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It seems like every week a new streaming video service enters the market, and at this point, it’s almost impossible to keep track of them all.




Within the span of just a few months, a number of major players have entered the market to compete with mainstays like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. The frustratingly stubborn mobile-first service, Quibi, officially launched in April, followed by HBO Max in May and NBCUniversal’s Peacock in July. But even existing streaming titans like Roku and Plex launched respective ad-supported live TV features in recent months. And don’t even get me started on AT&T’s shady-as-hell live TV box that launched back in March.

In other words, there are more cord-cutting options to choose from than ever before. And if looking at the ever-growing list of possibilities makes your head spin, don’t stress. We’ve gone ahead and done the heavy lifting and picked out the best streaming services available right now.


The editorial staff of Gizmodo independently test and review each product found in our Buyer’s Guides. If you purchase something using our affiliate links, G/O Media may earn a commission. Affiliate linking does not influence our editorial content.

Best all-around streaming service

Image : Disney

Identifying the “best” streaming service right now—especially considering the sheer number of services there are to choose from—is largely dependent on what is most important to each individual user, be that selection, streaming and content quality, live TV, or price point, among other variables. But when it comes to hitting all of most of these metrics and doing so for a modest subscription fee, the clear winner here is the Disney+ bundle (especially considering Netflix is losing a number of licenses for high-quality series and franchises to rival services, including Disney+). Additionally, if Disney+ is a built-in babysitter, Hulu is its more mature counterpart, and with the addition of content from FX, Hulu’s got a pretty good thing going as far as content selection.


The bundle—which starts at just $13 for ad-supported Hulu, rivaling the price of Netflix’s popular standard plan—comes jam-packed with a massive catalog of originals; beloved and legacy content from franchises like Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel; all of National Geographic’s documentaries and shows; ad-supported Hulu, which of course hosts a massive library of content; and ESPN+, which comes stuffed with thousands of live events, original series, and fantasy league tools. Bundle tiers also include ad-free Hulu for $19 per month, ad-supported Hulu with live TV for $62 per month, and ad-free Hulu with live TV for $68 per month. (More on that below.)

Beyond the content selection—which taken together across the three individual services is massive—Disney+ offers a lot of free perks (for now at least) that would increase your subscription fees on other services. For example, high definition streaming comes standard, and the service supports up to 4K Ultra HD streaming in Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos. In addition, the service allows for up to seven user profiles, simultaneous streaming on up to four devices at once, and unlimited downloads on up to 10 phones or tablets for offline viewing. Basically, this is the bundle that’s great for families or just a household hoping to find a single service to meet the various content tastes of everyone under its roof.


G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to Disney+ Bundle for $13/Month

Best streaming service for live TV

Image : Hulu


A preference for streaming doesn’t necessarily come independent of an appreciation for live TV viewing, particularly for shows whose viewers would prefer to watch them live with a national audience. If this is you, you may want to consider the Hulu + Live TV package. Starting at $55 per month after a free trial, you’ll get all of Hulu’s library of originals, TV, and movies in addition to more than 60 live and on demand TV options, including news and sports. And Hulu just got a hell of a lot better with the addition of its FX content haul, a content hub on the platform that comes standard with any Hulu subscription. Plus, it allows for up to 50 hours of cloud DVR storage for recorded live television.


Hulu + Live TV also allows for customization. While the package comes standard with simultaneous viewing on up to two screens, an additional add-on will allow for unlimited screens at home and up to three screens remotely for $10 per month. Plus, premium viewing with HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz can also be added to the plan for between $9 and $15 per month for each. Live TV can be viewed online and on iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV and Fire Stick, Apple TV (4th generation and older), Chromecast, Xbox One and Xbox 360, and select Samsung models, select LG TV models, and Nintendo Switch.

G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to Hulu + Live TV for $55/Month


With the unfortunate death of PlayStation Vue in January (RIP), another non-cable live television option to consider is YouTube TV. At $65 a month, this one’s slightly more expensive than Hulu’s Live TV option, but it does have a few more perks on the live television front (but less of the quality on demand stuff). It comes with more than 70 channel options, and allows for unlimited storage space with recordings stored for up to 9 months. Plus, the service supports up to six individual user accounts and streaming on up to three devices at once.


But the service’s monthly subscription cost has gone up by $15 per month since our last review—a concerning trend among premium Live TV services. These products used to undercut cable subscriptions—and many still do, if you factor in things like equipment rental and hidden fees. But YouTube TV has hit a point where it can be kind of a toss-up, depending on what you’re looking for.

If you’re interested in merely replicating the channel-surfing experience of traditional over-the-air programming, I’d suggest Pluto TV. You won’t get a lot of the bells and whistles that come along with a paid subscription, though it currently offers hundreds of channels options. It’s not perfect, but it’s free. And if you’re already subscribed to Netflix or any other number of services, it may be one to consider.


G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to YouTube TV for $65/Month

G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to Pluto for Free


Best streaming service for high-quality movies and TV

Image : HBO


Oh, HBO Max. If you’re change-averse, I hate to say that you are probably going to find the newer, super-stuffed version of HBO’s tentpole streaming service a frustrating revamp. HBO Now, which will be rebranded as just HBO beginning in August to avoid further confusion about HBO’s many services, previously held this title because its app was good—not perfect, per se, but good. Personally, I find the navigation layout of HBO Max incredibly annoying. But ultimately, this is still where you’re going to find all that great HBO content, plus a lot more premium options as well.


As was the case with HBO Now, you’ll be able to view not only HBO’s catalog of original programming on Max—including Succession, Westworld, Game of Thrones, Watchmen, Big Little Lies, and Insecure, just to name a few—but plenty of excellent documentaries, stand-up, new releases, sports, and content for kids. Max has its own originals as well, and its addition of hubs for Studio Ghibli, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim, the DC catalog, Turner Classic Movies, and Cartoon Network, among others, really makes this a solid choice for the price. It really is an insane deal for the price, but its curation and navigation could still use some work. The service also lacks support on Roku and Amazon devices as of this writing, which sidelines a pretty significant chunk of potential subscribers.

G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to HBO Now for $15/Month


Another new kid on the streaming block, NBCUniversal’s Peacock makes a very strong case for itself with its low subscription costs and a free tier that costs exactly zero dollars. With the premium options ($5 with ads and $10 without), you’ll have access to more than 20,000 hours of content plus originals. It also includes and live and continuous TV feature, if the over-the-air experience is something you like bundled into your service. You’ll get roughly half of that content and no originals with the free plan, but with a fairly solid collection of movies and shows to stream, Peacock is a very good service for a very low cost.


As of this writing, however, Roku and Amazon have yet to reach a deal for support of the service. That won’t be a deal-breaker for everybody, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re not streaming on a supported device or desktop.

G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to Peacock for Free


Best Netflix plan

Image : Netflix


Our pick: Netflix’s standard plan ( $13 )

Netflix’s standard subscription—the service’s most popular plan—allows for HD viewing and streaming on up to two devices simultaneously. The standard plan is great for smaller households—assuming everyone isn’t sitting in their rooms trying to stream in isolation—and HD viewing is really all you need for streaming Netflix on a laptop, tablet, phone, and most TVs. In other words, it’s Netflix’s “just right” plan: a middle-of-the-road price for all the bells and whistles that you need for standard streaming.




G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to Netflix Standard for $13/Month

Also consider: Netflix’s premium plan ( $16 )

If you’re a person who absolutely must stream in ultra-high definition where available, the premium plan is still an option—though its price tag is quite steep for a single person, or even two people subscribing to multiple services. If you’re purchasing with multi-user streaming in mind, however, the premium plan does allow for simultaneous viewing on up to four devices at once. Most people don’t need UHD or its speed requirements to enjoy Netflix, but if you’re looking to put that 4K TV to good use, this is the plan to consider.


G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to Netflix Premium for $16/Month

Best streaming service for live TV sports

Image : fuboTV


If access to live sports is your primary focus and news and network series are more of an afterthought, fuboTV packs in more than 115 channels and more than 130 events in 4K. The $60-per-month family plan allows for streaming on up to three screens at once as well as 500 hours of video storage in the cloud. Add-ons offer non-sports channels as well—though not as much variety for customization as, say, Sling TV.


G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to fuboTV for $60/Month

Also consider: fuboTV Ultra ( $80 )

You’re getting quite a lot with the fuboTV family plan in terms of screen-sharing and overall live TV offerings. But if you’re looking for more premium content, the $80 Ultra offers even more to watch with 183 channels (including 36 entertainment selections), 23 more sports channels with Sports Plus, and a Showtime package that offers nine on-demand channel options. It’s not a bad option if sports is your topmost priority, this is the sole subscription for your household, and you want premium non-sports content as well. Plus, fuboTV’s Extra and Sports Plus add-on options now include the NHL Network and MLB Network (as well as the MLB Network Strike Zone for Sports Plus subscribers).


G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to fuboTV Ultra for $80/Month

Best free streaming service

Image : kanopy


Kanopy—which is free with a user login for a participating library or university—is an ad-free resource for thousands of high-quality films, particularly indies, with new titles added each month. This is where to head for critical darlings such as Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, Leave No Trace, Moonlight, and various documentaries and archived classics. Considering it’s ad-free, the selection is fabulous. The only downside is that access to the platform with a library card is limited for some users, as is the case for New Yorkers (a massive bummer, by the way).


It’s worth noting, here, a few of the services you may already have free access to and aren’t taking advantage of. If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, for example, its streaming service Prime TV offers tons of free movies and series as well as originals. Two of the hottest streaming releases last year, Apple TV+ and Disney+, are also free for some users as they both look to beef up their users. Apple TV+ is free for a year for users who buy a new Apple product, and Disney+ is free for a year for Verizon users. CuriosityStream, which we discuss below, is also free for all Optimum customers. If any of these applies to you, congratulations on your free content loophole.

G/O Media may get a commission Sign Up for a Free Kanopy Account


If you don’t mind ads, you might try either Vudu’s free to watch movie selections or IMDb TV. The latter’s selection of films, series, and originals is quite good! Many are older-ish releases, but there are some more recent content and blockbuster successes peppered in as well. Vudu’s free films section can be considerably more touch-and-go in terms of selection. But if you’re looking for an easy watch and don’t mind scrolling a bit, it’s not a bad resource for free content.


G/O Media may get a commission Sign Up for a Free IMDB Account

G/O Media may get a commission Sign Up for a Free Vudu Account


Best streaming service for art-house and classics

Image : Criterion


The Criterion Channel is the go-to streaming service for the Criterion Collection and bills itself as the movie lover’s guide to both classic and contemporary filmmaking. After a free 14-day trial, the service will run you either $11 a month or $100 a year for access to the Criterion Collection’s library of more than 1,000 films. Plus, the service is constantly updating with more art-house, independent, and international selections, among others. The service features content from guest curators like Barry Jenkins, Guillermo del Toro, and Mira Nair, as well. It’s accessible online, with Apple TV, and on select smart TVs.


G/O Media may get a commission Subscribe to The Criterion Channel for $11/Month

Best streaming service for documentaries

Photo : CuriosityStream


CuriosityStream is the place to head for quality documentaries and nature content. After a free trial, the service is offered at $20 per year ($3 monthly) for the standard plan or $70 annually ($10 per month) for the premium plan. One benefit of the premium over the standard plan is UHD and 4K viewing—but again, these are mostly unnecessary on most devices. If David Attenborough is your jam, this is the service for you. Plus, as mentioned above, CuriosityStream is free for all Optimum customers.


G/O Media may get a commission Sign Up for CuriosityStream for $3/Month

YouTube hosts innumerable resources for free documentary content, be it mini-docs from the Guardian, more from Vice, or Frontline documentaries from PBS. Your options here are pretty much limitless in terms of topic or genre, and the site’s subscription feature will allow you to build up a good catalog of quality publishers. Take advantage of it!


G/O Media may get a commission Sign Up for a Free YouTube Account

How has this list changed? Read back through our update history:

3/13/20: Added updated pricing info and channel lists for various services, included new info on FX content being added to Hulu, and removed Apple TV+ from the best high-quality TV and movies category because it ain’t all that.

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