7 Cheaper Netflix Alternatives You Should Try

Netflix is the most popular streaming service in the world, with over 230 million subscribers. It's also one of the more expensive options, with a standard plan costing $15.49 per month. Unlike many other providers, it also doesn't offer yearly plans at a discount. If you're willing to watch Netflix with ads, you can get it for $6.49 per month.

Or, you can try another streaming service. Netflix isn't the only game in town, and there are plenty of cheaper alternatives that have content worth checking out.

1. AppleTV+

Price:

• $6.99 per month
• $69.99 per year

AppleTV+ is more affordable than most major streaming services. It also has a much smaller content library, but it's been working on expanding that, and it has produced several popular shows. Ted Lasso is its biggest hit, and other notable titles include Severance, For All Mankind, and Pachinko.

2. Peacock

Price:

• Premium: $4.99 per month, $49.99 per year
• Premium Plus: $9.99 per month, $99.99 per year

Peacock used to be one of the top free streaming services, until it got rid of its free tier this year. It still won't make too much of a dent in your personal finances. Peacock has a large and diverse lineup of content, with popular shows like Poker Face and Yellowstone, and beloved films like Cocaine Bear (beloved by me, at least).

3. Prime Video

Price:

• $8.99 per month (Prime Video only)
• $14.99 per month (Prime membership)
• $139 per year (Prime membership)

Prime Video is included with a Prime membership, so lots of people will already have access to it through that. You can subscribe to Prime Video as a standalone streaming service for a lower price, but a full Prime membership is normally the better choice for all the benefits it offers. Content can be hit or miss, but Prime Video has a fairly substantial library. It has also basically conquered the Dad TV market, with shows like Reacher, Jack Ryan, and The Terminal List.

4. Paramount+

Price:

• Essential: $4.99 per month, $49.99 per year
• Premium: $9.99 per month, $99.99 per year

Paramount+ offers an Essential plan with limited ads and a Premium plan with no ads. It's also in the process of a rebrand after merging with Showtime. Later this year, it's going to rebrand to Paramount+ with Showtime, at which point the price will increase to $5.99 per month for the Essential plan and $11.99 per month for the premium plan. You'll already find some Showtime originals on Paramount+, including Yellowjackets, and it has popular series of its own, including The Offer and Star Trek: Picard.

5. Tubi

Price:

• Free

It doesn't get any cheaper than free. Tubi is ad-supported and claims it has the largest library of any free streaming service, offering over 50,000 titles and more than 200 live TV channels. That includes a mix of recent and older content. Some of the more notable titles currently available on Tubi are Goodfellas, 300, and The Help.

6. Shudder

Price:

• $5.99 per month
• $56.99 per year

Shudder is arguably the best choice for horror fans. While most streaming services offer all types of movies and shows, Shudder is unique in that it focuses on horrors and thrillers. You'll find a very diverse selection of horror movies on Shudder, including highly rated foreign films, such as Possession, Martyrs, and The Babadook.

7. STARZ

Price:

• $8.99 per month
• $74.99 per year

STARZ is another affordable streaming service, and it frequently has special offers available that allow you to try it out for a much lower price. It's not exactly full of hit shows, but it does have a good movie selection, which includes Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Alien, and Children of Men.

If you haven't been finding much to watch on Netflix lately, or you want to save some money on your monthly credit card bill, give one of the options above a try. You can browse their libraries before you commit, and many of them also offer free trials, as well.