Streaming Service Comparison Chart 2026: Price & Features

Every major streaming platform now charges between $7 and $23 per month, but the sticker price hides the real cost. Netflix charges $7 extra for 4K. Disney+ limits you to two simultaneous streams on the basic tier. Hulu’s ad-free plan costs double the advertised rate. This comparison shows what you actually pay for the features most households need.

What You Need Before Comparing Services

• Your household’s simultaneous stream count (how many people watch at the same time during peak evening hours)
• Whether you need 4K/HDR for your TV
• Whether anyone downloads content for offline viewing (flights, commutes)
• Your tolerance for ads: can you sit through interruptions every 8-12 minutes, or does that ruin the experience?
• A list of the three shows or franchises you actually watch monthly

Write down the simultaneous stream number. Most families guess two but actually need three when one person watches in a bedroom, another in the living room, and a third on a tablet.

Major Streaming Service Comparison (September 2026 Pricing)

Service	With Ads	Ad-Free	Streams (Ad-Free)	4K Included?	Downloads
Netflix	$6.99/mo	$15.49/mo (Standard) $22.99/mo (Premium, 4K)	2 (Standard) 4 (Premium)	No (Premium only)	Standard+
Disney+	$9.99/mo	$15.99/mo	2 (Basic) 4 (Premium)	Premium only (+$3)	Yes
Hulu	$9.99/mo	$18.99/mo	2	Yes (select titles)	Ad-free only
Max	$10.99/mo	$16.99/mo (Ad-Free) $20.99/mo (Ultimate, 4K)	2 (Ad-Free) 4 (Ultimate)	Ultimate only	Ad-Free+
Amazon Prime Video	$9.99/mo (includes ads)	$12.99/mo (Prime + ad-free)	3	Yes	Yes
Paramount+	$7.99/mo	$12.99/mo	3 (Showtime tier)	Ad-free tier only	Yes
Peacock	$7.99/mo	$13.99/mo	3	Premium Plus only	Yes
Apple TV+	N/A	$9.99/mo	6	Yes	Yes

Prices shown are current as of September 2026 according to each provider’s public pricing page. Netflix last raised prices in January 2026. Disney+ typically increases prices in October; Max adjusts in June.

Calculate Your Actual 12-Month Cost

Mid-year price hikes mean your January subscription costs less than your December one. Here’s how to calculate real annual spending:

Step 1: Identify Your Tier

Go to your streaming service account page. Look for “Plan Details” or “Subscription.” Note whether you have the ad-supported, standard, or premium tier. The name matters because price increases hit tiers differently.

If this screen looks different: Some services label tiers by resolution (“HD Plan”) instead of by ads. HD usually means Standard; Ultra HD means Premium.

Step 2: Account for Likely Price Increases

Netflix raised prices in January 2025 and January 2026—two consecutive years. Disney+ increased prices in October 2024 and October 2025. Max adjusted in June 2025 and June 2026. If your service has increased prices in the same month for two straight years, assume another increase will happen in 2027 if you’re calculating a full 12-month cost from today.

Example: Netflix Standard at $15.49/mo = $185.88 for 12 months starting today. If Netflix follows its January pattern, expect a mid-cycle increase that will affect your renewal rate in early 2027.

Step 3: Add 4K Upcharges

If you need 4K and your service charges extra, add the annual difference. Netflix Premium costs $7.50/mo more than Standard ($90/year). Disney+ Premium adds $3/mo over Basic ($36/year). Max Ultimate adds $4/mo over Ad-Free ($48/year).

Step 4: Factor in Subscription Pausing

Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, and Apple TV+ allow you to cancel and resubscribe without penalty. If a service releases content in batches (Disney+ drops Marvel shows in 6-episode runs; Apple TV+ releases prestige shows weekly for 8-10 weeks), you can subscribe for two months, binge, cancel, and save $60-80 annually.

Services that allow easy pausing: All except Netflix, which requires full cancellation and loses your viewing history preferences after 10 months of inactivity.

Three Common Comparison Mistakes and Fixes

Mistake 1: Comparing Ad-Tier Price to Ad-Free Features

Most comparison charts list the lowest advertised price, but ad-supported tiers restrict downloads, limit streams, or block 4K. Fix: Compare the tier that includes the features you need. For most households with kids or 4K TVs, that’s the ad-free or premium tier.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Simultaneous Stream Limits

You’ll hit “too many devices streaming” errors if three people try to watch Netflix Standard (2-stream limit) at once. Fix: Count your household’s actual peak usage. If you need four streams, Netflix Premium ($22.99), Disney+ Premium ($18.99), or Max Ultimate ($20.99) are your only options among the major services.

Mistake 3: Forgetting About Bundling Discounts

Disney offers Hulu + Disney+ + Max for $29.99/mo. Buying each separately costs Disney+ Basic ($9.99) + Hulu with ads ($9.99) + Max with ads ($10.99) = $30.97, so the bundle saves about $1/mo if you were planning to take all three ad-supported tiers. Verizon bundles Netflix and Max with some unlimited plans. Fix: Check your phone carrier’s entertainment perks page and the Disney bundle page before subscribing separately.

Which Services Let You Pause Subscriptions?

Pausing saves money during content droughts. Here’s what each service allows:

• Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+: Cancel anytime, resubscribe instantly, viewing history and watchlist persist indefinitely
• Max, Apple TV+, Peacock: Same as above; no penalty for gaps
• Amazon Prime Video: Can’t pause just Video; must cancel entire Prime membership
• Netflix: Must cancel fully; account data deleted after 10 months of inactivity

If you subscribe to four services year-round at $15/mo each, that’s $720/year. Rotating three services (two months each, four cycles) cuts the cost to $480.

Hidden Costs in Advertised Prices

The monthly price you see in ads often excludes:

• 4K access: Costs $3-7 extra on Netflix, Disney+, and Max
• Extra streams: Going from 2 to 4 simultaneous streams costs $4-7/mo
• Ad removal: Hulu charges $9/mo more for ad-free; Disney+ charges $6/mo more
• Downloads: Netflix Basic (ad tier) and Hulu (ad tier) block offline downloads entirely
• Sharing crackdowns: Netflix charges $7.99/mo per extra household; Disney+ began enforcing similar restrictions in 2026

A family that needs 4K, four streams, and no ads pays $23/mo for Netflix Premium—not the $6.99 ad-tier price in the company’s marketing.

What’s Actually Wrong With Each Service

No service is perfect. Here’s what subscribers complain about most:

Netflix

The interface buries your continue-watching list under algorithmic suggestions. The autoplay previews can’t be permanently disabled on all devices. If you pause your subscription, you lose your viewing history after 10 months. The Standard tier doesn’t include 4K, so you pay $23/mo for Premium or watch in 1080p on a 4K TV.

Disney+

The app crashes more frequently than competitors on older Roku and Fire TV devices. The search function can’t filter by release year or IMDb rating. Content leaves the service without warning—several Fox titles disappeared in 2025 due to licensing issues. The two-stream limit on Basic means families hit the device cap constantly.

Hulu

Even the ad-free tier shows ads before some network TV episodes due to licensing agreements. The interface is cluttered with live TV upsells if you’re on the on-demand-only plan. Downloads expire after 30 days even if you don’t watch them. The $18.99 ad-free price is the highest among major services for a single-service subscription.

Max

The app was rebuilt in 2023 and lost features: you can’t sort your watchlist by date added, and the “continue watching” row disappears if you haven’t opened the app in a week. 4K is locked behind the $20.99 Ultimate tier. Discovery+ content (home improvement, true crime) is mixed into the interface in a way that makes HBO’s prestige library harder to browse.

Amazon Prime Video

The interface mixes free-with-Prime content with rentals and purchases, so you’ll click on a movie only to find it costs $4.99. Ad breaks were added in 2024 and can’t be skipped. The X-Ray feature (cast and trivia overlays) is useful but constantly prompts you to enable it mid-show. Removing ads costs $3/mo on top of the $9.99 Prime Video standalone price or the $14.99 full Prime membership.

Paramount+

The app logs you out frequently and makes you re-enter credentials. Live CBS streams are geofenced, so you can’t watch your local affiliate if you’re traveling. The Showtime merger in 2024 didn’t bring all Showtime originals to the $12.99 tier—some still require cable authentication. The library is heavily weighted toward CBS procedurals; if you don’t watch NCIS or FBI, there’s less here than competitors.

Peacock

Ad breaks in the $7.99 tier are longer than Hulu’s—sometimes 90 seconds for a 22-minute sitcom episode. Next-day NBC shows are only available on the ad-free $13.99 tier; the cheaper tier delays them by a week. The app doesn’t remember your playback position reliably, so you’ll restart episodes you were halfway through.

Apple TV+

The library is tiny—fewer than 200 titles total. If you finish the two or three shows you subscribed for, there’s little back catalog to browse. New episodes release weekly, not all at once, so you’re paying $10/mo to watch one episode per week. The app is only smooth on Apple devices; the Android and Roku versions lag behind in features and stability.

Content Library Depth vs. What You’ll Actually Watch

Library size is published by each service in their investor reports and press releases, but the numbers are misleading. Netflix lists thousands of titles, but many are older acquisitions or international content that doesn’t match US subscriber tastes. Disney+ has a smaller library but higher engagement per title because it’s built around franchises people specifically subscribe for.

The better question: does this service release new episodes of shows you watch? If you only subscribe for Stranger Things or The Mandalorian, subscribe for two months when new seasons drop, then cancel.

Frequently Asked Questions

What streaming service compared to YouTube TV?

YouTube TV is a live TV service at $72.99/mo with 100+ channels, unlimited DVR, and three streams. It competes with Hulu + Live TV ($76.99/mo) and FuboTV ($79.99/mo), not with on-demand services like Netflix. You’re paying for live sports, news, and cable channels. If you don’t watch live broadcasts, you don’t need YouTube TV—a $10-15/mo on-demand service covers scripted shows and movies.

What streaming service compared to Hulu?

Hulu ($9.99-18.99/mo) offers next-day network TV episodes, FX originals, and a back catalog of sitcoms and dramas. Peacock ($7.99-13.99/mo) is the closest equivalent with NBC shows, live sports, and originals, but its library is smaller. Paramount+ ($7.99-12.99/mo) has CBS content and a deeper archive. None match Hulu’s next-day ABC, NBC, and Fox episodes if you’re cutting cable but still want network TV.

What is considered the best streaming service?

No single service is best for everyone. Netflix has the largest original content budget and the most weekly releases. Disney+ is essential for families with kids under 12 and Marvel or Star Wars fans. Max has the HBO prestige catalog and Warner Bros. films. Apple TV+ has the smallest library but high critical acclaim per title. The best service is whichever one releases three or more shows per month that you actually watch.

Which streaming services have ad-free options?

All major services offer ad-free tiers: Netflix Standard ($15.49/mo), Disney+ Premium ($15.99/mo), Hulu No Ads ($18.99/mo), Max Ad-Free ($16.99/mo), Paramount+ Showtime ($12.99/mo), Peacock Premium Plus ($13.99/mo), and Apple TV+ (always ad-free, $9.99/mo). Amazon Prime Video requires paying $3/mo extra on top of the Prime membership to remove ads. The ad-free tier typically costs $6-9 more per month than the ad-supported version.

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