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Wondering which movie streaming site is best in 2024? We compare top platforms for content, pricing, and features to help you choose the perfect one!
Historically, it has been Neftlix that has had absolute domination over movie streaming. Since they made Blockbuster obsolete, Netflix has long enjoyed hegemony over the entire market, with only mild competition from rivals like (now-defunct) Redbox. Yet with the pandemic majorly increasing consumer interest in online streaming, and a decision intended by Neftlix to close its iron grip on the market having instead alienated some customers, rivals in the form of Prive Video, Apple TV and Disney+ seem to be on the rise. So our question is simple: which of these top movie streaming platforms offers the best deal to the consumer?
First up is the longstanding king of online streaming is Netflix. Netflix is a very familiar name to most people, having effectively cornered the streaming service market since it emerged. Netflix’s historic- and arguably maintained- domination of the market makes it very attractive to partnerships with film publishers, and thus Netflix maintains a strong selection of blockbuster films that changes and expands over the months. Furthermore, Netflix’s investment in its own Netflix Original content makes it seriously attractive to a prospective customer looking to enjoy award-winning films, as on top of Netflix’s expansive array of oscar-winning films like Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody or Schindler’s List, it can also offer exclusive access to its own award winning films like All Quiet On The Western Front, El Conde or Maestro. This makes Netflix a strong choice for anyone who just wants to enjoy the best, award-winning films the internet can offer.
That said, Netflix has a few downsides. Firstly, Netflix’s huge reputation and focus on award-winning content arguably means that (with the exception of its own Originals) the site largely neglects indie films that one might like to enjoy. Furthermore, Netflix libraries vary notably from country to country, not only meaning that a film one wants to watch could very well be on Netflix, but just not in your region, but this also limits the number of foreign language films that a customer might have access to. Furthermore, Netflix has been introducing serious crackdowns on password-sharing between friends and family. As a result, not only might Netflix not be the choice for a customer looking for a plan for his whole family or any other group, but it also means that that one is limited as to the number of devices you can connect to Netflix at once, which can obviously cause some inconveniences. Finally, Netflix has changed its pricing plans to now offer “Ad-included”, “Standard” and “Premium” subscriptions at £4.99/month, £10.99/month and £17.99 a month respectively. Considering that most consumers won't want to pay for a subscription and still have to watch ads, and that even Standard (let alone Premium), is more pricey than every other mention on this list, this seriously limits Netflix’s strength, and one could argue has been a direct catalyst for the rise of challengers and pretenders for the film streaming throne.
Ultimately, I’d argue that Netflix remains best for a casual movie lover: someone not especially looking to broaden horizons with obscure foreign films or experimental content from obscure studios, but just your average joe who wants to enjoy a quality film after a long day for an affordable price, and who doesn’t need a subscription to support a large group of people, only for a small group of immediate friends or family.
Amazon’s Prime Video service is also a fairly competitive top online streaming platform that offers a viable alternative to Netflix. Firstly, Prime Video is definitely a better choice for someone looking to support a large group of people, as Amazon’s rules on account sharing and device limitation are far more flexible, with there being no real limit on the number of devices able to connect. From a film perspective, Prime Video definitely benefits from the size of its parent company, as- unlike its biggest competitor, Netflix, which largely focus on films that have reached critical acclaim and become “classics”- it uses this leverage to buy up many blockbuster films as soon as they leave the cinemas, with recent movies like Saltburn, Furiosa or Civil War already being on Prime Video. Finally, with Amazon Prime being the second most popular subscription on the internet, Prime Video definitely gets bonus points for affordability, as for just £8.99/month you can have all the benefits of Amazon Prime including Prime Video- only £3 more than just buying Prime Video by itself.
That said, there are a few drawbacks to Prime Video that might not make it the best pick for every kind of viewer. Firstly, for viewers seeking an all-inclusive experience, not every film within the Prime Video library is made available through a Prime Video subscription, as there is some content that Amazon will still make you buy or rent if you want to access. As a result, for a viewer who wants to just pay a subscription fee and not put anything additional on top of that, Prime Video might not be your strongest option. Furthermore, while Prime Video has a very strong line of original TV shows, its lineup of original movies aren’t as strong, being fairly obscure and not consistent with any academy award winners, meaning if you’re looking for a rival to Netflix in terms of exclusive content, it might be better to look elsewhere.
Ultimately, Amazon Prime is a good pick for somebody who wants a more diverse range of both acclaimed classics and new picks straight out of the cinema, and works especially well for a customer already on Amazon Prime. Prime Video is also a strong alternative to Netflix if you want your subscription to provide for a larger group of people. That said, its of course important to note that not all content on the Amazon Library comes with the subscription- something that might irk a prospective customer who wants a no-nonsense, single-subscription experience, so this might affect your decision making.
Apple TV is a more recent challenger on the movie streaming scene, but still offers a competitive service that might attract some film lovers. First off, Apple TV churns out original content at a rate that is beginning to rival Netflix. While Apple TV’s originals have yet to enjoy the same level of critical acclaim as some of Netflix’s Originals, its ability to attract big names (e.g Taron Egerton for Tetris, Will Smith for Emancipation, Michael J. Fox for Still) still makes its original great watches. Indeed, it takes a very specific kind of film to be in the running for academy awards, and from personal experience, I’d argue Apple TV doesn’t produce those complex, multi-faceted and allegorical kind of experiences that critics eat up, but instead consistently high quality and enjoyable films one can watch without a great deal of complication. Furthermore, much like Amazon, Apple TV definitely benefits from its parent company, as many Apple devices will enjoy potential discounts and easy accessibility to Apple TV and its content.
That said, the biggest drawback from Apple TV is that it exclusively shows original content. This arguably decreases its viability as a movie streaming service, as naturally films take longer to produce and therefore you’re getting new content on a less regular basis. Furthermore, some of the added benefits gained from an Apple TV subscription, such as Apple Arcade, Apple Music or Apple News and Fitness Plus (the latter two being exclusive for Apple TV subscribers to an annual plan) might not be especially useful to somebody who doesn’t regularly use Apple products, meaning that many of the added benefits used to justify the recent price raise of Apple TV to £8.99/month might not be as attractive to you as it would be some other customers.
Ultimately, Apple TV definitely offers some quality films you cannot find elsewhere, and its clear that Apple TV’s whole business model will be centred around continuing to produce high quality films (and TV shows, though this isn’t the focus of this article) with consistent appeal to consumers- something that's definitely been met so far. However, Apple TV might not be as attractive to an average customer because of this, and so, unless you're especially focused on just getting to watch original content, I’d only recommend Apple TV to compliment another subscription, or if you want access to their stellar range of TV shows (which I 100% recommend!) in addition to a solid movie library, rather than as a standalone film service.
Disney+ is another giant of the streaming industry, offering an increasingly competitive array of movies. Firstly, Disney+ streams anything on the Disney IP, meaning Disney+ covers a vast range of interests from Princess-based musicals to Pirates of the Caribbean. This definitely gives Disney the benefit of exclusive content (as you almost certainly won't find any other subscription service offering these kinds of shows), without the drawback films from places like Apple TV get where they’re fairly obscure and might not attract mainstream attention, as most of these films will have had massive exposure when they were in the box office. Furthermore, with the Disney IP regularly expanding, now covering films from Wes Anderson, National Geographic, and other sources, Disney+ effectively offers a guarantee of constant updates as Disney continues to acquire other studios, and as its already owned franchise produces new content.
That said, Disney+ has its drawbacks. Firstly, Disney+ has also leaned into the unpopular trope of offering a subscription with ads, and while Disney’s “Premium Plus” subscription is still cheaper than some competitors, being the same price as Netflix’s standard subscription at £10.99, this still might be an irksome feature to some. Furthermore, as Disney+’s library will largely consist of content aimed at the Disney audience (largely children/families), not all of the shows available will necessarily cater to your average film viewer. That said, another challenge that might make Disney+ less satisfactory as a film viewing site is the recent quality of Disney productions. While the whole point of Disney+ is to compartmentalise the entire Disney IP onto one site, that offer loses a lot of appeal considering the box office bombs Disney’s franchises have been producing, including notable recent releases like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destine and Ant Man: Quantumania. As a result, while Disney+ might offer a nice dose of childhood nostalgia for some, its newer content seems to be of a lower quality, potentially making it a less palatable purchase.
Ultimately, Disney+ is priced at a reasonable rate when compared to its competitors, so it really depends on what you value in a movie streaming site. While the sheer breadth of the Disney IP lets it dip its toes into various franchises, its main line of content appears to be faltering. As a result, if you're looking for variety in terms of movies, Disney+ is a solid deal. But if your metric of success is quality and consistency? It’s a bit more up in the air.
The emergence of new competitors has definitely broken up Netflix’s monopoly to a certain extent. With Disney+ able to offer options for families, Apple TV able to give exclusive quality content and Prime Video getting its hands on the freshest releases, there has certainly been something of a shakeup. That said, I would say that for the average consumer, Netflix will probably remain their first port of call. Obviously, Netflix has some big decision to make if it wants to mitigate any further gain to competitors, as quite understandably raising Netflix subscriptions to try and drive people towards a cheaper plan where you can make more money off of them via ads isn’t an exactly popular move.
So ultimately, it's not so much that Netflix is doomed to fall from grace and usher in the reign of a new champion, but that it now has to share its space with other contenders. Netflix remains the most subscribed thing ever on the internet, and continues to pump out Oscar-nominated films. All the recent developments in the market ultimately mean that the days where Netflix was the only effective option of enjoy a range of quality films is over, and now not only does the average consumer have viable alternatives- a prospect that should hopefully encourage Netflix to reform its practices in line with popular demand- but also where specific interests can be fulfilled.
