When it comes to which streaming service has the best and most binge-worthy shows and movies, it becomes a matter of what you are in the mood to watch. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, and Disney+ all have their specialties. The only way to truly discuss these streaming services is to talk about the different categories that I will be scoring them in usability, range of movies, range of shows, and price. I am going to score them on a scale of 1-5 and then add the scores up at the end for a total score and ranking.
Netflix
Usability – 4, I must give usability a four. I grew up learning how to use this site and it is straight forward. I was able to write out instructions so that my eighty-year-old grandma can binge her favorite shows, so it deserves a four out of five
Range of Movies – 3, When it comes to the range of movies on Netflix, I was disappointed. There are what seems like a lot of movies but when you look at it, the movies are mainly their original movies or low-budget films. Sure, there are a couple Marvel movies and other big-name movies on there, but it is not what it used to be back in the early 2000s.
Range of Shows – 4, Netflix has a wide range of shows whether they are original shows and mini docuseries’, or they are shows that have been aired on television in the past. The only downside to Netflix is that after a show airs, it can take up to a year to be put onto the site. Other streaming services such as Hulu, only take a few days.
Price – 3, Netflix has three levels of services, basic, standard and premium. Basic is the most limited and cost $8.99 each month. Standard has more options than basic but not as many luxuries and choices as premium with a cost of $12.99 per month. Premium, with a monthly cost of $15.99 has the most features such as the ability to decide the quality of video that you would like.
Amazon Video
Usability – 3, It was easy to use and find what you were looking for, but it had free content mixed in with content that requires an extra charge. This is a major disadvantage because the other sites you pay one price and can view all the shows and movies.
Range of Movies – 3, They have some ‘jenky’ films as per my younger sister. I asked her opinion as I am not super familiar with Prime Video. Apparently when she was looking for Romeo and Juliet the only free version, they had was with two teens that were riding their bikes in a city. She explained how the couple randomly started speaking in Shakespearian and the film went down hill from there.
Range of Shows – 3, There are a bunch of shows on here and it might seem like a lot but there are only certain seasons (mainly the ones that aren’t on Netflix or Hulu). There is also a decent amount of shows that you will have ads with because they aren’t completely owned by Amazon.
Price – 2, Amazon Video is included with your Prime Membership. Students pay either $59 per year or $6.49 each month. The regular prime membership is $119 per year or $16.49 each month. If you are constantly shopping online or want to take advantage of the other services that Amazon has to offer than it would be worth it for you and be a reasonable price.
Hulu
Usability – 4, I like the way that Hulu is set up and I like the fact that with the most basic version you can make multiple profiles. On my Hulu account, I have a profile for each device I use and can still make more profiles if needed.
Range of Movies – 3, Hulu has obscure movies, even more so than Amazon Video. But Hulu also has more shows and movies than Netflix and Amazon which makes up for the strange movies that might appear in your recommended.
Range of Shows – 5, I love Hulu’s television show feature. Within a day or two of a show airing, it is ready to be streamed on Hulu. I am willing to watch ads because I don’t have to wait as long to catch up on missed episodes of shows. If the show is on one of the major broadcasting stations than chances are within two days of airing it will be ready for streaming on Hulu.
Price – 5, Hulu gets another perfect score for its unbeatable price. As a student, you have the option of a package deal where you get Spotify Premium, Hulu, and a couple other streaming services for $5 each month. For someone that is constantly listening to music and spends most of their time in the car I use Spotify the most, but when I am looking for a movie and am bored of Netflix I immediately go and check Hulu.
Disney+
Usability – 3, the day it came out the site crashed. It was disappointing for me because I was trying to watch Hannah Montana before class, and it kept freezing up and not loading. Besides this glitch when it first launched, personally I am not the biggest fan of how the streaming service is organized. Since there are so many films and shows it is organized by category. When it first launched, if you were looking for a show that wasn’t super popular, you had to use the search bar to find it. I am not sure if this has been fixed but it still must be considered in my scoring because this service has only been out for a little while. For a company as prestigious Disney to have glitches, it must have an impact somewhere.
Range of Movies – 4, I never realized just how many movies Disney was a part of. Classics like Cool Runnings and the Percy Jackson Series are owned by Disney. That was amazing to me because I never realized that movies without the little castle intro were Disney movies too. I was amused.
Range of Shows – 4, I grew up on Disney Channel, so I am happy that a good number of my favorite shows are now accessible to me. I am disappointed in the fact that there are shows that are from Disney Channel that are not on Disney+. Shows such as “Sonny with A Chance” and “Lazy Town” were some of my favorite shows growing up and the fact that I can’t go back and watch them is genuinely upsetting.
Price – 5, I am giving Disney+ a five for price because, honestly for the amount that they are offering it is pretty good. I mean you pay hundreds of dollars to go to their amusement parks, so we all know that they can charge outrageous prices and still making a profit. The fact that they thought about their audience when coming up with the price is evident because it is on the lower end of subscription costs that most college students have.
And the winner is *drum roll* Hulu. With a grand total of seventeen points and two perfect scores in both the price and range of shows categories, Hulu is our winner. Following Hulu is Disney+ with a close score of sixteen. Just two points behind Disney+ with fourteen points is Netflix. Lastly but certainly not least, Amazon Video with a score of eleven points finds itself in fourth place. The price of Prime, even with all of its features is too steep for most students’ budgets and this greatly impacted the ranking.