7 Best Netflix Alternatives in 2022: Have you found “THE ONE”

Netflix is one of the best and most popular streaming services out there.

They keep on adding new movies and TV series every week. But, while you wait for Netflix to gain copyrights to new titles and add them to their platform, you are missing out on a ton of entertainment from other streaming services.

In this post, we would be listing out other streaming services like Netflix, talk about their respective pros and cons, review them based on their content subscription options, and overall appeal.

But before we start talking about the different alternatives to Netflix, let’s do a quick comparison of Netflix against some of the best streaming services.

Netflix vs The World

As of May 2022, Netflix has the highest number of subscribers among other streaming services. According to a report Netflix boasts over 222 million global subscribers.

Amazon Prime comes second with a global subscriber base of 150 million. Many might comment that in spite of having such a large subscriber base, a large percentage of this portion might be dormant.

But practically the figures say otherwise.

Of all online streaming platforms, Netflix seems to capture nearly 34 percent of the audience. And there is no doubt that they deserve it. 

Netflix’s popularity can be associated with the freshness of the content being cataloged on its platform.

According to Reelgood, content is considered fresh if it is released between 2018 and 2020. The content need not be original to that particular service instead, it should be released within a time span of the past 3 years.

Here’s a table depicting the amount of fresh content cataloged by other streaming services like Netflix.

As you can see from the above table Netflix is a clear winner when it comes to new media content.

However, if you completely rely on Netflix as your sole streaming service you are bound to lose out on other interesting movies and programs. For this reason, we are here to give you a flavor of a handful of streaming services like Netflix.

Read on and find out what to expect from each of these streaming services and how big of an impact their subscription plans would have on your pocket.

Best Netflix alternative Streaming Services

Before we jump right in here is a table showing other streaming services like Netflix that can give it a run for its money. 

1. Peacock

Peacock TV has a diverse media catalog consisting of live news, sports, well-known TV shows, and movies. It also features a few original Peacock shows.

What I liked about their live sports offering was the diversity of events featured. You can use this platform to watch the biggest sports events like the English Premier League, NHL Hockey, 2020 Summer Olympics, and WWE wrestling.

It also features some of the most well-known TV shows like The Office, Two and a Half Men, Parks and Recreation, etc. Its movie catalog is also pretty robust and spread across a large category range, catering well to a large and therefore diverse consumer base.

It has a wide range of supported devices and works perfectly in almost all smart TVs, computer platforms, gaming consoles, and other handheld devices. You can check out their website to get a complete list of all supported devices for their platform.

Best For

• Viewing Sports events
• NBC shows
• Ad enabled free movie and TV series streaming.

Pricing 

Peacock TV has 3 subscription options, viz. –

• Free – This plan contains ads but lets you watch hundreds of movies, TV shows, news, and sports events for free.
• Premium – At $4.99 per month you get to watch all cataloged content, sports events, and news. Some titles might contain ads.
• Premium Plus – At $9.99 per month, everything in Peacock TV is available ad-free.

2. Apple TV Plus

Apple TV plus mostly features Apple original TV shows, movies, and other exclusive content. Apple original shows are unique to Apple TV plus and cannot be viewed on other streaming services.

With Apple TV plus subscription, you can enjoy various star-studded shows like Mythic Quest, Little America, and The morning show.

If you are in the mood to tickle your funny bones, then you should check out Ted Lasso featuring Jason Sudeikis. Action lovers can watch out for season 2 of See, featuring Jason Momoa.

You can enjoy Apple TV plus on any Apple device or access it via AirPlay. You can also watch on your smart TV, gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, PC, or Amazon Firestick.

However, Apple TV plus services are not available on Android-powered devices like Chromecast, Google TV devices, or Android smartphones.

Best For

• Apple original TV shows and movies
• Curated content

Pricing

Apple TV plus subscription can be availed for $4.99 per month. Apple offers a one-year free subscription to Apple TV plus when you buy an Apple device.

3. Hulu

Hulu is one of the most popular streaming services like Netflix. It allows an ad-enabled low-cost base plan option along with an all-access live TV package.

It features a variety of popular shows from networks like NBC, Fox, and ABC. Hulu’s original series The Handmaid’s Tale won the outstanding drama series Emmy award and boasts of a diverse catalog featuring many such TV and movie titles.

Currently, I am hooked to the animated TV series Solar Opposites from the creators of the infamous Rick and Morty.

The Hulu app is supported on Android and IOS devices and it can be accessed on popular gaming consoles like Nintendo switch PlayStation Xbox and also on almost every smart TV.

Best For

• Network TV shows
• Original Hulu content
• Other popular movies and TV series.

Pricing

Hulu offers 3 different subscription options

• Hulu with ads – Ad-enabled content at $5.99 per month.
• Hulu no ads – Ad-free content at $11.99 per month.
• Hulu + Live TV – Hulu content + Live TV viewing and recording at $64.99 per month

Related read: how to get Hulu for free?

4. Mubi

If you are looking for streaming services like Netflix that feature box office hits with star-studded casts then Mubi is not the platform for you.

Instead, Mubi focuses more on indie movie titles and directorial masterpieces, both old and new.

Mubi provides handcrafted movie suggestions and curates a mix of current and vintage films from various international film producers.

Using this streaming platform, you can view entries listed in various film festivals and art-based movies. My personal suggestion for you would be the 2010 Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop.

You can access Mubi using a web browser or the app available on Android or iOS devices. It can even be accessed using a smart TV, leading gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, or any handheld mobile device.

Best For

• International movies
• Indie movies
• Movie entries from film festivals around the globe

Pricing

You can opt for a monthly subscription plan at $10.99 per month or an annual plan at $95.88 per year.

5. HBO Max

HBO Max hosts many great movies and HBO originals. It also streams Warner Bros. movies on the very same day it releases in theatres.

HBO Max allows streaming in 4K HDR.

In 2021 it released Zack Snyder’s Justice League the same day as its theatrical release. HBO Max has also acquired rights to some of the most anticipated movie titles which are yet to come namely Dune and Matrix 4.

You can also use this platform to watch cult classic TV shows and movies like Friends, The Game of Thrones, Sesame Street, The Lord of the Rings, and the complete Harry Potter series.

HBO Max is available on Apple and Android devices and can also be accessed on a smart TV, Chromecast, gaming consoles like Xbox & PlayStation, or other streaming devices like the Amazon Firestick.

Best For

• HBO Originals
• Warner Bros. (Same-day movie viewing as the theatrical release)

Pricing

HBO Max is available in two different plans, viz. –

• $9.99 per month with ads
• $14.99 per month without ads.

6. Disney Plus

Disney Plus was launched in November 2019, but within a short span, it was able to amass roughly 100 million subscribers. It has a plethora of movies and TV series from large production houses like Disney, Marvel, and Pixar.

Name any Disney or Marvel movie and you would be able to watch it using this platform.

From the money churning Avengers: Endgame to the immensely popular Star Wars spin-off series the Mandalorian Disney Plus is one such streaming service like Netflix that you simply cannot ignore.

If you have a kid at home, you should go for this subscription.

It supports 4K HDR videos with Dolby Atmos. You can use the Disney Plus app on your desktop through a web browser, Android and iOS devices, and various smart TVs.

Best For

• Marvel, Disney & Pixar movies
• Entertainment packed titles for children
• Animations and old Disney titles

Pricing

You can subscribe to Disney Plus for $7.99 per month and the annual plan for $79.99 per year.

7. Prime Video

Amazon prime video from the stables of Amazon is one of the best streaming services like Netflix.

It hosts movies and TV shows from various categories and languages. If you are an Amazon Prime member you automatically get access to prime video and Prime Music.

It features some of the best TV shows and movies the likes of Mad Men, Doctor Who, The Man in The High Castle, to name a few. Amazon prime has recently released The Tomorrow War featuring Chris Pratt directed by Chris Mckay.

The Amazon prime application supports 4K UHD streaming and can be accessed seamlessly on all desktop platforms through a web browser, Android and iOS smartphones, tablets, and on various smart TVs.

Using their mobile app, you can download titles and save them for offline viewing.

Best For

• Amazon Originals
• International movies
• Popular TV shows and movies
• 2^nd largest content catalog after Netflix

Pricing

Prime Videos subscription would cost you $8.99. If you opt for priority Amazon delivery with Prime membership at $119.99 per year you can use Prime Videos for free.

Conclusion

Now that we have looked at the different alternatives to Netflix and have the streaming services compared here is a gist of our findings.

• If you are fine with viewing a handful of ads while streaming your favorite content Peacock can be the best free Netflix alternative for you.
• For users who want to enjoy the best online streaming and want to get the latest TV shows as it airs, Hulu would be a better Netflix alternative. The only trade-off being the live TV subscription of Hulu can be a bit expensive.
• If you are a superhero movie buff and like the latest Pixar animations, you must have a Disney Plus subscription. If you have a kid you wouldn’t regret subscribing to Disney Plus.
• HBO Max has its own distinct advantage as a streaming platform. It allows you to stream Warner Bros movies the same day it releases in theatres.
• Of all the above-listed streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video is the one streaming service that can lock horns with Netflix. Even though Amazon Prime Video comes only second to Netflix when it comes to freshness and featured content, still given its advantages and complimentary subscription plan for Amazon prime members this is one OTT that you simply can’t ignore. And some even believe it has the potential to be even better than Netflix.

That said, no one streaming service can cater to all your entertainment needs. You always have to cherry-pick the titles that you want to view and subscribe to two different streaming services.

As multiple platform subscriptions might turn out to be a bit expensive it is recommended that you diversify your streaming services amongst friends and relatives and use multiple sign-in options to get the best from different platforms.