When it comes to choosing a streaming service, viewers have plenty of choices to pick between. Unlike the earlier days of streaming, you can now watch live TV, along with a marathon rewatch of your favorite shows. The most popular streaming services deliver tons of content, making it peskier than ever to narrow it down.
Hulu and Amazon Prime Video are two of the most popular streaming services out there, and with good reason. Prime Video is the second most popular streaming service, delivering tons of content as part of your Prime subscription. Alternatively, Hulu delivers tons of new and original programming, and thanks to bundles with ESPN+ and Disney+ it can be well worth the price tag.
Let’s dig in.
Plans and pricing
Amazon offers two main price tiers: $139 annually (discounted to $69 annually when you sign up with a valid student email address) or $15 per month. Both versions include all the Amazon Prime perks, like free two-day shipping, discounted prices on select items, cloud storage, and — most important for our purposes — on-demand video and music streaming.
The best part is that, unlike Netflix, 4K Ultra HD content with HDR comes standard at no extra cost. Plus, you can share accounts with friends and family so that everyone can get in on the deals. You can also supplement Amazon’s included content with optional channel add-ons for an additional fee. While Amazon doesn’t have the same amount of live streaming as Hulu, it has been making an effort to change that. You can access live content through a guide within the Prime Video app, and it includes popular options like 48 Hours, along with local network affiliates like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. Amazon Prime Video also has the added perk of letting you access content from other subscriptions like Paramount+, Max, and more.
Hulu starts at just $10 for the ad-based service or $19 for the ad-free option (which we highly recommend). If you want to access Hulu + Live TV, then the price kicks up to $83 per month. This option bundles in access to both Disney+, and ESPN+, along with 90-plus live-streaming channels, and the on-demand library. If you want to ditch ads on Hulu and Disney+, then it’ll cost $96 per month. There are also add-on options like premium networks, or enhanced DVR that are available for an additional fee.
If you watch a lot of Disney+ or ESPN+ in addition to live TV, then Hulu + Live TV may win out since it has a catalog filled with exclusives. While Hulu’s base price of $10 is cheaper, especially for folks looking to stream 4K on a budget, Amazon still has plenty to consider. It’s more affordable than Hulu + Live TV, hasn’t raised prices since 2022 (unlike Hulu) and has limited commercials comparatively. Throw in , and it’s easy to see why it walks away with the win here.
Content library
Now comes the important part. A streaming service can deliver tons to watch, but if it doesn’t have the shows you want to watch, then it’s not the right service for you, is it? That means the biggest challenge is figuring out whether Amazon or Hulu has more of the content you’re interested in.
In terms of quantity, nobody does it better than Amazon Prime Video. They deliver a massive catalog with over 5,000 movies, and 2,300 TV shows as of 2023. That isn’t limited to older shows either. With great original shows like The Boys, The Rings of Power, and Reacher, Amazon is regularly adding great new shows to fall in love with. Amazon also allows you to rent, or buy new releases letting you plump up your personal video library without any trouble.
Hulu is right behind Amazon Prime, with a library featuring thousands of movies and TV shows. Alongside old favorites, you’ll also find new original shows like The Bear, and Only Murders in the Building. While Hulu’s VOD library is fantastic on its own, Hulu + Live TV is where things really shine. Adding live TV to your Hulu subscription not only gets you 90-plus live TV channels, but it also adds access to Disney+ and ESPN+. This includes tons of great movies, all things Marvel & Star Wars, and the sports matches you don’t want to miss. Many major networks like ABC, Fox, and ABC put new episodes of their shows on the day after airing which means even if you miss it live, it’ll be there waiting for you in the morning.
Supported devices
If you have a smartphone, a tablet, a streaming box, a video game console, or a home computer, then you should be able to watch both Amazon Prime and Hulu without any hassle. Both services are very popular, which means they’re supported almost across the board. Unless you’re watching on much older technology, you should be fine. However, its still worth checking. (Here’s Hulu and Here’s Amazon Prime Video)
Interface and accessibility features
Both Amazon Prime Video and Hulu look great and are fairly easy to use. They both use tiles and categories that you can scroll through, letting you explore for something new, or easily find your favorite shows and movies. Both services have featured movies and shows at the top of the screen, and under it you’ll find different scrolling menus of content to watch. The interfaces do tend to differ slightly between devices, but both Amazon and Hulu have interfaces easy to use across phone, tablet, and computer.
Along with their own libraries of content, both Amazon Prime Video and Hulu let you access your premium subscriptions through their platform. Yes, this means you can watch the new Max originals right from Hulu or Amazon Prime Video, you’ll just need to connect your account first to validate it.
When it comes to accessibility, Hulu has the edge here. They have limited compatibility with screen readers, voice support with both Alexa and Google, audio description tracks, and access to subtitles. Unfortunately they haven’t rolled out subtitles across the board, so you’ll have to check each program to see if they are available. You can find details on which accessibility programs are compatible with Hulu here.
Amazon Prime Video has access to subtitles, audio description tracks, and dialogue boost features. Much like Hulu, their subtitles aren’t available across the board, which means you’ll have to check the shows you want to watch to see if its available. However, their dialogue boost feature can be handy for shows where the characters are speaking so softly that you end up turning up the volume. This feature allows you to turn up dialogue only, when it is available. All the details of Amazon Prime Video’s accessibility options are available here.
Audio and video quality
Both Amazon Prime Video and Hulu have access to 4K Ultra HD resolution programming. The caveat here, is that you’ll need a TV or streaming box capable of displaying in 4K. On Hulu, 4K is mostly limited to their Hulu Originals, but it can be spotted by the 4K badge on shows and movies. Amazon has a 4K store to make it easy to find 4K movies and shows, and again it seems that most of their 4K library is limited to original programs.
As for audio quality, Hulu has limited stereo sound for the vast majority of its content, although the same shows are available in 5.1 surround sound elsewhere. Yes, some select shows and movies support 5.1, but it’s nowhere near as impressive as Amazon’s 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos surround sound encoding on select content. Did we mention there’s no extra charge for any of this high-end AV support? Yup, Amazon wins this one without breaking a sweat.
Conclusion
If you love live TV, never miss a Marvel movie, or want to ensure that you can watch the big game as it airs, then Hulu + Live TV is the way to go. You get access to a huge library of existing VOD content, shiny new original shows and movies, live TV streaming, and access to the full library on Disney+ and ESPN+. This bundle is well worth the price, and if you’re choosing for the whole family, the breadth of content ensures there is something for everyone to watch.
On the other hand, if you already have an Amazon Prime membership, you’re looking for an option that won’t break the budget, or you want the biggest possible VOD library, then Amazon Prime Video has you covered. While it doesn’t have access to as much live TV, Amazon’s channels deliver live content, and there is plenty here to discover.
There really isn’t a downside to choosing one of these services over the other. Both have wide libraries perfect for marathon re-watches, along with great new programs for you to fall in love with. It really comes down to asking yourself which streamer has more of the programs and features you want, and going from there. Either way, you’ll have plenty to watch.
