Video streaming services have exploded in popularity in 2024. And there are more to choose from than ever before.
As more and more consumers cut the cord and leave their cable companies in the dust, they’re turning to the affordability of on-demand streaming services that offer top movies and TV shows for a fraction of the cost of cable.
This space is not just “Netflix, Hulu and everyone else” anymore. Major tech and entertainment players including Amazon, Apple and Disney have strong options in the marketplace now as well.
It’s a great time to be a consumer— but also a potentially confusing one. That’s to be expected when the market is flooded with choices.
As you consider saving money by leaving cable or satellite behind, Team Clark wants to help you make sure you’re picking the right streaming services to get the most for your home entertainment dollar. In this review, I’ll walk you through the options in the video-on-demand streaming market.
This article was updated in June 2024 and I review it every six months. Detailed notes on all updates can be found here.
Table of Contents
What Are Video Streaming Services?
Before we get started, I want to make sure that we’re on the same page with vocabulary. The terminology is just one more confusing aspect of the changing landscape of home entertainment, and what we call these new services is, at least to some degree, still evolving.
When you read “video streaming services” or “video on demand” in this article, I’m referring to subscription services that offer movies, TV programs and original content on demand for a monthly fee. There may be some limited live elements to these services, but that’s not their primary focus.
For the purposes of this article, I’m excluding live television streaming options such as YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV. While those are great cable and satellite television alternatives, they’re not in the same category as the on-demand video streaming services. Those services also carry price tags much higher than the video streaming services I’m evaluating here.
If you’ve cut the cord and are in the market for a live TV streaming service, please check out Team Clark’s guide for choosing the best option for your household.
If you’re looking to keep entertainment costs low and want to know more about on-demand video streaming services, stay here with me! I’ll look at each service to help you come up with a plan to keep your streaming budget under $25 per month.
9 Best Video Streaming Services in 2024
One of the advantages of relying on video streaming services as your main source of television entertainment is that they can be cost-effective. None of the base packages for the services we’ll talk about in this article exceed $15 per month.
Here’s a look at the cheapest basic price point for nine of the most popular video streaming services.
It’s important to note that the prices listed above are for basic, introductory use.
Netflix, for example, has three different pricing tiers based on the type of service you choose. Hulu, Paramount+ and others run advertising at their basic pricing levels but offer the option to upgrade to an ad-free experience for more money. And many of them may offer better pricing if you’re willing to make an annual commitment to the service (by paying for the year in advance).
Now let’s take a closer look at each of these nine video streaming services.
Netflix
- Pricing Information: The Basic with ads plan is $6.99 per month. Standard ($15.49) and Premium ($22.99) are upgrade options.
- Free Trial Period: None in 2024; in the past, there has been a 30-day free trial window.
- Ways To Save: Mobile phone carrier T-Mobile offers complimentary Netflix subscriptions with qualifying cell phone plans.
- Content Highlights: Netflix offers more than 47,000 TV episodes and 4,000 movie titles as well as a deep library of original content.
- Official Site
What We Like About It: Netflix is considered by many to be the gold standard of on-demand streaming. With a large, established user base, it can afford to offer a robust lineup of original content. “Stranger Things” and “House of Cards” are just two examples of Netflix Originals that have become big hits. The service also has a large collection of movies and TV series. Though Netflix lost streaming rights to mega-TV hits “Friends” (now on Max) and “The Office” (now on Peacock), it picked up the rights to “Seinfeld” from Hulu in 2021.
Hulu
- Pricing Information: The basic plan with ads is $7.99 per month. For the ad-free experience, customers must pay $17.99 per month.
- Free Trial Period: 30 days
- Ways To Save: The basic Hulu plan can be bundled with Disney+ and ESPN+ for as low as a $12.99 monthly fee. This is called The Disney Bundle.
- Content Highlights: Hulu features a mix of popular TV shows, movies and original content.
- Official Site
What We Like About It: Hulu has a tremendous amount of television content. From popular adult animated shows like “Family Guy,” “King of the Hill” and “Bob’s Burgers” to major television hits such as “Lost,” “Justified” and “30 Rock,” there are shows exclusive to Hulu that make the $7.99 price attractive. Hulu also has a live television option, but that plan starts at around $76 per month.
Amazon Prime Video
- Pricing Information: $8.99 per month for Prime Video only; Full Amazon Prime is either $14.99 per month or $139 annually.
- Free Trial Period: 30 days
- Ways To Save: Amazon offers discounted Prime memberships to students as well as EBT and Medicaid recipients. It also has occasional sales on Prime memberships during events such as Prime Day.
- Content Highlights: Prime Video features a mixed library of original content, television series and films.
- Official Site
What We Like About It: The best part about Amazon Prime Video is that many users already have access to it because they’re Amazon Prime subscribers. If you are paying for a monthly Prime membership, then you have this on-demand content at your disposal — no extra charge. Prime Video has a pretty extensive library of movies for all ages. It has a strong original content section that features the “Jack Ryan” series starring John Krasinski plus Chris Pratt’s “The Terminal List,” “Reacher,” “Fleabag” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Prime Video is also the exclusive home of the NFL’s Thursday Night Football.
Disney+
What We Like About It: Disney+ offers popular streaming categories including content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. A big plus for this platform is that many of the classic Disney movies that were “in the vault” are now available to stream at will. Disney has also capitalized on its acquisition of the Star Wars franchise with this platform: All the movies are available for streaming, and there are new original series such as “The Mandalorian.” The Marvel superhero movies are another popular option. Many Disney cartoon favorites, like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, are available here as well. Oh, and Disney has promised live sports are coming to the platform soon as well.
Max (formerly HBO Max)
- Pricing Information: $9.99 per month for the ad-supported subscription and $15.99 for the ad-free version
- Free Trial Period: None
- Ways To Save: Max offers a discount on the monthly subscription price if you pay for an annual subscription
- Content Highlights: Complete HBO library, exclusive home to “Friends” and “The Big Bang Theory” and the streaming home for Warner Bros. Discovery film productions
- Official Site
- Our Review: Max: Everything to Know About the Streaming Service
What We Like About It: Max was unveiled in May 2023 as a replacement for HBO Max. It has all the great things we liked about HBO Max with the addition of Warner Bros. Discovery content from brands like HGTV, Food Network, TLC and more. The backbone of the service is 45 years’ worth of HBO original content including major hits such as “The Sopranos,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Game of Thrones.” But it doesn’t stop there. Big TV hits including “Friends,” “South Park” and “The Big Bang Theory” also call this service home.
NBC’s Peacock
- Pricing Information:$5.99 per month for the ad-supported subscription and $11.99 for the ad-free version (These increase to $7.99 and $13.99, respectively, beginning July 18, 2024)
- Free Trial Period: 7 days for the Peacock Premium subscription
- Ways To Save: Students can receive a discount on Peacock Premium, Limited-time discounts on annual subscriptions
- Content Highlights: “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” English Premier League soccer, NFL, “Yellowstone”
- Official Site
- Our Review: Peacock: Everything to Know About NBC’s Streaming Service
What We Like About It: NBC launched this with a free tier of Peacock for everyone to enjoy, but there is value behind the paywall as they make changes to endorse subscriptions. You’ll get all nine seasons of “The Office” as well as full seasons of hit shows “Yellowstone,” “Law & Order SVU,” “Parks and Recreation” and more. There’s also access to livestreaming of sporting events like Sunday Night Football, Summer and Winter Olympics and English Premier League soccer matches. And there’s original content to explore including reboots of popular shows like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” The ad-free version includes a livestream of your local NBC affiliate.
Paramount+
- Pricing Information: $5.99 per month for the ad-supported subscription and $11.99 for the ad-free version that includes Showtime
- Free Trial Period: 7 days
- Ways To Save: Students receive a 25% discount on monthly subscriptions. You can save on the monthly rate by opting for an annual subscription.
- Content Highlights: You get access to a large portion of the Paramount Global content library, which includes complete seasons of shows from CBS, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET and Comedy Central. Paramount movies and original content are included, as well as CBS live feeds.
- Official Site
- Our Review: Paramount+ Review: Everything to Know About the New TV Streaming Service
What We Like About It: In 2021 Paramount Global ditched its stale CBS All Access platform for the new and exciting look of Paramount+. And while most favorites from the old platform, including Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek Picard, carried over to Paramount+, some new and original titles have debuted on the new service like “Yellowstone” prequels “1883” and “1923.” This version of CBS’s streaming platform also leverages content from Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, BET and MTV in addition to CBS. Many popular titles, such as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Indiana Jones,” live here as part of Paramount’s film library. If you opt for the higher-priced ad-free subscription, you’ll also have access to Showtime, a livestream of your local CBS affiliate station and some news and sports feeds.
discovery+
- Pricing Information: $4.99 per month for an ad-supported subscription and $8.99 for the ad-free version
- Free Trial Period: 7 days
- Ways To Save: Watch for discounted deals and bundles. There was a recently-expired offer for a free year of discovery+ for Verizon customers, for example.
- Content Highlights: On-demand library of 14 popular channels, including HGTV, Food Network and TLC. Original content includes Magnolia Network productions from Chip and Joanna Gaines.
- Official Site
- Our Review: Discovery+ Review: Stream from 14 Popular Networks for $4.99
What We Like About It: If you enjoy the content from several popular Discovery-backed cable channels but don’t need to watch these shows live, this could be a great service for you. Discovery+ offers full seasons of popular shows from Food Network, HGTV, Magnolia Network, Discovery, History, TLC and more. That means shows starring popular personalities Guy Fieri, The Property Brothers and Chip and Joanna Gaines are available to binge here. The $8.99 pricing for ad-free streaming is among the best on the market for services that offer both ad-supported and ad-free options.
Apple TV+
- Pricing Information: $9.99 per month
- Free Trial Period: 7 days
- Ways To Save: If you buy a new iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac or Apple TV, you’ll get a free three-month subscription to Apple TV+.
- Content Highlights: Apple is going with a “no reruns” platform by investing heavily in original content series; “Ted Lasso” is one of the top-performing shows for this streaming service
- Official Site
- Our Review: Apple TV+: Is It Worth It?
What We Like About It: For a premium brand like Apple, the affordable $9.99 monthly price may be surprising to some. Apple TV+ is focused on original content and already has series featuring some big-name stars including Oprah Winfrey, Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Reese Witherspoon and Samuel L. Jackson. Apple TV+ does not carry as much licensed content as some other video streaming services, but it does have some favorites such as the animated “Peanuts” holiday specials. Apple dipped into the sports world with the service in 2022, reaching an agreement with Major League Baseball on exclusive Friday night broadcasts. Major League Soccer has a new subscription on Apple TV+ that allows streamers to watch all league games.
5 Tips for Keeping Video Streaming Services Under $25 per Month
Are you looking to cut the cord but afraid that multiple streaming services could quickly push your monthly cost right back to the level of your cable bill? That’s a reasonable concern.
Given all the quality options on the market, it’s easy to get carried away.
If your goal is to keep your monthly tab for video streaming services under $25, here are some tips that may help.
1. Assess the Type of Content Your Household Consumes
With video streaming services ranging between $5 and $15 per month, it is important that you set priorities. Is it access to “The Office”? You’ll need Peacock for that. Do you really love Jennifer Aniston and want to see her series “The Morning Show”? That’s available only on Apple TV+.
Some services lean towards a particular demographic or genre. Disney+, for example, has quite a bit of material for children. Apple TV+ focuses primarily on original drama series. Understanding these differences will help you narrow your search.
Once you have a good idea about the programming that’s most important to you, it’ll be easier to make decisions on allocating the money you’ve set aside for video streaming services.
2. Test Drive Services With Free Trials
Many of these video streaming services offer free trial periods for new customers. They’re hoping you’ll like what you see and stick around for a paid subscription. These trials present a great opportunity for you to decide if you actually like a service before paying a dime.
Note that most of these services will require you to sign up with a credit card. It will be your responsibility to cancel before your trial period ends, or you can expect to get charged for a full month automatically.
3. Take Advantage of Bundling and Promotional Offers
Before you commit to a streaming service, take a quick look around for promotional deals. A popular one involves bundling the new Disney+ service with Hulu and ESPN+ for just $14.99 per month. This can be a great way to get more content for your buck.
There also are seasonal deals that can be a real win. In the past, Hulu has offered Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions of its basic service for $1.99 per month for a year.
Finally, keep an eye out for crossover promotions with products you may already be paying for. Verizon offers select customers free Disney+, Apple is giving out Apple TV+ for a year if you buy certain new devices, and T-Mobile includes access to Netflix in some of its cell phone packages.
4. Rotate Services on a Month-by-Month Basis
Let’s face it: There’s only so much video streaming you can do in a month. So, while you may have a wide range of interests that spans many streaming platforms, you don’t have to pay for each of them every month.
The beauty of video streaming services is that there are no cable-company-like time commitments. Most of the services let you pay month-to-month and cancel without any penalty.
With binge-watching so popular, rotating different services is a great way to keep costs low. Like a show that has a new season coming out on Netflix next month? Maybe drop Disney+ for a month and spend your time on that Netflix show instead.
5. Try Out Some Free TV Options
While subscription streaming may be the most direct path to the latest programming, there are some free alternatives. If you’re willing to watch content the old-fashioned way (with commercials), you can still access mainstream programming without paying a monthly subscription fee.
Pluto TV is a popular free TV streaming option that has more than 100 genre-themed channels. You won’t find ESPN or other popular subscription channels here, but this Viacom-owned service does have a variety of news and entertainment options.
Tubi TV is another free streaming service that could help fill the void of a paid service. Tubi offers an extensive library that features a combination of movies and complete TV series.
The content you’ll find on these free services can be a little bit dated, but there are some recognizable actors and titles. Here’s our guide to even more free TV streaming.
You can also get free TV from your local channels by using an antenna. To learn more about finding the right antenna for you, read our article.
Final Thoughts
If you’re not into live sports or news channels, the idea of getting your television entertainment solely from video streaming services is viable. And it could be a real money saver over the long run.
Netflix has been the leader in this market for several years, but it appears that companies such as Disney, Apple and Amazon are here for the long run. That’s both good and bad for the consumer.
On the plus side, competition almost always helps keep pricing in check. On the minus side, consumers may have to shop around between different services to see all their favorite shows. Netflix’s loss of mega-hits “Friends” and “The Office” has already prompted some consumers to shop for new services to continue streaming their favorites.
If the goal is $25 per month or less, you can comfortably fit two or three streaming services into your budget at once. For now, the play is to watch promotional deals closely and rotate subscriptions often to maximize your value in the video streaming services game.
Do you have experience with these video streaming services? Team Clark would love to hear your strategies for maximizing your entertainment dollar in the Clark.com Community!
Article Updates
- June 2024: Updated pricing information for Peacock. Added content to Paramount+ subscription structure with Showtime now included. Added information on live sports coming to Disney+.
- Ocotber 2023: Updated pricing details for Apple TV+, Hulu, Disney+ and Netflix.
- July 2023: Updated pricing details for Peacock after an announced subscription price increase.
- May 2023: Changed HBO Max to Max. Updated to include information on that new streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery.
