Disney+ vs. Netflix

Bottom line

Both Disney+ and Netflix are top-tier streaming services, but if you have to choose only one, you should stick with Netflix for now. It costs more, but it also offers a significantly larger content library and a wider variety of movies and TV shows.

Of course, it depends on what you want to watch. If your kids are demanding a Frozen marathon, you’ll need that Disney+ subscription. And Disney+ is still fairly new—it will probably only get better from here.

Disney+ and Netflix vs. the competition

Disney+ and Netflix prices

Disney+ is simply cheaper than Netflix, and it lets you stream in 4K and on up to four screens without upgrading. To get that with Netflix, you’d need Premium, which costs $84 more per year than Basic and $36 more per year than Standard.

Disney+ packages

Data effective 03/30/20. Not all offers available in all areas. Prices subject to change.

There is only one Disney+ package. All of the platform’s features and content are available at one price point, unlike Netflix, which has tiers of service.

Disney+ is pretty inexpensive, and you get a nice discount if you pay for a full year instead of paying monthly. Prepaying for a full year saves you a little more than a dollar every month, for a total savings of $13.89 over the course of a year.

You can “upgrade” Disney+ by bundling it with Hulu and ESPN+ for an additional $6 per month. That’s the same cost as a Standard Netflix package, and it gives you a much broader range of content than Disney+ alone.

Netflix packages

Data effective 03/30/20. Not all offers available in all areas. Prices subject to change.

All Netflix packages have access to the same content library, but paying a little extra per month opens up perks like higher-resolution options and the ability to watch on more screens at the same time.

Every Netflix package costs more per month than Disney+, but Netflix also gives you a larger library and more variety of content. Netflix lets you jump from true crime documentaries like Abducted in Plain Sight to feel-good reality TV like The Great British Baking Show. Then you can jump to an action-packed drama like The Witcher or a stand-up comedy special like Iliza Shlesinger: Elder Millennial.

Movies and shows

Original content

If you’re looking for pop culture content, Disney+ has The Mandalorian while Netflix has The Witcher, Stranger Things, The Crown, Orange Is the New Black, House of Cards, and many, many more.

Disney+ hasn’t had as much time to build up its own library of noteworthy originals. So far, most of its originals are basically the equivalent of the direct-to-home video releases of olden days. But there are some exciting releases that are set to drop later in 2020 (and beyond).

Fan favorites

Netflix started its streaming service without original content by licensing movies and shows from other entertainment companies, including Disney. Licensed media accounts for a hefty chunk of the platform’s most popular shows, including The Office and Grey’s Anatomy.

That model was all fine and good when there was limited competition. Now that everyone has jumped into the on-demand video streaming game, things are a little more complicated. For example, Netflix lost the ever-popular Friends at the beginning of 2020 to Max (premiering May 2020).

Of course, Netflix has always had rotating content. Favorites come and go, with the only constants being Netflix Originals.

Disney+, on the other hand, has the advantage here. The Disney nostalgia is real—not only with the classic animated movies but also with Disney Channel shows like Lizzie McGuire, Pixar movies, and franchises like Marvel and Star Wars.

Disney (and all the other companies it owns) has decades’ worth of content in the vault. And it supposedly won’t have a rotating library like Netflix, outside of having to pull content for pre-existing licensing deals.

Availability and compatible devices

You want to be able to watch your content anywhere on any of your devices, right? Netflix has a bit of an advantage here, just because it’s been so ubiquitous for so long.

Disney+ is still available on a ton of devices, but it doesn’t have native compatibility on some older devices, like some previous-generation gaming consoles.

Availability

Disney+ is not yet available in most of the world. It is currently available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. It’s slated to launch in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain at the end of March 2020. The content library will vary a little in different countries.

Netflix is available in 190 countries around the world, but the content library varies in different regions.

Compatible devices

Sharing accounts, multiple screens, and downloads

Sharing accounts

Ok, we know that a lot of people do it, but Netflix really doesn’t like it when you share your account login with other people. In its terms of use, Netflix states, “The Netflix service and any content viewed through our service are for your personal and non-commercial use only and may not be shared with individuals beyond your household.”

Disney+ is a little more understanding of reality. Its subscriber agreement states:

“You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your username and password and for all activities that occur on or through your Disney+ and ESPN+ accounts. However, if you allow others to access your Disney+ or ESPN+ account, this Agreement, as well as any specific consents you may have provided, also applies to their access, use and disclosure of information.”

Basically, that means you’re on the hook for making sure no one uses your account for anything illegal, but it doesn’t forbid account sharing.

Watching on multiple screens

Disney+ lets you watch on up to four devices at the same time, so there’s no need to argue when one person wants to watch Star Wars Resistance and someone else wants to watch Moana for the twentieth time.

Netflix Premium also lets you watch on up to four devices at the same time, but Standard Netflix cuts that number in half. Basic Netflix allows for only one screen at a time.

With both services, you’ll get cut off if too many users try to watch at the same time. Be wary of sharing your login with too many people—or else you might not be able to watch the latest episode of The Mandalorian as soon as it drops.

Downloading movies and shows to watch offline

We love that Disney+ is generous with its download allowances. You can download unlimited movies and TV episodes on up to ten mobile devices. And your downloads never expire.

Netflix has a lot more rules about downloads. You can have a max of 100 downloads per device on up to four mobile devices. And there are some extra restrictions on certain types of content, depending on the licensing agreement Netflix has with the company that owns the IP (intellectual property):

• Some pieces of content can be downloaded only a certain number of times per year.
• Some licensing companies allow only a few titles to be downloaded at a time.
• Many downloads expire after a certain amount of time that varies depending on what it is.

User interface

Both streaming services open to a home screen with several sliding bars full of ready-to-watch content, recommended based on your viewing history. And finding something to watch on either service is easy and intuitive.

User profiles

Disney+ lets you set up to seven user profiles, so you don’t have to live in the same recommendation algorithm as your Forky-obsessed little sibling. You get to choose a Disney-character avatar, and there’s a specific “kids” setting for viewers, which filters out content unsuitable for young children.

Netflix allows for up to five total profiles, no matter your subscription level. Probably because it has a wider variety of content and content ratings, Netflix has three levels of filter. You can roll without an age filter for access to all content on the platform. Plus there are “For Kids” and “For Teens” options, which filter out age-inappropriate content.

Parental controls

Beyond making a kids profile on Disney+, there aren’t other parental controls. And the kids profile thing can be easily circumvented by choosing a different profile. Of course, there isn’t a lot of inappropriate content on Disney+—it’s specifically intended to be family-friendly—but there are perhaps some lines from The Simpsons that you don’t want a two-year-old repeating.

Netflix has more robust content filters and parental controls, which is good because it has a lot of not-family-friendly content. Don’t go unintentionally scaring the children with A Nightmare on Elm Street, folks.

You can set each Netflix user profile to automatically filter out content not suitable for kids or teens, and you can lock content that’s above specific maturity ratings with a pin on all profiles.

Pros and cons

Our verdict: Netflix is still king.

While Disney+ has amazing, family-friendly titles, Netflix still holds on as the streaming king. It’s a little more expensive, but it’s worth it for the much larger library and better assortment of content.

Of course, you don’t have to choose one or the other. Netflix and Disney+ cater to different needs and offer different movies and shows. They also both operate on month-to-month billing cycles, so if you can’t spring for both at the same time, you could alternate months to get the best of both worlds.

Disney+ and Netflix FAQ

Does Disney+ have R-rated movies?

Disney+ does not (and will not) have R-rated content. The platform is dedicated to keeping its content library family-friendly. All of the movies on Disney+ are rated PG-13 and below, and all TV shows are rated TV-14 and below.

Does Disney+ include Hulu?

Disney+ does not include Hulu, but you can bundle Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+ for a discounted price. Bundling the three streaming services together costs $12.99 per month, which is $4.98 less per month than they cost separately.

How do I cancel Netflix?

You can cancel your Netflix subscription at any time from your Account page. If you don’t see that option, you can just cancel the payment with your bank or credit card.

When you cancel Netflix, you can continue to watch until the end of your current billing period. And Netflix keeps your viewing data for 10 months after you close your account, so you can resume your subscription with your algorithm intact if you sign up again within that time.

How do I cancel Disney+?

You can cancel Disney+ in a web browser by going to the Billing Details tab from your Account page.

In iPhone settings or through the Google Play Store, you’ll need to navigate to Subscriptions from the main menu, select Disney+, and cancel.

When you cancel, you still have access to Disney+ shows and movies until the end of your billing cycle (or the end of your free trial). After that, Disney+ keeps your account information on file in case you want to come back.