Series such as Hacks, DC Comics' Peacemaker, and Station Eleven have viewers excited for the platform's growing slate. In general, HBO Max is ramping up its new originals, and we expect that to increase over time. However, a less expensive, ad-supported tier is available, though it's only $5 less and you won't be able to stream the newest movies. Where the service loses points is its price tag: At $15 a month, it's at the higher end of the streaming spectrum. It's not Disney Plus, but HBO Max has a solid streaming collection for kids too, with the ability to control ratings on kids' profiles better than most other services. That won't be the case moving forward, but it's still the primary destination for new Warner Brothers-owned feature films. In 2021, it was the only streaming service to debut movies on the same day as theaters at no extra cost, including The Many Saints of Newark, The Matrix Resurrections, and King Richard. It has HBO's entire catalog, DC Universe titles, along with favorites such as Friends, Rick and Morty, Sesame Street, the Lord of the Rings movies and almost every Studio Ghibli film.
HBO Max is a well-designed app full of popular TV shows and movies. We consider it a must-have if you have kids or are a fan of any of its other titles (and who isn't a fan of Baby Yoda?).
Plus, there's lots more Star Wars and Marvel original programming coming in the next few years.Įven after the recent price hike to $8 a month, Disney Plus is still one of the least expensive ad-free streaming TV choices and a great value. And documentaries such as Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back are winning rave reviews. Marvel's Eternals is currently streaming on Disney Plus, where it joined Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While The Mandalorian was its only breakout series at first, its slate of Marvel shows WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki have since drawn millions of viewers. It's the only place where you can stream the vast majority of the Disney and Pixar libraries, along with every Star Wars movie, Marvel films and new original TV shows, National Geographic content and 31 seasons of The Simpsons. The streaming platform launched two years ago and has already amassed more than 118 million subscribers. But for the variety you get (and no commercials ever), it's still a top pick.ĭisney Plus is a phenomenon and Netflix's closest competitor for good reason. Starting at $10 a month for basic, its price is in the middle of the TV service pack, and its standard plan bumped up to $15.50 per month which includes HD and two simultaneous streams. New shows and movies arrive each week, and 70 new original movies arrived on the Netflix platform in 2021 alone. While Netflix has lost a couple of major back catalog channel titles to other platforms, (specifically TV series favorites The Office to Peacock and Friends to HBO Max), the streamer still offers a wide variety of familiar network shows and more original series, films, documentaries and specials than any of its competitors. When big originals like Don't Look Up, Cobra Kai, or Stranger Things drop, they grab the attention of millions of viewers along with critical praise and awards, giving us the closest thing to watercooler conversations we have nowadays. The veteran service, which launched its DVD-by-mail rentals in 1998, has evolved into the top-tier streaming service that's a must-have in 2022. There's a reason why Netflix has become shorthand for streaming in general. With that in mind, here's the list, ranked in order starting with the best streaming services first. Certainly, some personal preference regarding content mix influences our decisions, so note that if you love a specific show or style of show, you may have a different favorite. We've reviewed each of these streaming services individually, and assigned numeric ratings based on content, app design and features and overall value. With Netflix's price hike in effect, options such as Prime Video and Starz may be worth a second look.
Some of these services offer cheaper options (like Peacock's free tier), while others come essentially free as part of a bundle (like ESPN Plus in the Disney Bundle). Your choices likely depend on which original shows and movies you want, how important a back catalog of older streaming TV shows is to you, whether you need to consider kids, roommates or sports fans, and of course your budget. There's more great TV to watch than ever, but deciding which ones are worth your time and money can be daunting. Streaming subscriptions are great, but it seems like every major network and media company has launched a new streaming service.