Oxygen, water, and Netflix: The basic staples of life. The mighty red N has been the No. 1 streaming service for years for a reason—it’s consistent in quantity and quality.
At a base price of $6.99 a month, Netflix delivers a thunderous bang for your subscription buck. Unlike the others that are still trying to catch up, Netflix pours millions into building its own on-demand universe. That’s why we’ve given it our editorial award for most original content in 2023.
Netflix is one of the few entertainment outlets that can say it has “something for everyone” with a straight face (or off-center smiley-square icon). Not all of Netflix’s shows and movies are great, but there’s always something new dropping tomorrow.
Are you a T-Mobile customer? Check out the cellular provider’s “Netflix on Us” promotion, which essentially gives you free Netflix (Standard or Basic plan) with your phone service.
| Plan | Price | Video | Audio | Streams | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic with Ads | $6.99/mo. | 720p | 2.0 stereo | 1 | View Plans for Netflix |
| Basic | $9.99/mo. | 720p | 2.0 stereo | 1 | View Plans for Netflix |
| Standard | $15.49/mo. | 1080p | 2.0 stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 | 2 | View Plans for Netflix |
| Premium | $19.99/mo. | 1080p, 4K | 2.0 stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Atmos | 4 | View Plans for Netflix |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Netflix carries more TV series, movies, documentaries, kids’ shows, stand-up comedy specials, anime, and international programming than you could possibly ever watch (we know—we’re professionals and we’ve tried).
| Service | Price | Editorial rating | Streams | Video | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | $6.99–$19.99/mo. | 4.2/5 | 1–4 | 720p, 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Netflix |
| HBO Max | $9.99–$15.99/mo. | 4.5/5 | 3 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for HBO Max |
| Hulu | $6.99–$12.99/mo. | 4.4/5 | 2 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Hulu |
| Disney+ | $7.99–$10.99/mo. | 4.4/5 | 4 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Disney Plus |
| Apple TV+ | $6.99/mo. | 4.3/5 | 6 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Apple TV+ |
| Amazon Prime Video | $8.99–$14.99/mo. | 4.2/5 | 3 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans |
| Peacock | Free–$9.99/mo. | 4.3/5 | 3 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Xfinity |
| Paramount+ | $4.99–$9.99/mo. | 4.2/5 | 3 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Paramount Plus |
| Discovery+ | $4.99–$6.99/mo. | 4.0/5 | 4 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Discovery+ |
| ESPN+ | $9.99/mo. | 4.0/5 | 5 | 1080p | View Plans for ESPN+ |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Netflix’s most popular plan, Standard, is the same cost per month as HBO Max. There are cheaper streaming services, but none match Netflix in sheer original output. If you’re more into older, familiar content, check out Amazon Prime Video or Paramount+.
Netflix originals have become the service’s main push in recent years. But acquired movies and TV shows—Netflix’s initial claim to streaming fame—are still in healthy supply.
All 11 seasons of SHOWTIME’s Shameless are on Netflix, as are all 18 of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and 15 of NCIS.
Even though you can literally scroll for hours, Netflix still isn’t an all-inclusive portal for keeping up on every TV show and movie released. But, as one of modern pop culture’s major players, it doesn’t have to be. Plenty of people claim Netflix as their only TV service, streaming or otherwise, and they’re rarely at a loss for something new to watch. If you’re overwhelmed, check out out our What to Watch on Netflix recs.
On-demand TV shows (partial list):
On-demand movies (partial list):
Anybody remember when Netflix only mailed out DVDs? (More on that in a moment.)
These days, in-house originals are where it’s at for Netflix. Ever since the premieres of original series Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards in 2013, Netflix has moved toward becoming an outlet for exclusively produced content and curated foreign programming.
In fact, originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, and countless others are now the service’s primary focus. Netflix invests heavily in Netflix, and it cranks out series and movies and promotes them—hard.
But Netflix doesn’t just produce multi-episode series that keep you binge-watching through the weekend: It also makes feature films and documentaries that eat only a couple of hours of your time.
You’ve likely heard of Mank or Hillbilly Elegy—neither was a critical darling, but millions watched them anyway.
Netflix original TV shows (partial list):
Netflix original movies:
Aside from its Basic, Standard, and Premium streaming plans, Netflix offers one classic extra that millions still use: physical Blu-ray and DVD rental by mail. Retro, right?
For movies and TV series that Netflix doesn’t stream, Netflix’s DVD-rental plans are more convenient than a trip to a Redbox or the library (or that last standing Blockbuster in Oregon).
| Plan | Blu-ray, DVD | Discs per month | Simultaneous disc rentals | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $9.99/mo. | Unlimited | 1 | View plans |
| Standard | $14.99/mo. | Unlimited | 2 | View plans |
| Premium | $19.99/mo. | Unlimited | 3 | View plans |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
There are no late return fees with Netflix’s DVD rental plans, and you can hold onto discs indefinitely—but you’ll have to send it back if you want to rent another. Plus, receiving cool red Netflix envelopes in the mail every week can make you feel pretty special.
| Plan | Simultaneous streams | Downloads for offline viewing |
|---|---|---|
| Basic with Ads | 1 | N/A |
| Basic | 1 | 1 device |
| Standard | 2 | 2 devices |
| Premium | 4 | 4 devices |
The Netflix app can be installed and activated on as many devices as you like, but the number of simultaneous streams is limited depending on the package.
Basic allows one stream, as well as episode/movie downloads to a single phone or tablet for offline viewing.
Standard allows two streams, and it downloads to two offline phones or tablets.
Premium allows four streams, and it downloads to four offline phones or tablets. If you have a large household and want to keep the kiddies happy, Premium is probably the way to go.
Netflix recommends a baseline of 3Mbps internet speed for SD viewing, 5Mbps for HD, and 25Mbps for 4K Ultra HD. We, on the other hand, recommend 25Mbps as the bare minimum for any type of internetting—life’s too short for buffering, people.
| Device | Netflix |
|---|---|
| Amazon Fire Cube, Stick, TV | ✔ |
| Android phones, tablets | ✔ |
| Android TV | ✔ |
| Apple TV (4th gen.) | ✔ |
| Apple TV 4K | ✔ |
| Chromecast, Chromecast with Google TV | ✔ |
| Echo Show | ✔ |
| iPhone, iPad | ✔ |
| LG TVs (select models) | ✔ |
| Nintendo Switch | ✔ |
| NVIDIA SHIELD Pro TV | ✔ |
| PC, Mac web browsers | ✔ |
| PlayStation 3, 4, 5 | ✔ |
| Roku Ultra, Express, Premiere, Stick, TV | ✔ |
| Samsung TVs (select models) | ✔ |
| TiVo Stream | ✔ |
| Wii | ✔ |
| Xbox One | ✔ |
The Netflix app is available on almost every streaming device there is—it even works on ancient Nintendo Wii consoles (though it’s a pain to navigate, so probably don’t).
Netflix’s Basic plans stream in 720p video resolution; Standard in 1080p HD.
The Premium plan allows 4K Ultra HD streaming, which applies to Netflix originals and some acquired titles. More advanced HDR (high dynamic range) streaming is available on a limited basis.
Most Netflix programming streams in standard 2.0 stereo audio, though some newer shows and movies are available in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos.
There’s little to knock about Netflix’s on-demand streaming service—for a reasonable price, it delivers the world to your screens.
We could complain about the isolated nature of Netflix, as it offers less and less from outside film and TV studios all the time, concentrating more on its own product. There’s also no local TV connection, but there are other ways for you to get your community information (get an antenna; your local TV news could use the eyeballs).
In all, Netflix isn’t a replacement for good ole cable—with so much exclusive content, that hardly matters. Once subscribed, you probably won’t need to leave the house again.
There are subtle differences between Netflix’s three subscription plans. They break down like this:
To download Netflix shows and movies for offline viewing, you’ll need the newest version of the Netflix app on one of these devices:
Select any show or movie and look for the “Downloads” icon, which is a downward arrow and horizontal line. If no icon is displayed, this means the selected content isn’t available for download. You’re allowed up to 100 downloads at a time per device across all devices included in your membership plan.
Downloaded shows and movies will expire after a certain amount of time, depending on the title—some will self-delete after 48 hours, but most will remain for at least a week or longer.
If you’re a T-Mobile customer, you can take advantage of the service’s “Netflix on Us” promotion, which gives you a Basic or Standard plan for free, depending on your mobile plan. Basic with Ads is Netflix’s cheapest plan at $6.99 a month.
Our experts spent hundreds of hours of hands-on testing, rating Netflix on bang for your buck, reliability, features, and customer satisfaction. Then we matched up the on-demand TV streamers head to head to give a clearer picture of their strengths and weaknesses. For more information on our methodology, check out our How We Rank page.
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