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Disney+ vs. the competition: Which offers the best bang for your buck?
Probably still Netflix, tbh.
With so many different streaming services coming out of the woodwork it's getting harder to keep up with everything — as well as more expensive. That's not going to get any better now that Disney's launched its own offering, with shows from popular franchises like Star Wars and Marvel to entice you to sign up. With only so much time and money to go around, you might need to make a choice as to which offers the best bang for the buck. While we can't tell you which shows you'll like, we can certainly help you out with some of the more technical details, so check out the chart below to see how Disney+ will stack up against established players like Netflix.
Disney+ | Netflix | Amazon | Hulu | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Price | $7 /month | starts at $9 /month | starts at $13 /month | starts at $6 /month |
Number of original programs1 | 10 (at launch) | 1,056 | 138 | 71 |
Premium content | None | None | HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz, Shudder, Comedy Central Now, PBS Kids, CBS All Access, etc. | Disney+, ESPN, HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz |
Live entertainment content | None | None | None | Yes |
Live sports | None | None | NBA, NFL | NFL |
Advertising | Yes2 | None | None | Yes |
Downloadable content | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Max video quality | 4K with HDR and Dolby Vision | 4K with HDR and Dolby Vision | 4K with HDR and Dolby Vision | |
Media players | Android TV3, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku | Android TV3, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Tivo3 | Android TV3, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, TiVo3 | Android TV3, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Tivo3 |
Smart TV3 | LG, Samsung | Hisense, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony, Vizio | Hisense, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sony, Vizio | Hisense, LG, Samsung, Sony, Vizio |
Game consoles | PlayStation 4, Xbox One | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PS Vita, 3DS | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
Simultaneous streams (max) | 4 | 4 | 3 | Unlimited |
1Estimate of original programming as of 12/31/2019, as listed on Wikipedia and Netflix.
2 Only during the initial signup process as part of a deal with Starz.
3 Select models only; check compatibility of individual sets.
