Best Streaming Services (2024): Which Are Worth Your Money?

Short answer: Netflix was the best one-service default for most U.S. households in 2024 because it combined the broadest mix of originals, movies, television, documentaries, reality programming, international content, downloads, and device support. But it was not the universal winner. Max was better for HBO and prestige television, Apple TV+ for polished ad-free originals, Disney+ for families and franchises, Hulu for current network and FX shows, Prime Video for existing Amazon Prime members, Peacock for NBC programming and major events, Paramount+ for CBS and Showtime, and Crunchyroll for anime.

This is a historical 2024 snapshot, not a current price guide. Streaming prices, plan names, catalogs, advertising policies, and sports rights change frequently. The figures below refer to U.S. direct-billed monthly prices before taxes, excluding temporary promotions, student discounts, wireless-provider perks, and grandfathered plans. Before subscribing, verify the exact price and title availability on the provider’s website.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Roku Streaming Stick HD with Voice Remote	$19.00	Buy on Amazon
2		Roku Ultra, Ultimate Streaming Player - 4K Streaming Device for TV	$96.71	Buy on Amazon
3		Roku Streaming Stick 4K with Voice Remote - HDR10+ & Dolby Vision	$44.99	Buy on Amazon
4		Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus with AI-powered Fire TV Search, Wi-Fi 6, stream hundreds of thousands...	$69.99	Buy on Amazon
5		Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select, start streaming in 4K, AI-powered search, and free & live TV, find...	$49.99	Buy on Amazon

For most budgets, the financially sensible strategy was one anchor service plus occasional rotation—not keeping every subscription year-round. Deloitte found that U.S. subscribing households spent an average of $61 per month across four subscription video-on-demand services in its 2024 survey, while 40% had canceled at least one paid service in the previous six months. Deloitte’s 2024 Digital Media Trends helps explain why the cheapest streaming service is often the one you stop paying for when you are no longer watching it.

Quick recommendations: the best streaming service by need

These are editorial recommendations, not objective measurements. TVLine named Netflix its overall 2024 winner, while TechRadar gave Apple TV+ its overall streaming-service award and Prime Video its value award. The disagreement is useful: the answer changes depending on whether you prioritize breadth, quality, price, movies, or current programming. See TVLine’s 2024 ranking and TechRadar’s 2024 Choice Awards.

#1 Best Overall

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• No more juggling remotes: Power up your TV, adjust the volume, and control your Roku device with one remote. Use your voice to quickly search, play entertainment, and more.
• Shows on the go: Take your TV to-go when traveling—without needing to log into someone else’s device.
• TV, simplified: With setup that only takes minutes, a simple-to-navigate Home Screen, and an uncluttered remote control that does all you need—Roku makes it easier to watch the TV you love.

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2024 streaming prices at a glance

The table below uses the principal U.S. prices reported or effective during 2024. Prices are monthly unless noted otherwise, before taxes, and assume direct billing. The same service could have different prices for existing customers, app-store billing, promotional sign-ups, or legacy plans.

Paid on-demand services: 2024 snapshot

For official plan details, consult the providers’ own pages: Netflix, Max, Disney+, Prime Video, Peacock, Paramount+, and Apple TV+. Historical pages and current pages do not always display the same plan names.

Live-TV replacements are a separate category

A live-TV service is not directly comparable with a $7.99 or $9.99 on-demand plan. It may include local broadcast stations, cable networks, sports, a cloud DVR, and live news. It may also cost as much as a traditional cable package.

Check local channels and regional sports by ZIP code before choosing any live-TV provider. The channel lineup can be more important than the headline monthly price. The Associated Press report on YouTube TV’s price change illustrates why a historical comparison needs a date, while Sling’s plan page shows how different lineups and stream limits affect the comparison.

Which streaming service should one person buy?

For a person who wants one subscription and watches several kinds of content, choose Netflix. It had the best general-purpose combination of breadth, release frequency, mainstream originals, international programming, documentaries, reality TV, stand-up, and device support.

There are three important exceptions:

• Choose Apple TV+ if you want a smaller library of polished originals and dislike regular commercial breaks.
• Choose Max if HBO, prestige television, and Warner Bros. movies are your priority.
• Choose Prime Video if you already pay for Amazon Prime and would use video as an additional benefit. Do not treat the entire $139 annual Prime price as a video-only cost unless video is the reason you joined.

Hulu is the better single service for someone who cares more about current ABC, Fox, and FX television than about a large movie archive. Its next-day availability applies to many programs, not every show or every local station.

Best streaming service for families

Disney+ was the clearest 2024 family recommendation. Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic gave it unusual franchise depth, while profiles and parental controls made it easier to use in a mixed-age household. It was not only for children: Marvel, Star Wars, documentaries, and bundle access to Hulu broadened its adult appeal.

The more important family decision was often whether to buy Disney+ alone or a bundle:

• Disney+ alone: Best when the household mainly watches Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, or children’s programming.
• Disney+ and Hulu: More persuasive when adults also want current television and Hulu originals.
• Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+: Worth considering for households that will actually use sports and ESPN+ content.
• Disney+/Hulu/Max: A broad entertainment bundle for families that want Disney and Hulu plus HBO and Warner Bros. content.
• Hulu + Live TV: A different product for households seeking live channels, local stations, and sports—not simply a larger on-demand bundle.

Hulu officially launched inside Disney+ for U.S. bundle subscribers on March 27, 2024. That made discovery easier, but it did not erase differences in billing, plan terms, content rights, or the standalone Hulu experience. Read Disney’s Hulu-on-Disney+ announcement and compare the ad level of every service in the bundle.

Best service for movies

There is no single movie winner because the services offer different kinds of movie value:

• Prime Video: Strong breadth and frequent additions, but its storefront mixes included titles with rentals, purchases, and add-on channels. A search result is not necessarily included with Prime.
• Max: Strong for Warner Bros. movies, classic cinema, HBO, and premium television. The top plan mattered if 4K/HDR was important.
• Netflix: Strong for original films and easy mainstream discovery, although its licensed movie lineup changes frequently.
• Apple TV+: High-quality original films but not a deep general movie library.
• Mubi or Criterion Channel: Better targeted choices for cinephiles seeking arthouse, international, repertory, or historically important cinema.

Do not compare services by raw catalog counts without defining what is being counted. Numbers may include seasons rather than shows, short films, children’s content, titles available only to rent, duplicate language versions, and content that rotates out shortly afterward.

Best service for current television

Hulu was the best 2024 choice for current network and FX television. Many ABC, Fox, and FX programs appeared the next day, and Hulu also had its own original series. That made it especially useful for someone who does not want to wait for a season to reach another service.

There are limits:

• Next-day does not mean every program from every network.
• Rights can vary by show, season, market, and distribution agreement.
• Regular Hulu is not the same as Hulu + Live TV.
• Hulu’s ad-free plan may still contain ads around live or linear programming.

Hulu was often more economical as part of a Disney bundle than as a standalone subscription, but only if the household watched the other included services. TVLine’s 2024 assessment also identified next-day ABC, Fox, and FX programming as Hulu’s central advantage.

Best prestige television

Max was the best targeted choice for prestige television. Its core advantage was HBO’s current and historical library, supported by Warner Bros. movies, classic television, and other licensed programming. It was a strong complement to Netflix for viewers who prefer acclaimed series and premium films over sheer catalog size.

Max’s expanded Discovery and unscripted programming increased the amount of content available but made the service feel less focused. The plan also mattered: in 2024, 4K/HDR and the highest stream limit were reserved for Premium at $20.99 per month. The $9.99 ad plan and $16.99 Standard plan should not be treated as equivalent home-theater products. See Max’s plan details.

Best sports and live events

Sports rights are too fragmented for one generic winner. Choose based on the specific league, event, and local channel you need:

Rank #2

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• Peacock: Particularly important for NBCUniversal events and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Peacock promoted more than 5,000 hours of Olympic coverage and all 329 medal events. That made it an unusually good event subscription, but not proof that it was the best sports service for every sport or every month. See Peacock’s Olympics coverage announcement.
• Paramount+: Useful for live CBS programming and CBS sports in supported markets. Live programming can still include commercials even on a higher or ad-free plan.
• ESPN+: Useful for its own exclusive events, but not a complete replacement for every ESPN cable network or every major sport.
• Prime Video: Important for selected exclusive rights, including Thursday Night Football.
• YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and Sling TV: Better candidates for broad live-channel access, but the lineup, local stations, regional sports networks, and event rights must be checked by location.

Sports fans should verify the exact game or tournament rather than subscribe based on a service’s general sports branding. A service can carry one league’s event while lacking another game that appears to be on the same network family.

Are ad-supported plans worth it?

Ads are not simply a lower price. They are a trade-off involving catalog access, interruptions, downloads, video quality, and household features.

Before choosing the cheaper tier, check:

• Whether the entire catalog is available. Netflix acknowledged that a small number of titles were unavailable on its ad-supported experience because of licensing restrictions. See Netflix’s advertising-plan information.
• Whether 4K/HDR is included.
• Whether downloads are available for travel.
• How many simultaneous streams are allowed.
• Whether live sports or linear channels still contain commercials.
• Whether the plan supports the household’s account-sharing arrangement.

Netflix’s $6.99 Standard with Ads was a reasonable budget choice for a smaller household that accepted interruptions and did not need every title. Prime Video was a different case: Amazon inserted limited ads into the previously ad-free U.S. Prime Video experience on January 29, 2024, unless members paid $2.99 more each month. Read Amazon’s announcement before comparing Prime’s old and new value.

Ad-free also has boundaries. Live sports and linear channels normally include commercials, and providers may show sponsorships, trailers, promotions, or branded content. Treat the label as describing ordinary on-demand movies and shows unless the provider says otherwise.

Does 4K matter?

It can matter on a large television, but paying for a 4K plan is worthwhile only when the entire viewing setup supports it. Use this checklist:

1. Your television or streaming device must support 4K and the relevant HDR format.
2. The specific movie or episode must be available in 4K/HDR.
3. Your plan must include 4K. Max’s 2024 Premium tier is a notable example of a service reserving 4K/HDR for its highest plan.
4. Your internet connection must be fast and stable enough to sustain a high-resolution stream.
5. Your streaming device, HDMI connection, and television settings can affect HDR10, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, or other supported formats.

Do not assume that every title is 4K just because a service advertises 4K support. Conversely, do not automatically pay for the highest tier if the household watches on phones, older televisions, or devices that cannot display the difference.

Downloads, family use, and account sharing

Downloads and travel

Downloads are useful for flights, hotels, and unreliable internet, but they are not permanent ownership. A download can be limited by device count, title rights, an expiration date, or geographic restrictions. Check whether downloads are included in the chosen tier; Disney+ Premium, for example, included downloads in the 2024 plan structure.

Downloads also do not guarantee that a title will work in another country. Rights are often location-specific, and simultaneous-stream limits are separate from download-device limits. TVLine recommends checking both before subscribing; its subscription comparison is a useful reminder that plan features are more than the headline price.

Account sharing

Netflix’s 2024 rules made a distinction between household use and sharing with someone outside the household. Multiple profiles and simultaneous streams were intended for supported household use; an outside household member could require a paid extra member arrangement or a separate account. College students, frequent travelers, and extended families could encounter household-verification friction. Do not describe Netflix as permitting unrestricted family sharing. See CBS News’ reporting on Netflix’s password-sharing changes.

When comparing plans for a family, check simultaneous streams, profiles, parental controls, downloads, resolution, device support, and sharing rules together. The cheapest plan can become the most expensive choice if the household must upgrade immediately.

Bundles: when they save money and when they do not

A bundle is a discount only when you use the services it contains and compare equivalent ad levels. The 2024 reference points were:

The Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle launched July 25, 2024. See the Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery announcement and Max’s bundle details. The Hulu integration launched March 27, while the bundle prices and plan features changed at different times, so avoid treating every bundle as one permanent product.

Prime Video add-on channels are another form of bundling. They may simplify billing and discovery, but an add-on channel is not automatically included in Prime. Look for the included-with-subscription designation rather than treating every search result as part of the base plan.

How to compare value fairly

The phrase worth your money should mean more than a low monthly price. Evaluate each service on:

• Content breadth: Does it cover enough genres and household situations?
• Content quality: Are the originals, movies, and older titles actually appealing to you?
• Release cadence: Does it provide something new each week, or is its value concentrated in one season?
• Total price: Include the cost of removing ads, the number of services in a bundle, and the price after a promotion ends.
• Ad burden: Consider ordinary episodes, movies, sports, live channels, trailers, and sponsorships separately.
• Video and audio: Compare HD, 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, spatial audio, bitrate, and device support.
• Household usability: Check profiles, simultaneous streams, parental controls, downloads, and account-sharing rules.
• Sports and live programming: Rights depend on event, league, market, and season.
• Rotation value: Can you subscribe for one month, finish the watchlist, and cancel without losing access immediately?

A useful but subjective scoring model is quality 25 points, breadth 20, price and bundle value 20, technical features 15, app usability 10, household flexibility 5, and rotation value 5. A sports household should give live-rights availability more weight; a cinephile should give movie quality and 4K more weight. The resulting ranking is a decision aid, not a universal truth.

Compare equivalent plans

A fair comparison should not put Netflix Premium against Disney+ Basic, Max Premium against Hulu With Ads, or Apple TV+ against the entire Prime membership without explaining the difference. Compare at least three situations:

Rank #3

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1. Cheapest acceptable plan: Identify ads, resolution, streams, downloads, and catalog exclusions.
2. Realistic ad-free household plan: Compare the tier a family would actually use, not merely the cheapest ad-free label.
3. Premium home-theater plan: Compare 4K/HDR and audio support, then identify which services require the top tier.

What $61 per month really means

Deloitte’s four-service average works out to about $732 per year, before taxes and before live-TV subscriptions. Some simple annualized examples from 2024 monthly prices were:

• Netflix Standard: $15.49 × 12 = $185.88.
• Netflix Premium: $22.99 × 12 = $275.88.
• Max Standard: $16.99 × 12 = $203.88.
• Disney+/Hulu/Max without ads: $29.99 × 12 = $359.88.

These are monthly prices multiplied by 12, not necessarily the providers’ annual-billing prices. An annual plan is a good deal only if you would keep and use the service for most of the year.

Service-by-service 2024 verdicts

Netflix: best overall for most households

Best for: Mixed households, frequent viewers, international shows, documentaries, reality TV, stand-up, mainstream originals, and people who want a steady stream of new releases.

Netflix was the strongest default because it covered the most viewing situations with one subscription. Its recommendations, downloads, broad device support, and large catalog reduced the chance that a household would immediately need a second service. Antenna estimated that Netflix had the lowest gross and net churn among the major services in September 2024—1.8% gross churn and 1.0% net churn—though churn is a market measure, not proof that every household should subscribe.

Weaknesses: Premium was expensive, the ad tier lacked a complete catalog, the library could feel overwhelming, and account-sharing restrictions reduced its value for extended families. Titles also rotate, so verify that a specific movie or show is still available.

Verdict: Choose Netflix as the anchor if breadth and frequent releases matter more than a narrowly curated library. For quality-focused viewers who watch fewer shows, Apple TV+ or Max may deliver better value.

Sources: TVLine’s assessment and Antenna’s 2024 churn data.

Max: best for HBO, prestige television, and premium movies

Best for: HBO originals and classics, Warner Bros. movies, viewers who value quality over sheer volume, and households adding a premium complement to Netflix.

Max’s strongest asset was HBO’s catalog and current programming. Its Warner Bros. films and classic television made it more than an HBO-only service, while Discovery and other unscripted material increased its breadth. That additional programming also made the catalog less focused.

Weaknesses: 4K/HDR required Premium, major original releases were not always as frequent as Netflix’s, and the cheapest plan was not comparable with a premium home-theater tier.

Verdict: Max was worth the money for a viewer who could name several HBO or Warner Bros. titles they wanted to watch. It was less compelling as a blind subscription for someone seeking a huge general-purpose archive.

Apple TV+: best originals and a clean ad-free experience

Best for: Viewers who prefer polished originals, 4K/HDR home theaters, family sharing, and fewer commercial interruptions.

Apple TV+ had a much smaller library than Netflix, Hulu, or Prime Video, but its originals were consistently positioned as premium productions. TechRadar named it its 2024 streaming service of the year, citing its original programming, lack of ads, 4K and spatial-audio support, and stable price. TVLine likewise recognized the cinematic quality while noting the smaller catalog. See TechRadar’s awards and TVLine’s guide.

Weaknesses: A household could finish its priority shows quickly, and the service lacked the older movies and television that make a year-round subscription feel useful.

Verdict: Apple TV+ could be the best quality-per-dollar choice for someone who watches several originals each year. It was not the best choice for a viewer who wanted a large archive of familiar content.

Prime Video: best value for existing Prime members

Best for: Existing Prime members, movie browsers, households wanting rentals and purchases in the same storefront, and viewers who value Amazon benefits beyond video.

Rank #4

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Prime Video’s value cannot be separated completely from Prime. A $139 annual Prime membership includes shipping and other benefits; the $8.99 standalone Prime Video plan is a different comparison. TechRadar recognized Prime Video for value and movies, including its broad movie selection and generally generous 4K availability.

Weaknesses: Limited ads began in January 2024 unless members paid $2.99 more per month. The storefront combines included-with-Prime titles, rentals, purchases, add-on channels, and free-with-ads content, which can make the catalog look larger than the base subscription actually is.

Verdict: Prime Video was a strong marginal purchase for a household already paying for Prime. It should not be called the cheapest streaming service without explaining that Prime also pays for delivery and other benefits.

Disney+: best for families and franchises

Best for: Families, children, Disney and Pixar fans, Marvel and Star Wars viewers, National Geographic fans, and households using Disney bundles.

Disney+ offered concentrated depth in its own brands, rather than Netflix’s breadth across every genre. That specialization was a benefit for families and franchise fans but a weakness for adults without those interests. The October 2024 price increase weakened standalone value, making the Disney+/Hulu bundle more attractive for many adults.

Weaknesses: Families without interest in Disney’s franchises could use it infrequently, and bundle terms could be confusing. Premium included downloads and better playback, but some live or linear content could still include advertising.

Verdict: Buy Disney+ for a family or franchise habit. For general adult entertainment, compare Disney+ alone with Disney+/Hulu before deciding.

Hulu: best for current network and FX shows

Best for: ABC, Fox, and FX viewers, next-day episodes, Hulu originals, and households buying a Disney bundle.

Hulu’s primary advantage was timing: many current network and FX programs appeared the next day. That was more useful than a large back catalog for viewers who wanted to keep up with television as it aired.

Weaknesses: Not every network program was included, ad-free Hulu became expensive relative to the catalog, and Hulu + Live TV was a separate and much more expensive product.

Verdict: Hulu was a targeted current-TV purchase and often a strong bundle component, not the best universal movie or prestige-TV service.

Peacock: best for NBC, Bravo, and event programming

Best for: NBC shows, Bravo viewers, selected live sports, major NBCUniversal events, and households seeking a lower-priced complement.

The 2024 Paris Olympics made Peacock unusually valuable. NBCUniversal promoted more than 5,000 hours of live coverage and all 329 medal events; Nielsen reported a 33% increase in Peacock usage in July 2024 during the early Olympic period. See Peacock’s coverage details and Nielsen’s July report.

Weaknesses: Movies rotated, the scripted-original catalog was smaller, Premium included ads, and even Premium Plus was not guaranteed to remove every advertisement from live programming.

Verdict: Peacock was especially worth buying for a particular event, NBC habit, or Bravo lineup. It was not the strongest year-round general-purpose service for every household.

Paramount+: best for CBS, Showtime, and specific franchises

Best for: CBS programs, Showtime, Star Trek, Taylor Sheridan programming, and live local CBS in supported markets.

Best Value

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Paramount+ was valuable as a targeted service or as a supplement to a live-TV package that lacked CBS. The higher tier included Showtime and live local CBS where supported, but live programming still contained commercials.

Weaknesses: Its movie selection was smaller than Max’s, Netflix’s, or Prime Video’s, its original catalog was less consistently buzzy, and prices rose for new subscribers in August 2024.

Verdict: Subscribe when you want CBS, Showtime, or a Paramount franchise. Skip it as a default unless those are regular viewing priorities.

Crunchyroll: best dedicated anime service

Best for: Anime fans who want depth, simulcasts, offline viewing on higher tiers, and anime-specific features.

Crunchyroll should be compared with other anime options, not ranked directly against Netflix as though both serve the same need. Its 2024 plan changes mattered: the early-year Fan, Mega Fan, and Ultimate Fan prices did not remain identical after May, and higher tiers added simultaneous streams and offline viewing.

Weaknesses: The narrow genre focus makes it poor value for households that watch only occasional anime, and the cheapest Fan plan allowed only one stream.

Verdict: For an anime-first household, Crunchyroll was the obvious dedicated choice. For everyone else, treat it as a targeted add-on.

How to rotate subscriptions without losing track

Rotation is a practical budgeting system, not a gimmick. Antenna’s 2024 data showed that cancellations and resubscriptions were common; gross churn can look different from net churn because viewers often return when enough new content accumulates. See Antenna’s subscription insights.

1. Choose one anchor: Netflix was the default 2024 choice, but Prime Video, Disney+/Hulu, or another service can be the anchor if it matches your household.
2. Subscribe for a specific reason: Add Max for an HBO season, Peacock for the Olympics or a major NBC event, Disney+ for a family-heavy month, or Apple TV+ for a concentrated run of originals.
3. Make a watchlist first: Identify enough shows and movies to justify the month before you sign up.
4. Set a billing reminder: Add a calendar alert several days before renewal, especially after a promotional rate.
5. Download what you need: Do this before canceling if your plan supports downloads and you will travel.
6. Cancel before renewal: Providers generally allow access through the paid period, but cancellation and billing behavior can vary. Check the provider’s terms and cancel at least a day before the renewal date.
7. Rejoin later: If the catalog has not accumulated enough new material, wait. A service does not become a better value merely because you have already paid for it in the past.

A sample rotation might keep Netflix as the anchor, add Max for a major HBO season, switch to Peacock during a major NBC event, use Disney+/Hulu during a family or FX-heavy period, and subscribe to Apple TV+ for a concentrated month of originals. The exact schedule should follow your watchlist, not a fixed calendar.

Lower-cost and free alternatives

Paid subscriptions are not the only way to reduce entertainment costs:

• Tubi, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and Freevee: Free, ad-supported services with rotating catalogs. Freevee was recognized as a leading free option in TechRadar’s 2024 awards coverage.
• Kanopy and Hoopla: Library-based services that can provide movies, documentaries, television, and other content, subject to your library’s participation and borrowing limits.
• An antenna: A one-time hardware purchase can provide local broadcast television where reception is adequate, although it will not replace every cable channel or streaming-exclusive program.

Free services trade predictable catalogs and ad-free viewing for lower cost. They can still reduce the number of paid subscriptions a household needs.

A price-change timeline that explains why 2024 comparisons aged quickly

• January 29: Prime Video limited ads began in the U.S.; ad-free viewing cost an additional $2.99 per month.
• March 27: Hulu officially launched inside Disney+ for U.S. bundle subscribers.
• May: Crunchyroll increased prices on selected higher tiers.
• June: Max raised its ad-free plan prices.
• July: Peacock raised its prices, and the Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle launched July 25.
• August 20: Paramount+ increased prices for new subscribers.
• October 17: Disney+ and Hulu raised prices.
• December: Sling announced a late-year increase, while YouTube TV announced an increase effective January 2025.

This timeline is why a February 2024 article can still offer useful editorial judgments while having an unreliable price table. Put a visible prices-as-of date on any comparison and recheck the provider page before purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Netflix really the best streaming service in 2024?

Netflix was the best default recommendation for most mixed households, not a universal winner. It offered the broadest general-purpose mix and frequent releases. Max was stronger for HBO and prestige television, Apple TV+ for polished ad-free originals, Disney+ for families, and Prime Video for existing Amazon Prime members.

Is it cheaper to keep several streaming services all year?

Usually not unless the household uses them consistently. Deloitte’s 2024 survey found an average spend of $61 per month across four SVOD services. Subscribing for a specific season or event, canceling before renewal, and returning later can cost less than maintaining every service year-round.

Are ad-free streaming plans completely free of commercials?

Not necessarily. Ordinary on-demand movies and episodes may be ad-free, but live sports, linear channels, sponsored programming, promotions, and some licensed content can still contain advertising. Check the provider’s exact plan terms.

Can a streaming service replace cable?

An on-demand service such as Netflix or Max usually cannot replace local channels, live news, broad cable networks, and sports. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and Fubo are separate live-TV replacement products, and their local-channel and sports availability varies by ZIP code.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line

If you want one service, choose Netflix for the broadest 2024 general-purpose value. Choose Netflix plus Max if you want breadth and HBO-style prestige programming, or Netflix plus Apple TV+ if you prefer a smaller, polished, ad-free catalog. Families should start with Disney+ and compare the Disney/Hulu bundles; current-TV viewers should consider Hulu; existing Prime members should test Prime Video before adding another generalist.

The best budget strategy is one anchor subscription, one targeted service when a specific show or event justifies it, and regular cancellations. A service is worth your money when your household watches it often enough to justify its next bill—not merely because it has a large catalog or a temporary discount.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1

Roku Streaming Stick HD with Voice Remote

$19.00

SaleBestseller No. 2

Roku Ultra, Ultimate Streaming Player - 4K Streaming Device for TV

No more fumbling in the dark: See what you’re pressing with backlit buttons.; Say goodbye to batteries: Keep your remote powered for months on a single charge.

$96.71

SaleBestseller No. 3

Roku Streaming Stick 4K with Voice Remote - HDR10+ & Dolby Vision

$44.99

Bestseller No. 4

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus with AI-powered Fire TV Search, Wi-Fi 6, stream hundreds of thousands of movies and shows, free & live TV, find shows faster with Alexa+

$69.99

Bestseller No. 5

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select, start streaming in 4K, AI-powered search, and free & live TV, find shows faster with Alexa+

Getting set up is easy – Plug in and connect to Wi-Fi for smooth streaming.

$49.99

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.