Best Streaming Services of 2025

Best Streaming Services of 2025
Headshot of Kourtnee Jackson
Headshot of Ty Pendlebury
Written by 

Ty Pendlebury

Headshot of Kourtnee Jackson
Credentials

  • Though Kourtnee hasn’t won any journalism awards yet, she’s been a Netflix streaming subscriber since 2012 and knows the magic of its hidden codes.

Headshot of Ty Pendlebury

What to consider

Price

Now that most streaming platforms offer ad-based options, you can choose whether you want to pay to watch without commercials, or if tolerating ads is better for your budget. Monthly prices start around $6-$7 and go up to $23, but you can also consider rotating your services to pay less overall for streaming TV in a year.

Compare

Streamers continue to give us more choices in content, pricing and features, and you may find yourself regularly comparing all your subscriptions. Our comprehensive rundown of services like Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max, can help you figure out which platforms are right for you. We’ve reviewed each of these services and assigned numeric ratings based on catalogs, app design and features and overall value. Some of our analyses are based on our content preferences, so keep that in mind if you have different tastes. If you want to go beyond on-demand platforms, check out our lineup of the best live TV streaming services.

Best for originals

Netflix

Best for families, Marvel, Star Wars

Disney Plus

Jump to details

$10 at Max

Jump to details

Hulu logo on a phone against a purple background.

Best for network TV shows from ABC, FX

Hulu

Jump to details

See at Prime Video

Jump to details

espn plus logo on phone screen with blue background

Best streamer for hockey, UFC

ESPN Plus

Jump to details

$8 at Peacock

Jump to details

paramount plus logo on phone on neon pink background

Best for CBS content, Nickelodeon, Paramount and cable networks

Paramount Plus

Jump to details

Vividly clear image of the Apple TV Plus logo with ted lasso tile

Best service for ad-free premium content

Apple TV Plus

Best streaming services of 2025

Learn more

Netflix review

Learn more

HBO Max review

Learn more

Hulu review

Learn more

Peacock review

Netflix Peacock HBO Max Disney Plus Apple TV Plus Prime Video Hulu Paramount Plus Monthly price Starts at $10 $11 for basic, $17 for Premium Plus Starts at $10 Starts at $10 $10 $9 with ads (or included with $140/year Prime membership) Basic $10 with ads, ad-free for $19 $8 for basic with ads, $13 for ad-free w. Showtime Ads Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Top titles Stranger Things, Squid Game, Bridgerton, Wednesday The Office, Traitors, Bel-Air, early access to Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon The Last of Us, Euphoria, Peacemaker The Mandalorian, Bluey, Moana Ted Lasso, Severance The Boys, Reacher, The Wheel of Time Handmaid’s Tale, Shogun, The Bear Star Trek: Picard, South Park, 1883, Ru-Paul’s Drag Race Mobile downloads Yes Yes (on Premium Plus) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 4K HDR available Yes (on Premium plan) No Yes (limited titles) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Number of streams: 1 (2 for Standard, 4 on Premium) 3 2 for basic and standard, 4 on premium 4 6 2 2 3

Chances are you’re already pretty familiar with most of the names on this list, but it’s by no means comprehensive. There are plenty of other ways to stream and hundreds of other choices available. As we evaluated these particular streaming options, we kept certain things in mind. 

This list is ordered based on the numerical value I assigned to each streaming service in their individual review, which I determined by design (i.e. ease of use across different TV and mobile platforms), features (like 4K HDR, mobile downloads, recommendations, watch lists and number of streams), content (frequency and number of shows and quality of originals and back catalogs) and value (price compared to these other factors). We stream using a Roku stick, smart TV, Apple TV box, mobile phone, tablet and Fire TV stick.

Each platform offers the same standard features on the home screen, and we found that HBO Max, Disney Plus and Hulu excel with dedicated hubs and collections, while Netflix’s recommendation rows for current, older and upcoming picks combined and genre-based organization are superior. Subtle features are also a plus, like the ability to share titles via text from HBO Max and Netflix, or Netflix’s ‘Moments’ functionality that lets you save scenes from your favorite titles. We also measure ad time on ad-based plans and look for glitches during playback. See each service’s reviews for full details.

Ultimately, you can choose any streaming service you want based on price, content and who watches what in your household. If you’re looking to cut costs, opt for free platforms or ones that offer the most value for $10 or less. CNET offers tips on how to trim your streaming budget, and we keep up with the latest streaming service deals and discounts. You can always have multiple subscriptions and cancel a service whenever the content feels dry. 

You won’t find that here and the answer is not simple. Sports streaming has become perplexing due to sports broadcast rights, which affect the where, who and what in terms of airing live events. Your best bet is to consider which sports and teams are must-haves for you, and whether you need to watch local games or national match-ups. Our best streaming services for sports list can shed light on which platforms offer the most extensive range of options, the most budget-friendly streamer, and how to access each sporting event without cable.

This list includes major video-on-demand streaming services only. It does not include live TV streaming services for cord-cutters (think Sling TV and YouTube TV, which offer live channels intended to replace cable), free streaming services like Tubi or Pluto TV or smaller, niche services like Crunchyroll or PBS Kids or regional sports networks. You can check out our other best lists for streaming services that cater to anime, kids and more. 

almond

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.