Amazon Prime v Netflix v Hulu+

[joshuaking]

Just wanted to add, if you are a student, you can get amazon prime full service for half price-I think I paid 35.00 for the year. You must have a student email address (.edu) but at that price it really made AP worth it.

I've also found some older movies on AP that I couldn't get on Netflix.

[rxtrom]

I am a big fan of amazon prime. None of the online streamers will have the up to date stuff because it will take away from new sales or some media sales, but the added benefit of free shipping is a no brainer.

[GrillmasterJoe]

We got rid of Directv after our contract expired in September. We have a wireless Blu-Ray player in the family room, a Roku in the bedroom, and a Wii in the basement for the kids.

We were subscribed to HuluPlus, but cancelled after a month. Instead we purchased the lifetime subscription to PlayOn, which provides us with all the network stations for past shows (like our own DVR without the added cost). We have an antenna hooked up in the family room for live TV, and we have a Netflix subscription.

Antenna: $109
PlayOn subscription (included a free Roku box): $79
Sony BluRay player: $89
Wii: $149 (we've had this for a few years, but thought I would add it for comparison purposes)
Total initial outlay: $426

One year of Netflix @$8/month $96
Total first year: $522

Total Directv savings first year: $1,330
Net savings first year: $808
Net savings subsequent years: $1,234

[joshuaking]

Another thing I like a lot about Amazon Prime is that you can "borrow" 1 kindle book a month for free. I am currently enjoying the Harry Potter books for free as part of my Amazon Prime subscription.

[Tree0164]

No parental controls on the roku-but you can set up parental controls on netflix. I am not sure about hulu plus though.

[bUU]

Keep in mind that the trend is toward streaming services gaining exclusive deals or offering their own programming, so don't be surprised if, down the line, you need Amazon Instant Video, Netflix and Hulu, just like you need ABC, NBC and CBS.

[kork13]

Your recommendation?

I've finally jumped into the fray here, and bought a Roku on a decent sale yesterday. Just set it up, and after fiddling through some of the free channels, I'm blown away by how underwhelming most of them appear to be. Time will tell though.

Anyway, I've long considered getting a Netflix or Amazon Prime subscription (haven't had cable since high school, and Hulu+ is of no interest for me), and getting the Roku has brought that thought to the forefront once again. Does anyone have experience with both and can give an opinion on which is better overall? I don't really watch ALOT of TV/movies, but there are the occasional shows/movies that I do like and watch regularly.

From my understanding, Netflix ($96/yr) has the best selection, but Amazon Prime ($79/yr, or $39/yr as a student, which I'm currently eligible for through my master's program) includes the free 2-day shipping, and 1 free Kindle book rental per month. I'm leaning toward the AP for now, because of the lower cost, I do shop with Amazon moderately often, and I love my Kindle... But I'm still just fence-sitting and trying to figure out which is really better or more "worth it."

Bottom line: If you were to suggest ONE of the services (I'm not really interested in having both), which would you recommend? Netflix or Amazon Prime?

[FrugalTexan75]

Personally if I was going to go just with ONE service, I would go with Netflix. It has a much better selection of movies and tv shows. With amazon you can always go the super saver route and still get the free shipping. I currently have both Amazon and Netflix -- I get the student rate for Amazon, otherwise I would drop it.