Netflix vs Hulu: Which TV streaming service is best?

Here’s how the two platforms compare when it comes to price, content and features

Wednesday 01 June 2022 12:07 BST

The streaming service is priced from $7.99 a month (iStock/The Independent)

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Picking between streaming services can be tricky. It’s often tempting to pay for the biggest and most well-known option, which for most people will be Netflix. But there are plenty of alternatives out there, from Amazon Prime Video to newcomers like Apple TV+ and Disney+ that are well worth your money too.

Here, we’re comparing Netflix with another one of the more established players in the streaming game, Hulu.

Launched way back in 2007, Hulu is only available in the US, but has picked up over 45-million subscribers who enjoy access to more than 2,000 movies and 40,000 episodes of hit TV shows.

There are quite a few differences between the two though, especially when it comes to price, features, restrictions and of course, the all-important content catalogues.

Taking a look at how Hulu and Netflix compare, here’s our expert guide to help you decide which is best for you.

Hulu vs Netflix: How much do they cost?

Netflix is the cheaper of the two, with its prices as of October 2022 starting at $6.99 a month, compared to $7.99 for Hulu.

Deciphering which is best value for money depends on where you plan to watch TV. Netflix is cheaper, but the new $6.99 tier includes adverts and is capped at HD resolution, also known as 720p, so won’t look as crystal clear on big-screen TVs. By comparison, Hulu’s $7.99 tier, which also includes adverts, streams in Ultra HD (also known as 4K).

Hulu’s second tier costs $14.99 a month and removes adverts from most content, apart from select shows that display ads before and after the video.

The next tier of Netflix subscription costs $9.99 a month and streams without adverts. This tier also allows users to download content onto one device at a time. The cheaper, $6.99 tier does not allow downloading. Above this sits the $15.49 a month – which increases quality to 1080p Full HD with HDR support – or for $19.99 a month subscribers gain access to Netflix premium, which has 4K video and Dolby Atmos surround sound, provided your chosen movie or TV show (and hardware) supports it.

Hulu stands apart from Netflix (and its streaming rivals) by also offering a live TV service, which costs $69.99 a month and provides access to 75 live television channels, effectively replacing a subscriber’s existing cable or satellite TV service. An ad-free version of this tier costs $75.99 a month.

Hulu also allows subscribers to add sports service ESPN+ for $9.99 a month, and Disney+ for $2.99 a month.

Hulu vs Netflix: How many devices can watch simultaneously?

The basic, $7.99 Hulu package lets two devices watch content on the same account simultaneously. This means you can be watching one Hulu show on a TV while someone else watches a movie through the same account on their iPad. This is also the same for the pricier ad-free service.

Netflix however, allows only one stream available for its $6.99 and $9.99 tiers. Upgrade to the $15.49 standard tier and two people can watch content on the same account at the same time, while paying $19.99 for the premium tier increases this to four simultaneous streams.

Hulu vs Netflix: Can content be downloaded?

Subscribers to all but the ad-supported tier of Netflix can download content to their mobile devices, however, downloads are not currently possible on Mac computers.

Hulu subscribers can also download movies and TV shows to watch offline (like when on a plane with no Wi-Fi), but this is restricted to the ad-free, $14.99 a month version of Hulu.

Hulu vs Netflix: What are the biggest shows?

Netflix invests extraordinary sums of money into original content, which has helped it become the most-used of any video streaming platform.

Big-budget originals offered by Netflix include Stranger Things, The Crown, Don’t Look Up, Emily in Paris, Bridgerton, Black Mirror and Our Great National Parks with Barack Obama, among many, many others.

As for Hulu, original highlights include Pam & Tommy, Life & Beth, The Dropout, Woke, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Girl from Plainville.

In both cases, content is also bought in from other platforms. And, as Hulu is part-owned by Disney, some of its originals (like Pam & Tommy) also appear on Disney+.

Hulu vs Netflix: Can they be viewed in other countries?

Netflix subscribers will be familiar with how the content catalogue differs slightly when you travel to a different country, due to regional licensing agreements.

Hulu, on the other hand, is only available in the US, as well as US territories and at US military bases. However, it may be possible to access Hulu from another country by using a VPN.

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