Still puttering around with cable? The best streaming services have so much content, you could watch daily for hours and still spend what feels like a lifetime vegging out on the sofa. Collectively, you can find hundreds of thousands of hours of movies and TV shows to stream across a variety of genres. Continue watching? Yes!
These days, though, streaming services are in a state of flux, with price hikes, password-sharing crackdowns and the introduction of ads.
These services are just one-half of the streaming equation, though. As the cable box slowly withers away, it's being replaced by smart TVs and devices like Rokus and Chromecasts.
But which one is worth your time? We took it upon ourselves to test the best streaming services and devices side-by-side. By doing so, we figured out how to build the ultimate streaming setup with the best selection of content and live channels. Below, find our picks for the best streaming services you can subscribe to right now.
Kelly Woo is a veteran entertainment journalist who subscribes to far too many streaming services. She oversees the streaming department at Tom's Guide, which includes reviewing and testing streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and more.
The best streaming service overall
When it comes to both quantity and quality, no streaming service can beat Max. It has everything from prestige HBO dramas to blockbuster Warner Bros. movies to light reality shows from Discovery. So, when you go to the home screen, you might see Targaryen dragons and Guy Fieri sitting side by side. And you get all of that for $16.99 without ads or $9.99 with ads.
Max has also added live sports in its Bleacher Report section, such as soccer, hockey and cycling. A live news section is in beta, too, where you can check out programming from CNN and other WBD networks. Check out our guide to the best HBO Max shows, and the best HBO Max movies to see what it's offering.
Check out our full Max review.
The best streaming service for value
Peacock is our favorite rising streaming service, as it continues to add great shows. The bad news, though, is that Peacock has joined its streaming rivals by instituting a price hike. But we still love Peacock as a value pick, even if it doesn't totally measure up in all respects. You can subscribe to Peacock Premium (with ads) for just $7.99 a month or Premium Plus (without ads) for $13.99 a month.
We at Tom's Guide subscribe to Peacock for a variety of reasons. Some like the Peacock Originals "The Traitors" and "Poker Face" — the kind of shows that keep us subscribing. Also, the service gets next-day episodes of current NBC and Bravo shows, so you never have to miss out on "Law & Order: SVU" or "Real Housewives" drama. Plus, Peacock streams live sports, including Premier League soccer and the NFL.
Read our full Peacock review, and also Peacock TV promo codes to save on monthly costs
The best streaming service for live TV
Unlike the above on-demand services that outrank it, Sling TV is a streaming service to replace cable, offering many of the most popular live TV channels. We (two of TG's streaming writers) cut the cord with Sling TV for the following two reasons: its competitive price is married with a decent assortment of channels. Sling is especially handy for sports fans, as it offers a variety of ESPN channels — and this alone is worth the price for some.
Other popular networks, like NBC, BBC America, CNN, Cartoon Network, TBS and the Food Network, sweeten the deal. If you want a live TV service with more channels (such as CBS), we say consider Fubo TV, unless you need TNT. In which case, Sling may be the best for you. Check out our Sling TV guide to packages, channels and more. While the other popular live TV streaming services start at around $80, Sling stands out with its $46 per month starting price, especially if you can get it for half-off, as the introductory offer usually provides.
Read our full Sling TV review or view our Sling TV promo codes
The best streaming service for new TV shows
Hulu is one of the most interesting options on this list, and its unique nature makes it one of the best streaming services. While it doesn't deliver as many new originals as say Netflix, its quality-to-quantity ratio is better. But more importantly, its next-day airings of cable and broadcast TV shows make it a must-have for many cord-cutters who don't want to spend $46 or more on the likes of Sling.
There's also Hulu + Live TV (which recently went up to $83), one of our favorite methods to cut the cable cord. Keep in mind that at this price you'll still get ads with your Hulu shows, so you'll have to upgrade to the $96 monthly tier to skip those and still get your live TV.
In addition, regular Hulu hosts a number of original shows, a selection of offbeat movies and a surprising amount of classic anime series. Wondering what to watch? Check out our lists of the best shows on Hulu and the best movies on Hulu.
Check out our full Hulu with Live TV review or view our Hulu promo codes
The best streaming service with a ton of content
The great-granddaddy in the market remains near the top of our list of the best streaming services. As you probably know, Netflix provides unlimited streaming of TV shows, movies, comedy specials and original programming (we need "Stranger Things 5" now) for one monthly subscription fee. It's continuing to try and make big movies its big thing, too, with recent titles like "The Madness" and "Woman of the Hour."
The new Netflix with ads plan offers a new $6.99 entry-point, and the previously available Basic plan has now been discontinued. Previously, it had gotten a price hike along with the Premium plan, but now you have three tiers to choose from: Standard with ads, Standard, and Premium, which goes up to a whopping $25 monthly. Keep in mind, however, that the Standard plans do not include all content the higher tiers do.
Netflix is constantly adding and taking away movies, so you'll want to check our new on Netflix guides to see what's coming soon, and what you should watch before it's gone. Some may want to cancel Netflix for trying to get them to pay more, as the crackdown on password sharing has the service asking you to cough up more money per month to add users on to your account.
Wondering what to watch? Check out our lists of the best shows on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix.
Read our full Netflix review.
The best streaming service for families
Disney Plus is a dominant player in the category, and why wouldn't it be? Disney controls a frankly frightening number of properties, from Marvel, to Star Wars, to Disney's own animated canon, to "The Simpsons" (all 30 seasons, and counting). The most recent Disney Plus price hike pushed ad-free Disney Plus Premium up to $16 with the the $10 ad-free plan having gone up as well.
While we like the Disney Plus apps — they're all snappy, responsive and well-made — we've always wanted more from the service. For example, we find ourselves waiting for the next big thing too often. Trying to figure out what's actually good? Our guides to the best Disney Plus movies and the best Disney Plus shows can help.
Read our full Disney Plus review.
The best streaming service for quality originals
When we first named Apple TV Plus one of the best streaming services, it entered this list at the very end, in last place. In the months since? We keep going back to Apple TV Plus, as its hot streak is almost unparalleled outside of Max. Anyone who says Apple TV Plus is for "Ted Lasso and little else" needs to check out the best Apple TV Plus shows and movies. It's serving up programming that continues to surprise and charm, while Netflix almost feels routine and boring.
While Apple TV Plus getting into live sports with MLB and MLS, the latest price hike wasn't great news, as it went up from $6.99 to $9.99 recently. Still, it's serving up content without ads with one plan to choose from, so you won't have to be confused when signing up to catch what's going on with "Severance" now that it's newest season is airing.
Check out our full Apple TV Plus review.
The best sports streaming service
Fubo is one of the best streaming services for anyone looking to have access to live sports without an actual cable subscription. Fubo’s entry-level plan is $80 and offers 120-plus channels, including almost every major broadcast and cable network. And its recent addition of regional sports networks sounded great until we found out that Fubo's adding upwards of $13.99 extra in a Regional Sports Fee you'll see at checkout. But unlike other live TV streaming competitors Hulu and Sling TV, Fubo has 4K streaming for select content on demand and select live events. The other knock against Fubo, besides its higher price, is the limited Cloud DVR storage.
When we tested Fubo, we found that its multi-screen view (an Apple TV exclusive) was the biggest differentiator outside of its surplus of international sports. Those features work really well together, though, as we got to watch races and futbol simultaneously.
While Fubo’s channel lineup is the largest among the higher-priced streamers, they just got a major pair of gaps filled, including ABC and ESPN. By adding ESPN, Fubo makes itself the top streaming service for NFL fans, offering all the major broadcast networks, and the NFL Network too. In addition, the lineup includes popular networks like NBC, Fox, AMC, Food Network, MTV and Syfy, as well as a ton of niche sports channels. Its only big sports flaw is the lack of TNT and TBS, which are musts for US sports playoffs for the NBA and MLB.
Check our our full Fubo review or view our Fubo promo codes
Best add-on streaming service
For those who do most of their shopping online, Amazon Prime is a no-brainer. For $139 per year, you get free two-day shipping on your purchases. However, you used to get more, like access to Prime Video in addition to your membership. Now, Prime Video costs $8.99 a month on top of your Prime membership, so be ready to pony up if you want to see what's on offer at Prime Video.
Like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video is a veritable buffet of movies, television and original programming (the best Amazon shows range from "The Boys" to "The Summer I Turned Pretty"). But unlike Netflix, Prime Video's new shows are seemingly few and far between, as its output rates don't quite stack up to the big red streaming machine, or HBO Max.
Aside from having to pay separately for the service, another thing we don't love about Prime Video is how its apps vary greatly across platforms. When we tested Prime Video on Roku or Apple TV or Chromecast, we saw fewer sorting and discovery options than we did on a Fire TV device. You can also rent or purchase movies through Amazon Prime Video, but it's an à la carte service. Check out our list of the best Prime Video movies for more recommendations.
Read our full Prime Video review.
How to choose the best streaming services for you
The good news is that you don't need to limit yourself to just one. It's all about picking the number of services that's right for your budget. And to that matter, all depends on the content you want to consume. While Netflix has a diverse array of content, it's not appealing to any specific audience — which means it's probably a service that most people have.
While Netflix is pivoting more to original shows and movies with each passing week, it's still constantly adding licensed movies and shows. But Max has a massive library and in general, boasts better quality content.
Among the lower-priced streaming services, our choice is Peacock in comparison to Paramount Plus.
With ads | With ads | Without ads |
|---|---|---|
Netflix | $7 | $15.49 (Standard); $23 (Premium) |
Max | $10 | $17 (ad-free); $21 (Ultimate ad-free) |
Disney Plus | $10 | $16 |
Hulu | $10 | $19 |
Peacock | $8 | $14 |
Paramount Plus | $8 | $13 (with Showtime) |
Apple TV Plus | -- | $9 |
Prime Video | $9 | $12 |
How we test the best streaming services
Testing streaming services is both serious work and good fun. When we test the quality of these platforms, we use them on multiple devices, including game consoles, web browsers and mobile devices. You'd be surprised at how differently Sling TV can look between a Roku, the Apple TV box and Chrome.
We then compare the services based on the number of simultaneous streams they allow, if they throw in 4K streaming for free (or charge extra), and what other special features they allow. We also keep a strong eye on the new channels coming to each service, with articles such as our Sling Orange vs Blue face-off.
And as pricing constantly changes (not in the right way, most of the time), we have to rethink how each competitor sits in the landscape. Sling, for example, has stayed near the low end of the field, even though it too has gone up over time.
One of the biggest new names in streaming is NBCU's Peacock. Peacock has The Office, SNL and much more, plus it's the exclusive home for many Premier League soccer games and the WWE Network.
Max arrived with the WarnerMedia library (plus Friends), including all of HBO's prestige dramas and comedies. You absolutely need Max if you want to stay on top of the Sunday night TV conversation.
For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide.
