How to Choose Which Streaming Services Are Right for You

02.08.2024 14:00

Time.com

We’ve all been there: You settle in for a night in front of the TV, load up the menu screen to see all the different options available, and then just…can’t make a decision. Or perhaps in looking at last month’s bank statement, you’ve decided that some of these monthly fees have just got to go…but which ones?

Ever since every entertainment company decided to launch its own streaming service, choice paralysis has become an unwelcome bedfellow. Once upon a time, we only had Netflix and 140pp videos on YouTube to choose from. But now, there’s everything from Apple TV+ and Prime Video to Max and Peacock to pique our viewing interests with their expansive collections.

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While many viewers have cut the cord and phased cable out of our lives, we seem to have found ourselves in a new era of multiple services offering different packages with varying perks. And as quickly as they proliferated, they are also bundling and contracting—just last week, Disney+, Hulu, and Max announced a new bundle, with both ad-supported and ad-free plans—not to mention raising their prices.

Whether you’re looking for a combination of great comedy and classic movies or live sports and prestige drama, here’s all the information you need to pick which services are worth hitting autopay on for your specific watching needs.

Netflix

Netflix—which as of press time costs $6.99 with ads, $15.49 for standard, and $22.99 for premium—is the OG when it comes to streaming services, having kickstarted direct-to-streaming prestige TV and introduced binge-watching into our lexicon. Here are all the things Netflix currently does best.

True crime

Whatever your true crime inclinations, Netflix likely has a documentary or docuseries for you. The streamer has an unmatched catalog when it comes to the real-life world of the macabre, from one-off docs to anthology crime shows like Crime Scene to deep-dives into some of history’s most notorious figures, including the multi-part Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. If murder’s not your thing, there are plenty of other crime avenues to go down, from sneaky scammers to unsolved mysteries.

Defining original films and series

It’s impossible to talk about Netflix without mentioning its impact on the world of prestige streaming TV. Orange is the New Black introduced “binge-watching” into our vocabularies 10 years ago, and since then, from House of Cards to Stranger Things to continued to churn out zeitgeist-hitting shows. This is also true for the film side of its offerings, as the streamer has made more than a few attempts to nab some coveted Oscar glory with films like Rustin (2023), The Power of the Dog (2021), and Roma (2018). It’s fair to say that there’s a lot of separating the wheat from the chaff when it comes to Netflix originals, as its firehose strategy seeks to compete with Hallmark and TLC as much as Universal and Warner Bros., but buried in its overwhelming catalogue are some true gems.

Local language series

Depending on your algorithm, you may not realize that Netflix has one of the most impressive libraries of non-English-language shows and films in the streaming market. Beyond global hits like the Korean series Squid Game, the French show Lupin, and the Spanish crime drama Money Heist, there are countless other options available to dive into. There’s a really hearty selection of Korean dramas (even more so after the success of Squid Game), like Crash Landing on You, Business Proposal, and All of Us Are Dead, and content in Spanish, German, and Arabic have all seen an uptick in viewers. There are also a few Western shows and films that have been remade in different languages, including Bird Box, Queer Eye, and Love is Blind.

Comedy specials

Going head to head with Max, Netflix has emerged as one of the best homes for comedy, even creating an annual event, Netflix is a Joke, to spotlight its commitment to laughs. The slate is truly stacked, with something to tickle everyone’s funny bone, whether you like some good-natured bullying, like The Roast of Tom Brady, or comedic eviscerations of the human condition, like Bo Burnham’s Inside. There are loads of specials made specifically for the streamer from the likes of Dave Chapelle, John Mulaney, and Ali Wong, and there are plenty of ways to discover your new favorite comedy star.

Prime Video

If there’s one thing Amazon is going to do, it’s make everything you could ever want extremely accessible and just a few clicks away. Its streaming service, Prime Video ($8.99/month), fits right into this business model.

New film releases

If there’s a film you just missed getting to see in the theatres, chances are it won’t be long until it ends up on Prime Video, especially as the theatrical window shrinks. Sometimes you’ll only need to wait a few weeks before its little thumbnail image shows up, and even if it’s not included in your Prime subscription, there will be an offer to either rent or buy it, which sets the streamer apart from its competitors. There are some points lost for how much the interface tries to mask which films are and aren’t included for free until you click on them, but once you’ve been burned a few times, you learn to be a bit more discerning. Still, when it comes to new releases, it’s hard to beat.

Binge watches

Sometimes, you just want to leave a series playing for hours on end with no obvious finale in sight. When it comes to shows that you can seemingly autoplay ad infinitum, Prime is a gold mine. It has a strong collection of box sets from when TV seasons had more than eight episodes, which means you can let the likes of House, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Charmed play on and on and on. There are also options to add subscriptions within your subscription to services like AMC+ and Paramount+, which means you’ll have access to their collection of shows, like Mad Men and Criminal Minds, as well.

Old film favorites

As well as new releases, Prime Video is a hub for classics, whether it’s action films from the peak of the ‘80s or slapstick comedies from the ‘50s. Prime Video isn’t the easiest interface for browsing, meaning that unless you have a specific title in mind, you’ll likely have to scroll down a mega-list of genre offerings before you land on something you like. Not the best remedy for choice paralysis, but with options like the Jean-Claude Van Damme fight film Bloodsport (1988) and the original Guys and Dolls (1955) nestled in its collection, there’s a chance you might stumble on something you never would have picked without all that scrolling.

Max

“Drop HBO, just Max. It’s cleaner,” said someone probably about the decision to leave Max high and dry on the streamer masthead. While its legacy TV network name hasn’t been the only thing to face the chop (the streamer has caught steam for deleting original shows from its catalogue without warning), there’s still a lot on Max worth diving into, at $9.99/month with ads, $16.99/month ad-free, or $20.99 for the ultimate ad-free plan, which allows for more downloads, devices, and HD streaming options (savings can also be achieved by paying up-front annually).

Prestige TV

Even in 2024, there are few things more exciting than the sliced static intro of an HBO show. It signals that you’re in for a true night of television, and Max is home to (almost) all of it. HBO has long been considered the gold standard of quality TV, and its reign hasn’t waned. Max serves as the home for recent HBO water-cooler TV shows like Succession and The Last of Us, while its original programming, like the true-crime dramatization The Staircase and the instant comedy classic Hacks, are all ready and waiting for your discerning eyes.

Modern classic TV favorites

HBO didn’t get its reputation for great TV for nothing. While it’s been around since the ’70s, its ’00s boom in terms of shows you’d cancel plans for goes down in history. There’s The Sopranos and The Wire, largely considered the two best TV shows of all time, and of course, Sex and the City, which is still fueling discourse (along with spin-off And Just Like That, also on Max), over 20 years later.

Comedy hub

Max isn’t just a place to gorge on the best drama of the past two decades. It’s also become a natural home for comedy, both in its scripted shows and stand-up. In terms of specials, it rivals Netflix when it comes to the number of comedians giving exclusive access to their work. You’ll be able to find side-splitting specials from the likes of Nikki Glaser, Rami Youssef and Jerrod Carmichael, as well as classic sets from legends like George Carlin and Mel Brooks. Where it has Netflix undeniably beat is its scripted comedy. There’s Sex and the City, of course, but also Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and the Kiwi fave Flight of the Conchords to giggle the night away with.

Read more: The Best Shows to Watch on Max

Apple TV+

It may be one of the youngest in the pack, but Apple TV+ ($9.999/month) came out swinging. While it has plenty of films and TV shows shared by other streamers, its collection of slickly produced originals sets it apart from the rest.

Star power

Throw a dart at a bunch of A-listers’ names and, chances are, whoever you land on will be involved in some kind of Apple TV+ project. Leonardo DiCaprio? Yep. Tom Hanks? You bet. Reese Witherspoon? Ding ding ding. Whether it’s the apparent eagerness to produce any halfway interesting pitch with a big enough name behind it or the streamer’s very deep pockets, Apple TV+ has become the home of star power. Between its TV offerings like The Morning Show and Presumed Innocent and its big awards-season films like Killers of the Flower Moon, if you’re looking for a place to get your Hollywood fix, there’s really no other streamer out there that’s got more superstars on speed dial.

Auteur’s choice

Beyond being your favorite screen star’s favorite streamer, Apple TV+ has become a haven for auteurs to get their wildest (and often longest) ideas off the ground. Ridley Scott produced his epic Napoleon under Apple TV+ while Martin Scorsese tested the limits of every viewer’s bladder strength with his expansive Killers of the Flower Moon. The streamer even lured Steven Spielberg, who produced Masters of the Air, the spiritual follow-up to his landmark series Band of Brothers.

Prestige picks

With big names behind and in front of the camera, you’re guaranteed some good content. Apple TV+ made a big gamble in promoting original films and shows early on in its inception, whereas most other screeners preferred to beef up their catalogues with licensed content first. But the move has paid off, with films like the aforementioned Flower Moon and Best Picture winner CODA (which it acquired for $25 million at Sundance) earning Oscar nominations and wins, while original shows like the Korean epic Pachinko, the Ben Stiller sci-fi thriller Severance and the Gary Oldman-starring Slow Horses have been steady TV awards faves.

Hulu

In terms of streaming services, Hulu often sits squarely in the middle of where people feel it’s worth spending their money. But while it might fulfill a lot of the same needs as other streamers, there are a few things it does really well. (Hulu is $7.99/month with ads and $17.99 without, with the option to add live TV or bundle with other services for a considerable additional cost.)

Prestige TV

If HBO crafted the golden age of TV in the noughties, you could say that Hulu is on track to at least give its competitor a run for its money. This is thanks, in large part, to FX, which is also owned by Hulu’s parent company Disney. FX is home to so many of the buzziest shows in recent memory, including American Horror Story, Sons of Anarchy, and Pose. Its current reigning champions, though, are The Bear and Shogun, which earned 23 and 25 Emmy nominations in July, respectively.

Classic binge watches

Most streamers offer a variety of classic binge-watches of some sort, and the most beloved shows in TV history tend to ping-pong between services as time goes on (and licensing deals end and begin anew). While most of the non-original shows on Hulu can be found elsewhere, it’s worth noting that its collection is really strong as a whole. Buffy the Vampire Slayer sits next to Lost which sits next to 30 Rock, making it potentially one of the most chaotic TV marathons ever imagined.

Adult animation

In recent years, adult animation has experienced something of a golden age, and like most art forms, it comes in lots of shapes and sizes. There is anime, of which Hulu has a huge catalog. There are slice-of-life comedies like the ever-prophetic The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers, which you can catch on the streamer too. And then there’s the world of weird and wonderful, exemplified by the likes of Rick and Morty and Adventuretime, which let viewers escape into a world of color and absurdity.

Read more: The Best Shows to Watch on Hulu

Disney+

Few streaming services have launched with as much excitement as Disney+ ($7.99 with ads, $13.99 without, offering bundles and cheaper if you pay annually), which promised to bring your childhood and almost every major blockbuster from the last four decades straight into your living room.

Childhood classics

The 2019 debut of Disney+ was about as buzzy as Tim Allen in a Toy Story voice booth. When the service launched, one of its biggest selling points was its massive collection of animated classics. To this day, that’s still one of the best things about it. You can find every animated film from your childhood (whenever it was), and then some. There are classics from the ‘90s Disney renaissance like The Lion King and The Little Mermaid, older films like Cinderella and Snow White, all the way up to modern Pixar classics and the recent live-action adaptations (which have, admittedly, varied in quality). Now, every day can be like when your parents didn’t know what to do with you so plopped you in front of the TV with a VHS.

Franchises galore

At this point, Disney owns basically every major franchise going, from Marvel to Star Wars. They have The Muppets, The Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, and the entire Pixar catalogue too. Disney+ also houses STAR and the remains of 20th Century Fox, meaning it has the X-Men franchise and Diary of a Wimpy Kids. Sure, monopolies are bad, but when almost every major blockbuster from the last three decades is in one place, it at least helps to justify the price of admission.

Forgotten gems

One of the best things Disney did when they announced Disney+ was post every single forgotten gem from its archive in one big X (formerly Twitter) thread—Disney Channel Original Movies that everyone had forgotten about, beloved shows that ran for a few seasons never to be heard of again, like Even Stevens and the short-lived Jonas Brothers series Jonas, and random spin-offs you never even knew existed. Adding in the random shows and films that come with STAR and 20th Century Fox, there’s potential for some truly unhinged viewing choices.

Peacock

On the face of it, Peacock ($7.99/month no ads, $13.99/month with, cheaper to pay annually) may not seem like a strong contender when it comes to choosing an essential streaming service, but it goes deep in a few particular zones, and, well, if you know what the acronym SUR stands for, then you know who you are.

Reality TV

If reality TV is your thing, there’s really only one place to go. Netflix has been trying to wrangle the reality TV crown in recent years, but really, it belongs to Peacock. Not only did the streamer nab the original production bid for Love Island USA, which keeps getting better with every season, it’s also home of The Traitors, Below Deck, Vanderpump Rules, Project Runway and more than 10 seasons of the Real Housewives franchise. Basically, if there’s a bunch of people with a chaotic streak and slightly too tight faces, you’ll find them on Peacock in some shape or form.

Live TV

As much as being able to choose exactly what we want all the time is great, there is something comforting about the endless roll of live TV. Although it’s not the only streamer to offer live TV, Peacock fills the channel-surfing void with its selection of live offerings. There’s reality TV, naturally, rolling news channels and live sports like Premiere League TV and the NFL Channel.

NBC’s golden age

In terms of peak TV comedy, it’s hard to get much better than the run that NBC had in its Must-See-TV era. Where would we be without references from The Office to get us through dating-app prompts or GIF reaction searches? As well as The Office, there’s also its spiritual spin-off Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, 30 Rock and Community. And when we take it back further, there’s Seinfeld, Frasier, Cheers, Will & Grace, and almost the entire catalogue of SNL seasons.

Paramount+

With one of the most prestigious back catalog in film and TV history, Paramount+ ($5.99/month, or $11.99 with Showtime, cheaper if you pay annually) has a lot to offer.

Prestige originals

Like almost every other streaming service, Paramount+ has been dipping its toe into the prestige pool. It’s not quite competing with the likes of Hulu or Apple TV+ yet, but it’s made a bit of a dent. There are originals like 1883, the spin-off to the hugely popular Yellowstone (which is also available!) and The Good Fight, the spin-off to The Good Wife (again, also available). Shows like Dexter, Twin Peaks, and Yellowjackets can all be streamed there too. (And it’s a home for Trekkies.) It’s not the most robust collection, which is worth keeping in mind when comparing it to other streamers.

Old classics

If you’re looking for classic films, it feels fitting that you’d find them on Paramount. It has something from almost every decade: His Girl Friday from the ‘40s, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers from the ‘50s, Once Upon A Time In The West from the ‘60s, Cabaret from the ‘70s, Airplane! from the ‘80s and Twister from the ‘90s. And that’s really only scratching the surface. There are some benefits to being one of the most iconic film companies in Hollywood history!

Live TV and sports

Between Peacock and Paramount+, there are a lot of live TV options available to viewers. With Paramount+, you get plenty of rolling news and sports channels. Most customers probably aren’t turning to a streaming platform for its live TV, so it’s really a case of whether this is an added bonus on top of everything else it has to offer.

YouTube TV

Where other streaming services are beefing up their collections of original and acquired content, YouTube TV ($72.99/month for the Base Plan, with a discount for the first several months after signing up) is looking to fill the cable-shaped hole in your life with an emphasis on live TV and sports.

Live TV

YouTube TV is, essentially, a cable TV alternative. While original content is made for YouTube, it doesn’t sit under the banner of YouTube TV, which is in place to replicate the experience of channel hopping. This focus on live content puts the service miles ahead of its competitors for whom it’s merely a cherry on top. There are almost 100 channels to flick between, as well as a built-in DVR-style option as well. And because this is a tech service, after all, its algorithm still gets to know the kind of thing you might enjoy and point you in that direction.

Live sports

Among YouTube TV’s many, many channel options is a very robust sports offering. The service has access to (almost) all the sports channels you could want, like CBS Sports, ESPN, NBC Sports, and NBA TV, although there’s still some spottiness when it comes to certain MLB, NBA, and NHL games. One key feature that the service rolled out a few years ago is the ability to watch four different streams on one screen at the same time, meaning you’ll never have to choose between games again. That option is also available for news channels, which could come in handy for big events (if anyone can think of any coming up this year).

NFL hub

As an offshoot of YouTube TV’s strong sports niche, the streamer offers the option to subscribe to an NFL Sunday Ticket, which gives you all the NFL you could want. The pass means you can watch live, out-of-market games on Sundays, making it one of the only legitimate places to stream games from outside your state. There are limitations with the pass, though. For one, it’s expensive ($349/year), and while it gives you access to Sunday games, it doesn’t give you access to any weekday games. There are restrictions on being able to watch your local team’s games. Still, it’s one of the more bespoke offers when it comes to streaming services, created with a very specific user in mind.