Streaming subscriptions are great, but it seems like every major network and media company has launched a new streaming service. There’s more great TV to watch than ever, but deciding which ones are worth your time and money can be daunting. Your choices likely depend on which original shows and movies you want, how important a back catalog of older streaming TV shows is to you, whether you need to consider kids, roommates or sports fans, and of course your budget. Some of these services offer cheaper options (like Peacock’s free tier), while others come essentially free as part of a bundle (like ESPN Plus in the Disney Bundle).
Read more: Best streaming service deals
Looking for recommendations for holiday gifts and your own home? That’s where this list of the best streaming service options comes in. We’ve reviewed each of these streaming services individually, and assigned numeric ratings based on content, app design and features and overall value. Certainly, some personal preference regarding content mix influences our decisions, so note that if you love a specific show or style of show, you may have a different favorite.
With that in mind, here’s the list, ranked in order starting with the best streaming services first.
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There’s a reason why Netflix has become shorthand for streaming in general. The veteran service, which launched its DVD-by-mail rentals in 1998, has evolved into the top-tier streaming service that’s a must-have in 2021. When big originals like Squid Game, Cobra Kai, or Stranger Things drop, they grab the attention of millions of viewers along with critical praise and awards, giving us the closest thing to watercooler conversations we have nowadays.
While Netflix has lost a couple of major back catalog channel titles to other streamers this past year (specifically TV series favorites The Office to Peacock and Friends to HBO Max), the streamer still offers a wide variety of familiar network shows and more original series, films, documentaries and specials than any of its competitors. New shows and movies arrive each week, and 70 new original movies arrived on the Netflix platform this year alone. Starting at $9 a month, its price is in the middle of the TV service pack, but for the variety you get (and no commercials ever), it’s worth it.
Read our Netflix review.
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Disney Plus is a phenomenon and Netflix’s closest competitor for good reason. The streaming platform launched two years ago and has already amassed more than 118 million subscribers. It’s the only place where you can stream the vast majority of the Disney and Pixar libraries, along with every Star Wars movie, Marvel films and new original TV shows, National Geographic content and 31 seasons of The Simpsons. While The Mandalorian was its only breakout series at first, its slate of Marvel shows WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki have since drawn millions of viewers. Marvel’s Eternals will stream exclusively on Disney Plus in January 2022, where it will join Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Documentaries such as Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back are winning rave reviews. Plus, there’s lots more Star Wars and Marvel original programming coming in the next few years.
Even after the recent price hike to $8 a month, Disney Plus is still one of the least expensive ad-free streaming TV choices and a great value. We consider it a must-have if you have kids or are a fan of any of its other titles (and who isn’t a fan of Baby Yoda?).
Read our Disney Plus review.
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Sarah Tew/CNET
Prime Video features lots of ad-free, high-quality original shows and movies, an impressive back catalog of older favorites (and B-movies you haven’t heard of) and NFL on Thursday nights. It lacks the catalogs of Netflix and Hulu, and the star power of Disney’s streaming platform, and I found its menus more confusing since there’s some paid content mixed in with free content. But for millions of Prime subscribers, the Prime Video channel is already included at no extra cost. If you’re interested in checking out any of its originals like The Wheel of Time, The Expanse (or the upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel), or its large movie selection, it may even be worth paying the stand-alone $9 a month TV service fee (if you don’t have Amazon Prime).
Read our Amazon Prime Video review.
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HBO Max is a well-designed app full of popular TV shows and movies. It has HBO’s entire catalog, along with favorites such as Friends, Rick and Morty, Sesame Street, the Lord of the Rings movies and almost every Studio Ghibli film. It’s also the only streaming service to debut movies on the same day as theaters at no extra cost, including The Many Saints of Newark, The Matrix Resurrections, and King Richard. It’s not Disney Plus, but HBO Max has a solid streaming collection for kids too, with the ability to control ratings on kids’ profiles better than most other services.
Where the service loses points is its price tag: At $15 a month, it’s at the higher end of the streaming spectrum. However, a less expensive, ad-supported tier is now available, though it’s only $5 cheaper, and you won’t be able to stream the newest movies. In general, HBO Max is also a bit light on new originals, but we expect that to change over time. Series such as Gossip Girl, And Just Like That…, and The White Lotus have viewers excited for the platform’s growing slate.
Read our HBO Max review.
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ESPN Plus is a great streaming service for the tried-and-true sports fans, especially those who follow the NHL, MLS and UFC. This is because ESPN Plus is the new home of all out-of-market National Hockey League games, while also offering out-of-market MLS soccer matches, along with those from other soccer leagues around the world. It hosts exclusive UFC matches and pay-per-view events, such as UFC Fight Night and championship bouts (for additional fees).
Hockey and MLS fans who root for teams that aren’t based where they currently live need ESPN’s streaming service to watch their team’s action. The service won’t be of much use, however, to fans of the home teams. Local games are blacked out on ESPN Plus so you’ll need access to your regional sports network through cable or a live TV streaming service in order to watch them. But there’s good news for golf fans: ESPN Plus will livestream the PGA Tour in 2022 with more than 4,000 hours of exclusive footage. PGA Tour Live will provide coverage for more than 30 events from January through the fall.
ESPN Plus doesn’t show live NFL or NBA games, however, and while its vast library of original programming is impressive, it’s difficult to navigate. While the $7 a month, $70 per year service is best suited for die-hard fans of the sports it covers well, more casual fans might find themselves with an ESPN Plus subscription anyway through the Disney Bundle, which also includes Hulu and Disney Plus for $14 total. Getting the bundle saves $7 a month over the cost of each individual service, so in essence, you get ESPN Plus for free.
Read our ESPN Plus review.
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NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock has one major advantage over its peers: It has a free, ad-supported tier with about 13,000 hours of shows, movies, news and live sports. You can upgrade to premium for $5 a month (with ads) or premium plus for $10 a month (with no ads) to unlock more content, including every season of fan favorites like the TV series The Office and Parks and Recreation, originals like Brave New World and The Real Housewives of Miami, popular series like Yellowstone as well as live Premier League soccer matches and WWE events. Upcoming moves for 2022 include new movie premieres 45 days after their theatrical releases.
Peacock drops in the rankings due to its lack of mobile downloads for its non-premium plus tiers and 4K HDR streaming, which most of its competitors offer. But it doesn’t hurt to try out the free version — all you need to sign up is an email address.
Read our Peacock review.
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Paramount Plus — the streaming service formerly known as CBS All Access — brings together live news and sports with on-demand shows and movies, including originals, leaning on parent company ViacomCBS’ brands like popular channels CBS, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and Paramount Network, plus its Paramount Pictures movie studio.
The service has a ton of content: 30,000 episodes of TV and 2,500 movies, plus 36 original series arriving this year, for either $6 a month (with ads) or $10 a month (ad-free). Two of its biggest draws from its CBS All Access days include the Star Trek catalog and new originals like Star Trek: Discovery and Picard, and the series The Good Fight. Upcoming originals include two Yellowstone spinoffs (though Yellowstone itself is on rival Peacock), a new Star Trek series and a series based on Halo, and new movies like Mission: Impossible 7 arriving 45 days after theaters. But right now, its main value lies in nostalgia: You can watch just about every old Nickelodeon show, Comedy Central stand-up special and popular series ranging from Frasier and Cheers to SpongeBob Squarepants and Young Sheldon. Additionally, Paramount Plus just launched its Live Channels feature which enables subscribers to watch curated content in special categories. Check out channels for Star Trek, All Day Drama, Paw Patrol, and more.
Currently, new customers who sign up for Paramount Plus by Dec. 31 can try out the service for 30 days at no charge.
Read our Paramount Plus review.
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At $5 a month, Apple TV Plus is the lowest-priced premium, ad-free streaming service available, with high-end features like 4K resolution, HDR and mobile downloads. However, it’s also the only service on this list that includes only original content, and no back catalog of shows or movies to explore. While it now has more than 50 exclusive, big-budget original programming shows and movies, only a few have captured widespread attention (looking at you, Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, See, and Foundation). And that library is far smaller than any of the others on this list.
The app is also confusing, since it’s housed in the larger Apple TV app with other content. However, Apple TV Plus has one big advantage: There are a lot of ways to get it for free, at least for a while. If you’re a degree-seeking college student, a new purchaser of an Apple device, or someone who subscribes to the Apple One bundle, you can snag a long-term free trial of Apple TV Plus.
Read our Apple TV Plus review.
What else do you need to know?
Chances are you’re already pretty familiar with most of the names on this list, but it’s by no means comprehensive. There are plenty of other ways to stream, and hundreds of other choices out there. As you weigh your streaming choices, keep the following notes in mind.
- This list is ordered based on the numerical value I assigned to each streaming service in their individual review, which I determined by design (i.e. ease of use across different TV and mobile platforms), features (like 4K HDR, mobile downloads, recommendations, watch lists and number of streams), content (number of shows and quality of originals and back catalogs) and value (price compared to these other factors). Click through to the full reviews for more details.
- This list includes major on-demand streaming services only. It does not include live TV streaming services for cord-cutters (think Sling TV, YouTube TV, which offer live channels intended to replace cable), free streaming services like Tubi or Crackle or smaller, niche services like Crunchyroll or PBS Kids or regional sports networks.
- To watch any of the services on this list you’ll need a solid internet connection, a compatible device (like a Roku, Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV, a smart TV, phone, tablet or computer) and a valid username and password.
- This best streaming service list will be updated periodically as new services become available and are reviewed, and as existing reviews are updated.
Want more? Check out CNET’s Streaming TV Insider for advice on what to watch, the latest streaming news, help, how-to and more.