Crunchyroll Review
Crunchyroll is a subscription video streaming service catering to fans of anime with over 30,000 episodes. Viewers can see new episodes of shows one hour after they air in Japan, and read hundreds of chapters across dozens of manga titles. Some of their more popular titles are Dragon Ball Super, Attack on Titan, and Fire Force.
Crunchyroll offers three plans. The “Fan” ($7.99) plan allows streaming on 1 device, but no offline viewing. Their “Mega Fan” ($9.99) plan allows viewing on 4 devices along with offline viewing. And the “Ultimate Fan” ($14.99) plan offers viewing on 6 devices, offline viewing, and an annual swag bag, among other perks.
For maximum flexibility, The Streamable recommends adding Crunchyroll as a Prime Video channel.
Review
We tested Crunchyroll and other subscription streaming services for more than 100 hours. Crunchyroll is compatible with Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku, Android TV, iPhone/iPad, Android Phone/Tablet, Mac, Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, LG Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, and VIZIO Smart TV.
Content
Originals
Crunchyroll launched a small slate of originals in 2020, including Tower of God and The God of High School.
TV Shows
Crunchyroll offers a staggering variety of 1,000 anime titles, including Dragon Ball Super, One Piece, The Ancient Magus' Bride, Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto Shippuden, Black Clover, and Gintama.
The majority of Crunchyroll’s catalog features Japanese voice acting with English subtitles, although some titles do have English dubs.
Crunchyroll does not censor its content. They can only air the versions of shows provided by the content creators. Sometimes they provide a censored version and sometimes uncensored. Often, the broadcast version of a show will be censored to boost sales of a later uncensored version for DVD and Blu-ray.
Features
Single Profile Only
Crunchyroll currently only allows one profile, so all users will have to share the same queue.
Parental Controls
By default, titles with mature content are not listed. To access them you need to go to your Video Preferences page through Crunchyroll’s site and select “Show Mature Content,” and put your birthday on your profile.
Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount Plus, Peacock, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, and STARZ also have parental control features.
Up to 6 Devices
Crunchyroll allows streaming on 1 device with their “Fan” ($7.99) plan, with simultaneous access on 4 devices on their “Mega Fan” ($9.99) plan, and 6 devices on their “Ultimate Fan” ($14.99) plan.
Offline Downloads
Crunchyroll allows you to download most of their shows offline.
The number of devices that you can download content to depends on your plan. Their “Fan” ($7.99) plan does not allow downloads. Crunchyroll’s “Mega Fan” ($9.99) plan offers downloads on up to 4 devices, and the “Ultimate Fan” ($14.99) plan on up to 6 devices.
Offline episodes will expire after 7 days if they are unplayed and after 48 hours once playback has been started. To reset the expiration timers, simply open the Crunchyroll app while connected to the internet. Renewal happens as soon as the account goes back online.
Compatible Devices
Crunchyroll is compatible with these devices:
Tech Specs
1080p HD
Most Crunchyroll content is available at a maximum of 1080p.
If you’re looking to keep your data usage low or you have limited internet access, Crunchyroll allows you to stream as low as 240p. By default, the video player will raise your quality to the highest standard your internet connection is capable of reliably streaming at that time.
Stereo Sound
Content has stereo audio.