Netflix Vs Hulu: Pick the Very Best Streaming Service For You

If you happen to be an OTT enthusiast, the question of which platform wins the ultimate streaming war, has undoubtedly crossed your mind. While big names such as Netflix may have been an obvious answer till a while ago, it is not as simple now to proclaim the winner without taking several factors into consideration. First thing’s first. In order to find out who is the ultimate winner in the Hulu Vs Netflix battle, it is important to understand how they differ from each other on several counts.

Although Netflix and Hulu share the same fundamental premise, to know the pros and cons of Hulu vs Netflix, you have to factor in different aspects like the price difference or more importantly, how much you are willing to shell out, the kind of content you are looking for and how many simultaneous streams you need on a single account. This Hulu Vs Netflix chart will help you decide which to pick in the faceoff- Netflix Vs Hulu.

Netflix Vs Hulu

Hulu and Netflix are two streaming services which have stood the test of time and are certainly two of the best in the business. So whether you like being at the house of Stranger Things chasing down demogorgons or hold strong opinions about the Handmaid’s Tale, deeper analysis into minute intricacies like pricing, device support and content may help you decide which service is best for you.

App Availability

Netflix is a household name across the globe now and is available in most parts of the world. Users can subscribe to the service in over 190 countries now. However, availability of Hulu is, for the time being, restricted to only audiences in the United States. Moreover, it is not likely to make an entryway into other world markets in the near future.

Having said that, it is worth a mention here that the owner of Hulu, Disney, has taken it upon itself to include some Hulu content in its Disney Plus branch for subscribers outside the US.

Compatibility with devices

The ubiquitous Netflix icon can be seen as a dedicated button on most TV remote controls. Netflix and Hulu are both supported by a wide range of devices including Android, iOS, media streamers like Roku and Fire TV, game consoles, computers, and also some smart TVs.

Leaving Netflix behind on this head, Hulu is also available on the Nintendo Switch. However, Netflix is not.

Hulu Vs Netflix Price

The all-important question in the Hulu Vs Netflix challenge is which of the two offers better plans in accordance to your needs and the amount you are willing to spend.

Netflix offers you a selection of 3 subscription plans :-

Netflix Basic

You pay $8.99 per month and get to watch as many movies and shows as you wish. However, this plans allows streaming in only standard definition and on just a single screen

Netflix Standard

Here, you pay $13.99 per month. The plan works for most people because you get an elevation to HD viewing on up to two screens

Netflix Premium

At $17.99 per month, you get 4K viewing on up to four screens with this plan. Netflix has recently discontinued its long time offer for new subscribers where they could enjoy a 30-day free trial period.

Hulu’s plans and packages are very different from what Netflix offers. There are five stand-alone pans that you can pick from.

• $1.99 per month (with ads)- This plan is available to only eligible college students. It is Hulu’s cheapest offering
• $6.99 per month (with ads)- This is its most popular plan albeit ad supported. You get an unlimited access to Hulu’s content library
• $12.99 per month (ad free)- This plan precludes interruptions in viewing with commercials and also supports downloading of selected content for offline viewing
• $64.99 per month (with ads)- This is one of the more expensive plans of Hulu. However, unlike Netflix, it allows viewers to access over 60 live TV channels
• $70.99 per month (without ads)- apart from the entire Hulu content library, users get access to more than 60 live TV channels, without ads

Hulu allows viewers to stream on a single device for each account. If you opt for the Hulu+Live TV plan, you can stream on two devices simultaneously on a single account. There is a third option known as the “Unlimited Screens” plan which allows you to stream on unlimited number of devices connected to your home network and up to three mobile devices when you are on the move, all for an additional $9.99 per month.

In addition to its regular plans, Hulu also has bundle offers where several services can be accessed with a single plan. Some of them are-

• Hulu + ESPN Plus + Disney Plus (with ads) - $12.99 per month
• Hulu + ESPN Plus + Disney Plus (without ads) - $18.99 per month
• Hulu + Live TV + Disney Plus + ESPN Plus- $72.99 per month
• Hulu + ESPN Plus- $6.99 per month
• Hulu + HBO Max- $14.99
• Hulu + Cinemax- $9.99 per month
• Hulu + Hulu + Showtime- $10.99 per month
• Hulu + Starz -$8.99 per month

The battle of Content

If price isn’t that big a factor, content comes close at heels when you are out to pick a winner in the Netflix Vs Hulu war. Both Hulu and Netflix offer their viewers a mind boggling library of content that includes movies, TV shows, series and much more. So where lies the difference? To answer that we need to take a deeper look in to the content offering of each.

Netflix dishes out quality and quantity in equal measure for consumers with its huge collection of movies, TV shows, series, documentaries, docu-series, reality shows and much more. It is also home to a plethora of amazing original programming that is not available on any other platform. Some of these ‘Netflix Originals’ include Narcos, Ozark, Queer Eye, Squid Game, Stranger Things, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Big Mouth, among several others.

Netflix also houses scores of top TV franchises such as The Queen’s Gambit, The Office, Peaky Blinders, Stranger Things among others.

The streaming service has bigger plans on investing into its original programming in the coming days. They have something in store for everyone with genres ranging from thriller, drama, heist and supernatural to content for children, older kids, critically acclaimed shows, suspense, Hollywood and much more.

Hulu’s popularity is largely based on its control over the TV network. Here, it also not only varies from Netflix but also enjoys an edge over it.

Hulu enjoys rights of streaming next day of episodes from popular TV shows from channels like ABC, NBC, and Fox. So Hulu is where you should be if you are a fan of old and new hit TV series like ER, Futurama, The X-Files, Firefly, and several others.

On the other hand, Netflix is known to air seasons in their entirety at one go. Therefore, to watch a show on Netflix, your wait time is often longer.

Hulu also has in its repertoire, a host of original content including popular shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, Only Murders in the Building, and The Great. However, unbeaten leader in the overall quality of original content remains Netflix.

In movies selection, both platforms offer a huge platter with an all-inclusive genre list that is sure to have something to everyone’s liking and taste.

A striking difference here lies in Hulu’s ‘add-on’ plans and offerings which, unlike Netflix, give you access to much more content. For instance, customized add-ons with channels like ESPN Plus, HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz lets you view multiple shows from these channels along with Hulu’s own content, all on the same app. These contents include some all-time popular hit shows like Game of Thrones, Dexter and Succession among others.

Hulu Vs Netflix- the better user experience

It will not come as a surprise if many users of both streaming services say that the interface of Netflix and Hulu are somewhat similar and both are extremely easy to use, smooth and aesthetically pleasing.

A featured movie or TV show is seen at first glance as you enter the app. As you scroll down you will see horizontal lists of titles under different genres/categories.

There are a lot of tabs on the Homepage of both Hulu and Netflix that are same such as Movies, TV Shows, and My Stuff/ My List. However, it is the Hubs tab that stands Hulu apart.

Here, you will find movies and TV shows which have been categorized under TV channels, like Cartoon Network, FX, and ABC. So, browsing becomes easier if you are searching on the basis of your favorite channel.

Netflix also does not fall behind when it comes to ease and comfort for users. Its ‘New & Popular’ tab helps users find out all the shows that have been newly added to the library.

Netflix Vs Hulu- who are the customers

In a survey conducted earlier this year in the US, more than half in the 18-34 age category stated that they have subscribed to Hulu in recent days. However, in the age group of 65 and above, only 22% acceded to having subscribed to Hulu. The service is still much of a non-entity in places outside of the US.

Netflix, on the other hand has a more solid footing as it is today’s one of the most used video streaming services of the world. It has found more popularity among the young adult section of society although not so much among its older population. As per the study, 75% of the 18-34 years bracket and 72% of the 35-44 years’ group have admitted to having a running Netflix subscription. However, only 44% of those aged 65 or above have said they have a current Netflix account.

Can you download Netflix and Hulu movies/shows offline on Windows/Mac?

Watching your favorite movies, TV shows and series from Netflix and Hulu offline is no longer a distant possibility. You can now do it with the help of StreamGaGa downloader. It offers high quality video downloading that supports different resolutions ranging from 1080p to even 4K, allowing a seamless downloading and streaming experience.

The Netflix and Hulu downloader also features an audio and subtitles preference which you can then save as an external SRT file or remix as text subtitles.

You also get to download videos in bulk with the batch download feature of StreamGaGa Downloader. You can download a movie in 10-20 minutes with its download speed stability and GPU speed boost which then get transferred to MP4 files automatically. You can thus watch your shows anytime and on any device.

StreamGaGa downloader: Downloading Netflix movies/shows had never been so easy!

The Steps

Step 1:

Go to the main interface, select your streaming service as Netflix and click to play a video

Step 2:

Now select the audio and subtitles that you prefer

Step 3:

Start downloading

StreamGaGa downloader: The ease of downloading Hulu movies/shows

The Steps

Step 1:

Go to the main interface, select your streaming service as Hulu and click to play a video

Step 2:

Now select the audio and subtitles according to your preference

Step 3:

Start downloading

FAQs

What are the pros and cons of Netflix?

Netflix offers subscribers an excellent selection of content, an optimized interface and an almost state-of-the-are recommendation system along with an ad-free experience. The Netflix app can be made available on a wide variety of devices. On the downside, it is pricier than many others, its titles come and go very frequently.

What are the upsides and downsides of Hulu?

Hulu offers you an excellent selection of current TV content, it has a good amount of quality original programming and is considerably less expensive. It is compatible with multiple devices such as gaming consoles and smart TVs. It is however, inconsistent in selections from older TV seasons and viewing is continually interrupted with commercials.

If I already have a Netflix subscription, does it make sense to get Hulu?

If you are not sure anymore what to watch next on Netflix, or any other streaming service for that matter, Hulu is a great option especially if you like to binge on TV shows more than movies.

Conclusion

When you are faced with the ultimate question of which suits you better in the Hulu Vs Netflix battle, you have to weigh several factors in the balance to reach a definite answer (or maybe, not so definite). It all boils down to individual choices, preferences, tastes and willingness to spend. While Netflix arguably is the king of content, if you are a TV person, Hulu is certainly for you. Moreover, it is cheap, although ad-supported, gives to options of add-ons and access of live TV channels along with some attractive bundle offers. So be the best judge and weigh the pros and cons of Hulu vs Netflix to decide which service offers more value for you.