Disney Plus vs Netflix: Which streaming service is better?
Disney Plus takes on Netflix in the ultimate battle of the streaming services, but which one is better?
Disney Plus has quickly amassed over 50 million worldwide subscribers since its launch in the US and UK. But is that enough to compete with arguably the most popular streaming service in the world, Netflix, which has more than 180 million subscribers worldwide?
Here, we’ll break down the pros and cons of each service to make choosing one easier for you. You may value one service or the other, or even find that both services have certain things that you like.
First, let’s start with the basics. Disney Plus has one price point (£6/mth or £60/yr), unlike Netflix, which is broken down into subscription tiers. A single Disney Plus subscription can be used on four devices simultaneously and you can download all Disney Plus content to view offline.
Disney Plus content is mainly in HD, but there’s a lot of 4K content, including almost all the Star Wars and Marvel films. While you can download most Netflix content to watch offline, 4K streaming is only limited to its Ultra Plan, which costs a hefty £12/mth.
With all of this in mind, here’s everything we know about Disney’s new streaming service and how it compares to Netflix, the current streaming giant.
READ NEXT: Best UK streaming service
Disney Plus vs Netflix: TV shows
Quite possibly the biggest announcement to come from Disney Plus on the TV-show side of things is that all 30 seasons of The Simpsons are available to stream from day one.
Netflix has a number of homegrown hits it can count on, but Disney Plus has started well with Star Wars series The Mandalorian opening to rave reviews, and it has already announced a series of Marvel franchise spinoffs that will make its way onto the platform later this year, and next year.
There will also be around 7,000 episodes of Disney TV available to stream, some of which will be Disney originals exclusive to Disney Plus. This follows in the footsteps of other streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, which already create their own original content.
Netflix already has a huge range of high-quality TV shows, both bought and made in-house. This includes the likes of Stranger Things, Sex Education, Black Mirror, Money Heist, Narcos and more. It’s here that Netflix has the upper hand, as the diversity in its content is hard to match, especially when Disney Plus will, for now, mainly only offer Disney-owned shows.
Winner: Netflix comes out on top for originality and diversity.
Disney Plus vs Netflix: Films
No surprises here, but you’ll be glad to hear that most Disney, Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel films are available to stream on Disney Plus. In fact, you can now watch almost every single Disney film in existence.
That’s between 400 and 500 films, including most of the cartoon classics such as Bambi, The Little Mermaid and The Jungle Book. Apart from this, there are 18 Pixar films that are now available to stream, including all the Toy Story films, and other animated favourites, such as Lion King, Aladdin and Frozen 1 and 2.
So, how does Netflix compare to Disney Plus in the film department? Netflix’s catalogue is huge, there’s no denying that, but bigger isn’t always better. Netflix offers viewers a few big blockbuster films and plenty of indie ones, but it will probably struggle to compete with some of the worlds’ most-loved Disney and Pixar classics.
Worse still for Netflix, Disney Plus has spent big bucks to secure Captain Marvel, meaning it will be the first Marvel film to skip streaming on Netflix.
Winner: Disney Plus wins hands-down here. The nostalgia of Disney classics and lure of those action-packed Marvel adventures will be hard to compete with. The addition of Pixar and Star Wars films is a further plus for Disney (see what we did there?).
Caveat: While Netflix can’t compete with the above Disney Plus content, it holds a huge upper hand when it comes to regional content. Disney Plus content is all strictly-US-only for now, whereas Netflix has films from almost all major countries, many of which are updated regularly.
Disney Plus vs Netflix: Price
Disney Plus costs £6/mth or £60 for an annual subscription in the UK. Netflix, meanwhile, follows a tier-based subscription model. Its basic monthly subscription costs £5.99, which allows users to stream on one device at a time but only in standard definition.
Its most common subscription, which costs £8.99, allows users to stream on two devices at a time, but only in high definition. You need to spend £11.99 to upgrade to 4K content and stream on four devices at the same time.
In comparison, Disney Plus is allowing subscribers to register their account on up to ten devices, and stream content on any four devices simultaneously. Content is mostly all in HD and there’s a wealth of 4K content, too, including 91 movies from Marvel, Pixar, Disney and Lucasfilm (Star Wars).
Netflix’s mid-tier HD plan for two devices will set you back more than £100 a year, whereas Disney Plus’ offering lets you watch content on four devices for just £60/year, which seems like a bargain in comparison.
Winner: No contest. Disney Plus wins hands down. You’re saving at least £40 a year, if not more, for a better viewing experience on more devices. A slight drawback with Disney Plus is that it has cancelled its weeklong free trial, whereas Netflix comes with a 30-day free trial for all customer.