest pricing
- Live sports availability
- Movie selection
- Whether the streamer has ads
- Password sharing restrictions, if any
The cheapest streaming service among the big offerings is Peacock at $5.99 per month with ads. To discover an option that delivers all you needs, here’s a guide to find the best live streaming service.
Netflix
Netflix is the world’s most popular streaming service. You can stream originals, including TV shows like Squid Game and Stranger Things and movies like The Woman King, as well as acquisitions such as the TV show Suits. Subscriptions are all paid, and the ad-supported option costs $6.99/month, less than the standard ($15.49) and premium ($22.99).
Following a recent password crackdown, Netflix allows extra member slots for people outside a household for $7.99 per month for standard and premium subscribers. Pros of the service include a vast content library and an outstanding app that works seamlessly. Cons include the inability to share passwords and higher price for the premium (ultra-HD) tier. It is best for people who stream a lot of content, love watching the latest hit series, and don’t mind spending a bit more for high-quality video. It also has a decent recommendation algorithm. You can view price breakdowns before subscribing to Netflix.
Hulu
Hulu started as a hub for content for the broadcast networks but now includes a mix of originals and acquisitions. Top shows include The Kardashians and The Handmaid’s Tale, and movies range from Night at the Museum to Quiz Lady. A paid subscription is required, but you can do a seven-day free trial.
The cheapest Hulu plan has ads and costs $7.99 per month. The no-ad version costs $17.99 monthly. Hulu also offers four live cable plans ranging from $75.99/month to $89.99/month; Hulu + Live TV is an excellent live streaming option with many channels. The app works well, and customer support is solid. The recommendations are more basic than Netflix, and finding new content on the app can be harder than with some other services. Pros of Hulu include the low price with ads, the breadth of content and some excellent documentaries. Cons include a smaller content selection than other major streaming services and less user-friendly presentation. You can view price breakdowns before subscribing to Hulu.
Amazon Prime Video
The final one of the “big three” streamers, Amazon has an extensive library of movies (both original and acquired), many original series, and a few good acquired TV series, though it’s best known for films. Popular originals include Red, White & Royal Blue, The Summer I Turned Pretty and Manchester by the Sea.
Pros of Amazon Prime Video include access to popular older hits like and decent pricing. You can get a subscription to just video for $8.99 per month. It costs $14.99 per month if you want video plus Amazon Prime membership, which includes free shipping on many Amazon buys. Cons of Amazon Prime Video include a less-user-friendly app (the suggested content is often irrelevant) and fewer high-profile TV shows than Netflix. There’s currently no free or ad-supported version of the service, though ads are coming in early 2024. You can view price breakdowns before subscribing to Amazon.
Max
Max, formerly HBO Max, contains content from all of Warner Bros. Discovery’s channels—which is a ton of content. That includes HBO, all the Discovery channels, Warner Bros. Movies (including DC Comics and Barbie) and more. Top shows and movies include Friends, the Justice League series, And Just Like That, Succession, Fixer Upper and more.
Max has fantastic content, but the app isn’t user friendly. Finding new shows and movies can be challenging. There’s no free version of the service, which requires a subscription and offers a version with ads ($9.99/month) and without ($15.99/month). Other pros of Max include access to popular HBO shows, but the cons are considerable—it’s among the most expensive services, the app can be glitchy, especially when trying to watch a very popular show, and the original-to-Max programming isn’t broadly appealing (think Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai). You can purchase the Bleacher Report Sports add-on to get live NBA, NHL, NBA and other games. You can view price breakdowns before subscribing to Max.
Peacock
Peacock, the service from Comcast
MORE FROMFORBES ADVISOR
The service is best for movie lovers. Peacock’s offerings include the upcoming prequel Ted, drama Poker Face, Harry Potter movies, Saturday Night Live and other NBC programs, and more. In addition to limited sports programming, it doesn’t have a great kids’ selection. Other pros include the cheap ad-supported subscription rate and the availability of classic TV content, like House, Modern Family, 30 Rock, 21 Jump Street and more. Though Peacock originally had a free version, that is no longer offered. You can view price breakdowns before subscribing to Peacock.
Disney+
Disney+ has some of the most buzzworthy streaming content, including Marvel movies and original shows, Star Wars movies and original shows, Pixar movies and classic Disney animation. Disney offers the service with ads for $7.99/month and without for $13.99/month. You can also bundle it with Hulu and ESPN+, two other Disney-owned offerings.
Disney+ has tons of content, and it’s well organized on the app. You can browse by content category or channel, and it promotes new shows and movies prominently. The app doesn’t suffer the glitches of other newer streamers, either. Other pros include affordability. The cons include no free trial and no streaming sports option in the app, though you can get the ESPN+ add-on. The service is best for people with children and those who love the MCU or Star Wars. You can view price breakdowns before subscribing to Disney+.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ has one of the most limited content libraries of the major streamers, as well as one of the lowest subscriber rates. But it also has one of the highest-buzz originals in comedy Ted Lasso and some prestige movies, such as Killers of the Flower Moon. It’s $9.99/month with no ads.
Since it lacks the vast content of other streamers, Apple TV+ is best suited to those who want to watch a specific show or movie. The streamer’s original shows are quite good, though the app can be glitchy at times, timing out or not loading. Other cons include the challenge to find older content because of the way the app is organized. It also has limited live sports options, though MLB and MLS are subscription add-on options. There’s no free version of Apple TV+, but you can do a free trial. You can view price breakdowns before subscribing to Apple TV+.
Paramount PARA +
Paramount+ has seen a big increase in subscribers in the past year, due in part to the popularity of Yellowstone, its standout original that’s also spawned several spinoffs. The service also streams Paramount’s movie library, such as Top Gun: Maverick. It’s affordable at $5.99/month with ads and $11.99/month with Showtime thrown in.
The service is best for those who love Taylor Sheridan (the Yellowstone producer has multiple series on Paramount+) or want early access to blockbuster films. It’s not great for sports fans—aside from Sunday NFL games on CBS, the sports lineup is mostly European soccer. The app is fine, neither greatly organized nor glitchy. There is no free version, and even the higher-priced option has a few ads.
You can view price breakdowns before subscribing to Paramount+.
Side-by-side Streaming Services Comparison
Here’s a service-by-service breakdown of pricing, ad options, free trial availability and device streaming limits.
Streaming Services FAQs
What is the best live streaming service?
Hulu + Live TV is the best service available with a reasonable price. It has more channels (over 90) than Sling’s lower-priced options, including popular ones like ESPN, FX, TNT, A&E, Food Network and all the broadcast networks, like ABC and CBS.
What is the best cable streaming service?
The best cable streaming service is Max. Cord-cutters love it because it includes access to loads of cable shows in one location, including the hugely popular HBO programs, which rank among the top shows on cable.
What is the cheapest streaming service?
At just $5.99 per month for the ad-supported version, Peacock is the cheapest of the major streaming services.
What is the best streaming service for sports?
The best streaming service for sports is ESPN+, which you can get in a bundle with Hulu. It includes access to hundreds of college sporting events, such as football, baseball, soccer, field hockey and more, as well as professional soccer, baseball, boxing, tennis and others.
What is the best streaming service for foreign films and series?
Acorn TV and BritBox are two of the best streaming services for foreign films and series. Both carry a large variety of options—Acorn is mostly British but streams some shows from farther abroad, while BritBox has the best British hits.
What is the best streaming service for families or kids?
The best streaming service for families and kids is Disney+. Its huge library of classic animated content, including all the princess movies, plus fun originals like the newly released Percy Jackson reboot, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, make Disney+ stand head and shoulders above other streaming options for children.
Bottom Line
From the cheapest streaming service to the best one for sports, you can find it all with the biggest major streaming offerings. All provide fantastic original content mixed with some classics, and if you’re willing to pay a little extra, you can even skip the ads. Happy streaming!