Disney Plus vs. Amazon Prime Video: Comparing Plans, Ads, Movies, Shows, 4K, Simultaneous Streams, & Offline
There are now more and more options to stream TV shows and movies online. For those that don’t want to spend $100+ a month on cable, satellite, or live TV, there are great entertainment with a subscription Video Streaming Service.
Two of the most well-known are Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. While the services both offer movies and shows for streaming ad-free, they are very different. We compared Amazon Prime Video vs. Disney+, so you can decide which is right for you or your family.
Plans & Pricing
Disney+
Disney+ is the cheaper of the two at just $6.99 a month. If you want to save $14 a year, you can pre-pay for the $70 annual plan which works out to just $5.83 a month.
You can also upgrade to the Disney+ bundle which includes Hulu and ESPN+ for just $12.99 a month.
Amazon Prime Video
Prime Video is included with Amazon Prime for $12.99 per month ($119 per year), or can be purchased on its own for $9.99 per month.
Shows & Movies
Disney+
If you’re a fan of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, or Star Wars — Disney+ is a must have. There is no better streaming service for kids than Disney+.
The service includes the entire Disney animated library known as the Disney Vault. This means you and your family can watch movies like Frozen, Snow White, Aladdin, The Lion King anytime you want. You can also watch nearly every Pixar film ever made like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Cars, Wall-E, and more.
They also include nearly every Marvel and Star Wars film ever made, and the full 30-year library of The Simpsons.
By the end of the first year, Disney+ will include 25 new original series, 10+ movies, 7,500 past episodes, 100 recent movies, and 400 library titles.
While Amazon Prime Video has more original series, Disney+ does have the first live-action Star Wars series, “The Mandalorian”, which was directed by Jon Favreau. They also have High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, based on the Disney Channel film, and the docu-series The World According to Jeff Goldblum — in addition to a few others.
Amazon Prime Video includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like Jack Ryan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Homecoming, and more.
The service also includes live access to NFL’s Thursday Night Football and the ability to subscribe to third-party services like HBO, Showtime, and Starz with Amazon Prime Video Channels.
For kids, is is the streaming home for some PBS Kids series like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Arthur.
Amazon Prime Video is available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Xbox, PS4, iPhone, iPad, Android, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, and VIZIO Smart TV.
Video & 4K Support
Disney+
Like other streaming services, most of Disney+ content is available in HD. Currently, Disney+ has ~75 titles available in 4K with Dolby Vision support.
As more new release content comes onto the service, expect the amount of 4K content to increase.
Amazon Prime Video
Nearly all content on Amazon Prime Video is in HD, with some Prime Originals and select films in 4K.
Audio & Dolby Digital Support
Disney+
Most newer content on Disney+ is available in Dolby Digital 5.1. Most of the releases in 4K also have support for Dolby Atmos.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video has Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound on most of their original programming and films, but not on all library content.
Simultaneous Streams
Disney+
Disney+ can be streamed on up to 4 devices at the same time, regardless whether you sign-up for the standalone plan or the Disney+, Hulu, & ESPN+ bundle.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video allows you to stream up to three different titles at the same time using the same Amazon account, but the same title can only be streamed by two devices simultaneously.
Offline Downloads
Disney+
Disney+ is one of the most generous streaming services for offline downloads. Disney+ subscribers have access to unlimited downloads of shows and movies on the Disney+ app to watch offline later on up to 10 mobile or tablet devices.
There are no limits on the number of times a title can be downloaded annually. The number of downloads available at given time is based on the storage space available on your device.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video 15-25 titles to be downloaded across all devices on your Prime Video account. There isn’t a limit to the number of devices, so long as they are tied to a Prime Video Account.
At this point, their Prime Video Originals catalog is available for download, as well as many in their library of movies and shows. Just like the others, you generally have 30 days to watch, with 48 hours after you first start streaming a show.
If you share your account with other members of your household, only the primary account can download content.
International Access
Disney+
Since Disney+ is only available in few countries (US, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand), most places you go you will need to download content ahead of time. If you go to country where Disney+ is not available, you will only be able to access offline content.
However, if you go to country that has Disney+, you will see the content catalog in that country (in addition to your offline movies).
Amazon Prime Video
Depending on where you travel to, Amazon Prime Video will behave differently. If you go to country that has Amazon Prime Video, you will see the content catalog in that country. If you go to a country that doesn’t have Amazon Prime Video, you will only be able to access shows and movies you’ve already downloaded offline.
