Streaming Services That Are Most Beneficial for Your Watching Style

Below I have highlighted prices, specialties, popular genres, and additional notes on popular TV and Movie streaming services. With this information, I was able to choose two services that I wanted to pay for that are within my budget of $15 or less per month.

Netflix

Starting Cost: $8.99/month

Specialty: Netflix Originals

If you like to watch original content curated from Netflix or a mix of popular and unheard of movies and TV shows, Netflix is a good option.

Most popular genre: Comedies

Examples of the available content: The Office, Fuller House (Netflix Original), Glee, How to Get Away With Murder, New Girl

Notes: Has an option for a kids profile.

Hulu

Starting Cost: $5.99

Specialty: TV shows

If you like to watch TV shows that are airing on TV in real-time, Hulu is a good option.

Most popular genre: Comedies

Examples of the available content: Chicago PD, Med, and Fire series, This Is Us, The Bachelor Series, The Good Place, Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Notes: You can bundle Hulu and Spotify if you're a college student for $5.99/month. Learn more here: https://www.spotify.com/us/student/

Hulu has an option for a kids profile.

Disney+

Starting Cost: $6.99/month

Specialty: Disney Movies/TV Shows

If you like to watch all things Disney, Disney+ is a good option.

Most popular genre: Fiction, Romance

Examples of the available content: Disney Princess movies (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc.), Marvel Universe (Iron Man, Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, etc.), Star Wars

Notes: Disney+ has Disney original movies, shows from Disney Channel, Marvel movies (more will be added when their contract with Netflix is up), Star Wars, and some National Geographic docuseries.

Disney+ has an option for a kids profile.

Amazon Prime Video

Starting Cost: $8.99/month

Specialty: Amazon Originals, Renting and Buying Options

If you like to watch original content curated by Amazon, or renting movies for a decently low price, Amazon Prime Video is a good option.

Most popular genre: Drama

Examples of the available content: No Strings Attached, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Original), Jack Ryan (Amazon Original), The Parent Trap, Home Alone, Die Hard

Notes: Amazon Prime has an option for a kids profile.

Most content needs to be rented, but there are some tv shows and movies included with a prime video membership.

Sling TV

Starting Cost: $25/month

Specialty: Live TV and On-Demand Movies

If you like to watch live TV but don't want to pay for cable anymore, Sling tv is a good option.

Most popular genre: Sports

Examples of the available content: ESPN, CNN, FOX, HGTV, National Geographic, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Disney Channel

Notes: Sling offers two tiers, Blue and Orange.

Orange is good for sports fans, especially fans of live ESPN shows.

Blue is also good for sports fans, especially fans of Fox Sports and NBC sports.

Youtube TV

Starting Cost: $49.99/month

Specialty: Youtube Originals

If you like to watch original content curated by Youtube, often starting Youtubers, Youtube TV is a good option.

Most popular genre: Comedy

Examples of the available content: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, HGTV, TNT

Notes: Has an option for a kids profile.

You can record live shows like a typical DVR system, with unlimited storage.

My Combination

I like watching Disney movies, Marvel movies, and TV shows, so I have both Disney+ and Hulu. I have the Spotify premium and Hulu bundle for students, which is $4.99/month for both services. Disney+ is $6.99/month. For all three of my most used streaming service platforms, I spend only $11.98/month. I have access to my parent's Netflix accounts, and I have the student Amazon Prime account through school, which gives me access to Prime Video. If I can't find what I want to watch on Hulu, Disney+ or Netflix, rending from Prime Video is usually where I'll find what I am looking for. Between all of those options, I rarely cannot find what I want to watch, because I usually have particular tastes in the movies and TV I consume. If you spend time finding out what combination will cover the most ground for you, I think you'll be able to realize that you don't need at least one subscription, and you can save some money each month.