Our 7 Favorite TV Streaming Services

Best for Live TV: Hulu + Live TV

Plans

Hulu is available in a variety of options beyond just with or without ads. You can also pick it up in a bundle with Disney+ and ESPN+, and it has a live TV option. The following chart summarizes them, along with their monthly costs.

Add-ons

Paramount+ with Showtime, Max, Cinemax, Starz, Entertainment (additional news and lifestyle programming), Español (access to Spanish language content), and Unlimited Screens.

If you sign up for Max through Hulu, a tab appears on your Hulu account and HBO content is searchable on Hulu. However, you cannot stream all Max content, like Friends, through Hulu, and you must instead sign in with your Hulu account on Max itself.

How many shows can you watch at once?

Both plans support up to two screens.

Where does it work?

Android phones, tablets, and TVs, Apple TV, Chromecast, Echo Show, Fire tablets, TV, and sticks, iOS devices, LG TVs, Switch, macOS, Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Roku, Roku sticks, Samsung TVs, Vizio SmartCast TVs, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xfinity Flex Streaming TV Box, and Xfinity X1 TV Boxes.

Check Hulu's official compatibility list to make sure your device is supported.

What's the takeaway?

Considering Hulu + Live TV's lower price than competitors like YouTube TV or FuboTV; its serviceable if not spectacular lineup of channels larger than the equally priced DirecTV Stream service; and the huge library of content you get from Hulu itself, there's no better value for an all-around television fan.

Best for New Stuff by Big Stars: Apple TV+

Plans

A seven-day free trial, then $9.99 a month. If you buy an Apple device, Apple may give you a few free months of Apple TV+. It's also bundled with an Apple One subscription.

Add-ons

None.

How many shows can you watch at once?

You can stream content on six devices/screens simultaneously.

Where does it work?

Apple TVs, iPhone, iPad, Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, Vizio Smart TVs, Sony Smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV devices like the Nvidia Shield.

Apple has a helpful guide to where you can watch Apple TV+, so be sure to verify you have a supported device.

What's the takeaway?

On paper, AppleTV+ is an exceptional deal: For $10 a month you get regular drops of new content made by people you recognize, support for up to six screens, offline viewing on Apple devices, and even 4K HDR streams of movies and TV shows.

More of Apple's original content, like Ted Lasso, Pachinko, and Severance, has been critically well-received.

Best Streaming Service for CBS and Beyond: Paramount+

Plans

• Paramount+ Essential Plan: $5.99 per month ($59.99 annually) with limited commercials.
• Paramount+ with Showtime Plan: $12.99 per month ($119.99 annually) commercial-free (with the caveat that live TV still includes network commercials). Try either plan free for seven days.

Add-ons

None.

How many shows can you watch at once?

Either plans allows three simultaneous streams.

Where does it work?

Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, LG, Samsung, Vizio, Xfinity, and computers with Chrome or Firefox web browsers.

What's the takeaway?

Paramount+ is different from many of the other offerings on this list because it doesn't have an exhaustive channel list. Rather, Paramount+ focuses on offerings from CBS and CBSN along with CBS Sports HQ and ET Live. Still, the library is bigger than you'd expect and includes Star Trek: Discovery and other popular shows.

With its deep CBS ties, Paramount+ is also the home of many crime and legal dramas, with options from NCIS to Criminal Minds. One of the most popular legal dramas of all time, The Good Wife, and its original spinoff, The Good Fight, are available exclusively on Paramount+.

Paramount+ builds on its previous incarnation, CBS All Access, adding exclusive streaming content from Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, and the Smithsonian Channel. You also gain access to hundreds of Paramount movies as well as live sports, original content, and reboots.

Best Potentially Free Service: Peacock

Plans

While Peacock no longer offers a free tier, you can gain free access with an Instacart or Xfinity subscription (or a legacy free account). Otherwise, there are two available plans.

• Premium (no ads): $7.99/month or $59.99 annually.
• Premium Plus (no ads): $13.99/month or $119.99 annually.

Add-ons

None.

How many shows can you watch at once?

You can stream content on three devices simultaneously.

Where does it work?

Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Android TVs, Apple TV, Roku devices, Chromecast, LG Smart TVs, PlayStation 4, Vizio TVs, Xbox One, and Cable Provider Set Top Boxes.

Take a look at Peacock's official compatibility list to make sure your specific devices are supported before signing up.

What's the takeaway?

Peacock is a relative newcomer to the streaming service party, but NBC's service is aggressively pursuing exclusives, making it the only place to watch a lot of beloved content, like Law & Order (and Criminal Intent), the Harry Potter movies, The Office, or even CBS's King of Queens, which isn't available on the CBS streaming service Paramount+ and hasn't been available to stream before.

While Peacock's well of original content is less steady than competitors, this platform offers exclusive new movie releases. You can also find some 4K and HDR streaming with a Premium or Premium Plus account.

Best for Original Content: Netflix

Plans

• Standard with ads: 1080p, two devices – $7.99/month
• Standard: 1080p, two devices, no ads – $17.99/month
• Premium: 4K & HDR, four devices, no ads – $24.99/month

Add-ons

None.

How many shows can you watch at once?

Basic: 1. Standard: 2. Premium: 4.

Where does it work?

Streaming media players, smart TVs, game consoles, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, smartphones, tablets, and computers. Many models of each are supported, but be sure to check Netflix's compatibility list.

What's the takeaway?

Netflix is unmatched in both quantity and quality of original content online. Even better are luxury features like 4K HDR streaming and the majority of Netflix Originals are available for offline viewing.

Unfortunately, all the money Netflix funnels into its original programming has come at the cost of the size and popularity of its larger library. Over the years, many shows have left Netflix to reappear on other sites.

Hits like Friends or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia have already made their way off the site, and the site's formerly most popular show, The Office, left for Peacock in January 2021.

Best for Everything Disney: Disney Plus

Plans

• Monthly: $9.99 with ads, $15.99 with no ads.
• Disney Bundle Duo: Hulu and Disney+ form a "Duo" bundle for $10.99 a month (ad-supported) or $19.99 a month (no ads).
• Disney Bundle Trio: Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ are available in a "Trio" bundle for $16.99 a month with ads and $26.99 a month with no ads.

Add-ons

None.

How many shows can you watch at once?

Four, though you can download movies and TV shows for offline viewing on up to ten mobile devices.

Where does it work?

macOS, Windows, Android phones and tablets, Apple iPhones and iPads, Amazon Fire Tablet, Android TVs, LG Smart TVs, Samsung Tizen Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromebook, Chromecast, Roku, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Vizio SmartCast TV.

Before you sign up, best to take a look at Disney+'s official compatibility list.

What's the takeaway?

If you're a fan of anything Disney, Pixar, Marvel, or Lucasfilm, Disney+ is the exclusive home for this content. You'll also find R-rated films and originals, like Marvel's Runaways and the mega-popular The Mandalorian, and content from National Geographic.

Disney+ as a streaming service is an excellent value, especially if Disney content is big in your household. It gives you exclusive access to some of the most popular shows and movies out there, and it's very generous with screens, allowing up to four. It also has offline viewing, allowing unlimited downloads on up to ten mobile devices.