Which Streaming Video Provider Is the Best Value?.
Streaming services have taken over homes, gaining more subscriptions than traditional TV. But with every service requiring a monthly subscription, you’ll likely find that you don’t want to weigh your budget with too many of them.
Some are a better deal than others based on price alone, but you need to pay close attention to what your family will be using before choosing just one.
Amazon Prime ($ 12.99 / month)
For most people, Amazon Prime TV will be the most profitable option as it comes with free shipping. If you order from Amazon regularly, it will be worth it.
Prime members now also receive benefits such as free same day shipping and special discount days. The streaming service includes popular exclusive shows such as Emmy Award-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan . If you’re trying to access content outside of your home country, there are a limited number of third-party VPNs available to help you establish this connection, although Amazon very actively blocks this type of access.
The Amazon Watchlist feature lets you sort by title or how recently you’ve added something to it. You can easily enable subtitles with your Fire TV remote control as well as right in your browser. Of all the streaming services, Amazon Prime TV is the most difficult to use, as its clunky layout makes it difficult to find anything to watch.
Amazon offers a free 30-day trial with free 2-day shipping. Students also receive a free six-month trial in the school-specific section of the site.
Netflix ($ 8.99 / month)
Netflix remains the most popular streaming service with roughly 20 million subscribers as of May 2018. While you will find many popular shows licensed from other networks, the appeal of Netflix is ​​its original programming
Popular shows like Stranger Things and Orange Is the New Black force viewers to pay a monthly subscription. Also working for Netflix? The fact that the company is usually ahead of the competition by offering support for technologies like 4K resolution
Netflix‘s original queue feature has been replaced by My List, a feature that’s easy to access whether you’re using a mobile device or a TV. You can easily turn on subtitles or change your preferred language if this feature is available for the content you are watching.
Netflix is ​​constantly updating its user interface to keep it as simple as possible. Today, you can even easily watch trailers on the Browse screen, making it easy to decide what to watch. The parental control service is especially popular with families. To move from one country’s Netflix options to others, you’ll need one of the few VPNs that Netflix hasn’t blocked on their servers yet.
One of the biggest disadvantages of Netflix is ​​its price. While $ 8.99 is on par with other services, if you want high-quality video, you’ll have to upgrade to the monthly plan for $ 10.99 to $ 12.99. Netflix offers a free monthly trial so you can decide if the service is right for you.
YouTube TV ($ 49.99 / month)
You are probably all too familiar with all the free content that can be found on YouTube. But a paid subscription to the site serves as a great alternative to cable or satellite.
Unlike other services, YouTube TV is designed to give you access to many of the channels you’ll have on your TV, including ABC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, and HGTV, among many others. You will need to enter your zip code to get a complete list of channels available in your area.
The YouTube TV interface is similar to what you find when you watch free YouTube videos on your computer. You may not feel that using the watch function is as easy as some other services, and you cannot add items to your watch list yet. YouTube TV offers subtitles and language settings just like other services, but you will find only a handful of content in other languages.
YouTube TV has a shorter trial period than other services, and it looks like the trial period continues to shrink, but you may find it easier to find a working VPN.
Hulu ($ 5.99 / month)
If you’re a TV fan, Hulu will likely be your favorite, despite what others have suggested. You will get access to many shows that air on ABC, CBS, Bravo, A&E, Food Network, HGTV, Lifetime and many more. There’s also a Live TV option that gives you access to all the broadcasts you lost when you cut the cord. Best of all, the basic plan with ads without the Live TV option only costs $ 5.99 per month.
The Hulu Watch List not only stores the shows you want to watch, but it also lets you view the shows you have already watched. The site has a fairly large selection of international films and you can easily change your language preferences to watch them.
Like Netflix, Hulu is constantly updating its interface to make it as easy as possible across devices, and the Keep Watching section is especially helpful to pick up where you last left off.
Hulu is fairly affordable and also comes with a free 30-day trial. The biggest flaw is the original programming as the service is still trying to keep up with Netflix, Amazon, and HBO. To access content from other countries, you will need to keep up with several VPNs that can bypass service blocking tools.
HBO GO ($ 14.99 / month)
HBO has long been a premium paid service, but the network has evolved in the streaming era. While there are plenty of great original shows and blockbuster movies on HBO GO at this price point, it’s not as good as the competition.
If you like movies more than TV shows, HBO GO might be a better choice than Netflix or Hulu In addition to ad-free movies and licensed TV series, you will also receive original content such as Curb Your Enthusiasm , The Deuce and Barry .
When it comes to choice, HBO GO won’t be as important a service as Netflix or Hulu, which have vast libraries of shows and movies. The real bait, however, is the network’s original series. You also won’t find as many international games as other streaming services, but you can change your preferred language and access subtitles easily.
Navigating with HBO GO is pretty easy, especially if you frequently switch from one device to another and want to pick up where you left off. You will access HBO GO through an HBO subscription, and many cable TV providers offer free trial periods. However, you can get HBO Now independently and get it for free for the first seven days. If you want to watch content from other countries, you will need to search the newest VPNs to find one that is not blocked yet.
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