Paramount Plus vs. Disney Plus vs. Netflix vs. HBO Max: Which Wins the Streaming Service Showdown?

Paramount Plus vs. Disney Plus vs. Netflix vs. HBO Max: Overview

Paramount Plus

Paramount+ is ViacomCBS’s video streaming service. Formerly called CBS All Access, it was rebranded in early 2021 with minor changes and an expanded library. It debuted in 2014 under the previous name and now offers access to more than 30,000 films and TV episodes from both Paramount and CBS, as well as other ViacomCBS networks such as BET, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon. Plus, subscribers can also live stream live sports, shows, and news televised on CBS.

The starting price is $4.99 per month for an ad-supported subscription, with ad-free streaming available for $9.99 per month.But pay attention that the new $4.99 base plan drops access to live CBS local channels. To keep your local CBS station you'll need to step up to the $9.99 ad-free plan.

Disney Plus

Disney Plus is an American subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. It is the fastest growing streaming service on the market, having amassed more than 100 million subscribers since its launch in November 2019. The platform is the sole subscription streaming home of Disney's classic animated films, as well as franchises like "Star Wars" and "The Simpsons." 

You can access unlimited entertainment with Disney+ for $7.99/month or $79.99/year. Disney+ subscribers are treated to four concurrent streams at a time, and can download movies and series for offline viewing, too. And it’s all ad-free to boot.

Netflix

Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California. It is one of the world's leading entertainment services with 207 million paid memberships in over 190 countries. Netflix carries quite the load of shows, movies, and original content. Out of its 5,000+ titles, you’ll get coveted shows like Altered Carbon, Bloodline, Derek, Dracula, Marco Polo, The Witcher, and Watership Down. And there are even more movies like Holidate,  Marriage Story, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Irishman, The Laundromat, The Social Dilemma, and Uncut Gems.

You can Watch Netflix on your smartphone, tablet, Smart TV, laptop, or streaming device, all for one fixed monthly fee. Plans range from $9.99 to $19.99 a month. No extra costs, no contracts. Netflix allows at most four users to watch simultaneously and supports 4K Ultra HD for compatible content.

HBO Max

HBO Max (formerly HBO Now) is the cable channel’s stand-alone streaming service. Its predecessor was launched in 2015, and by 2019 it had reported 8 million subscribers. As of May 2020, most HBO subscribers were automatically switched from HBO Now. HBO Max is the company's latest foray into the world of streaming which combines all the things you love about the premium cable network, while also offering hundreds of shows from other channels – plus a fair amount of new, original content.

HBO Max offers two subscription plans, With Ads plan is $9.99/month or $99.99/year (16% savings), Ad-Free plan is $14.99/month or $149.99/year (16% savings). The platform also doesn't offer a free trial.

Paramount Plus vs. Disney Plus vs. Netflix vs. HBO Max: Full Comparison

Pricing

Let's start with what everyone wants to know: How much do these services cost, here’s an overview:

Paramount+ has a seven-day free trial for new subscribers on both of its main plans, but users who register with a gift card don't receive a free trial. Ad-free Paramount Plus Premium plan at $9.99/monthly that includes: 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR and CBS live stream. Ad-supported Paramount Plus Essential plan at $4.99/monthly. All Paramount+ users can stream on three devices at the same time, and subscribers to the $9.99 ad-free plan can also download most movies and TV shows to watch offline.

Disney+ does not offer a free trial period, although it has done so in the past. The standard Disney+ service costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year, saving subscribers about $16 annually. This grants access to all movies and TV series on Disney+, except for premium theatrical releases, which may require users to pay a flat Premier Access fee to be able to stream each title. All Disney+ subscribers can stream on up to four devices at once, and there is no way to add extra devices. For Disney Bundle subscribers, streams on ESPN+ and Hulu do not count towards that limit.

Netflix does not offer a free trial. However, it does not require a contract to sign up, so you can change your plan at any time or cancel if you no longer want the service. A Basic Netflix subscription costs $9.99 per month and includes access to the service's full lineup of content. The Standard package costs $15.49 per month and allows up to two simultaneous streams, as well as HD streaming, while the Premium package offers four simultaneous streams and HD and Ultra HD quality for $19.99 per month. All of Netflix's package options are ad-free

HBO Max no longer offer free trials, although if you subscribe to HBO Max via Hulu, you may receive a seven-day unlimited trial. Depending on your provider, you may be able to choose a subscription plan (With Ads or Ad-Free) and either monthly or annual billing. Here are the plans:
With Ads - $9.99/month or $99.99/year (16% savings): enjoy thousands of hours of series, movies, and exclusive originals and watch in HD. Ad-Free - $14.99/month or $149.99/year (16% savings): enjoy thousands of hours of series, movies, and exclusive originals, watch in HD with select movies in 4K UHD,
stream Warner Bros. 2021 movie premieres the same day as theaters and download shows and movies to watch when you're offline. You can stream on a maximum of three devices at once. You can’t upgrade to stream on more devices, but you can download content to stream, with a download limit of 30 episodes or movies across all devices on one account.

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Streaming Quality

While most streaming services now have HD and even 4K streaming quality available, the main difference is in whether or not they include this in their standard package.

With Paramount+, you're paying $9.99 for 4K streaming.

Disney+ gives customers 4K streaming, HDR10 with Dolby Atmos audio at no extra charge in its $7.99 a month offering.
Netflix – 4K Ultra HD available only with $19.99/month Premium plan. 5.1 surround-sound available on select titles.
It is a pity that HBO Max only offer 4K UHD for select movies in Ad-Free plans

Library Content

Paramount Plus: More than 20,000 TV episodes and movies from ViacomCBS networks MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central and CBS; including Melrose Place, Sabrina the Teenage Witch,  Beverly Hills, 90210, I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, Cheers, five original Star Trek TV series.

Disney Plus: 7,500 episodes of TV, including Boy Meets World, The Simpsons, Kim Possible and That’s So Raven; 500 movies, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, all Pixar films and classic Disney originals (i.e., Frozen, High School Musical, The Little Mermaid).

Netflix: When it comes to sheer volume of content selection, Netflix reigns supreme. No other service comes close to the selection of Netflix, which reportedly has over 5,000 titles in its digital library. This staggering number includes over 4,000 movies and 1,500 TV shows, as well as a huge selection of Netflix Originals not available anywhere else.

HBO Max: More than 1,800 movies, such as Lord of the Rings franchise, every Batman and Superman film from the last 40 years and every DC title; Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Rick & Morty, South Park, all HBO programs, future seasons of CW’s Batwoman will be among 10,000 hours of content available.

Current Original Series

Paramount Plus: iCarly, Evil, Behind the Music, Rugrats, Younger, The Real World Homecoming: New York, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, The Stand, The Good Fight, The Twilight Zone, The Game, The Fairly OddParents, Dora the Explorer, SEAL Team, Why Women Kill, The Challenge: All Stars, For Heaven's Sake, Coyote, No Activity, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, Frasier, Halo, Y: 1883, 6666, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, The Offer, Guilty Party , Some Good News, The Twilight Zone, The Game, The Fairly OddParents.

Disney Plus:  Loki, Turner & Hooch, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Ahsoka, Andor, Lando, Secret Invasion (Nick Fury series), The Mighty Ducks: Game-Changers, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, Encore, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Hawkeye, Big Shot, The Mandalorian, WandaVision, Diary of a Future President, The Imagineering Story, Doogie Kameāloha, M.D., Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, What If…?, Little Town (Beauty and the Beast prequel), Moana: The Series, Tiana, Baymax

Netflix: The Crown, The Witcher, The Umbrella Academy, Dead to Me, You, Never Have I Ever, Fuller House, Firefly Lane, Shadow and Bone, Ginny and Georgia, Bridgerton, Grace and Frankie, The Kominsky Method, Narcos, Ozark, Queer Eye, The Queen’s Gambit, The Baby-Sitters Club, Dear White People, Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Ratched, Hollywood, Russian Doll, Sex Education, Stranger Things, Outer Banks, Selena: The Series, Julie and the Phantoms, Emily in Paris, Big Mouth, Jupiter's Legacy, Halston, Untitled The Chronicles of Narnia Series, Untitled Cowboy Bebop Series (starring John Cho).

HBO Max: Gossip Girl, The Flight Attendant,12 Dates of Christmas, Green Lantern, Julia (Julia Child series), Tokyo Vice (starring Ansel Elgort), Circe,Veneno, Harley Quinn, The Big Shot With Bethenny, Friends Reunion, Love Life, Selena+Chef, Generation, Made for Love, Legendary, Expecting Amy, Search Party, Doom Patrol,Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Untitled Gotham Series, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Untitled Conan O’Brien Weekly Variety Series.

Devices Support

Most of these services will work on the majority of mainstream streaming devices, including streaming players like Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, etc. They also work on smartphones and computers.

Paramount+ support devices: Desktop (web), iOS app (phone & tablet) - iOS 13.0+, Apple TV 4 (tvOS) & 5 (4K), Android app (phone & tablet), Compatible Android TV devices, Compatible FireTV devices (available in selected countries), Roku (available in selected countries), Chromecast, Fetch (Australia only), Telstra TV (Australia only), Samsung TV (2017 or newer - Australia, Canada, Latin America and UK only), Sky Q (UK & Ireland only) and Sky Glass (UK only).

Disney+ support devices: Disney+ web browser and system requirements, Apple iPhones and iPads, Android phones and tablets, Amazon Fire tablet, Windows 10 & 11 tablets and computers, Android TV devices, Hisense smart TVs, LG WebOS smart TVs, Samsung Tizen smart TVs, Vizio SmartCast TV,  Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV (4th generation and later), Chromecast, Cox Contour TV and Contour Stream Player Box, PlayStation, Roku, Xbox and Xfinity Flex and X1 TV Box.

Netflix support devices: Roku, Roku Streaming Stick, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Fire Stick, Fire Tablet, Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, Android TV, Android phones, Android tablets, Google Chromecast, Nvidia Shield, PlayStation, Xbox, smart TVs, Blu-ray players, and web browsers.

HBO Max support devices: Amazon Fire tablets (4th gen or later), Amazon Fire TV (with Fire OS 5.3.6 or later), Amazon Fire TV Stick, Amazon Fire TV Cube, Amazon Fire TV Edition Smart TVs (Insignia HD, Insignia 4K UHD, Toshiba HD, Toshiba 4K UHD), Android phones and tablets (with Android OS 5+), Android TV (OS 5+), Apple TV (4th gen or later), Chromebooks, Chromecast, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (with iOS 12.2+), LG Smart TVs (webOS 4.0+), PC and Mac computers, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Roku streaming devices (with OS 9.3 and above), Samsung TV (2016+), VIZIO Smart TV,Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

The Bottom Line

Paramount Plus vs. Disney Plus vs. Netflix vs. HBO Max: Which Wins the Streaming Service Showdown?

With no doubt, these are all great services. The “best” option for you really just depends on your individual preferences.

With former CBS All Access shows, Comedy Central and MTV, fantastic originals, new film offerings, and a great low price, Paramount+ is a real contender. It is best for anyone looking for live sports, TV, and local news.

Disney+ is best for parents who is looking for family-friendly content that’s suitable for kids of different ages and interests and Disney and Marvel comics fans who want access to a large selection of their favorite movies and TV series.  Any Disney fan will love what Disney+ has to offer at such an affordable price.

Netflix is best for Exclusive Movies And Shows. Netflix's curated lineup of exclusives is still unmatched, with more content constantly being added at a brisk pace so you never feel like you have nothing to watch.

If you're avoiding the theater, HBO Max's lineup of same-day releases should keep you in the loop, and their catalog of additional content is all the more reason to sign up right now. HBO Max is best for people who like HBO’s prestige TV shows like "The Wire" or "Chernobyl" and cinephiles who want a large selection of classic and new-release movies. 

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