Unsure Which Streaming Service You Should Cancel? Here's How to Choose

I upgraded to Hulu Live TV and now I probably watch that platform the most. The Live TV package also means catching reruns of The Office or Parks and Recreation, despite the shows moving to Peacock.

Even before upgrading, I was happy with how episodes of current shows were uploaded to Hulu quickly, giving folks the opportunity to stay caught up even after cutting the cord. Though NBC content is set to depart from Hulu, you can get the Disney Bundle and have access to Disney Plus and ESPN Plus. 

Read more: Best live TV streaming services for cord-cutters in 2022

If you've subscribed to either the basic ($7 per month) or Premium ($13 per month) Hulu plan, you can watch it the next day. There's also the option of Hulu with Live TV for $70 per month, which acts as more of a cable replacement and lets you watch your shows in real time.

A downside to Hulu is that every season of a given show might not be available, so if you're looking to do some serious catching up, you might have to look elsewhere for past episodes. Hulu does have all the seasons of some shows, like Bob's Burgers and Family Guy. 

Other programs, like the BBC's Killing Eve, come out with an entire season at once. This is perfect for bingeing, but if you blow through them all, you're stuck in a "show hole" until the next season comes out. Hulu Originals such as Pen15, Dopesick and The Handmaid's Tale sometimes release either weekly episodes or an entire season at once. 

While Hulu's catalog is extensive, it doesn't include everything. It can be frustrating to search for a movie or show, only to realize that you have to buy an add-on to watch it. Hulu subscribers can tack on HBO, Cinemax, Showtime or Starz for an extra fee.

Netflix is a veteran streaming service and essentially introduced us to the modern binge-watch, as it houses iconic shows old and new including Supernatural, Glee, Gilmore Girls and Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's easy to put on an old favorite and let it play, whether you're actively watching or not. 

Netflix has also become known for its Originals -- movies, shows and multiple documentaries, many of which have received both popular and critical acclaim. Think about the hype surrounding Squid Game, Bridgerton and Ozark. Netflix has even shown up during Oscar season with Mank and My Octopus Teacher. 

New seasons typically come out all at once, and after you blow through them in one afternoon, you have to wait months or even years for the next one. Recently, the streamer's been splitting new seasons in half, debuting eight to 10 episodes months apart as separate voIumes. But I would keep Netflix for the binge-watching and for its fascinating investigative docuseries, which include The Keepers and The Tinder Swindler. While you're waiting for your favorite show to come back, Netflix mixes up its content every month, releasing new titles every week. 

You can choose between basic ($10 a month), standard ($15.50) and premium ($20) plans.

If you're subscribed to multiple streaming services, they can all link to your Apple TV (or Roku or other streaming device) so you've got a command central of sorts. Apple leveled up its Apple TV box and app with Apple TV Plus a few years ago. The addition of exclusive, star-studded shows such as The Morning Show, See, and Ted Lasso is a significant draw for the service -- especially if you're already an Apple user. Additionally, the platform is the home of the Oscar-winning film, CODA.

However, unlike Netflix or Hulu, Apple TV Plus doesn't have a library of licensed shows or movies. It also doesn't always release full seasons of its shows at once. Currently, it has more than two dozen films and 60 shows. However, subscribing only costs $5 per month, or $50 annually. 

Apple offers a seven-day free trial of Apple TV. Or, if you've recently purchased a new iPhone or other iOS device, you get three months of Apple TV Plus for free (it was previously a year). 

If you subscribe to Amazon Prime for savings on the e-commerce site -- $15 a month, half price for students) you also get access to Prime Video -- Amazon's streaming service. The service has new movies to rent or buy, and you can watch a number of movies and shows for free, so long as they have the little Prime tag on the corner of the icon. You can also subscribe to Prime Video without the e-commerce savings for $9 a month. 

If you're a movie fan, Prime Video might be the right choice for you: Amazon's platform has three times as many movies as Netflix does, one study found. Not all of them are major blockbusters, but it is an extensive catalog. 

As with Hulu, you can buy add-on channels for Prime Video such as HBO and Starz. You can also find programs by searching a channel like BET or Boomerang. Sometimes, even if a show requires an add-on, you can usually watch a season or two for free on Prime. I like Prime Video because it typically has films that are more off the beaten path in addition to mainstream new releases. Plus, there are quality original shows, including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Man in the High Castle, as well as original movies like Sound of Metal.

If you have young ones or you're young at heart, the Disney Plus streaming service is packed with content for you. In addition to original shows such as The Mandalorian, Loki, WandaVision, and Moon Knight, Disney Plus is also home to Marvel movies and the Star Wars universe. 

Disney Plus found a strong foothold during 2020's lockdowns for old favorites and new originals but for big-screen releases, too. At first, it started streaming already-released movies months earlier than planned, including Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Frozen 2 and Pixar's Onward. 

Newer releases like Encanto and Turning Red keep Disney a family-friendly go-to. There's also the nostalgia factor: My watchlist is almost entirely Disney Channel Original Movies from the late '90s and early 2000s. There's classic Disney content, too, from original Mickey Mouse cartoons to vaunted films like Aladdin, The Jungle Book and Cinderella. 

After the seven-day free trial, Disney Plus costs $8 a month. There's also an option to bundle Disney Plus with Hulu and ESPN.

Peacock, the streaming service from NBCUniversal, is a bit different from the others on this list. While, like many of the streaming services, it has a tiled interface and a big-name network behind it, it also includes live news and sports, new original series and a large back catalog of TV shows and movies. Many of the titles are available to watch for free, making it somewhat similar to a free streaming service like Tubi or Roku Channels. 

Peacock's free tier offers tons of ad-supported content, with the option to upgrade to ad-supported Premium ($5 a month) or ad-free Premium Plus ($10 a month) if you want to expand the library even more. You'll find shows, movies, news, live sports and skit-style clips, with standouts including The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, some Premier League soccer matches, and more. You'll also get episodes of current NBC shows like La Brea the week after they air on the free tier, or the day after on the premium tier. 

For shows like The Office or Parks and Recreation, you'll only get access to a few episodes. You'll need to upgrade to premium to get full access. 

Since launch, Peacock has added the few features it was lacking, like Roku and Amazon Fire TV support, profiles for different users and some mobile downloads. But it still doesn't offer mobile downloads for its cheaper tiers or 4K HDR streaming -- both of which are available on the paid competition like Netflix and Disney Plus.

Peacock probably won't replace Netflix or Hulu, at least in the short term. But it's a good free option for finding some older movies and shows you might have missed (or want to watch again), and keeping up with current NBC shows, as long as you don't mind watching a few ads.

HBO Max, HBO's entry into the streaming wars, is a slick app chock-full of popular TV shows and movies. It's got HBO's entire catalog, along with favorites such as Friends, Rick and Morty, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies -- making it a solid streaming collection for adults and kids. 

HBO Max also has a few breakout original series such as The White Lotus, but is building a base of exclusive content with Max Originals -- like Zack Snyder's Justice League director's cut, And Just Like That... and The Flight Attendant. Original shows release new episodes weekly.

The Friends Reunion special also aired on HBO Max. Due to the pandemic, HBO Max streamed new, theatrically released movies at no extra charge the same day each film hits US theaters, including King Richard, The Matrix Resurrections, and Dune. 

While HBO Max lacked a breakout original series at launch, it does have a great selection of movies, some new and many older. The service has the full Matrix and Lord of the Rings trilogies (though only two of The Hobbit movies), DC movies like Joker and The Batman, classic films like The Wizard of Oz and Casablanca, and newer hits like Crazy Rich Asians. Not to mention there are 21 Studio Ghibli anime films that have never been released for streaming in the US before. 

The downside? HBO Max's price is at the high end of the spectrum, at $15 a month. Fortunately the service offers a cheaper tier -- HBO Max with Ads for $10 a month (but you'll need to pay the full $15 to get access to those new movies the same day as theaters).