Netflix Review 2025: Plans, Pricing, and More
Does streaming giant Netflix really deliver something for everyone? The CableTV.com experts investigate the mighty red N.
Is Netflix worth the price?
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 $7.99 a month, Netflix’s ad-supported plan 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 (until it eventually cancels every show that isn’t Stranger Things).
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.
Netflix deals and promotions
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.
Netflix plans and prices
| Plan | Price | Video | Audio | Streams | Extra members | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard with Ads | $7.99/mo. | 1080p | 2.0 stereo | 2 | — | View Plans for Netflix |
| Standard | $17.99/mo. | 1080p | 2.0 stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 | 2 | +1 | View Plans for Netflix |
| Premium | $24.99/mo. | 1080p, 4K | 2.0 stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Atmos | 4 | +2 | 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).
With Netflix’s new password-sharing policies, ad-supported subscribers won’t be able to share their account outside of their household. Standard subscribers get the ability to add one extra member outside of the household, and Premium subscribers get two. The catch is that these extra members cost $7.99/mo. per person, which can really inflate that monthly bill. Yikes!
Netflix earned the Editor’s Choice title in 2025’s Best of the Best Awards. Read more about why we think it deserves the hype.
Netflix vs. the competition
| Service | Price | Streams | Video | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netflix | $7.99–$24.99/mo. | 2–4 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Netflix |
| Max | $9.99–$20.99/mo. | 2–4 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for HBO Max |
| Hulu | $9.99–$18.99/mo. | 2 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Hulu |
| Disney+ | $9.99–$15.99/mo. | 4 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Disney Plus |
| Apple TV+ | $9.99/mo. | 6 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Apple TV+ |
| Amazon Prime Video | $8.99–$17.98/mo. | 3 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans |
| Peacock | $7.99–$13.99/mo. | 3 | 1080p, 4K | View plans |
| Paramount+ | $7.99–$12.99/mo. | 3 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Paramount Plus |
| Discovery+ | $5.99–$9.99/mo. | 4 | 1080p, 4K | View Plans for Discovery+ |
| ESPN+ | $11.99/mo. | 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 around the same cost per month as Max. There are definitely cheaper streaming services out there, but none match Netflix in sheer original output. If you’re more into older, familiar content, check out Amazon Prime Video or Paramount+.
Hear from a real Netflix customer
"Netflix is a great streaming service and I really like the selection of movies that they have on there."
Netflix shows and movies
On-demand shows and movies on Netflix
Acquired (rather than original) TV shows—Netflix’s initial claim to streaming fame—are in dwindling supply with each new streaming competitor. But you can still find some non-original titles from ye olde days of cable television in Netflix’s library. And some competitors, like Max and Paramount+, license their originals back to Netflix. It all circles back to the red N.
And Netflix definitely still has a lot of super popular movies from the last decade, from Get Out to The Batman.
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):
- Better Call Saul
- Big Brother
- Breaking Bad
- Good Girls
- Manifest
- Legends of Tomorrow
- Outlander
- School Spirits
- Shameless
- Supernatural
On-demand movies (partial list):
- Dune: Part Two
- Saturday Night
- The Menu
- Minions
- Godzilla vs. Kong
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
- A Simple Favor
Original shows and movies on Netflix
Anybody remember when Netflix only mailed out DVDs?
Those days are gone, but now 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—even if it doesn’t promote or renew them all.
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):
- Squid Game
- Bridgerton
- Ozark
- Cobra Kai
- The Witcher
- Castlevania
- Sex Education
- You
- Blue Eye Samurai
- Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
- Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld
- The G-Word
Netflix original movies (partial list):
- Red Notice
- Gunpowder Milkshake
- The Harder They Fall
- Army of the Dead
- Army of Thieves
- Fear Street
- The Old Guard
- Kate
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
- Back in Action
- Nimona
- Tick, Tick… Boom!
Additional services
Free mobile games
Netflix’s best-kept secret is its impressive lineup of mobile games. Yes, you read that right—all Netflix subscribers get access to an array of mobile games, for free. It’s easy to miss this feature if you usually only watch Netflix on a smart TV or streaming device. All you have to do is log into Netflix on a mobile device (so a tablet or phone) and scroll down until you see the “Mobile Games” heading.
When you pick a game you want, Netflix will prompt you to open your device’s app store, where you can download the corresponding game for free.
Here are some of the games you can expect with your Netflix subscription:
- OXENFREE
- OXENFREE II: Lost Signals
- Sonic Prime Dash
- Bloons TD 6
- The Queen’s Gambit Chess
- Spongebob: Get Cooking
- Nailed It! Baking Bash
- Terra Nil
- World of Goo Remastered
- Into the Breach
- Stranger Things: 1984
- Reigns: Three Kingdoms
- Spiritfarer
- Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
- …and more
DVD rental plans
Unfortunately, Netflix no longer offers the DVD rental service that put it on the map. It’s okay though, there’s always Blockbuster—oh, nevermind.
Netflix specs and features
Multiple streams and offline downloads
| Plan | Simultaneous streams | Downloads for offline viewing |
|---|---|---|
| Standard with Ads | 2 | 2 devices |
| Standard | 2 | 2 devices |
| Premium | 4 | 6 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.
Standard with ads allows two streams, as well as episode/movie downloads to two devices for offline viewing.
Standard also allows two streams, and it downloads to two offline phones or tablets.
Premium allows four streams, and it downloads to six 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.
Compatible devices
| 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 (although you won’t find it on the Nintendo Switch).
Video and audio quality
Netflix’s Standard plans stream 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.
Netflix FAQ
What’s the difference between Netflix Standard, and Premium plans?
There are subtle differences between Netflix’s three subscription plans. They break down like this:
- Standard with ads ($7.99/mo.) gives you Full HD 1080p video resolution and the ability to watch Netflix on two devices simultaneously, as long as both are in the same household.
- Standard ($17.99/mo.) is the same as Standard with ads, except it gets rid of those annoying ads and allows you the ability to add one extra member outside of your household.
- Premium ($24.99/mo.) can stream up to 4k video resolution, and allows for up to 6 simultaneous streams. You’ll also be able to add two members outside of your household. This plan is targeted towards larger households and groups.
How do you download Netflix shows and movies?
To download Netflix shows and movies for offline viewing, you’ll need the newest version of the Netflix app on one of these devices:
- iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch (iOS 9 or later)
- Android phone, or tablet (Android 4.4.2 or later)
- Amazon Fire tablet (Fire OS 4.0 or later)
- Windows 10 tablet or computer (v.1607 or later)
- Chromebook or Chromebox (select models)
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.
What’s the cheapest way to get Netflix?
If you’re a T-Mobile customer, you can take advantage of the service’s “Netflix on Us” promotion, which gives you a Standard plan for free, depending on your mobile plan. Standard with Ads is Netflix’s cheapest plan at $7.99 a month. Verizon myPlan customers will also be able to purchase an ad-supported Netflix/Max bundle for $10 per month starting on December 7. That’s not free like T-Mobile’s offer, but it’s still a pretty good deal.
Methodology
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.
