Netflix vs. Hulu Comparison: The battle for best streaming service
It doesn’t matter if you are a cord cutter like us or just want to watch your favorite shows before anyone else and that too on devices other than your TV, the reason you are reading the Hulu vs Netflix comparison is that you might be looking for the best streaming service out there.
Both Netflix and Hulu offer several exclusives and are almost neck and neck with each other in terms of features, but don’t worry, today we will help you decide which one of these streaming services is the best for your needs.
Netflix vs Hulu Comparison 2022
1. Content
Netflix and Hulu both offer great content which also includes extremely popular and award-winning titles but let’s take an in-depth look at the shows and content being offered by the two giants in different regions.
Initially, Netflix offered movies on DVD which could be rented and delivered to the customer through mail. However, Netflix has started offering TV shows as well which has become their strongest selling point. Netflix has more than 4,000 movies and 1,000 TV shows to offer.
Most of their revenue is generated by the TV shows since it has a lot of beautiful shows including House of Cards and recently, Stranger Things.
Hulu is a little slow in the content race. Although TV networks own it, it doesn’t offer the amount and quality of content that you may expect from it. The service has only a few exclusives, and that too is very few as compared to Netflix.
The only thing going in the favor of Hulu is the next-day streaming of ABC, Fox, and NBC. So if you are a fan of these networks, you’d be better off getting a Hulu subscription.
Round 1 Winner: Netflix
2. Exclusives
Both services offer a good amount of exclusives and original shows, but which one is better? Let’s find out.
Netflix has spent a lot of money on its original shows. It has a huge list of successful shows bet a few of them are chart-toppers such as Stranger Things, House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.
These shows are just the tip of the iceberg for what Netflix has to offer.
Hulu has some good shows like Fargo and Casual under its umbrella, but that is all. There is no huge selection like Netflix, and the other shows aren’t very popular as well.
Round 2 Winner: Netflix.
3. Add-ons
These are the features or access to other services that can be accessed by paying more to the streaming service.
Netflix doesn’t offer any add-ons currently. Maybe it is due to the company’s strategy to dominate the whole streaming industry.
Hulu offers Showtime content for an extra $8.99 per month. New episodes are available to stream the day after they are aired. Some great shows like Dexter and Shameless are included in this add-on.
Hulu also offers ad and commercial free content at just $4.00 per month.
Round 3 Winner: Hulu
4. Supported Devices and Platforms
This category doesn’t have anything to debate on. Both services include an extensive list of devices to which their content can be streamed to. This includes almost everything that has a screen or connects to one, from game consoles and streaming boxes to Smart TVs and PCs, as well as Tablets and phones, are all included.
Round 4 Winner: Tie
5. Interface
When it comes to interface, the best one is the one which scales to the different sizes and controls of each device.
Netflix has tried to make the almost same interface available to all platforms. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It offers a My List feature that stores all your movies and TV shows that you have saved for later. This feature, however, is not very useful and can sometimes make you miss new episodes or may let the movies expire if you don’t keep a strict eye on them. The Netflix player only offers simple controls for video playback which include play/pause, the subtitle on/off and rewind and forward.
Hulu’s apps are mostly outdated, and the features are not perfect. The wish list feature here is called My List. This list also has some issue such as the new shows and episodes don’t get listed on top, but the good thing is that it notifies you if your movies are going to expire. The Hulu player is even worse than Netflix’s. The screen freezes at a single frame while forwarding or rewinding the shows. This leads to you missing out on important scenes.
Round 5 Winner: Netflix.
6. Pricing and Plans
Pricing is mostly the deciding factor for people. So, let’s take a look at how the two services stack up regarding pricing. Both services provide a free month trial which is good enough to try and check out their services and later decide where to go.
Netflix has a complicated price plan, and it is as follows:
- $7.99 per month. One screen on Standard Definition resolution.
- $9.99 per month. Two screens at HD resolution.
- $11.99 per month. Four screens at Ultra High Definition.
The second option is the best one in our opinion because it is an excellent blend of quality and quantity. Although people with 4K screens might want to go with the third option, the caveat is that the huge amount of content can only be streamed using an internet connection of 25 Mbps or higher. You’ll also need special hardware like the Xbox One S to stream in 4K.
Hulu has a simple plan which only costs $7.99 per month. This gets you access to all content but with commercials included. However, you can pay $4.00 per month to get a commercial free profile. You can only stream to one device at a time, though, and that’s a huge drawback for us. The only good thing is that you can put your account on hold for up to 12 weeks if you are traveling or just taking a break.
Final Round Winner: Netflix
Also here I would like to clarify I few more important points. Hulu does not provide streaming services worldwide which is something they should consider in the future. While on the other hand, Netflix does provide its services almost all over the world but with some content limitations which I believe is not good. They might have their own reasons for it but when charging the same pricing plans for all users but not giving equal access to all content is not a good a business ethics.
And Netflix is the ultimate champion
Netflix is the clear winner as proven by all the individual tests above. So, if you are thinking about subscribing to a streaming service, make sure it’s Netflix as that’s what we recommend. You should only consider Hulu if you want next-day access to ABC, Fox, and NBC shows.
Have any more questions for us? Write them in the comments below.
