Disney+ is a subscription streaming service from Disney Entertainment. Disney+'s content library consists primarily of Disney-owned IP, including Star Wars and Marvel, making it one of the most family-friendly streaming services. But is it enough for everyone else?
This guide will help you determine whether Disney+ is worth a subscription by weighing factors like budget, viewing preferences, family situation, and overall affinity for the Disney brand.
Disney+ originally launched in 2019 as a direct competitor to Netflix and other major streaming services. Disney had previously licensed streaming rights to most of its content to Netflix, but the company effectively ended that practice with Disney+. Now, instead of sifting through various platforms, viewers can find (almost) all Disney productions under one roof.
The Disney+ library has grown significantly since its launch. While focused on Disney Animation, Marvel, and Star Wars, you'll also find content from 21st Century Studios (formerly Fox), National Geographic Channel, and more.
Many people subscribe to Disney+, and you should consider joining them if:
- you have young children
- You're a big Marvel and/or Star Wars fan
- You want to bundle Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+
- You're looking for a low-cost starter plan with good value
Disney+ isn’t for everyone. You may want to avoid using it if you:
- Don't care about Disney content
- Want lots of high-quality original programming
- Live in the US and don't want to pay extra for Hulu
Disney+'s main advantage over many of its rivals is its wealth of popular franchises, as it'll be hard to compete with the sheer popularity of movies like Avengers: Endgame or Frozen . But there's more to it than just the obvious exclusivity. Here are some of the top reasons to use Disney+.
While there's plenty of entertainment for everyone on Disney Plus+, it's hard to deny that the library is skewed toward a younger crowd. With a massive catalog of Disney animated classics and a wide range of children's programming, Disney+ is one of the best streaming services for kids.
The service also has very little R-rated content, so kids are less likely to stumble across inappropriate TV shows or movies. However, you can add an extra layer of protection through parental controls, as Disney+ allows you to create profiles for your children and set restrictions based on age ratings.
This can be said to apply to any large-scale production under the Disney umbrella, for example, if you are a big fan of Pixar, you may want to subscribe. However, let's just focus on the top two Titans.
Marvel and Star Wars have been one of, if not the driving force behind Disney's streaming content strategy so far. On the one hand, you can watch the behind-the-scenes catalog of Star Wars and pretty much the entire MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) from beginning to end.
But Disney is also making original streaming content a focus for both series. "The Mandalorian" , "Andor" , "Loki" , "Moon Knight ", etc. are all exclusive original series. If you want to keep up with the MCU or Star Wars, a Disney+ subscription is essential.
Like many streaming services, Disney+ has raised its prices significantly in recent years and now offers arguably too many packages. However, you can get pretty good value if you take advantage of certain plans and bundles.
Disney+ currently offers the following plans:
- Disney+ Basic (with ads) - $7.99/month
- Disney+ Premium (no ads) - $13.99/month
- Duo Basic (Disney+ and Hulu, with ads) - $9.99 per month
- Duo Premium (Disney+ and Hulu, no ads) - $19.99/mo
- Trio Basic (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ with ads) - $14.99/mo
- Trio Premium (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, no ads) - $24.99/mo
It may or may not be worth adding Hulu to your plan, depending on your level of interest in the service. However, if you're a sports fan, it's hard to miss the Trio Basic or Trio Premium plans, as they include ESPN+. This option makes Disney+ a good choice if you're looking to simplify your streaming bill, since you can cover a variety of entertainment content in one bundle.
As mentioned above, the core Disney+ service is divided into two tiers: Basic and Premium. Both plans offer the same amount of content, but the Premium plan removes ads, lets you download content for offline viewing, and offers visual fidelity benefits like 4K Ultra HD, HDR10, and Dolby Vision (the Basic plan limits resolutions to 1080p).
While Disney+ Premium is the better plan, Basic offers good value for money. If you can live with the ads and the inability to watch offline, the $7.99 per month limit is pretty reasonable.
The streaming wars are more competitive than when Disney+ first launched, making it harder than ever to decide which platforms are worth your time and money. While Disney+ is still one of the better services on the market, there are a few reasons why you might want to ditch it.
If you're just a casual fan of most Disney IPs, including Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars, it's hard to recommend spending the big bucks on a Disney+ subscription.
Yes, there's a lot more to this service than just that, and it's even worth it just to watch The Simpsons . But unless you bundle Hulu with ESPN+, you'll likely be better served by other streaming services with deeper and more diverse content libraries.
Original content dominates the streaming era, and while Disney+ has seen some success, its overall content still lags behind some of its closest competitors. Compared to Apple TV+'s "quality over quantity" approach or Netflix's sheer scale of original programming, Disney+ focuses on its big franchises of original content, but not all of them work.
While titles like "Andor" and "Loki" were undeniable triumphs, other Disney+ originals like "Obi-Wan" and "Secret Wars" felt inconsequential. Again, this question largely depends on how much you love the Disney franchise, but if you're expecting a steady stream of can't-miss originals, you might be disappointed.
Since Disney owns both the platform and Hulu, it's reasonable to expect that the two services will merge at some point. Instead, Disney keeps the two services separate, meaning you have to pay extra to get both.
If you subscribe to the Disney+ app at the same time, you can access Hulu content in the Disney+ app, but they are still separate memberships.
Outside the US, many Disney+ subscribers can get better deals. Internationally, Hulu is folded into the Star brand and included in Disney+. While there are some limitations, international subscribers don't need to subscribe to Hulu to watch more content on the platform.
