Streaming TV Subscription Guide: Amazon, Disney+, VRV, and More

Overwhelmed by the choices available for streaming services? Looking for a cost comparison for which services are best for your viewing needs plus the best TV shows to watch on each platform? We have you covered!

Below is our streaming guide, broken up into three sections: The Big 3, The Upstarts, and Niche / Channel-Specific Services. This is just a fraction of what’s currently available as standalone or add-on subscription services, so we will continue to update this list as well as our individual recommendations pages in the coming weeks and months. Be sure to keep checking back for even more suggestions!

Before you get started, here are a few general tips to keep in mind when deciding on a new subscription:

• Most of these services are available across all platforms (Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, Android, iPhone, iPad, etc)
• Some of these services are available as add-ons to Amazon Prime, Hulu, or other streaming platforms.
• Most offer free trials ranging from 7-30 days (or in the case of YouTube Premium, 3 months!)
• Some allow offline viewing / downloading episodes or movies—so keep an eye on that if having offline access is particularly important to you.
• Pricing varies from $4.99 for smaller libraries to $44.99 a month for streaming + Live TV, but check for discounts on family and/or student plans. Of note, some—including Acorn TV—may also be part of your library’s digital system.
• YouTube and Hulu also offer services which bundle in Live TV and DVR options if you want to keep some cable channels in your lineup.

The Big 3:

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime’s Video service is one of the most robust, thanks not only to its free inclusion of older HBO series but a large selection of add-ons. However, its user experience on desktop is one of the absolute worst, as search results routinely take you to DVD sets rather than the series you want to stream. Having said that, if you have a Fire TV or the Amazon Prime app, things get much better navigation-wise, although the service could do better in promoting its library of content. Another bonus: No commercials (except for other Amazon shows before each episode starts), and all episodes of new series are released at once.

Cost: $119/year or $12.99/mo bundled to also give you free 2-day shipping; $8.99/mo just for video

What Makes It Unique: Amazon’s video service is one of the best deals thanks to its shipping bundle (which comes with other perks). Amazon also has its own hardware that pushes its content (Fire TV) and offers more potential add-ons than any other service.

Here are our picks for the 50 best TV series on Amazon

Hulu

A joint venture among Disney/ABC, FOX, NBCUniversal, and Time Warner, Hulu has continued to expand its deep catalogue with a slew of original series and co-productions, especially from the UK and Australia. It has also recently added a Live TV bundle package (which is basically cable). Though the standard Hulu subscription is a bargain, if it’s your main streaming service you might consider upgrading to their premium no-ad version.

Cost: $5.99/mo with ads, $11.99/mo no adds, and Hulu + live TV for $44.99/mo

What Makes It Unique:   Hulu  has an expansive catalogue and the option of a variety of premium ad-ons. Its app experience could use some tweaking (as it pushes you towards what’s new rather than what you were previously watching or your queue), but it’s a great place to watch recent network content coupled with its own comedy gems. Though repetitive ad breaks and weekly episode rollouts are frustrating to some, you can’t argue with its base price point.

Here are our picks for the 100 best TV shows on Hulu

Netflix

Netflix remains the biggest of all of the streaming services in terms of brand recognition, and its also the most committed to expanding its catalogue with a mind-boggling amount of original series and films. Though its library has been shrinking some as Disney, WarnerMedia, and others start to take back their movies and TV shows for their own streaming services, Netflix’s user experience and library remain one of the best all-inclusive streaming services (even though you cannot add on other premiums to it). Plus: No ads.

Cost: Basic (non-HD) is $8.99/mo, Standard (2 HD streams) is $12.99, and Premium (four HD streams) is $16.99/mo

What Makes It Unique: Even as it has continued to raise subscription rates, Netflix has pretty successfully made itself a one-stop TV shop for streaming customers.

Here are our picks for the 100 best TV shows on Netflix

The Upstarts:

Apple TV+

Apple TV+ hasn’t yet changed the streaming game, but it might with its upcoming all-inclusive app. For now, Apple is a little behind the curve because they lack a library of older titles. Still, they have been committed to expanding their originals quickly, with 10 series dropping within a month of the service starting. Apple TV+’s price point is not bad for what it currently offers, but we’ll see how long it stays that low as it continues to make so many expensive series.

Cost: $4.99/mo (If you have recently purchased an Apple device, you get a year of Apple TV+ free).

What Makes It Unique: Apple is spending a lot of money on its new original series, most of which boast A-list stars. Like Hulu, it also release most of its series on a weekly episode basis.

Here’s our list of the 10 best shows on Apple TV+

CBS All Access

As our own Alexis Gunderson wrote, “In the vast and ever-expanding world of increasingly niche subscription streaming services, CBS All Access has a purpose, and it’s one that goes beyond getting contemporary TV hipster cred by finally catching up on the mind-bending, pro-civics glory that is The Good Fight.

Naturally, the streamer’s earliest 2020 offerings—Star Trek: Picard (January 23) and Interrogation (February 6)—are generating a lot of buzz, and certainly lots of people will finally be finding themselves ready to pull the 7-day free trial lever to catch one or the other. But while CBS All Access spent years as the subject of both public and industry hand-wringing over whether or not such a limited collection of Originals and classics—from an alphabet network, no less!—might be worth the monthly fee, the streaming landscape has at last expanded enough to include equally narrow single-studio platforms like Disney+ and Apple TV+, neither of which comes with access to live television or sports. (Or, perhaps most distressingly, dozens and dozens of seasons of dutifully mainstream broadcast procedurals.) If CBS All Access was made for any moment, this might be it.”

Cost: $5.99 per month (or $59.99/year) for the Limited Commercials plan, or $9.99 per month ($99.99/year) for the Commercial Free plan.

What Makes It Unique: CBS All Access is, of course, the only place where you can find CBS’s vast library of network series. But the platform is also a hybrid of Live TV alongside broadcast and original streaming series, which is a nice combination for that low price point. It also where Star Trek and Robert and Michelle King fans can unite in the glory of their very good and specific content!

Check out our list of the best TV shows on CBS All Access

Disney+

Disney+ hit the scene with its familiar and beloved back catalogue of TV shows and movies with more to come, including new series for Star Wars and Marvel on the books, making it a hub for all things Disney—one of the world’s strongest brands. As such, Disney doesn’t really need to advertise, and it can operate with a very low monthly subscription rate for presumably a very long time, making it a particularly attractive streaming service for families.

Cost: $6.99/mo or $69.99/year There’s also a bundled package option, where for $12.99/mo, you can get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ (regular individual price $17.97/mo).

What Makes It Unique: Disney+ is one of a handful of specifically branded streaming services (like HBO Now or PBS Passport) that is also a heavy-hitter in the streaming world. It’s cheap, familiar, and reliable—all things that are unique among the current streaming landscape.

Check out our list of the best movies on Disney+

Facebook Watch

Like Amazon and YouTube, Facebook has pivoted towards original video content for its platform. Unlike those other two, Facebook has made it free. Most series drop on a weekly basis, and although Facebook itself is a problematic social media data mining company, some of its original series are actually pretty great. Like Apple, Facebook does not have a library or backcatalogue other than their originals, but hey, it’s free!

Cost: Free (even without a Facebook profile)

What Makes It Unique: Mainly that it’s free, and there’s a social component to the videos themselves where users can not only comment but start groups devoted to their favorite shows.

Here’s our list of the best shows on Facebook Watch

YouTube Premium

YouTube has had a bit of trouble launching its premium service. It started out being called YouTube Red, which sounded like one of several YouTube-like pornography sites. Recently they changed it to Premium, but there are still a lot of questions about what, exactly, the service includes. Mainly, it’s ad-free content and the ability to play music with the screen off, but YouTube also has a growing library of originals included in the service as well (although many are now being made available in front of the paywall with commercials).

Cost: $11.99/mo for ad-free content, exclusive access to YouTube’s original TV series, as well as the option of playing music in the background or with the screen off (there is also a cheaper music-only version of the service as well.) YouTube also offers a Live TV bundle (basically, cable) starting at $49.99/mo.

What Makes It Unique: Like Facebook, there is a social component to YouTube’s original offerings, and like Amazon it bundles several services into one.

Here’s our list of the best shows on YouTube Premium

Niche / Channel-Specific Services:

Acorn TV

Acorn TV is one of two Anglophile-centric streaming services available, collating series from the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and several European countries (Sweden, Spain, France). Including both classic series like Foyle’s War and Vera as well as more under-the-radar picks (some of which have also aired on PBS in the US) like Agatha Raisin and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, the service is a collection of mysteries, period dramas, and cozy documentaries from across the pond.

Cost: $5.99/mo or $59.99/year.

What Makes It Unique: Acorn TV caters to a very specific subset of viewers who are probably also fans of PBS Masterpiece, but many of its offerings are exclusive to its particular platform.

Here’s our list of the 10 best shows on Acorn TV

BritBox

BritBox is easily confused with Acorn TV, but the major difference is that BritBox has programming exclusively from the BBC and ITV (that is, exclusively British), and features more currently airing content (like episodes of soap operas and panel shows available the day after they air in the UK). The service is full of classics like Coronation Street, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, and Father Brown, as well as a small selection of worthwhile originals.

Cost: $6.99/mo or $69.99/year

What Makes It Unique: If you want to feel like you are living in England, this is the service for you.

See our full recommendation list for what’s streaming on BritBox here.

Broadway HD

For Broadway enthusiasts, there is really only one choice for your streaming needs: Broadway HD. To quote our coverage of the service (see the link below) from Alexis Gunderson, “Available to audiences in both the United States and close to 20 other countries, BroadwayHD is a subscription streaming service that offers its users access to a specially curated collection of streaming content that includes more than 250 productions from Broadway, Off-Broadway, the West End, Cirque du Soleil, and various foreign theater scenes. You want to catch the most recent, award-winning performance of An American in Paris? BroadwayHD has that! Have you been lamenting the fact that you never got to see Hugh Jackman play Curly in a 1999 run of Oklahoma!? Yes, friends, BroadwayHD has that, too.”

Cost: $8.99/mo or $99.99/year

What Makes It Unique: It’s the only streaming service that provides access to Broadway!

See our full recommendation list for Broadway HD here

DC Universe

DC Universe is the streaming service specifically oriented around all things DC Comics. In a pop culture landscape dominated by superheroes, it’s living its best life by being the one-stop shop for the Justice League and all its various members, enemies, and weird spandex-clad friends. For loyalists only—or those looking for a more targeted experience than Disney+’s MCU offerings—DC Universe drenches fans in the Dark Knight, saturates them with Superman, and allows them to dig deep into the history of Wonder Woman. —Jacob Oller

Cost: $7.99/mo or $74.99/year

What Makes It Unique: If you’re a comics fan, this is far and away the best streaming option for you. It has all the perks of Marvel Unlimited (its comic competitors literary streaming service), allowing access to thousands of comics readable on desktop and mobile applications, alongside tons of media—including an ever-growing roster of original series. The community-focused aspect of the service, with its own forums and encyclopedia, make DC Universe stand out for more than its exclusive content offerings.

HBO Now

If you have an HBO subscription through your cable provider, you can add HBO Go and access its content anywhere. HBO Now, however, is a standalone platform that will eventually be part of the upcoming HBO Max subscription service from WarnerMedia. But for now, it is the entire catalogue of HBO’s original series, movies, limited series, and comedy specials, and gives you access to their current programming the minute they air on the East Coast.

Cost: $14.99/mo; A cable or Amazon add-on for HBO Go is $10-$18/mo.

What Makes It Unique: I would say that HBO Now is the only place to find HBO’s wonderful library of series, but that’s not entirely true. Older series, or the first season of many series, can be had through Amazon Prime for no additional cost. But for everything, yes, HBO Now is the only way to access that content.

See our full recommendation list of HBO series here

Marquee TV

Like Broadway HD, Marquee TV is a service decade to live performances. Except for this UK-based platform, it leans more into dance, opera, and the Royal Shakespeare Theater as a provider of digital performance art. It has a small library, but one that continues to grow.

Cost: $8.99/mo or $89.99/year

What Makes It Unique: For those really looking to expand your creative arts horizon, Marquee TV may be the most unique (and perhaps most niche) of all of the streaming services.

See our full Marquee TV recommendation list here

PBS Passport

PBS Passport gives viewers access to selections of PBS’s past and current programming, including early access to new episodes of Masterpiece favorites and others. While many of the series broadcast on PBS can be found elsewhere (on Amazon or Netflix, say), watching them there doesn’t give you the satisfaction of knowing that your dollars are helping to support a public-serving platform made possible by Viewers Like You. Plus, the relatively small catalogue on the app helps one hone in on specific types of programming that are easily lost in a sea of Netflix and Amazon choices. And for many PBS stations, if you donate locally then you get PBS Passport included.

Cost: $5/mo or $60/year (often included with a PBS donation)

What Makes It Unique: PBS Passport is essentially PBS on demand, which is a nice option to have for viewers looking for a platform full of worthwhile dramas, mysteries, documentaries, and culinary shows. (As well as those who have cut the cord and can’t get PBS clearly through an antenna).

See our full PBS Passport recommendation list here

Shudder

As our own Jim Vorel recently wrote, “For the horror, sci-fi and thriller-minded among us, AMC’s Shudder has become an increasingly valuable resource. As one of the first nichey streaming services to go big, it pioneered the idea that genre fans would be willing to pay a monthly fee just to gain access to a specific library of horror and thriller titles, and has since supplemented that library (which has grown and shrunk at various points in the last few years, like all streaming services) with a fair among of original content—none receiving more attention than the well-received reboot of George Romero’s Creepshow this year.”

Cost: Plans start at $4.75/mo, but increase through annual plans. The service is ad-free and there are no extra fees.

What Makes It Unique: Shudder is the only horror-focused streaming service, and though it has been bundled into other services like VRV in the past, it’s becoming big enough and popular enough now to stand on its own.

See our full Shudder recommendation list here

Sundance Now

As Alexis Gunderson explains in our Sundance Now streaming list (link below), “As one of many niche streaming services available to the average American consumer these days, Sundance Now—not to be confused with Sundance TV (a linear channel owned by AMC) or the Sundance Film Festival (the largest independent film festival in the U.S.)—might not be on your radar. But if your TV tastes run the direction of international psychological thrillers, complex mysteries and true crime (with the occasional domestic dramedy sprinkled in for balance), then it’s definitely one worth checking out.

For now, the variety and quality of Original and Exclusive programming on Sundance Now is sufficient for any television lover with a taste for thrills and a tolerance for subtitles to feel like their monthly subscription fee is worthwhile—a value made all the greater if you also care about access to a regularly updating collection of independent films. (Paste’s picks for many of those are here.)”

Cost: $6.99/month, or $4.99/month with an annual subscription.

What Makes It Unique: Slightly more international (though somehow even more overwhelmingly white) in its scope than its anglo-centric sister platform, Acorn TV, Sundance Now’s curatorial focus is on “engrossing true crime to heart-stopping dramas and fiercely intelligent thrillers from around the world.” Basically, if you like things like Broadchurch or The Bridge or Unspeakable, and also are able to put down your second and third screens long enough to keep track of subtitles, Sundance Now is for you.

See our full Sundance Now recommendation list here.

VRV

VRV may be one of the least familiar streaming services on our list, but it’s one of the best values for a wide variety of genre series. As noted below, VRV has its own library of free content, but for a very reasonable monthly fee you can get a bundle of very worthwhile smaller streamers, many of which are essential to fans of animation, nostalgic cartoons, and anime.

Cost: Free for 20,000 hours of rotating content, although its premium access is $9.99/mo (plus tax) which gives you ad-free access to Boomerang, Cartoon Hangover, Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, MONDO, NickSplat, Rooster Teeth, and VRV Select—all of which would otherwise add up to $36.93/mo.

What Makes It Unique: VRV’s collection of other, related streamers makes it one of the best deals for animation fans.

See our full VRV recommendation list here

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