Disney streaming’s price hikes too much? Try these cheaper alternatives
Disney streaming’s price hikes too much? Try these cheaper alternatives
If you want to cancel your Disney streaming subscription after a new announcememnt
Nearly a year to the day after raising prices in 2024, most Disney-owned streaming products will once again jump in cost. Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select (formerly ESPN+) will all be increasing in price starting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and most Disney Bundle customers will also be affected — as will Hulu + Live TV subscribers.
If what seems to be a never-ending pattern of price increases at Disney streamers has you ready to mutiny, read on. We’ve assembled a list of alternative streaming services for you to consider if you’re ready to leave Disney+ behind.
Which streaming services are good replacements for Disney streamers?
Best replacement for Disney+: Peacock
If Disney is still the most trusted and beloved brand in kids’ entertainment, DreamWorks has to be a top contender for runner-up. DreamWorks titles find their way home to Peacock, the NBCUniversal streaming service that’s also packed with originals, next-day streams of reality titles from Bravo, and primetime programming from NBC, and a lot more.
Disney+ customers won’t find the same heft on Peacock when it comes to major franchises like Star Wars or Marvel, but they will see follow-ups to old favorites like “The Paper,” the new series set in the same universe as “The Office” — and don’t forget the rip-roaring fun of the “Jurassic Park” franchise, which usually calls Peacock home.
And families with kids will love the ability to watch “Shrek” titles or the “Despicable Me” franchise with their Peacock subscription. Plus, two Peacock plans come with live sports like the NFL’s “Sunday Night Football,” live NBA games starting this fall, college football, college basketball, golf, cycling, international soccer, and more.
Peacock has three tiers: Peacock Select, which only comes with a selection of the Peacock on-demand library with ads and has no live sports for $8 per month or $80 per year; Peacock Premium, which still comes with ads but includes the full Peacock catalog and all live sports for $11 per month or $110 per year; or the Peacock Premium Plus plan, which cuts out ads during playback for $17 per month or $170 per year. It’s only $1 to $2 cheaper than Disney+ with Premium plans, but it’s a great alternative with selections for the whole family to enjoy, nonetheless.
Other alternatives for Disney+
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.
Best replacement for Hulu: Paramount+
Hulu is a general entertainment streaming service, which offers next-day streams of primetime programming from top broadcast channels — in this case, ABC and Fox. Paramount+ is a great fit for fans of that kind of service, as it also offers a wide range of general entertainment TV shows and movies, and its library also includes next-day streams of primetime programming of CBS.
Paramount+ has a great selection of content that Hulu fans will love. The streamer carries a mountain of true crime titles, and fans of the Hulu comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” will be able to stream titles like “Ghost” with a Paramount+ subscription.
Taylor Sheridan’s growing list of hits like “1923,” “Tulsa King,” and more call Paramount+ home, and the service even has sports content available like live NFL games on Sunday afternoons, college football, college basketball, golf, international soccer, and UFC — something you won’t get on Hulu without additional purchases.
There are two subscription tiers available with Paramount+: the ad-supported Essential plan costs $8 per month, and the ad-free Premium plan — which includes a live stream of your CBS station as well as the Showtime library — costs $13 per month. That’s $4 to $6 cheaper per month than corresponding Hulu plans, and you can save even more by going with annual subscriptions, which cost $60 or $120 per year, respectively.
Other options to replace Hulu
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and more. Get free access with a Walmart+ subscription.
Paramount+ includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.
Best replacement for ESPN Select: Sling TV
ESPN Select is the new name for ESPN+, and while it does have a huge selection of live sports to offer at the new price of $13 per month, most of the best games are reserved for ESPN’s broadcast channels, which is why Sling TV and its new Passes options are great alternatives. Sling’s Passes allow customers to watch the streamer’s Sling Orange package for a day, a weekend, or a week at a time, without having to commit to larger subscriptions. Sling Orange has ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3, so the best sports events on TV at any given time are available without the need to pay for a month-to-month ESPN Select subscription.
Sling Passes allow viewers to watch for $5 per day, $10 per weekend, or $15 per week, so any game or series of games in rapid succession you want to watch on ESPN channels are at your fingertips. When they’re over, your subscription will end, and you’re not on the hook for a single dollar more. No need to feel like you’re wasting a subscription you don’t watch every day!
Other options to replace ESPN Select
Sling TV
Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.
Best replacement for the Disney Bundle: StreamSaver
This recommendation is a bit trickier, since there aren’t as many bundle options out there that compare to the Disney Bundle on a one-to-one basis. But if you’re one of the millions of Comcast TV and internet customers around the United States, you have access to a bundle that could be a great replacement for the combination of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select: the StreamSaver bundle from Xfinity.
This bundle is a combination of Apple TV+ (no ads), Netflix (with ads), and Peacock Premium (with ads), and costs $15 per month. That’s $5 cheaper than the least expensive Disney Bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select in it, and comes with a selection of varied, exciting, premium content that will almost certainly prevent any Disney Bundle defectors from missing their old streamers.
You can also upgrade to ad-free Netflix for an extra charge with StreamSaver, though you cannot choose to pay more for Peacock without ads with the bundle as of now. Still, if you’re an Xfinity customer, this is a fantastic choice to replace the Disney Bundle and save money at the same time.
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Apple TV
Apple TV (formerly known as Apple TV+) is a subscription video streaming service for $14.99 per month, offering a growing slate of original series, films, documentaries, and specials. Unlike other platforms that combine licensed titles with originals, Apple TV is built entirely around exclusive programming, making it the home of critically acclaimed hits such as “Ted Lasso,” “Severance,” “The Morning Show,” and “Silo.” Its lineup continues to expand with award-winning dramas, comedies, family-friendly shows, and blockbuster original films like “CODA,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
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Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”
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Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.
Best replacement for Hulu + Live TV: DIRECTV
Lastly, we turn to Hulu + Live TV, which comes with around 90 channels, and also has the Disney Bundle added into its monthly price of what will soon be $90. If it’s time to move on from that, DIRECTV is absolutely the way to go. The most effective replacement for Hulu + Live TV is the DIRECTV ENTERTAINMENT package, one of its Signature channel plans.
The ENTERTAINMENT package costs $85 per month, and comes with most of the same channels that Hulu + Live TV includes: live broadcast channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC are part of the plan, as well as major sports networks like ESPN and FS1, news channels such as CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, and a wide range of entertainment networks that fans of cable programming will know and love.
You’ll miss the Disney Bundle, you say? Well, no need to fear: DIRECTV’s ENTERTAINMENT package comes with ad-supported Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited access at no extra charge, so you won’t miss any of that programming by switching to DIRECTV.
You can also choose to pay more for expanded channel access on the CHOICE, PREMIER, or ULTIMATE plans with DIRECTV, or you can opt to save even more money by browsing its Genre Packs, which start at $20 per month.
Other alternatives to Hulu + Live TV
DIRECTV
DIRECTV is one of The Streamable’s top choices for the best live TV streaming service overall in 2026, especially for users who want the most channels or want to watch the most live sports. With an unbeatable lineup of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels, three main signature packages, an unlimited DVR, and 20 simultaneous streams at home, DIRECTV remains a premier choice for any cord-cutter.