Which streaming service gives you the best value?

The Streaming Wars have officially begun. Sure, we may still be in the early phases, but most of the main contenders have launched. The only real lagger seems to be Comcast’s Peacock, which will launch next week. While this is great for a lot of reasons, it’s also terrible for a lot of reasons. Cord-cutting was a practice for those of us who were sick of being screwed over by corporations. We didn’t want to pay for cable and essentially spend well over $100 on channels we didn’t watch. Why not just pay for what we watched?

Streaming came into the equation with services like Netflix and Hulu, and life was good for a while. But, as everyone started to skew toward streaming services, companies started to focus their attention to them. The result is the rise in high-quality streaming programs (good) and the return of high prices for content (bad).

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These days, you have services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+, among others. But which services are the best of the best? Which services give you the most bang for your buck? 

The streaming aggregator Reelgood has used their serviced to compile a bunch of helpful data to help you decide which streaming service gives you your best value.

First, let’s take a look at the price.

Streaming Prices

As you can see in the graph above, HBO Max is easily the most expensive of the bunch. At $14.99 a month, it’s two bucks more expensive than Netflix and $10 more expensive than its cheapest competitor, Apple TV+. At the middle of the pack is Amazon Prime Video at $8.99 a month — though that price does vary depending on the deal you go with. 

Streaming Content Quantity

But, of course, it’s not just about the price of the streaming service, it’s about the value. You may be wondering just how many shows you’re getting per service. Luckily, Reelgood has charts on that as well. They have broken down how many “quality” and “high-quality” TV shows and movies are available on each of the streaming services in the U.S. Just as a note, “quality” is defined by having a 6.5 to 8.0 on IMDb. “High-quality” is 8.0 or higher on IMDb.

So, that is an objective look at the quantity of the movie and TV landscape, but maybe that’s not good enough for you. Maybe you want know how this all breaks down per service. How much TV and movie are you getting for each dollar you put down? 

Bang For Your Buck

Okay, so these are probably the two most useful graphs of the bunch. As you can see, clear ahead of the pack here in terms of TV Amazon Prime Video.  It offers 247 shows per dollar — 26 of which (per dollar) are considered high-quality. While they have less to offer in the “quality” department than Netflix, they have quantity in spades. If you’re looking for more varied content, it’s likely your best bet. 

Conversely, HBO Max, Apple TV, and HBO Max don’t have a lot to offer. With these services, you’re getting less than 10 high-quality shows per dollar, and Apple TV+ only offers one film per dollar. 

Interestingly enough, Amazon Prime Video also comes out waaay on top. For every dollar, you get 1,427 movies. That’s way ahead of Netflix, which offers 291 movies per dollar.

And the Winner Is…

Okay, so it looks like Amazon Prime Video is the big winner here. In terms of sheer quantity, it really offers the best bang for your buck. Of course, at the end of the day, it’s not just the quantity of the shows, but the shows themselves. If Stranger Things is a show you need, then no one but Netflix is gonna suit you. If you’re all about the Mouse, Disney+ is a no-brainer no matter what.

This graph also doesn’t take into account quality original content. If they were to look exclusively at that, I’m sure things would have turned out much differently. However, as it stands, there is no denying that both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are fairly great values for consumers.

That being said, HBO Max is a brand-new service, and the fact that it’s able to compete as well as it is this early on in the game bodes well for it. 

Which streaming service is your personal favorite? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Reelgood