10 Best Streaming Services For Your Home of 2023

With the rise in demand for streaming services and many channels and entertainment companies have shifted their content to a streaming format.

As a result, there's been a significant emergence and popularity of several different platforms.

When choosing between these platforms, you have to consider a variety of factors ranging from price to the kind of content made available.

In addition to being a good competitor of cable, a lot of original films and shows are now being produced and published by different streaming platforms.

If you’re stuck trying to find a gift for someone, why not consider giving the gift of streaming?

Or, if you’re looking to cut your cable subscription or catch up on your favorite shows this year, you’re going to need a streaming service that meets your needs.

And now there are more streaming services than ever to choose from

Luckily for you, we’ve done the research and compiled an extensive list of the best streaming services of the year.

We've included a variety of streaming services--some well-known and other lesser-known services that might be, nonetheless, the perfect fit for your entertainment preferences as well as for your wallet.

Hulu: Best Service for Live and On-Demand Content Combo

Another amazing choice for your streaming service is Hulu + live TV.

Hulu combines on-demand streaming with live TV and fits well with viewers who want to toggle between their local channels and favorite shows.

Streaming is supported on Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV, Game Consoles, select Smart TVs, and desktop and mobile devices.

Hulu’s on-demand library contains a catalog of seasons and episodes of shows from major networks.

Like Netflix, Hulu creates original content. However, unlike Netflix, it offers Live TV and sports.

But how much does Hulu and Hulu + live TV cost?

Their subscription comes with a 7-days free trial, and Hulu costs $6.99 per month with ads and $12.99 without ads.

A new plan bundles Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, and ESPN+ for $69.99 (with ads) and $75.99 (without ads).

Hulu allows for up to 50 hours of Digital Video Recording (DVR) that can be extended to 200 hours for an additional $9.99 per month.

Premium channel add-ons like STARZ and HBO Max are available for an additional fee.

Sling TV: Best Streaming Alternative to Traditional Cable

Sling TV is an excellent streaming service that is both cost-effective and reliable.

Its offerings are not too different from that of traditional cable television but at a much lower cost.

Its channels are split between distinct programming packages, Sling Orange and Sling Blue, which both cost $35 each.

If you’re looking to get the most value out of Sling TV, consider bundling Sling Orange and Sling Blue for only $50 a month.

The Sling Orange allows one simultaneous stream while its Blue counterpart allows up to three concurrent streams.

The combination allows for four simultaneous streams.

Sling TV comes with a great amount of content that makes for great family watching, offering an add-on to access a variety of Disney content.

Depending on where you live, local stations may not be available in your area.

Sling’s cloud hours for DVR boasts up to 50 hours that can be extended to 200 hours for $4.99 per month.

It has a free ad-supported version that features a mix of live and on-demand content that allows you to fully sample and experience Sling's array of channels and on-demand features.

Access their DVR through a paid upgrade and skip through all the ads.

ESPN+: Best Streaming Service for Sports

ESPN is probably the most well-known sports network in the United States. From the era of traditional cable, no network offered more sports coverage than ESPN.

So, as a sports fanatic it should be a no-brainer to go with ESPN+, which offers so much more than just your traditional NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL coverage.

Not only do ESPN+ offers not just college sports, but international sports and competitions such as UFC, soccer, tennis, golf, etc.

Only ESPN+ subscribers get to access live sports coverage as well as their acclaimed series, documentaries, and exclusive content not available on the free ESPN app or on network television.

Stream on up to 3 devices at once for just $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year. It's not a lot to pay for full access to premium sports content.

DIRECTV Stream: Best Streaming Service For Unlimited DVR Cloud Storage

If you're nervous about making the transition from cable television, then DIRECTV Stream will make that extremely easy for you.

Much of DIRECTV Stream's approach looks, sounds, and feels a lot like traditional cable but with a lot more perks. First off, navigating through DIRECTV's streaming service is going to look the same so making the switch will feel seamless.

Secondly, much of the channel line-up is going to be close to cable package line-ups, which is going to also include live news and sports.

DIRECTV offers four different streaming packages with an increasing number of channels along with price.

Their line-up includes all the major network channels along with popular cable networks like ESPN, CNN, AMC, TNT, etc. You can also purchase extra channels a la carte.

All their packages include unlimited DVR storage which means you can view any shows and movies on-demand and skip all the commercials.

Your shows and movies in your DVR will also be automatically stored for 9 months. Subscribers also can stream at home on an unlimited number of devices.

Pricing is also comparable to cable prices, starting at $69.99 a month. Their most expensive package is the Premier package at $149 a month and includes 150 channels, which include the premium channels like HBO Max, STARZ, and Showtime to name a few.

Prime Video: Best Value for a Streaming Service

Amazon’s Prime Video provides subscribers with an excellent option for keeping up with tons of movies and on-demand TV shows.

It also continues to grow its list of original series and films to rival other platforms out there.

The entire Amazon library spans 20,000 movies and shows, most available for free streaming with a Prime membership.

Prime even offers live streaming of select NBA and NFL games.

Still not convinced? You can enjoy a free 30-day membership trial to try it out before making your final decision.

Prime Video offers 4K Ultra HD quality streaming and allows three concurrent streams, starting at $8.99.

It also has an excellent add-on package that allows you to combine it with YouTube and HBO Max.

Streaming is available on various media devices, including desktops, game consoles, smart televisions, and even mobile.

Apple TV+: Best for Selective High Quality Original Content

Apple TV+ is one of the newer entries to this list alongside Peacock.

While largely focused on original content at first, low customer retention led to Apple adding additional shows and movies over time to remain competitive.

The decision to stick with mostly original content means the platform has a more limited variety of shows and films to choose from.

However, you do get to enjoy Apple’s Ted Lasso, For All Mankind, and a host of other original series, films, and documentaries.

Apple device users can get up to 1-year of free streaming service, offered in 4K streaming resolution with up to 6 simultaneous streams, all for $4.99 a month.

Philo: Best Cheap Streaming Service For Your Favorite TV Channels

Philo is another great streaming choice that we highly recommend.

With a base price of $25, Philo offers up to 65 channels and unlimited DVR on the cloud.

It is an excellent choice for streamers who aren’t bothered by a lack of sports channels or

access to local channels and not have to bother with commercials.

However, this does not stand in the way of their selection of amazing entertaining content.

If you are a T-Mobile wireless user, you can get a discount to use Philo at just $10 per month.

Philo is available on most on-demand streaming devices and supports three concurrent streams at once.

Peacock: Best Free Streaming Service

NBC Universal’s Peacock has established itself in the streaming competition in the summer of 2020.

It launched a free ad-supported tier, giving it an edge among competitors.

There are two paid tiers, Peacock Premium with ads for $4.99 and Peacock Premium Plus for $9.99 without ads.

The Premium tiers off about 15,000 hours of amazing content from NBC, USA Network, Syfy, Bravo, MSNBC, and other NBCUniversal cable networks.

On the other hand, the free tier is currently limited to only 7,500 hours of content.

Streaming is available on most devices like Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku, and some Smart TVs.

If you are interested in original content, including WWE and other sports events, then Peacock is an amazing option for you.

Disney+: Best Streaming Service for Kids

Disney launched its hotly-anticipated streaming service a few years back.

The package came with a host of originals and legacy content from Disney, Star Wars, and all of Marvel’s amazing catalog.

Disney’s content also comes surprisingly at a lower price than counterparts like Netflix and Prime.

It comes at a base price of $7.99 a month, or $79.99 a year, making it one of the cheaper on-demand services, especially considering the sheer amount of content it provides.

Disney allows for up to 4 simultaneous streams at once, supports 4K streaming, and offers an offline download option for mobile devices.

Thanks to its kid-friendly offerings, the platform makes an excellent family option, especially considering the sheer scale of that type of content available.

Disney+ offers international shows in a variety of languages, is an amazing option for streaming sports, and is supported on almost all streaming platforms.

Netflix: Best Overall Streaming Service

The streaming giant continues to provide a plethora of amazing content for viewers.

Netflix boasts a host of original shows; however, it notably lacks live TV coverage and sports shows.

Notwithstanding, it is an excellent choice for families and kids; it continues to be relentless in showering viewers with entertaining and engaging content.

It offers a worldwide service that can be accessed with relative ease on Smart TVs, iOS, Android, and Windows 10.

Netflix charges $8.99 per month for its cheapest subscription, which offers basic access to Netflix’s full library.

However, content can only be streamed in SD and allows only viewing on a single screen.

The Netflix standard plan goes for $15.49 with access to HD streaming and allows sharing on two devices at once.

The highest plan goes for $19.99, which offers Ultra HD (4K) streaming, can run four streams concurrently, and allows title downloads on up to four devices.

How We Decided and Ranked the Best TV Streaming Services

Choosing the best from a plethora of streaming services can be a daunting task.

We have considered several factors to craft our list, ranging from looking at customer ratings to the quality of service offered.

All of these factors played a huge role in deciding on which streaming services to showcase.

Customer Ratings

When it comes to services, the best way to determine the overall quality given is to pay attention to customers’ reviews and ratings.

We have reviewed a significant number of customers’ comments about these streaming services, pulling reviews from sites like CNET, Reviews.com, and allconnects.com.

Experts’ selection also came in handy in determining the best choices for streaming services, and the outlets we looked at included PCmag, CableTV.com, and Clark.com.

Pricing

This played a huge factor in selecting our best streaming service, with the cheapest coming in at $4.99 monthly and the most expensive at $64.99.

The price often factors in the amount of content available, the number of simultaneous streams, and DVR capability.

Overall, our choices factored in a balance to get amazing content at a balanced price that fit into a variety of budgets.

Quality

We know how important resolution is when it comes to streaming content.

Therefore, all the entries on this list support full HD video, with many offering Ultra HD options and most offering 4K streaming for a premium.

They are accessible on most streaming media devices, which makes watching your favorite content anywhere and however you want, easier than ever.

Additional Features

We have also included unique features that make each one of our selections a great fit as your streaming service of choice.

Unique features include DVR capability, offline downloading, and allowing for multiple streams across devices.

Each of the features adds to the great functionality that they offer and was an additional criterion in making our list.

Streaming Versus Cable: Which is Better?

With so many options to choose from, it may seem a bit overwhelming to find the streaming service that best suits your needs.

You may also feel a bit hesitant to part ways with your cable service.

There are a few things to consider, seeing as both have their advantages as well as disadvantages.

Contracts

More often than not, a cable service provider will offer promotional deals to you as a first-time user.

Cable services provide bundles that are set under yearly contracts, which make it near impossible to make a change at any point without having your wallet take a huge hit.

With streaming services you are not bound to a contract, as you are charged on a monthly basis.

This alone allows you to explore your options to see which streaming service best fits your interests at no extra cost should you cancel.

Convenience

Streaming services allow you to watch most of your favorite shows and movies in an instant.

You can pause, fast forward, and rewind as much as you need and please.

Cable services have evolved throughout the years and have also made this a plausible feature. It would just require a set-top box from your provider.

Streaming services also allow you to watch across multiple devices in the same household.

However, if there is a poor or weak internet connection in your household/area, it is a safe bet to stick with cable services.

Streaming services are solely dependent on the internet connection, so if you have poor quality to begin with, you will be stuck buffering and or suffer from delays.

Cable services would be reliable in this case since they would not suffer from such issues.

Channels/Content

Both cable and streaming services provide variety when it comes to content. What one lacks, the other may have.

With streaming services, you can mix and match a few apps to fully meet all your areas of interest.

With cable services, you may add on more channels to meet your needs as well.

If you’re a sports fanatic, generally speaking, cable services may be your go-to since it often covers all sports as opposed to some streaming services where they lack a major sport.

There are some shows, however, that are only associated with a specific streaming app that you still would not be able to get despite multiple channel addition options with cable.

Both have their perks, it’s just a matter of what service meets your specific needs in terms of content.

The ever-growing streaming war has made it so that customers now have a tough decision to make between platforms and the content offered.

With tons of original shows and an ever-increasing catalog of content, streaming services are more competitive than ever and constantly raking in new subscribers.

Many streaming services continue to roll out new features looking to beat competitors, so things on this list can change over time.

You might choose to cancel your cable TV for a few different streaming services but just remember that the cost can actually add up to cable prices.

Each streaming service has something different to offer so it's time to check out each once right now.

Many streaming services offer a free trial so you can see how you like it at no peril or cost.