Money

Which Streaming Service Is the Best Value for Money?

Data & Guides Money Which Streaming Service Is the Best Value for Money?

TV streaming providers have transformed the entertainment industry and how we watch our favorite shows. In the U.S. in 2026, a survey conducted on behalf of Self Financial found that the average household has on average, 3.4 paid subscriptions (including streaming services), and spent an average of $35.03 per month on these subscriptions.

For the fifth time since 2021 and now comprising the most recent data available in 2026, this study on behalf of Self Financial reviews the quality of content across the most popular streaming platforms (Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, Paramount+, and Peacock, as well as two bundle packages: the Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle and the Apple TV+/Peacock bundle) to find out which services offer consumers the best content for their money.

Key statistics

• AppleTV+ has the highest average IMDb score for its streaming library (7.0/10), for the 5th year running (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026), but still has the smallest library of content.
• Prime Video remains the platform offering the most ‘excellent’ quality movies (8+ IMDb score) per $1 spent on its cheapest subscription ($14.99 per month), at 76 movies per dollar, up from 65 in 2025.
• Apple TV+ grew the fastest year-on-year (+211.6%), followed by Paramount+ (+186.9%) and Netflix (+141.1%).
• All individual platforms recorded more ‘excellent’ rated titles in 2026 than in 2025, with Prime Video gaining the most (1,474 new 8+ IMDb rated titles).
• The average IMDb score has fallen every year since the study began, dropping from 6.7 in 2022 to 6.1 in 2026. Apple TV+ is the only platform to maintain a 7.0+ average throughout.
• Hulu is no longer available as a standalone streaming service. Disney began merging its content into Disney+ in 2025, with the standalone app set to be discontinued entirely in 2026.

Which streaming service has the best value?

For the third year running, the size of Amazon’s Prime Video library surpassed its competitors. For $8.99 per month, Prime Video will give you access to 46,540 IMDb-rated movies and TV shows, more than double that of Netflix (17,764). You also get more for your money with Prime Video compared to 2025, as the library has increased by 83.6% (21,191 more titles) despite the subscription price remaining the same.

Unfortunately, despite good intentions at sign-up, some subscriptions can go unused, with an average of 2.6 paid subscriptions sitting idle according to our recent study. Nearly half of respondents (44.4%) also admitted they do not use their Disney+ subscription.

Total Content (2026)
Rating	Apple TV+	Disney+	HBO Max	Netflix	Paramount+	Peacock	Prime Video	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle	Apple TV+/Peacock
Rating Excellent 8+	Apple TV+ 180	Disney+ 341	HBO Max 627	Netflix 1299	Paramount+ 223	Peacock 243	Prime Video 2509	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 1342	Apple TV+/Peacock 423
Rating Good 6–7.99	Apple TV+ 858	Disney+ 2060	HBO Max 3267	Netflix 11119	Paramount+ 1533	Peacock 2378	Prime Video 20941	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 7384	Apple TV+/Peacock 3236
Rating OK 4–5.99	Apple TV+ 126	Disney+ 653	HBO Max 708	Netflix 4891	Paramount+ 626	Peacock 1782	Prime Video 18319	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 2264	Apple TV+/Peacock 1908
Rating Poor <4	Apple TV+ 14	Disney+ 46	HBO Max 49	Netflix 455	Paramount+ 89	Peacock 351	Prime Video 4771	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 197	Apple TV+/Peacock 365
Rating Grand Total	Apple TV+ 1178	Disney+ 3100	HBO Max 4651	Netflix 17764	Paramount+ 2471	Peacock 4754	Prime Video 46540	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 11187	Apple TV+/Peacock 5932

*Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max Bundle and Apple TV+/Peacock are bundle subscription packages combining content from each individual platform.

Using IMDb ratings in four score ranges, the study shows that Prime Video also offers the most titles of ‘excellent’ quality (2,509). The Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle (1,342) is second on the list, followed by Netflix (1,299).

The IMDb score ranges used were as follows:

• 8-10 Excellent
• 6-7.99 Good
• 4-5.99 OK
• <4 Poor

Titles that did not have an IMDb score were discounted.

Which streaming service gives you a better bang for your buck?

It may seem that Prime Video offers the highest-quality content while remaining at a similar price point against its competitors, therefore providing customers with the best value for money. But what exactly does this look like per dollar?

Top-rated content per $1 spent

With so many subscriptions available, it’s worth making sure you’re getting the most for your money and keeping streaming costs in check within your household budget. This analysis uses the lowest monthly cost you can pay to see how many movies and shows you get for every dollar you spend. For some platforms, this will include advertisements. These ad-supported services tend to cost less per month, and these packages are becoming more common since Netflix launched its ad-supported plan in 2022, at an original price point of $7.99, the same plan has now risen to $8.99. [1]

Prime video continues to impress, this time with 167 ‘excellent’ titles per $1, and 1,397 considered ‘good’, meaning that Prime has 1,564 titles rated 6 and above on IMDB per $1 spent. Netflix is a close second, with 144 ‘excellent’ titles and 1,237 rated as ‘good’.

Content Quality Per $1 (2026)
Rating	Apple TV+	Disney+	HBO Max	Netflix	Paramount+	Peacock	Prime Video	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle	Apple TV+/Peacock
Rating Per $1 (basic) Excellent	Apple TV+ 14	Disney+ 28	HBO Max 57	Netflix 144	Paramount+ 37	Peacock 41	Prime Video 167	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 67	Apple TV+/Peacock 28
Rating Per $1 (basic) Good	Apple TV+ 66	Disney+ 172	HBO Max 297	Netflix 1237	Paramount+ 256	Peacock 397	Prime Video 1397	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 369	Apple TV+/Peacock 216
Rating Per $1 (basic) OK	Apple TV+ 10	Disney+ 54	HBO Max 64	Netflix 544	Paramount+ 105	Peacock 297	Prime Video 1222	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 113	Apple TV+/Peacock 127
Rating Per $1 (basic) Poor	Apple TV+ 1	Disney+ 4	HBO Max 4	Netflix 51	Paramount+ 15	Peacock 59	Prime Video 318	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 10	Apple TV+/Peacock 24
Rating Total	Apple TV+ 91	Disney+ 259	HBO Max 423	Netflix 1976	Paramount+ 413	Peacock 794	Prime Video 3105	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 560	Apple TV+/Peacock 396

Data note: Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max Bundle and Apple TV+/Peacock are bundle subscription packages combining content from each individual platform at the bundle price.

Movies per $1 spent

If home ‘movie-nights’ are what you want most out of your subscription, then Prime Video remains the best-value choice with 76 ‘excellent’ movies per $1, and 1,059 ‘good’ titles per dollar. Trailing behind, but still the second-best choice, is Netflix with 38 ‘excellent’ movies per $1 and 669 ‘good’ movies per $1.

Movie Quality Per $1 (2026)
Rating	Apple TV+	Disney+	HBO Max	Netflix	Paramount+	Peacock	Prime Video	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle	Apple TV+/Peacock
Rating Per $1 (basic) Excellent	Apple TV+ 2	Disney+ 5	HBO Max 17	Netflix 38	Paramount+ 10	Peacock 13	Prime Video 76	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 15	Apple TV+/Peacock 7
Rating Per $1 (basic) Good	Apple TV+ 18	Disney+ 72	HBO Max 167	Netflix 669	Paramount+ 158	Peacock 291	Prime Video 1059	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 171	Apple TV+/Peacock 132
Rating Per $1 (basic) OK	Apple TV+ 2	Disney+ 30	HBO Max 39	Netflix 428	Paramount+ 78	Peacock 273	Prime Video 1162	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 71	Apple TV+/Peacock 111
Rating Per $1 (basic) Poor	Apple TV+ 0	Disney+ 2	HBO Max 2	Netflix 42	Paramount+ 9	Peacock 56	Prime Video 312	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 6	Apple TV+/Peacock 22
Rating Total	Apple TV+ 22	Disney+ 109	HBO Max 225	Netflix 1178	Paramount+ 256	Peacock 633	Prime Video 2609	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 263	Apple TV+/Peacock 272

Data note: Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max Bundle and Apple TV+/Peacock are bundle subscription packages combining content from each individual platform at the bundle price.

TV shows per $1 spent

When it comes to TV shows, Netflix takes the lead, beating Prime by 15 more ‘excellent’ shows per $1 (106 vs 91). When it comes to binge-worthy shows, it could be Netflix that provide the best value for money, also leading on ‘good’ titles rated between 6 and 7.99 on IMDB, with 568 per $1, followed by Prime (338), and the Disney+, Hulu, HBO, and Max bundle (198).

TV Show Quality Per $1 (2026)
Rating	Apple TV+	Disney+	HBO Max	Netflix	Paramount+	Peacock	Prime Video	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle	Apple TV+/Peacock
Rating Per $1 (basic) Excellent	Apple TV+ 12	Disney+ 23	HBO Max 40	Netflix 106	Paramount+ 27	Peacock 28	Prime Video 91	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 52	Apple TV+/Peacock 21
Rating Per $1 (basic) Good	Apple TV+ 48	Disney+ 100	HBO Max 130	Netflix 568	Paramount+ 98	Peacock 106	Prime Video 338	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 198	Apple TV+/Peacock 84
Rating Per $1 (basic) OK	Apple TV+ 7	Disney+ 25	HBO Max 26	Netflix 116	Paramount+ 26	Peacock 25	Prime Video 60	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 42	Apple TV+/Peacock 16
Rating Per $1 (basic) Poor	Apple TV+ 1	Disney+ 2	HBO Max 3	Netflix 9	Paramount+ 6	Peacock 3	Prime Video 6	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 4	Apple TV+/Peacock 2
Rating Total	Apple TV+ 69	Disney+ 150	HBO Max 199	Netflix 798	Paramount+ 157	Peacock 161	Prime Video 496	Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle 296	Apple TV+/Peacock 124

Data note: Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max Bundle and Apple TV+/Peacock are bundle subscription packages combining content from each individual platform at the bundle price.

Best streaming platform per genre

To take this analysis a step further the study also analyzed the impact of audience ratings per genre on each streaming platform. It reviews all movies/shows per genre on each platform and takes the average IMDb rating (out of 10) to see who is the best in each category. The bold scores highlight the winner(s) in each category.

Most TV shows and movies can fit into more than one genre, for example a rom-com is by definition both a romance and comedy, therefore, genre ratings take into account the same TV show or movie twice.

Key findings from genre analysis:

• Apple TV+ was the highest-rated platform across 10 genres outright (the most of any platform), with HBO Max second, winning 5 genre categories.
• Apple TV+ is highest-rated in 5 further categories, but has fewer than 15 titles in each.
• Netflix did not top any genre category in 2026, having previously led in 'Technology' (now won by Apple TV+).
• Despite boasting more content than any other platform, Amazon Prime Video failed to top any category.

Notes on the IMDb genre data:

• Asterisk (*) indicates where the streaming service has less than 15 titles (movies and shows) associated with that genre.
• N/A refers to no titles found for that genre, or IMDb had no ratings available for the content.
• Some genre categories had two ‘winners’ as one score was higher, but also had less than 15 titles, therefore is incomparable.

Streaming wars: 2025 vs 2026

This study was undertaken for the first time in 2021 and again in 2022, 2024, 2025, and 2026. Using the data from 2026, this analysis highlights the key changes in the so-called ‘streaming wars’. Here are some of the findings.

Key findings from the 2025 vs 2026 comparison:

• Apple TV+ gained the most content year-on-year (+211.6%), followed by Paramount+ (+186.9%), Netflix (+141.1%), HBO Max (+126.0%), and Prime Video (+83.6%).
• Overall average IMDb score was approximately 6.1 in 2026, compared to 6.4 in 2025, 6.6 in 2024, and 6.7 in 2022, continuing a gradual long-term decline.
• All platforms had more ‘excellent’ rated titles in 2026 than in 2025, with Prime Video leading (+1,474), Netflix (+896), and HBO Max (+469) recording the largest absolute gains.

Streaming quality and quantity: 2025 vs 2026

These streaming services add and remove lots of shows and movies every month. With new streaming services popping up, the licensing rights for products change all the time. For example, ‘Lost’, the popular supernatural TV series, resumed streaming on Netflix in the U.S. in 2024 after previously losing streaming rights to Hulu in 2018. [2] Here’s how the quantity and quality of content have changed from 2022 to 2026.

Quality of content on streaming services

Despite every platform expanding its library significantly in 2026, the average IMDb score across all platforms continued to fall, dropping to 6.1 in 2026, down from 6.4 in 2025, 6.6 in 2024, and 6.7 in 2022. That is a decline of 0.6 points over the four years of the study. As platforms race to add volume, the quality threshold appears to lower with it. The one exception is Apple TV+, which has maintained a 7.0 average or above every single year since 2022, the only platform to do so.

Comparing 2024 to 2026, Amazon Prime saw the greatest drop in average IMDb quality (-0.25), followed by Netflix (-0.18) and Peacock (-0.17). Disney+, HBO Max and Paramount+ were the only platforms to show slight improvements year on year.

The changing quantity of excellent and good quality content on streaming services

All streaming platforms analyzed had more ‘excellent’ rated titles in 2026 than in 2025. Prime Video led with 1,474 additional ‘excellent’ titles, followed by Netflix (+896) and HBO Max (+469).

All platforms increased their ‘good’ content in 2026. Prime Video gained the most (11,005 more titles), followed by Netflix (+7,198) and HBO Max (+2,111).

Overall, there was a significant increase in the quantity of ‘excellent’ content, 4,790 more ‘excellent’ titles across all platforms in 2026 versus 2025 (7,187 vs 2,397), a rise of 199.8%.

The changing quantity of content on streaming services

Prime Video’s library continued to grow in 2026, expanding by a further 83.6% (from 25,349 to 46,540 titles). This continues a period of extraordinary growth for the platform, with its library growing by 604% between 2022 and 2024, and by a further 83.3% in 2025. However, for the first time several smaller platforms recorded even higher growth rates year-on-year. Apple TV+ grew the fastest (+211.6%, from 378 to 1,178 titles), followed by Paramount+ (+186.9%), Netflix (+141.1%), and HBO Max (+126.0%). Amazon Prime still offers more than double the content of its nearest competitor, Netflix (17,764 titles).

The volume of Disney+ content increased by 33.2% between 2025 and 2026. As part of Disney’s wider strategy to consolidate its streaming offering, Hulu is no longer available as a standalone service, with its content fully integrated into Disney+. [3] The combined Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max Bundle (currently $19.99/month) offers 11,187 titles in total.

*Combined library where duplicate content has been removed.

• N/A indicates not available/combined for that year

Methodology

The study included an analysis of 57,220 TV shows and movies across all platforms. The list was compiled in March, 2026, while 2025 data was compiled in March 2025, and 2022 data from April 2022, therefore, shows added after this will not be included in the analysis. Information relating to the genre, age ratings, audience reviews, and runtime were all sourced from IMDb.

For those streaming platforms that offer paid options on top of the content already available like Prime Video and Apple TV+ the study discounted any content that users needed to pay for on top of the existing subscription fee.

It should be noted that not all content is rated on IMDB. On average across the eight platforms, 3.8% of content is not rated. However, value for money shouldn’t be judged by the pure quantity of content available to viewers: it needs to factor in the quality of titles users are able to stream.

IMDb score

IMDb’s Top 250 content has scores of 8+ therefore, this analysis used those with an IMDb score of 8+ for ‘excellent’ and 6-7.99 for ‘Good’, with anything below this being deemed OK-Poor. IMDb weights its averages internally to ensure fairness and no manipulation of the system. You can read more about that here: https://help.imdb.com/article/imdb/track-movies-tv/ratings-faq/G67Y87TFYYP6TWAV

Per dollar analysis

Per dollar analysis of the content was calculated using the number of movies and shows against the minimum/basic monthly subscription cost of the streaming service. In 2026, this includes plans that feature advertisements. This was correct as of March 2026.

*Amazon Prime offers a discounted subscription priced at $6.99 per month for eligible government assistance recipients and income-verified customers. As this rate is not available to the general public, it was excluded from the analysis.

The study no longer includes the pricing of Hulu on Disney+ or Hulu separately as the content and paid subscription is now part of a different bundle.

Subscription prices were verified using each platform’s official help and pricing pages, with bundle pricing sourced from Disney’s official pricing page. All prices were correct as of March 2026 and are referenced in the sources section.

IMDb rating/Audience score

Where multiple seasons exist of a series, the study used the overall TV show average score rather than repeated averages of each season or episode.

Sources

• ^[1] Netflix, ‘Plans and Pricing’, 2026 https://help.netflix.com/en/node/24926/us
• ^[2] Variety, ‘All Seasons of Mind-Bending Series ‘Lost’ Are on Netflix Again’, 2024 https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/lost-tv-show-streaming-on-netflix-1236058270/
• ^[3] Cord Cutters News, ‘The End of Hulu: Here is Everything We Know’, 2026 https://cordcuttersnews.com/the-end-of-hulu-here-is-everything-we-know/