Best Streaming Services 2025: Providers & Prices Compared

When she's not tinkering with the latest gadgets and gizmos in the ever-evolving world of home entertainment, you’ll find her watching movies, taking pictures and travelling. Sling TV is a streaming service that we think most feels like traditional cable than any other option in this guide. Mubi is a streaming service created with cinephiles in mind, offering a curated collection of international and independent films that are often hard to find anywhere else. In late 2023, HBO Max made a multi-year deal with A24 to get the exclusive streaming rights for its theatrical releases for a limited time as well as over 100 of its movies added to its platform, making it a haven for indie film lovers,. Indeed, the service has made a name for itself for offering quality originals, which is why we named it the best streaming service of 2023.

• You get all of those iconic movies you grew up on, along with the newest waves.
• Many will lap up Shrek, Hell’s Kitchen, and the Bourne movies, but mileage may vary.
• While it may not be as many rivals, there’s plenty of new Apple TV Originals content thatgets added to the platform every single month.
• Mubi is a streaming service created with cinephiles in mind, offering a curated collection of international and independent films that are often hard to find anywhere else.
• The first tier gets you on-demand movies, TV shows and more than 50 channels, while the Premium Plus tier includes local live NBC channels 24/7.
• Keep in mind that at this price, you’ll still get ads with your Hulu shows, so you’ll have to upgrade to skip those and still get your live TV.

There's a vast library of classic movies drawn from more than a century of films made by Paramount Pictures, as well as licensed titles. By adding ESPN, Fubo makes itself the top streaming service for NFL fans, offering all the major broadcast networks, and the NFL Network too. But unlike other live TV streaming competitors Hulu and Sling TV, Fubo has 4K streaming for select content on demand and select live events. 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 $9.99 to $12.99 recently.
While it has less movies than TV shows (based on Reelgood data), that list is expanding thanks to new partnerships. Our list of best HBO Max shows is ever-growing with new monthly additions, which means there are hundreds of hours worth of content to stream on the app. Those looking for some Christmas movies to keep the festivities going won't want to miss The Shop Around the Corner and Christmas with the Kranks either. Although this allows users to have more choice, the paid content is mixed with free content, which can be frustrating when you search for something to watch, only to find you have to pay for it.

The best streaming service for TV shows

According to JustWatch, Prime Video has over 26,300 movies and more than 2,700 TV shows in the US. Its not just quantity over quality either, as the best Prime Video movies and best Prime Video shows allow you to get a lot for your money. Prime Video's movie library will get more than 50 new films added to it throughout December, including blockbuster hits like The Phoenician Scheme, The Naked Gun and Sinners. You also have the option to share a single subscription with up to five people, so your friends and family can enjoy the service while watching in 4K HDR video with immersive Spatial Audio that gives you a proper cinematic experience. Apple TV+ continues to expand its comedy library with buddy cop movie Wolfs and murder-mystery comedy Bad Monkey from Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence that is bound to bring in a large audience. While it may not be as many rivals, there's plenty of new Apple TV Originals content thatgets added to the platform every single month.
So, if you’re the type of person who likes to watch an entire series in a single sitting, neither of these services is the one for you. However, Hulu’s movie library is forever being updated with new films to enjoy, so movie buffs will always have something new to watch. Sure, it’s not the cheapest streaming service, but in terms of its value proposition, Netflix is the most well-rounded offering.

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Testing streaming services is both serious work and good fun. Though it followed the industry trend with a recent price adjustment in late 2024 from $6 to $8, this streaming service still delivers a solid bang for your buck. When we first named Apple TV Plus one of the best streaming services, it entered this list at the very end, in last place. The great-granddaddy in the market remains near the top of our list of the best streaming services.
Among the lower-priced streaming services, our choice is Peacock in comparison to Paramount Plus. Make sure to also check for any of the best streaming deals to see if you can get a discounted subscription or if you have to tighten the purse strings completely this month, then why not see what's on the best free streaming services instead. Using these metrics as a methodology, we've reordered the best streaming services in this guide so you can see which is the highlight of the month, allowing subscription hoppers to save up to 71% on their streaming bills in 2025 by canceling any unnecessary subscriptions. But if you want to watch a wide range of content and value movies just as much as sports, prices can quickly rack up. In fact, Reelgood data shows that Hulu has been known to have had the second-biggest library of TV shows out of all the major streaming services. I evaluate each service monthly to help you decide whether to keep or switch, and have also included a shortlist of alternative streaming services for added variety outside the major players.
Although there are some great new movies and exclusives on the platform at the time of writing, we think it makes the most sense for fans of live sports, NBC series and older boxsets. Disney+ and Hulu have both prioritized Christmas movies and shows in December, making these services the best to be signed up to if you're looking for some festive cheer. As arguably the most well-know streaming service with one of the biggest content libraries around, Netflix is often a staple in many households. Because each service’s library changes monthly, as new content is added and removed.
In this section, we’ll take a close look at how much the big streaming services cost and the type of content they host to help you decide which one(s) offers the best value for your needs. The table below is a glimpse into what popular streaming services offer on a standard monthly basis in the U.S., but it’s not the whole story. However, according to a 2024 Deloitte report, the average household felicebet no deposit bonus spent $61 per month on a total of four streaming services in 2023.1 We put together this list of all streaming services and prices so you know which ones are worth your money. In this guide to the best streaming services, we've accounted for library size, cost, and user experience, giving you all the info you need to find a streamer that fits your specific needs.
For this reason, it’s a good choice for budget-conscious viewers looking to cut the cord without sacrificing access to popular live channels or sports. Interestingly, it also offers a customizable and flexible way to watch live TV. Peacock TV doesn’t have as many exclusives as the likes of Netflix or Disney+, but you will also find some movies and TV shows that are only on Peacock, especially around seasonal periods. We think it makes sense for most people to get Premium+, which eliminates ads (with a few exceptions for live broadcasts), adds downloads for offline viewing, but does cost extra. It offers a wide range of content, making it a good alternative to cable and live TV.

Is Sling TV worth subscribing to?

It also recommends content you might like, lets you skip intros and is easy to navigate no matter which device you’re using. According to data from Surfshark, Netflix U.S. currently has almost 6,000 titles in its library. Kit Copson is a Cloudwards expert in VPNs, streaming and bypassing geoblocks.

How we choose the best streaming services

Peacock has continued to add great new content over time, with plenty of new shows and movies with each drop. When it comes to both quantity and quality, no streaming service can beat HBO Max. By doing so, we figured out how to build the ultimate streaming setup with the best selection of content and live channels. These services are just one-half of the streaming equation, though.
The animation on offer is great (Family Guy, Rick and Morty, Bob's Burgers), though there's no more than one or two killer must-watch shows, and the Basic package includes ads. In a crowded marketplace, it’s destined to get lost in the background as far more eye-catching services stake their claim. Still, you're getting loads of viewing material here, especially when you factor in content from Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Warner, and Crunchyroll. There are also Disney Plus downloads that allow you to download content for offline viewing. Disney Plus is where you'll find all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows, including the likes of Marvel Zombies. If you love Marvel, Star Wars, or Disney movies then a Disney Plus subscription is a no-brainer.

• 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.
• Apple TV+ remains one of the best streaming services due to its original and high-quality content, which you can check out in our best Apple TV+ shows and best Apple TV+ movies.
• Still, you’re getting loads of viewing material here, especially when you factor in content from Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Warner, and Crunchyroll.
• With so many services on offer, Peacock might be best playing second fiddle to another larger one.
• 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.
• As arguably the most well-know streaming service with one of the biggest content libraries around, Netflix is often a staple in many households.

There's a wide variety of greats on the service, including the can't-miss "Severance", but you can check out the best Apple TV Plus shows and movies for more great examples. 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. Keep in mind that at this price, you'll still get ads with your Hulu shows, so you'll have to upgrade to skip those and still get your live TV.

Hulu is one of the most interesting options on this list, and its unique nature makes it one of the best streaming services. 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. She oversees the streaming department at Tom's Guide, which includes reviewing and testing streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and more. We took it upon ourselves to test the best streaming services and devices side-by-side. Our picks for the best streaming services and cable alternatives for those considering cord cutting More and more streaming services have woven athletics into their broadcasting.

The best streaming service for families

This can be changed when you switch to the ‘Free to me’ section, but you can’t make this the default, so it would be easy to forget to select this option every time you scroll through the content mines. Prime Video also gives you the ability to buy and rent content, which has both positives and negatives. Prime Video also has more titles available than Netflix and Disney+ (although Hulu does reportedly have a larger library of TV shows in the US). With the service reportedly doubling ad times this year, we'd suggest looking at Apple TV instead. Although this could be about to change after we reported that Apple has recruited a number of ad execs and had also been rumored to be testing a new AI-powered tool for optimizing App Store ads. The streamer has become the go-to destination for sci-fi TV shows with series like Dark Matter, Foundation, and Severance, and has also made a name for itself with its top-tier comedy content like Shrinking and, of course, Ted Lasso.
We looked at the little things too, from the quality of the commentary during sports games to the app's ability to suggest promising new or related content. The best sreaming services don't mind giving you at least a week to try out their offerings, because they know that that's their best way to show off why they are superior to the rest. However, the price increase, limited local channel availability, and potential add-on costs make it a service we’d recommend, but only if you’ve considered rivals and worked out the costs of the add-ons you’ll need first.