Fun
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Nostalgic
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Choked Up
Curious
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Weird
Now that you’ve decided to cut the cord and ditch your cable or satellite TV, you’re ready to start populating your life with streaming services. Though you may be familiar with the most popular streaming TV services, like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, there is a world of other, sometimes more targeted, services to choose from.
The well-established streaming services now have competition from every corner of the entertainment landscape—including most major networks and media companies, like Paramount+, HBO and Disney. In fact, there are so many to consider, you may need to whittle your choices down by considering things like original show catalogs, movie choices and back catalogs.
With so much content to choose from, it’s also easy to hit your budget by stacking services—which you can choose to pay for monthly or annually. So, before you start curating your line-up, here is everything you need to know about the best streaming TV services—and what works best for you.
Best Streaming Service Overall: Max
All recent troubles aside, the service formerly known as HBO Max, Max, is the best streaming service out there. As the name implies, the service is connected to HBO, which means that, in addition to popular Max Originals like And Just Like That and Hacks, subscribers also have access to HBO’s entire library of past and current TV shows, plus all of the movies currently on HBO’s roster. This, crucially, includes HBO’s signature Sunday night shows, a.k.a. the shows everyone is talking about. Shows like The Last of Us, The White Lotus, and House of the Dragon are added to HBO Max at the same time they air on the premium cable network. The service is also the streaming home to franchises and networks like DC Comics, Studio Ghibli, Adult Swim, and Looney Tunes. It’s a well rounded mix of the hottest TV shows of any given moment, classic movies, and fan-favorite franchises. Right now, the ad-supported version of Max costs $10/month, while the ad-free plan is $16/month and the ultimate ad-free plan with 4K streaming costs $20/month.
Our runner up is Netflix, which has the most consistent, popular originals out there — even if they only run a season or two. The service is packed with hits like Stranger Things and Bridgerton, plus original movies like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, tons of great stand-up comedy specials, and a back catalog with hundreds of popular network shows and movies.
Best Streaming Service for Live TV: Hulu + Live TV
If you are hesitant to cut the cord without a live TV option, Hulu + Live TV will stream all your live TV and comes with three great streaming services as a bonus. A subscription will get you access to Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+, and over 85 live TV channels. We’ve found that Hulu+Live TV has the most inclusive and well-rounded selection of channels included with a base subscription. You can stream on two screens at a time and all subscriptions now come with unlimited cloud DVR storage.
Hulu + Live TV costs $70/month (with ad-supported Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+) or $83/month if you want to upgrade to ad-free versions of Hulu and Disney+ (ESPN+ will still be ad-supported). If you’re itching to add premium channels, Hulu plus Live TV offers add-ons like HBO Max, Showtime, Cinemax and Starz. And you can try it for free for seven days.
Other live TV services include YouTube TV which is as simple to use as YouTube—and includes the ability to watch live or recorded programming. FuboTV is a live, 4K streaming option perfect for sports lovers and includes more than 100 channels, including ESPN, the NFL Network, Golf Network and BeIN sports. Sling TV offers live TV, but has a Cloud DVR option and offers packages with local networks, ESPN, and even channel bundles, but their base subscription channel options are more limited.
Best Streaming Service for Sports: ESPN+
If you love ESPN, you’re going to love ESPN+ even more. This streaming service lets sports fans watch live sporting events from the NHL, MLB, and NCAA, among other leagues, plus classic games, replays, original programming and studio shows. And did we mention you get access to exclusive written content as well? Favorite ESPN originals include SportsCenter and 30 for 30 and you can get it for just $10/month. FuboTV is another great option for sports lovers and includes more than 100 channels, including ESPN, the NFL Network, Golf Network and BeIN sports.
Best Streaming Service for Movies: Max
In addition to being the best streaming service overall, if you’re looking for a great selection of movies, head to Max. Because the streamer’s library is connected to HBO, a lot of great movies hit the service soon after release. You’ll gain access to all of the movies HBO currently has in their on-demand library or on rotation with their live cable networks. HBO Max is also the service any Warner Brothers movies stream on, as soon as 45 days after they hit theaters. The collection includes recent hits like Elvis, The Menu, The Batman, Dune, and more. Plus, many of the DC Comics movies and classics from TCM are streaming on HBO Max. Current pricing is $10/month with ads, while the ad-free plan is $16/month and the ultimate ad-free plan with 4K streaming costs $20/month.
Of course, if you’re a cinephile, you can check out The Criterion Channel, which features foreign and hard to find classic films, or head to Amazon Prime for an impressive vault of films, including MGM’s library, which are all yours with your Amazon Prime account.
Best Streaming Service for Kids: Disney+
A venerable treasure chest of kids shows, movies and content, Disney+ includes not only gives freedom to stream all those Disney movies your children love, both new and old, from the Walt Disney collection. From Cinderella to Turning Red, Disney+ has it all. The service also has content from Pixar, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, National Geographic and even 20th Century Fox content like The Simpsons.
Plus, you’ll get to join in all those conversations about the hottest original series everyone is talking about, like Andor, She-Hulk, and The Mandalorian. It’s a win/win for everyone involved. Currently, you can get Disney+ for $8/month with ads and $11/month without ads.
Best Streaming Service for Anime: Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is a streaming service with a focus on East Asian media, primarily Japanese anime.
The service’s library includes over 1,000 anime titles, 200+ East Asian dramas in more than 10 languages, and roughly 80 digital manga titles available with Crunchyroll Manga (included with a base subscription for American subscribers). New episodes of every currently-airing anime Crunchyroll has in their collection will hit the service just one hour after they air in Japan. Crunchyroll subscriptions begin at $8/month and go up to $15/month with more perks being added as you join different tiers.
Runners up include the omnipresent Netflix, which has a plethora of anime series including originals, and Hulu, which simulcasts new episodes of shows in addition to a back catalog of classics both dubbed and subbed.
Best Streaming Bundle: Hulu + Disney + ESPN Plus +
This streaming bundle will hit all the high points for every TV viewer in your home. Whether you’re coming at it from the Disney+ angle, where you just can’t do without all those kid’s movies, great Star Wars originals and Marvel TV shows, or you’re addicted to How I Met Your Father on Hulu or you just need to get your sports groove on with ESPN+, the Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ bundle is just $13/month with ads or $20/month without (though ESPN+ is always ad-supported), which is a super deal you just cannot turn down no matter which plan you go with.
If you’re not a sports fan, opt for the Duo Bundle, which includes access to ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu for $10/month.
RELATED: The 11 Best Streaming Service Bundles and Deals of 2021
Best Free Streaming Service: Pluto TV
Pluto TV is a free alternative to cable and satellite is a fabulous option for all cord-cutters to check out, though more as an extra rather than a full replacement. An over-the-top streaming service, which can be accessed online or using the Pluto TV app, you can watch over 200 channels like CNN, Comedy Central and A&E Networks. It also has access to over 1000 movies on video-on-demand.
Tubi TV is another free option, and has a very strong library of both classic movies and TV shows. It doesn’t quite deliver the same lean-back experience that Pluto TV offers, though. The Roku Channel is another option that entered the original movies game last year with Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
Other Great Streaming Services:
Amazon Prime Video
Included as part of an Amazon Prime subscription, Prime Video is a streaming service with a library of original content, in addition to shows and movies from other studios. Popular Amazon Originals include The Boys, Reacher, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and the streamer even produces movies, like the Oscar-nominated Argentina, 1985, Shotgun Wedding, and Being the Ricardos. Because Amazon owns MGM, movies like No Time To Die, the last of Daniel Craig’s James Bond films, are available to subscribers. Amazon Prime costs $15/month or $139/year. If you just want Prime Video without all of the other perks, the standalone subscription is $9/month. You can also then start adding Prime Video Channel subscriptions onto Prime Video.
Right now, you can also get 16 Prime Video Channel add-ons for as low as $1/month for two months as part of an early Prime Day deal as well — these include Starz, Paramount+, AMC+, BritBox, and more.
Apple TV+
You don’t have to own an Apple product to sign up for their streaming service, Apple TV+. The service is entirely populated by Apple TV+ Original movies and TV shows. In just over three years since launching, the streamer has produced an Oscar winning best picture in CODA and a two-time Emmy winning best comedy in Ted Lasso. And they’re showing no signs of slowing down, with new shows like Shrinking and the Oscar-nominated film Causeway. That’s not even including what’s to come on the service, which will be releasing Martin Scorsese’s newest movie, Killers of the Flower Moon later this year. You can get Apple TV+ ad-free for $7/month.
Paramount Plus
Paramount Plus is a service that combines everything from CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central, and the Smithsonian Channel, plus movies from Paramount Pictures and a great lineup of originals. As of June 2023, Showtime has been fully integrated into the platform as well, so all of their originals and films are available to Paramount+ subscribers at no extra cost. Fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the Star Trek franchise, or anything Taylor Sheridan produces should consider signing up for the service. Their current original lineup includes 1883, 1923, Mayor of Kingstown, and Star Trek: Picard. Stream new movies, too, like one of the biggest movies of 2022, Top Gun: Maverick, and ones straight from theaters like Smile, Devotion, and Babylon. Paramount Plus costs $6/month with ads (and without Showtime) or $12/month to stream ad-free.
Peacock Premium
In September 2022, Peacock became the next-day streaming destination for all NBC and Bravo TV shows, meaning you can catch new episodes of shows like Law and Order and The Real Housewives of Orange County the day after they air on TV. This is in addition to a huge on-demand library of past seasons of NBC sitcoms, classics, and more. Peacock originals including The Traitors, Below Deck Down Under and Poker Face are also noteworthy.
Universal Pictures and Focus Features movies also stream first on Peacock; in the past year this has included films like Downton Abbey: A New Era, Nope, and 2023 Oscar nominee Tár. Peacock is now exclusively subscription-based after the removal of the free plan for new subscribers. Currently, you can sign up for $5/month with ads, or upgrade to ad-free for $10/month.
