Disney Plus vs. Netflix: 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 Netflix and Disney+. While the services both offer movies and shows for streaming ad-free, they are very different. We compared Netflix 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.
Netflix
While Netflix starts at just $8.99 a month after a 30-Day Free Trial, most people will end up going for a higher priced plan. Their Basic Plan ($8.99) includes a single screen and no HD content, while their Standard Plan ($12.99) includes two concurrent viewers and HD content, and their highest price Premium Plan* ($15.99) includes four concurrent streams and 4K content.
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 Netflix 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.
Netflix includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Mindhunter, Queer Eye, and Russian Doll. They are constantly adding new shows and movies — and have even begun creating original films like The Irishman (Robert De Niro, Al Pacino) and Dolemite is My Name (Eddie Murphy).
Netflix currently has access to all Disney movies made from 2016-2019, with some older films from Warner Bros and Universal. The streaming service also makes it’s own original films like Bird Box, All The Boys I Loved Before, and The Kissing Booth.
Netflix has historically had a deep library of some favorites from the past few decades. The service has had access to every episode of Friends and The Office. However, Friends will be going to HBO Max at the beginning of 2020, while The Office will be heading to Peacock in January 2021. But, just as those shows are leaving Netflix, Seinfeld will be joining the service from Hulu starting in 2021.
Netflix is available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, 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.
Netflix
While nearly all content on Netflix is in at least HD, you will need to subscribe to their Standard or Premium tier to access HD content.
If you upgrade to the Premium plan, you will get access to ~600 titles in 4K including their original series and some licensed content like Planet Earth.
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.
Netflix
Most of Netflix content is available in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. A small selection of content has Dolby Atmos support, but you will need their Premium plan to access that level of audio quality.
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.
Netflix
Netflix allows streaming on 1 device with their “Basic” ($9) plan, with simultaneous access on 2 devices on their “Standard” ($13) plan, and 4 devices on their “Premium” ($16) plan.
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.
Netflix
Netflix allows you to download shows and movies offline. While every title isn’t available, their content available offline includes nearly all their original titles, as well as a large selection of their library content.
The streaming service allows you to download 100 titles on single device. The number of devices that you can download content to depends on your plan. Their “Basic” ($9) plan allows downloads to 1 device, while the “Standard” ($13) plan offers downloads on up to 2 devices, and the “Premium” ($16) plan on up to 4 devices.
Once a show or movie is downloaded, most titles are available for 30 days to watch, with 48 hours access after you first press play. If a download expires, you will need to access it online to renew. Some titles have annual limits on the number of downloads.
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).
Netflix
Depending on where you travel to, Netflix will behave differently. If you go to country that has Netflix, you will see the content catalog in that country. If you go to a country that doesn’t have Netflix, you will only be able to access shows and movies you’ve already downloaded offline.
