When it comes to on-demand streaming video services, there are none bigger than Netflix. It’s far and away the most popular service of its kind both in the U.S. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only option. As the market for these services matures, more competitors are emerging all the time. One of the most compelling for a lot of people is Amazon Prime Video, simply because so many people already have relationships with Amazon. And yet, as much as these two services both compete for our entertainment dollars, they’re radically different from each other in several areas such as price, content selection, and extra features. So, if forced to choose just one, which one do you choose? It’s not necessarily an easy decision, so we’ve assembled a cheat sheet that lets you compare the two on some of the most important criteria. So get your scorecard and your wallet ready … ’s Netflix vs. Amazon Prime.
Let’s get ready to rumble. We’ll kick it off with one of the biggest differences: How much you’ll have to pay if you want to watch. Netflix’s pricing model is very easy to understand: There are three tiers of video streaming service, called Basic ($9 per month), Standard ($14 per month), and Premium ($18 per month). Each Netflix subscription gives you access to Netflix’s entire catalog of ad-free movies, TV shows, and specials. The only things that change as you pay more are the quality of the video and the number of devices that can be used to stream simultaneously. Basic, as the name implies, gives you a single stream and limits you to standard definition (480p). Standard gives you a second simultaneous stream, and both are available in HD (up to 1080p). Premium lets four devices watch at the same time, and content can be streamed in up to 4K Ultra HD with HDR, as well as Dolby Atmos (when the show or movie is available in these formats).
Amazon Prime Video is even more straightforward. A $119 annual Amazon Prime membership gives you ad-free access to the full Amazon Prime Video catalog, plus several shopping-related benefits that Amazon throws in for that price (and even Amazon’s music service). If you prefer, you can also get Amazon Prime for $13/month, or xbox subscribe to only Amazon Prime Video for $9/month. The Amazon Prime annual membership lets you stream in the highest quality that your TV, streaming device, and an internet connection can support, including 4K Ultra HD with HDR, as well as Dolby Atmos. As with Netflix, this will vary by movie or TV show. All Prime Video memberships let you stream up to three titles at the same time, but you only can stream the same title on two devices at a time. Even Netflix’s most affordable price plan is about the same as Amazon Prime Video, which means that on a purely financial basis, Amazon Prime Video wins this round. A rticle has be en created by GSA Content Generat or DEMO.
Having a streaming membership doesn’t make much sense if it isn’t compatible with the devices you own. Amazon Prime Video is compatible with a wide variety of devices and platforms, including web browsers on a PC or Mac, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Beauty’s own Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire devices, iOS, Android, Xbox One and Series X, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and later, Nintendo Wii U, various models of connected Blu-ray players, smart TVs, and Google’s Chromecast. Netflix, as the progenitor of the streaming media space, has the most device compatibility of any service. With support for all of the same devices as Amazon, as well as several others including Nintendo 3DS and Windows Phone, we’ll hand this one to Netflix. But now that Amazon and Google have buried the hatchet and Chromecast has been added to the list, it’s closer than ever. Netflix has thousands of licensed Hollywood movies, TV shows, documentaries, and specials.
But over the years, it’s Netflix’s original productions, like The Queen’s Gambit, Bridgerton, The Witcher, Stranger Things, and The Umbrella Academy, that have been stealing the spotlight and increasing Netflix’s desirability. The only content creator that consistently beats Netflix in quality is HBO - fans of shows like Succession, Game of Thrones, and Veep know exactly what we mean. In fact, over the years, Netflix has been steadily reducing its catalog of movies as it increases its TV show arsenal, and its originals are a big part of that growth. Netflix is slowly being stripped of some of its most popular movies. ’s unknown how long Disney will let Netflix continue to license existing titles, like the massively popular Avengers and Star Wars movies. If you’re purely looking at Netflix as an alternative to renting Blu-rays or going to the theater, Amazon Fashion this might not sound like a good development. But, even stripped of these titles, it’s hard to beat Netflix’s offerings if you value high-quality entertainment from virtually every genre. This was g enerated by GSA C ontent Generat or Demoversion.