Netflix is the king of streaming and probably the pioneer of streaming services. However, the streamer has been in the news recently for its not-so-customer-friendly reasons. First, it announced a substantial price hike back in March this year, and later in April news started to surface that password sharing will be discontinued which users have been benefiting from.
Amid this news, Netflix also announced that 200,000 subscribers in the USA have bid farewell to the streaming service. This was the first-ever drop in the number of subscribers in almost a decade mainly due to increasing competition between the streaming services and COVID stagnancy. As a result, the share price of Netflix has crashed and the streaming service has begun to cut down costs by quitting shows. As per the latest news shared by CEO Reed Hastings, the management is even thinking about introducing an ad-supported version. Now imagine having to watch ads during your binge-watching sessions!
There’s no doubt that Netflix has to offer a plethora of impressive content, especially the international titles. However, does the streaming service really justify its USD 20/month subscription cost? In our humble opinion, probably not!
So if you are also among the estranged Netflix subscribers and thinking of jumping the boats by canceling your subscription and moving on to any other streaming platform, that’s totally justified. But Netflix isn’t the end of the world; with so many big streaming players stepping in, such as Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video, etc., there are a lot of worthy alternatives available. Moreover, the trend of FAST (free ad-supported streaming) platforms like Amazon Freevee, Pluto TV, and Crackle, has been a welcome addition to the world of online video streaming.
So, we have compiled a list of the top 9 streaming alternatives worth giving a shot in 2022. These services have been selected taking into consideration features like the content library, catalog size, cost, and supported devices. Let’s get into some more details.
1. Disney+
Titles in Content Library: 2,000+
Subscription Fee: From $8 per month
Disney+ is the closest rival of Netflix and that’s for obvious reasons. Launched back in 2019, the streaming platform has witnessed impressive growth in the number of subscribers and boasts around 130 million users. It’s the exclusive home to the diverse content libraries of Disney and Pixar. Moreover, you can also catch up on your favorite Star Wars franchise, Marvel movies, the latest Original TV shows, 31 seasons of The Simpsons, and National Geographic documentaries.
It started with the breakout season of The Mandalorian and went on to offer Marvel content, including Loki, Moon Knight, and WandaVision which helped the streaming platform attract massive numbers of viewers. Furthermore, titles like Encanto, Turning Red, and The Beatles: Get Back garnered positive reviews. The upcoming content includes several Star Wars titles and Marvel original programs.
With a subscription cost of $8/month, Disney+ is still among the most budget-friendly ad-free streaming services and offers great value. If you have kids or you like Marvel content, this streaming platform is a must-have.
2. HBO Max
Titles in Content Library: 3,500+
Subscription Fee: $10 per month (ad-supported) or $15 per month (ad-free)
HBO Max is another big streaming player that offers a wide range of blockbuster films and popular TV shows. Its content library includes all of HBO’s library, DC Universe content, along with fan-favorite titles such as Rick and Morty, Friends, the Lord of the Rings, Sesame Street, and nearly every Studio Ghibli movie.
By taking a new approach, it was the sole streaming platform in 2021 that offered the movie debuts on the same day of their release in the theaters without any additional cost. Some of these films include Dune, King Richard, and The Matrix Resurrections. Though it’s unclear whether the streamer would continue with this format, it will be the exclusive home to new WarnerMedia-owned feature films. It’s not at par with Disney+ in terms of kids’ content, but it does offer amazing titles for children with the option of parental control on kids’ profiles.
With a monthly cost of $10 per month, it’s next to Netflix in terms of pricing, and if you are annoyed by ads, the pricing goes up to $15 per month. HBO Max constantly loads its new originals to the content library and there’s a lot more to come for the subscribers. TV series like DC Comics’ Peacemaker, The White Lotus, and Hacks have users excited about the growing roster of the platform.
Moreover, with a possible merger between HBO Max and Discovery+, the platform will trump both Disney+/Hulu and Netflix in terms of content catalog size. A price increase in the monthly subscription is expected as well, but taking into account that currently, HBO Max is cheaper than Netflix, you must consider it for amazing and diverse content.
3. Apple TV+
Titles in Content Library: 60+
Subscription Fee: $5 per month
Apple TV+ is definitely a bargain at $5 per month as it comes with a premium and ad-free streaming experience, with top-notch features like HDR, 4K resolution, and mobile downloads. Furthermore, it’s the only platform on this list that offers original content only, and no catalog of films and shows from other production houses.
This platform has amassed more than 60 big-budget, exclusive original TV shows and films, but only a few of them have managed to impress the viewers and critics on a large scale. The Morning Show, Ted Lasso, Severance, and Schmigadoon! are some of its prominent titles. Although the streamer is expanding its service with new additions such as live MLB baseball, its content library seems peanuts as compared to the other popular streaming platforms.
Another plus point of Apple TV+ is its humble cost. Not only does it offer the cheapest subscription plan (fair enough, considering its limited catalog), but also offers a free trial period of seven days. Moreover, you can also get three free months if you buy any of the iPhone, Apple TV, iPad, Mac, or iPod Touch. If we compare it to others, none of Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max offer any free trial.
Apple TV+ also lets you stream content on six devices simultaneously and doesn’t have a defined limit for downloads.
4. Hulu
Titles in Content Library: 4,150+
Subscription Fee: $7 per month (ad-supported) or $13 per month (ad-free)
Hulu is a popular streaming platform exclusively available in the USA. It has a substantial content library that’s especially appealing for those binge-watchers who like to watch weekly sitcoms and TV dramas from famous networks such as Fox, ABC, NBC, and FX. Though that will not be the case from Fall 2022 when NBC will migrate all of its content, including Law & Order and Saturday Night Live to its own streaming platform Peacock. But Hulu doesn’t solely depend on the content of other networks, in fact, it has to offer a wide variety of original content and a few entertaining films as well.
You can also attach Hulu with Disney+ and ESPN+ in a bundle offer for $70 per month, with the inclusion of Hulu’s Live Live TV service which makes this platform stand out from its competitors. One negative aspect though is that it offers simultaneous streaming on just a couple of screens and there’s a limit of 25 downloads across 5 different devices. Moreover, a lot of titles can’t be downloaded on your devices.
5. Amazon Prime Video
Titles in Content Library: 15,000+
Subscription Fee: $9 per month (Prime Video-only) or $15 per month (complete Prime membership)
You will be bamboozled by the number of content available on Amazon Prime Video. The streamer dwarfs all of its competitors in terms of content library, but not all of it is worthy of spending your precious hours in front of the screen. You will find a lot of adventitious stuff, including made-for-TV films from 1998, international films that Netflix left out, kids’ learning stuff, and much more.
A reason for this could be that people consider a Prime Video subscription as an afterthought and give more weightage to a free two-day delivery option on Amazon rather than watching Reacher or Fleabag; though both shows are fun to watch. Prime Video’s popularity is likely to soar when Amazon’s much-talked-about Lord of the Rings series debuts in September.
Prime Video also comes with a 30-day free trial period and is compatible with a wide array of supported devices. The streamer is a bit miserly with simultaneous streaming, offering up to three screens at once, or two for the same title. You can download almost 25 titles in total depending on your country.
6. Starz
Subscription Fee: $9 per month
Priced lower than Netflix at $9 a month, Starz gives its users an expanding but also a unique library of entertaining content like original films and shows. With its bank having movies of more than 800 and in range they go from classics from the ’80s to romantics to Westerns, and also to the new Sony’s hottest release like Spider-Man: No Way Home, the streaming service has every genre available in its catalog. However, Starz has been making its way little by little in the prestige TV market by coming up with a quality lineup of its original programming.
Starz is famous for Outlander, the Power universe, the P-Valley, and The White Queen, and the network stands out due to its diversity and by promoting it in its original shows, by elevating the representation of the voices of people of color and women.
As a company that is owned by Lionsgate, Starz also streams the studio’s shows and movies such as Saw and John Wick. While you may not be able to stream the feature movies as day-and-date releases, the good news is Starz has recently locked a deal with Universal and got the rights to broadcast its 2022 and after lineup. This deal includes the upcoming flicks like Halloween Ends, Jurassic World: Dominion, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and also Oppenheimer.
Costing $9 per month, the Starz streaming service gives you early access to upcoming TV show episodes, unlimited access to downloads, and all this with four simultaneous streams and no ads interrupting your streaming experience. No matter if you want to start streaming documentaries, blockbuster movies, or the original series, even something for kids as well, the Starz subscription cost is worth it. Read our Starz review.
7. ESPN Plus
Subscription Fee: $7 per month
For the sports fans exclusively those who are crazy true followers of the sports like UFC, MLS, and NHL, who have tried other streaming services ESPN Plus is here for you with everything you would like to watch. ESPN Plus is considered a great sports streaming service.
ESPN Plus is the new platform for all out-of-market NHL (National Hockey League) games, while also providing most of the out-of-market MLS soccer games, along with matches from many other soccer leagues that are played globally. It also hosts exclusive pay-per-view UFC matches and events, such as the famous UFC Fight Night and championship bouts, obviously for extra fees.
Even though ESPN Plus does not show NFL or NBA games live, however, its vast content library of many original programs is quite impressive, sometimes it is hard to navigate through. While the subscription of $7 per month and $70 per year is the best choice for the die-hard fans of sports as it covers quite very well.
Casual fans may also find themselves with a subscription to ESPN Plus anyway via the Disney Bundle, which for $14 total also adds Disney Plus and Hulu. Opting for the bundle package can save $7 a month if we total up the cost of all individual services, so in a way, you will get the ESPN Plus subscription for free. Read our ESPN Plus review.
8. Peacock
Subscription Fee: $4.99 a month
Peacock is NBCUniversal’s streaming service which has one big advantage over the other competition it has in the market: Peacock offers a free, ad-supported version that has around 13,000 hours of movies, shows, news, and live sports events. If you want to upgrade you can purchase the premium package for only $5 per month with ads, or the premium plus package ad-free at a cost of $10 per month to unlock a lot more content.
Getting the premium package will include many shows and all the seasons of fan-favorite TV series like Parks and Recreation and The Office, original shows like The Real Housewives of Miami and Bel-Air, as well as admired series like Yellowstone plus live Premier League football matches and WWE events. Because NBC has ended the deal it had with Hulu, now the new episodes of NBC’s shows will be streaming exclusively on Peacock, starting this fall. Other new features added for 2022 includes many of the new movies that will premiere after 45 days of their theatrical release.
In the past and now Peacock has dropped in the rankings in comparison to other streaming apps available due to the lack of mobile downloads on its non-premium plus package and 4K HDR streaming, which most platforms offer. But we’ll advise you to first try out the free version. It won’t cost you anything, all you need to have is an email address to sign up.
9. BBC iPlayer
One of the best things BBC iPlayer has is that it is completely free like many other British streaming services like ITV and Channel 4 in USA. And it also has a very amazing back catalog filled with many classic British shows and series. The streaming service every now and then also shows top sports events live, and it can also unexpectedly give the viewers an early look at the shows that will stream later on the other streaming service or channels like Peaky Blinders or Doctor Who.
Netflix is the first name that comes to mind when we talk about online video streaming. However, in recent years, the popularity of the streaming giant has taken a massive dip largely due to the emergence of other big-budget streaming services, including Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max.
A couple of other reasons subscribers are leaving Netflix are the stringent usage policies the platform has adopted as well as a massive hike in price. The lack of creativity and original content can also be a reason for the estranged users.
So, are you a loyal Netflix subscriber or getting fussed with the recent policies of the streaming platform? Leave us a comment and let us know which streaming platform you would go for if you have to migrate from Netflix.
Chris Mack
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