Summary
- Too many streaming services; sort into tiers and pick selectively—1 or 2 tentpoles max.
- Pick Apple TV+ or Prime for ecosystem perks—choose one and use free trials.
- Only pay for niche services if you love the genre; use free apps but expect ads and filler.
There are a lot of streaming services; almost certainly too many. And most of them are overpriced. As a result, it can be difficult to determine which ones are more important to your home entertainment experience. Surely most people subscribe to more than one, but once you hit four or five, you’re likely to start reconsidering what you really need.
As the industry has exploded, it can be best to sort of think of streaming services in tiers, discerning options by price and quality, in an effort to make sense of everything available. You don’t want to get everything from the top tier; that’s too much money and time. However, it may be useful to pull from each of the various levels in order to get more diversity for your money. Here’s a helpful way to differentiate all the options available as you consider what to subscribe to and what to ignore.
Tentpole services pack in titles and features
Netflix, Max, and Disney+ are top tier options
These three streaming services are your main sources of entertainment, with vast libraries of new, old, and original movies, shows, and documentaries. Netflix, Max (or whatever the service is called when you’re reading this) and Disney+ all provide top streaming service features and include enough media that can keep anyone busy for a lifetime. They also all offer must-see event titles that people around the globe tune in for and that people talk about as soon as they are available.
All of these services are large investments, especially if you are trying to avoid as many ads as possible (which I highly recommend). In the case of Max and Disney+, there are also a lot of bundles available, and both services have undergone frequent changes, whether it’s to the name, price, or tiers available. Because of both the scale of the library and the price involved, it’s not necessarily wise to sign up for all three, unless you have a lot of time to spend streaming. It’s ideal if you can limit yourself to one, but two will probably be necessary for the modern entertainment consumer.
- Premium Subscription
-
$15.49 or $22.99 options
- Free trial
-
No
- Subscription with ads
-
$6.99
- Simultaneous streams
-
2-4
- # of profiles
-
5
- Originals
-
Yes
Netflix is a global streaming service offering on-demand access to movies, TV shows, documentaries, and original content. Founded in 1997 as a DVD rental service, it transitioned to streaming in 2007 and now operates in over 190 countries.
Streaming service ecosystems are tempting
Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime emphasize the brand
The next tier of service offers streaming entertainment in a couple of different ways, with two companies that want to provide entertainment, but don’t much care how successful the service is. That’s because, for Apple and Amazon, the streaming service platform is more about brand popularity and prestige than making money. Both are fairly calculating when it comes to what its making, and results can be mixed.
Apple TV+ features original properties exclusively as it didn’t own any intellectual property rights when it came into being, while Amazon Prime features both originals and titles it’s acquired over time. However, both also act as marketplaces. Apple TV (the OS) and Prime Video allow you to add on channels to your subscription and buy or rent titles. They are both also keen on getting you to purchase other products and services from their ecosystem, which is why both of these services are rather easy to obtain for free for a limited time.
As such, it’s wise to opt for one or the other when it comes to these services. There is a lot of value to obtain through free trials, so no one should spend too much money too often with either of these.
- Price
-
$13 per month
- Free trial
-
7 day free trial and 3 months free if you buy an Apple device
- Simultaneous streams
-
6
- # of profiles
-
6
- Originals
-
Yes
- Live TV:
-
Limited (There are live sports and some add-on channels offer live TV)
Be wary of network streamers
IP havens banking on customer loyalty
This is a curious tier aimed at those who really like certain IP; they don’t command a high price, but they also try to offer exclusive titles that are difficult to find elsewhere. This group includes Paramount and Peacock, and it would have included Discovery until it merged with Max.
These streamers are trying to get you lured in with relatively low prices and familiar faces, hoping that there is enough available to keep you thinking that an ongoing subscription is worthwhile. These are the services you should really think twice about; they typically come with free trials that can be obtained directly as well as through other ecosystems like Apple TV and Amazon.
Avoid these mid-range streamers unless you really, really love some episodic TV show that has run for ten years. Instead, opt for free trials here and there to catch up on what’s you’ve missed.
- Subscription with ads
-
Yes
- Premium Subscription
-
$12.99
- Simultaneous streams
-
3
- # of profiles
-
6
- Originals
-
Star Trek: Discovery, Mayor of Kingstown
- Live TV
-
Yes, but limited number of channels
Niche services to satisfy cravings
From Shudder to Mubi, genre services are everywhere
These are for genre diehards, and it’s hard to argue against any of them in particular. That’s because if you really like the style of entertainment they offer, you’re likely going to pay whatever it is to get it. There’s Mubi, which offers global and prestige cinema; Shudder caters to horror fans; BritBox, meanwhile, is filled with British titles that are so very British indeed. Anime fans can enjoy titles from Crunchyroll, while anyone who loves K-Dramas can subscribe to KOCOWA.
The main issue with these services is the money behind them; they may be widely available, but the apps and interfaces likely aren’t up to the same standard as higher-end services. The prices may be high or subscriptions may include ads. Premium resolution and HDR may not be readily available either.
- Premium Subscription
-
14.99/mo
- founded
-
February 14, 2007
- number of users
-
15 million
- notable movies
-
The Substance, Dahomey, Decision to Leave, Fallen Leaves, Maria, Passages
- Price
-
14.99/mo
- Free trial
-
7 days
Embrace free streamers with plenty of caveats
Tubi and Hoopla offer big libraries with a catch
Lastly, you can go wild with all these many free services available; just temper some expectations because, after all, they are free. The trade-off tends to involve limits on how many titles you can watch a month, or the presence of ads. The libraries may be questionable too, and sifting through them can be tedious. Still, there is plenty to enjoy.
Kanopy and Hoopla stand out because they don’t have ads and tend to feature quality catalogs with titles from around the world, including recent releases; you just need a library card to access them. Tubi (not to be confused with Mubi) is gaining a lot of steam and popularity. Its library is vast and while there isn’t a lot of great quality, there is a lot of mindless entertainment.
Just be wary of “free” channels available alongside streaming services or included in smart TV operating systems. These offerings feature a lot of titles but little quality, with 24/7 channels featuring reruns of reality TV and cheesy 90s dramas, or channels dedicated to music, ambiance, or weather. Most of it is fluff and simply takes up space. You’re likely better off avoiding these channels.
- Premium Subscription
-
No
- number of users
-
80 million
- notable movies
-
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Child’s Play, White House Down, Knives Out, It
- Price
-
Free
- Free trial
-
N/A
- notable shows
-
Hemlock Grove, Babylon 5, Spartacus, Gotham, Columbo
