If you’re looking to cut your cable subscription and switch to a streaming service, there are a lot of options out there. But which streaming service is right for you? Here is our list of the best streaming services available today, including the best options for live TV and sports fans, binge-watchers, movie-lovers, families, free options, and more.
Before you make the switch from cable, you will need to make sure that your internet is fast enough to handle a streaming service. Check out our guide on how to test your WiFi speed to find out more.
Peacock TV: Best Free Streaming Service
- Subscription Fee: From $0 to $9.99 a month
- 4K Streaming: No
You don’t have to pay a penny to watch more than 40,000 hours of content on Peacock TV. In fact, you don’t even need to enter your credit card information with Peacock TV’s free tier. You will have to sit through unskippable ads, but they only play for about five minutes every hour.
Since Peacock TV was created by NBC, this free streaming service is home to popular shows like ‘The Office,’ ‘Parks and Rec,’ ‘30 Rock,’ ‘SNL,’ and more. However, you can only watch the first few episodes of most shows for free. If you are a pro wrestling fan, you can watch every WWE event when you upgrade to a premium subscription.
Peacock TV comes with three subscription tiers: free, premium, and plus. With a premium subscription, you can stream all 60,000 hours of content on Peacock TV for $4.99 a month. You will still have to watch ads, but you can stream hit shows the day after they air on TV. With the Plus plan, you can stream everything without ads and download content to watch offline and on your mobile devices for $9.99 a month.
Amazon Prime Video: Best Streaming Service for Prime Members
- Subscription Fee: $8.99 a month (free for Amazon Prime members)
- 4K Streaming: Yes
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you already have a subscription to one of the best streaming services for free. With Prime Video, you get access to over 24,000 movies and 2,000 TV shows. And since it’s created by Amazon, this streaming service works with Alexa, so you can use voice commands to search for new movies, change the volume, and turn your TV off.
Aside from all the free content, there are also thousands of movies you can rent or buy, as well as over 100 channels you can access, like NBA League Pass, Showtime, Starz, and more. You will have to pay extra for these channels, but it could still cost less than paying for cable. Plus, this streaming service also lets you watch 4K HDR (high-dynamic range) content.
Read More: What is HDR and what does it do?
If you are not already an Amazon Prime member, you can sign up for $12.99 a month. That also gets you free shipping on items from Amazon and other perks. However, you only have to pay $8.99 a month if you just want Amazon Prime Video.
Hulu: Best Budget Streaming Service for TV Shows
- Subscription Fee: From $6.99 to $70.99 a month
- 4K Streaming: Yes (but only for a “select list of programming”)
If you’re looking for a streaming service to replace your cable subscription, Hulu is one of the best options. This streaming service gives you access to thousands of movies and well over 85,000 TV episodes from major networks, including as ABC, AMC, CBS, HGTV, NBC, and more.
Hulu has three subscription tiers, starting with a basic plan that only costs $6.99 a month. The cheapest plan lets you watch Hulu’s entire library of movies and TV shows, but you will still have to watch unskippable ads. If you don’t want to see any ads, you can sign up for the $12.99 a month plan. This plan lets you download movies and TV shows to your other devices, so you can watch them offline.
Hulu offers a much more expensive plan that costs $70.99 a month, but it comes with a lot of extras. With a Hulu (no ads) + Live TV plan, you can stream over 75 live and on-demand channels. This plan also comes with over 50 hours of DVR storage, so you can record shows and watch them later.
Disney+: Best Streaming Service for Families
- Subscription Fee: $7.99 a month
- 4K Streaming: Yes (with around 100 supported titles now)
Disney+ is the best streaming service for families because it lets you stream almost anything from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and ‘The Simpsons.’ When it launched, the streaming service started out with over 500 movies and 7,500 episodes of TV shows, and Disney has since been adding exclusive movies shortly after they premiere in theaters.
With Disney+, you can stream ad-free content on four devices at once and download movies and TV shows on up to seven other devices at any time. Also, parents have the ability to create profiles for their kids and set age-restrictions for inappropriate content.
A Disney+ subscription starts at $7.99 a month, making it one of the cheapest streaming services on the market today. You can also bundle your Disney+ with ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99 a month. With ESPN+, you will also get access to thousands of live sporting events from MLB, NHL, MLS, and more.
HBO Max: Best Streaming Service for Movies
- Subscription Fee: From $9.99 to $14.99 a month
- 4K Streaming: Yes (but only a few supported movies)
HBO Max is one of the newer streaming services, but it has one of the best selections of movies. While it is a little bit pricey, HBO Max launched with over 10,000 hours of content from HBO, New Line Cinema, TNT, Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim, and lots of other licensed media that WarnerMedia has acquired.
It goes without saying that this streaming plan also comes with highly-rated movies and TV series that are only available on HBO. Some of these exclusive Blockbusters, like the upcoming Matrix sequel, will start streaming a few weeks after they premiere. That means you can watch the biggest movies at home while they are still playing in theaters.
HBO Max recently created a cheaper ad-supported plan, but you will only get access to early premieres with the more expensive plan. For $14.99 a month, you won’t have to watch any ads, and you can download any movies or TV shows and watch them offline at any time
If you are already an HBO subscriber, check out our article on how to get HBO Max for free.
Netflix: Best Streaming Service for Original Content
- Subscription Fee: From $8.99 to $17.99 a month
- 4K Streaming: Yes (but only with Premium plan)
As one of the pioneers of streaming services, Netflix has thousands of movies and TV shows to choose from. But what really sets Netflix apart is its library of original content. With award-winning movies and critically-acclaimed original shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things,’ and ‘Tiger King,’ Netflix will always have something new and exclusive to watch.
A Basic Netflix subscription plan costs $8.99 a month, but you will only be able to stream content on one device at a time. Plus, it will only let you stream content in standard definition (or 480p), which is a much lower resolution than most TVs. A Standard Netflix plan costs $13.99 a month, and it allows you to stream content on two devices at once in high-definition (1080p).
If you want to watch content in 4K, you’ll have to go with the Premium Netflix plan, which costs $17.99 a month. This plan lets you stream content on up to four devices at once in 4K Ultra-HD. All three plans are ad-free and come with features that make Netflix one of the best streaming services, such as its advanced recommendations system.
Read More: Alexa can now help your find something to watch on Netflix
YouTube TV: Best Streaming Service for Live TV and Sports
- Subscription Fee: $64.99 a month
- 4K Streaming: Yes (but only for certain events, and it costs extra)
YouTube TV is one of the most expensive streaming services on the market, but it also offers the best selection of live TV channels. So, this streaming service has everything you need to cut your cable subscription, and you’ll still save hundreds of dollars a year.
You can watch 85 live TV channels with this streaming service, including all the major networks, popular entertainment channels, and children’s programming. For sports fans, YouTube TV offers live coverage from ESPN, NFL Network, MLB Network, NBA TV, and regional sports channels. If you need extra channels, you can always add them later, but it will cost extra.
But what really sets YouTube TV apart is its cloud DVR feature. This allows you to record live programs, so you can watch them later. This cloud DVR feature has unlimited storage, and it saves your programs for up to nine months. This means you can record any sporting event, TV show, or movie and fast forward past the ads.
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