Netflix review: Still one of the best streaming services, but more expensive than ever

Netflix is consistently one of the best streaming services. And it's easy to see why. The deep library of shows and movies may be deeper than any other service, and Netflix is constantly adding its own Originals — some of which are good. Netflix does opt for quantity over quality, but given the vast quantity, there are still plenty of quality shows and movies, produced by Netflix or otherwise.

Plus, you can watch Netflix everywhere. Unless you have a PS Vita or a similarly obsolete device, chances are Netflix has an app for the platform you're using. 

The problem? You need to be the one using it. Gone are the days when "Love is sharing a password" was the mantra at Netflix. Now, you'll need to pay $15.49 plus an additional $7.99 a month for two members to share an account. It gets even more expensive if you want a third member on your account or want to ad 4K HDR streaming.

So, for those who need help keeping track of why we like (and dislike) the big red streaming machine, we believe this Netflix review will have you sorted faster than you can say "Yes, I'm still watching." Here's our review of Netflix, the world's biggest streaming service. 

Netflix review: Pricing and availability

Since an October 2023 price hike, Netflix starts at $6.99 per month for the Standard with Ads tier. This inserts ads into your viewing experience to subsidize your subscription.

What exactly will $6.99 a month get you? Standard with ads users can watch on up to two devices at once, watch in 1080p full HD — an upgrade over the old Basic with ads plan — and you can download shows and movies onto up to two devices at once. While ads are a bummer, you do get nearly all the features of the standard subscription for nearly $10 less a month.

However, that's nearly all, not all. While you get access to most shows and movies and all of Netflix's mobile games, some shows and movies will be unavailable on this ad-supported tier due to licensing restrictions. The good news is that Netflix Original shows and movies do not and should never fall into this category.

Standard is the most popular Netflix package and the one you're probably familiar with. Starting at $15.49 per month, you get everything in the Standard with ads tier, just without any pesky ads. You also won't have any licensing restrictions preventing you from accessing the entire Netflix library of shows and movies.

Want 4K streaming with HDR picture quality? Then you'll need Netflix's Premium tier, which starts at $22.99 a month. In addition to adding 4K and HDR, this tier also upgrades you to four simultaneous streams and downloads on up to six devices. You also get access to Netflix spatial audio to give your watching experience an aural boost.

As we mentioned, you can't share your password anymore unless you're lucky enough that Netflix hasn't cracked down on your account yet. If you want to add another member to your account, you can add one to your Standard membership for $7.99 extra a month. Premium users can add up to two extra members, each at $7.99 extra a month. Ad-supported plans cannot add extra members. 

Extra members have their own profile, account, and password and can access all the movies and shows on Netflix. However, the main account holder handles all billing and is the only one to get access to all features. Extra members are limited to one profile, one simultaneous stream and one device for downloading content, regardless of the main account holder's plan. Also, while Netflix is global, extra members must reside in the same country as main account holders.

These prices and Netflix's password-sharing crackdown are probably the biggest knocks against the platform, but they're increasingly less significant problems as the industry tries to compete with Netflix. 

At $15.49 a month, Netflix's Standard plan is cheaper than Max's Ad-free plan for $16.99 a month, which probably has the next largest library of shows and movies among the streaming services. But if you want to share your password, Netflix quickly becomes more expensive. If you want 4K streaming, Max Ultimate Ad-free is even cheaper than Netflix Premium at just $20.99 a month, and again, there are no password-sharing issues.

That could soon change though. Max is reportedly exploring its own password-sharing crackdown within the next year. If that happens, it could be tough to judge Netflix too harshly compared to the rest of the streaming services for charging you extra. That said, industry analysts are predicting a 12% price hike in 2025 for U.S. subscribers.

Netflix review: Design

The Netflix apps set the standard for the best streaming services, but they've never been truly perfect. For example, Netflix would always auto-play audio when you hovered over a selection for too long. Settings to fix this were eventually provided.

The Netflix app is simple, organizing content into five main sections: Home, TV Shows, Movies, New & Popular and the self-curated My List. That said, trying to find something new and digging up a hidden gem can be tricky. Sure, the TV and movies sections promote the best shows on Netflix and the best Netflix movies, and they do sort things by genre, but discovery continues to be a problem for Netflix customers.

This is why we've got our roundups of the best family movies on Netflix, which helps separate the neon-drenched chaff from the high-quality wheat. Netflix, to its credit, is always trying to figure out a new way to help, but its randomizing Play Something shuffle feature went away and nothing has come back to replace it.

Netflix review: Shows

When it's time to find a great new show to watch, the folks at Netflix keep delivering options. The service's range is almost untouchable, with original and licensed content across every genre. 

Those original shows are now a real draw too. Want a gripping drama? Try the Emmy-nominated "Baby Reindeer" or "Ripley." Need some nostalgia? Check out "Cobra Kai" or "Stranger Things." Want a British romance drama produced by Shonda Rhimes and adapted from a series of books about the 1800s Regency era? Oddly specific, but yes, with "Bridgerton" Netflix has you covered there too.

I could go on about everything Netflix has to offer, but instead, I recommend checking out our guide to the best shows on Netflix. We cover dozens of shows in that list and it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of Netflix's thousands of hours of TV.

Despite this deep library, Netflix has seemed too eager at times to cancel shows before they had a chance to say goodbye. For example, Netflix canceled "Bad Crimes" before a single episode could air. Fans of "Glow," "Dark," "Mindhunter" and many other Netflix Originals will tell you — often without provocation — how Netflix did them wrong. But on occasion they revive a show or two, like Fox's DC Comics show "Lucifer," so Netflix both taketh and giveth.

Netflix review: Movies

Movies may be how Netflix got its start, shipping out DVDs to subscribers in distinctive red envelopes, but I'd argue that its TV shows are the bigger draw at the moment. But that doesn't mean that movies are an afterthought — far from it.

In fact, Netflix has really entered the awards season conversation when it comes to their original movies. The streaming service now has an entire collection of Award winners and nominees that you can watch. Last year, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" was one of my favorite Oscar-nominated movies and was a Netflix original. "The Power of the Dog" was nominated for 12 Oscars in 2021, including Best Picture. If you want to watch every Oscar nominee in a given year, you have to have Netflix.

Aside from prestigious originals, there are also some great action movies on Netflix, like "Red Notice" and "The Old Guard." And going through our lists of the best Netflix war movies and the best Netflix documentaries will keep you sated whether you're looking for flashy explosions or gritty true stories.

Netflix doesn't have everything though. The list of the best horror movies on Netflix has some great scares, but it feels like this is one category where the likes of Shudder, Peacock and HBO Max are superior. Even Paramount Plus has its own horror franchises to turn to (Scream and Paranormal Activity), while Netflix lacks a true horror franchise.

Disney Plus, of course, offers Marvel movies and the Star Wars movies in its library and keeps them for itself, though Sony's Marvel content does appear on Netflix at times. Max meanwhile, is the home of the DC movies as well as Warner Bros.'s deep library of movies. However, Warner Bros. Discovery has started licensing out content routinely, so even Netflix users will often be able to watch some of the legendary studio's best movies.

Netflix review: Live events and live sports

Added on Nov. 19, 2024

Netflix has added live events to its regular programming, including live comedy specials and live sports. The biggest such live event so far was the November 15, 2024 fight between Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson, which drew a reported 60 million households in viewership.

Unfortunately, that massive viewership came with some serious issues. Netflix simply wasn't able to handle the server load of all those viewers and buffering issues were rampant. It remains to be seen if it will fix these issues in time for its 2024 Christmas Day NFL games.

Netflix review: Supported devices

Netflix is available everywhere. If it has a screen — unless we're talking about so-called non-smart dumb TVs, which can connect to the best streaming devices — it can probably stream "Stranger Things." 

Here is a list of the many kinds of devices that support Netflix:

• Web browsers on PC and Mac
• iOS mobile devices
• Android mobile devices
• Apple TV
• Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablets
• Roku
• Chromecast
• Smart TVs (most manufacturers)
• Game consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, etc.)
• Set-top cable boxes (check with your provider)
• Blu-ray players (most manufacturers)

Netflix review: Bottom line

While we may pull a Ross and go "on a break" from Netflix now and again, it's one of our top streaming services for a reason: it always pulls you back in. Sure, you might be upset by a price hike today, a password-sharing crackdown tomorrow or a canceled show from last year, but Netflix knows you'll come crawling back.

Netflix produces so much compelling programming — I was able to write this entire Netflix review and not mention "Tiger King" or "Squid Game" until the conclusion. Its original content is clearly worth watching, and it offers a deeper library of licensed TV shows and movies than anyone else.  At this point, many people just think of Netflix as a necessary utility the way we used to think of cable. After this review, we get why.