Cons: Slightly more expensive than the competition, movie selection pales in comparison to newer services. Netflix has spent the last few years producing a growing collection of original programming, including exclusive movies, ongoing TV series, documentaries, and comedy specials.

Netflix Originals keep subscribers invested when their favorite classic show or movie leaves the platform for another service. The success of Netflix exclusives, like "Bridgerton," "Stranger Things," "The Witcher," and "Tiger King," has helped the service justify its slightly higher price, and encouraged streaming competitors to prioritize creating their own original titles to generate more value. Netflix also has a large library of children's series and a separate interface designed to let kids choose their own shows without running into adult programming, making it a good choice for families in need of all-ages entertainment.

It also offers support for all of the latest video and audio formats, including 4K, HDR , and Dolby Atmos — though it does charge extra for those features.

Thanks to a mix of content and various plans, Hulu remains one of the most affordable streaming options with unmatched choice. Cons: Harder to share due to two-device limit on Basic plan, Basic plan includes commercials. Hulu offers two main packages that provide on-demand streaming, including a Basic option with commercials and a Premium plan without commercials. The service also offers upgrade packages that add live TV channels.

Hulu arguably boasts the most impressive TV show library of any on-demand streaming service, with a wider range of new and classic shows than Netflix or Amazon. Hulu also offers a solid selection of original shows , like " The Handmaid's Tale ," but its slate of exclusives isn't quite as notable as some of its competitors.

Hulu also lets subscribers add other channels like HBO, Showtime, and Starz for an extra monthly price. Amazon Prime Video is a capable, competitive streaming service that's more than just a Prime membership perk. Pros: Included with Amazon Prime, offers extra movie rental and purchase options, lots of international titles, can add streaming channels, 4K HDR support is included in base plan. More than million Amazon Prime members help make Prime Video the second largest on-demand service in terms of subscribers, even if they're not all streaming video on a regular basis.

Prime Video features a mix of movies and shows that are provided for free with membership, including original titles like " The Boys " and "The Marvelous Mrs. This is a feature that most subscription streaming apps don't offer. Prime Video has launched several award-winning original shows since and has successfully imported dozens of series from the BBC, as well as Hindi language films from India. And, unlike Netflix, it doesn't charge extra to get the best video and audio quality.

Disney Plus is the top streaming choice for families and fans of blockbuster franchises like Marvel and 'Star Wars. Cons: Lack of mature content limits the platform's potential, library of original shows is still small compared to the competition. Disney Plus is the fastest growing streaming service on the market, having amassed more than million subscribers since its launch in November The platform is the sole subscription streaming home of Disney's classic animated films, as well as franchises like "Star Wars" and "The Simpsons.

With that in mind, the main draw of the service is its wide catalog of existing Disney , " Star Wars ," Marvel , and Pixar movies and shows. There are some original films and series as well, but the lineup remains small compared to Netflix and Amazon.

It's also important to note that Disney Plus is designed to be family-oriented, so even Disney's hit exclusive shows, like " The Mandalorian " and " Loki ," are rated for teen viewers. Movies are also limited to PG so you won't find any R-rated content here.

With an endless supply of family-friendly entertainment, Disney Plus is a popular choice for parents , but adults who didn't grow up on Disney or "Star Wars" may want to find a second streaming service to fill their palette with more mature shows. HBO Max is a premium service for fans of prestige television, iconic films, and the latest movie releases.

Pros: Prestige shows and films, day-and-date streaming for Warner Bros. Like the cable channel, HBO Max prides itself on having some of the best movies recently released on home video. New episodes of "Sesame Street" are the highlight of HBO Max's family offerings; there's not a ton of educational content for young children, but there's enough to satisfy kids for a few hours on an indoor afternoon.

For now, the biggest drawbacks of HBO Max are technology related. Paramount Plus is a fantastic destination for classic cable TV shows, with potential for even more value in the future.

Paramount Plus is also home to exclusive content like a reboot of "iCarly" and several "Star Trek" shows. The streaming service hosts newly released Paramount movies as soon as 45 days after they hit theaters. With free and premium streaming options, Peacock is a convenient source for hit TV shows and movie nostalgia. Cons: Premium plan doesn't offer many exclusives, movie library lacks newer releases, no 4K or HDR support.

The service also offers a rotating slate of hit movies. Though few of the choices are less than years old, Peacock has dozens of memorable films. The best TV streaming services of Live TV streaming services bring cable channels to your TV through your internet connection, while video streaming services like Netflix play entirely on-demand content.

How we chose the best streaming services We looked at affordability, value, channel count, contract length and original content in order to determine which streaming services were the best options available.

Learn more. Read review. Netflix vs. YouTube TV vs. What to read next Read more. How much speed do you need for streaming? Taylor Gadsden — 6 min read. Cable vs. Joe Supan — 5 min read. Latest Tuesday, November 9, The best Amazon holiday deals so far to speed up your internet Joe Supan — 2 min read Tuesday, November 9, Is broadband access a public health issue? Start streaming TV like a pro with our free tips and guides.

Sign me up By subscribing, you agree to receive Allconnect newsletter and promotional emails. Thanks for subscribing! Apr 27, 16, 42 They all have top tier tv Get a fire TV with Kodi or install Kodi and all the good add ons installed and you can watch them all. Jul 12, , 21, Thebobo Lifer. Jun 19, 18, 7, HBO, Stars that's all I have now. Movie channel is a joke. MongGrel Lifer. Dec 3, 38, 3, Fanatical Meat Lifer.

Feb 4, 31, 11, Starz because Ash vs the Evil Dead. Mayne said:. OutHouse Lifer. Jun 5, 36, Hardknocks is over so unless you want to watch the version of Charlottes Web 50 times, there isnt anything good HBO right now.

The good news is that, unlike cable, almost all streaming services let you try out their product before you have to fully commit. A seven-day trial is usually the minimum sampling period, but as competition heats up, some platforms have been giving away an entire month of service. Netflix spends billions each year making its own original scripted and unscripted series, dozens of stand-up comedy specials, and a yearly slate of theatrical-quality feature films bigger than any of the major movie studios.

Maisel , Bosch, Jack Ryan. Amazon simulcasts some Thursday night football games, too, and is also rapidly beefing up its first-run movie slate. Instead, Apple is looking to build its own collection of high-quality scripted dramas and comedies. Night Shyamalan thriller Servant.

Jackson film The Banker. Hulu also offers the ability to add on a live TV service with dozens of channels and the ability to record shows to a cloud DVR, plus options to subscribe to rival premium services. The service has also supersized its movie offering, with the addition of a couple thousand titles from the Paramount Pictures and MGM libraries. The happiest place in TV land for Disney fans, since virtually every major movie in its collection animated or otherwise can be found here.

Original content is still a work in progress, but this is the only place you can watch The Baby Yoda Show sometimes known by its formal title of The Mandalorian. HBO Max launched amid some confusion. HBO Now, available since , was a digital version of the premium cable channel, serving up the full lineup of current and past HBO series, movies, and feature films.

For 98 percent of streamers, Max is the right call: more content, same price. Well, not really. There are also Peacock originals, including an update of Brave New World and a thriller called Departure.

The digital version of the decades-old cable network focuses mostly on original scripted series, including buzz magnets such as Billions , The Chi , and Black Monday , as well as long-running staple Shameless. While some hits do find their way here Minari , Forrest Gump , and Moonlight , for example , Showtime long ago opted to stop spending on big movie output deals in favor of making more of its own shows. In addition to a robust offering of recent and classic films drawn from the MGM library duh as well as studios such as Sony, Paramount, and Lionsgate, Epix has also been slowly building a roster of originals.

Notable titles include a well-reviewed adaptation of Get Shorty , dramas Godfather of Harlem and Pennyworth , and for Downton Abbey stans still suffering withdrawal pains, the Julian Fellowes joint, Belgravia a co-production with the U. While it sometimes seems this service only exists as a delivery mechanism for new episodes of Outlander , the digital edition of the cable network does offer a lot more for subscribers. Other original series include crime drama Hightown and the expensive adaptation of American Gods, along with Latinx drama Vida.

Plus, the Britbox Now section of the service offers a ton of U. Dramas, variety shows, and K-pop programming drawn from the libraries of three big Korean TV networks that also happen to jointly own the service. Studios Lionsgate and Pantelion Films are behind this Latinx-centric streamer featuring premium scripted series and about Spanish-language movies including some that have run while still in theaters in Mexico.

Programming is a mix of acquisitions from other countries including Drunk History: Mexico and originals such as Ana and Vota Juan. The horror, the horror — plus thrills, chills, and all the things that go bump in the night are the stars of this AMC Network—owned streamer devoted to scaring the heck out of its subscribers.