It’s been a long time since Netflix was the only streaming service on the market. We are well and truly into the streaming wars now, and things are getting ugly. Prices are going up all the time, and it’s getting to the point where people are having to choose which of the services they subscribe to are really worth keeping, and which they’ll have to dump to save on money.
We’re here to help you figure that out. These are all the major streaming services, ranked by how much they’re the price of a subscription.
Peacock
The least bang for your buck
If you’re a fan of classic NBC comfort food shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation, Peacock may be indispensable for you. And the lowest pricing tier is on the lower end of pricing tiers across all the major streaming services:
- Peacock Select — $8.99/month, includes ads, no downloads, no access to Peacock Originals or sports
- Peacock Premium — $12.99/month, includes ads, no downloads
- Peacock Premium Plus — $19.99/month, no ads, includes downloads
The catch is that paying for Peacock at that low price doesn’t get you access to any originals. And if you pay at a higher tier, the originals you do get are relatively sparse compared to what other services offer. The biggest original Peacock shows include Love Island USA and The Traitors, which are admittedly great if you like reality content. Beyond that, the pickings are slim.
Also, Peacock recently raised its prices for the fourth time in as many years, which does not bode well going forward. 4K streaming is available for select programming on the Premium and Premium Plus tiers.
Paramount+
The broken arrow
In terms of pricing, Paramount+ keeps things relatively simple with only two tiers:
- Paramount+ Essential — $8.99 per month, includes ads, stream in 1080p, includes limited Showtime acces
- Paramount+ Premium — $13.99 per month, no ads (except on live TV), stream in 4K UHD, includes offline downloads on supported mobile devices and full Showtime access
Both tiers allow you to stream on up to three devices. In terms of content, Paramount+ has a decent number of hit shows, albeit many that fall into the same genre. You’ll find a lot of gritty crime shows, law enforcement procedurals, and modern westerns created by TV mogul Taylor Sheridan, including Lioness, Landman, and Tulsa King, with sci-fi shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds sprinkled in for variety.
That said, some of those shows are also available to stream on places like Netflix. Also, Paramount+ has a very fidgety, uncooperative user interface that is borderline user-unfriendly, which knocks it down a few pegs.
Disney+ and Hulu
Double trouble
Disney+ and Hulu are linked, since they’re both owned by Disney. You can choose to get one, the other, or a bundle.
Pricing tiers for Disney+:
- Disney+ Basic: $12.49/month, includes ads, no downloads
- Disney+ Premium: $21.49 per month, no ads, includes downloads
Pricing tiers for Hulu:
- Hulu (With Ads): $12.49 per month, stream in 4K
- Hulu Premium (No Ads): $21.49 per month, no ads, includes downloads for select content
Pricing tiers for the Disney+/Hulu bundle:
- Disney+ with Hulu bundle (with ads): $12.99/month
- Disney+ with Hulu bundle (no ads): $21.99/month
Getting the Disney+/Hulu bundle is a good deal, since you’re basically buying access to both streaming services for half the price you would pay if you subscribed to them individually. That said, it raises the question of why Disney doesn’t just mash Disney+ and Hulu together into one service, which would make everything more convenient. Streaming in 4K is available for select content.
Together, Disney+ and Hulu have a lot of good content for both younger and older viewers, respectively. That said, as with Peacock, the prices for both Disney+ and Hulu have gone up every year for the past four years, which bodes ill. Also, even on the ad-free tiers, you can still get un-skippable ads before and after programming, which is also potentially a bad sign of things to come.
Apple TV
Simplicity is key
Apple TV isn’t the cheapest streaming service available, but it is the simplest to understand. There’s only one pricing tier: $14.99/month. There are no ads. You can stream in 4K. That’s it.
That might seem steep considering that Apple doesn’t have as much content as some of the other streamers, but what’s there is exemplary. It’s the streaming service of choice for sci-fi fans, with great ongoing series like Severance, Pluribus, and For All Mankind all making their mark. It also has fantastic comedies, including Ted Lasso and Widow’s Bay, which swept the 2026 Emmy Awards. Apple TV has a winning quality-over-quantity approach.
Amazon Prime Video
Can I interest you in some shopping?
Amazon Prime Video is one of the most popular streaming services available, if for no other reason than because it comes bundled with an Amazon Prime membership. That said, you can get a Prime Video subscription by itself without subscribing to Amazon Prime. Check out the pricing tiers below:
- Prime Video Subscription without Amazon Prime — $8.99/month, includes ads, stream in 1080p, limited downloads
- Prime Video Ultra Subscription without Amazon Prime — $12.99/month, no ads, stream in 4K, more downloads
- Amazon Prime Subscription — $14.99/month, stream in 1080p, limited downloads
- Amazon Prime Ultra Subscription — $19.99/month, no ads, stream in 4K, more downloads
Amazon has a pretty wide variety of original content, from action series like Reacher to superhero shows like The Boys to a growing number of romance series, like The Summer I Turned Pretty and Off Campus. Prime Video basically exists as an enticement to get people to shop using Amazon Prime, and sometimes you can tell that it’s not the company’s top priotity; the user interface, for instance, is a bit bland. But it’s hard to argue that you don’t get a lot for your money.
- Number of Devices Concurrently
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3 concurrent streams on a single Amazon account
- Highest Resolution
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4K Ultra HD (2160p)
HBO Max
Where content is king
HBO Max is one of the most expensive streaming services. Check out their pricing tiers below:
- Basic with Ads — $10.99/mo (ads)
- Standard — $18.49/mo (ad-free, 1080p on two devices)
- Premium — $22.99/mo (Ad-free, stream in 4K UHD with Dolby Atmos on 4 devices, includes live sports and 100 offline downloads)
To make up for it, HBO relies on its tremendous back catalog of stellar content, from classic dramas like The Sopranos and Game of Thrones to great comedies like Sex and the City and Veep. Newer hits like The Pitt, The White Lotus, Lanterns, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms keep people coming back for more.
- founded
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May 27, 2020
- number of users
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125 million+ users
- notable shows
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The Pitt, Peacemaker, Pretty Little Liars, Hacks
Netflix
Still the king, despite everything
Netflix first offered streaming in 2007. It’s been in this game the longest, and it’s built up a huge library of content in that time, both original and licensed. Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Squid Game, You, The Last Kingdom, BoJack Horseman, Cobra Kai, Dark, The Queen’s Gambit, Baby Reindeer, Arcane…the list of solid shows you can’t watch anywhere else is long.
Netflix has a wide spread of pricing tiers:
- Standard with ads — $8.99/mo
- Standard (ad-free) — $19.99/mo, stream in 1080p, stream on two devices at once
- Premium — $26.99/mo, 4K Ultra HD, stream on four devices at once
Even all these years later, it’s hard to beat Netflix for sheer value.
Whither streaming?
This is a very subjective list; depending on the kind of content you like to watch, your own rankings may be different. But realistically, streaming services can only raise their prices for so long before people get fed up and decide to drop a few, so no matter which services you prefer, you may be facing some tricky choices in the near future.
And that’s probably for the best. Competition is good, but there are currently more services than the average person can fit into their budget or their life. It’s now a matter of which will have staying power. Watch and find out.