Stream in Style: Deciding Between Disney+ and Netflix for Your Entertainment Needs

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Netflix and Disney+ are two of the most popular streaming services in the world, offering huge catalogs of movies and TV series. Some of us pay for both streaming platforms, but you may only be interested in having a single subscription. Between Netflix and Disney+, which should you choose?

Netflix vs. Disney+: Content

Together, Netflix and Disney+ offer thousands of titles, be they platform originals or well-known favorites. This stock of content includes all kinds of genres, including romance, thriller, reality, horror, true crime, fantasy, family, and drama. But what does each platform offer on its own?

Netflix currently offers almost 20,000 titles across its entire catalog, while Disney+ offers over 500 films and over 850 TV series. Netflix’s biggest shows (hosted and original content) include You, Stranger Things, Orange Is The New Black, Squid Game, Bridgerton, Rick and Morty, Demon Slayer, and The US Office (outside of the U.S.).

Disney+ also has some big titles (both hosted and original), including Bob’s Burgers, New Girl, What We Do In The Shadows, Solar Opposites, and The Bear. On top of this, Disney+ offers its entire catalog of Disney films (including Pixar and Disney), from classics like The Aristocats to modern favorites like Frozen. What’s more, Disney+ hosts movies and TV shows from the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, as well as series and documentaries by National Geographic and Star.

Evidently, Netflix has a much larger catalog of content , but it’s important to remember that the full catalog isn’t available to everyone. Which of Netflix’s hosted shows and movies you can watch depends on your geographical location. For instance, there are shows on Netflix Japan that aren’t available on Netflix US, and vice versa.

Netflix vs. Disney+: Pricing

Both Disney+ and Netflix are paid platforms, but the cost you’ll incur depends on the plan you choose.

Netflix has the following pricing plans:

Standard with ads: $6.99
Standard: $15.49
Premium: $22.99

Disney+, on the other hand, has just two price tiers:

Disney+ Basic: $7.99/month
Disney+ Premium: $13.99/month (or $139.99/year)

There are three key differences between these varying plans: the use of ads, the picture quality, and the screen limits.

The cheapest plans for both Disney+ and Netflix include ads, meaning that you’ll have to watch advertisements during commercial breaks, as you would watching a traditional TV channel. To avoid ads, you’ll need to pay a significantly higher price.

Disney+ and Netflix’s ad-supported plans support a maximum picture quality of 1080p full HD. The two next plans up, Standard and Disney+ Premium, offer a maximum picture quality of 1080p full HD and 4K UHD and HDR, respectively.

Unlike Disney+, Netflix has a third and final tier, known as Premium. This is the most expensive tier, coming in at $22.99 monthly, and offers the maximum number of screens and UHD streaming. We’ll delve into the two platforms’ screen limits in the next section.

On the other hand, there is an extra Disney+ tier for UK users, which offers Basic with ads for £4.99/month.

Disney+ also offers bundle deals for U.S. customers. You can get Disney with Hulu and ESPN+ and/or Live TV (either with or without ads) as a bundle for a monthly fee:

Disney+ and Hulu with ads: $10/month
Disney+ and Hulu without ads: $20/month
Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ with ads: $15/month
Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ without ads: $25/month
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Live TV with ads: $77/month
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Live TV without ads: $90/month

Again, note that these bundle deals are for U.S customers only.

Streaming screen limits determine how many people can watch content on separate screens from one account simultaneously. The screen limit of your Netflix account depends on the plan you’re using:

Standard with ads: 2 screens
Standard: 2 screens
Premium: 4 screens

Netflix allows you to add “extra members” to your bill , meaning an entirely new account is created, but you still make the payment. This will give you twice the number of screens. It costs $7.99 monthly to add a new member.

On Disney+, the following screen limits apply:

Disney+ Basic: 2 screens
Disney+ Premium: 2 screens
*Disney +Basic with ads (for UK users): 2 screens

Watching downloaded content offline on these platforms can allow you to bypass the set screen limits, but this doesn’t work 100 percent of the time.

Netflix began cracking down on password sharing in 2023 when it added a number of anti-password sharing features, such as adding new members and transferring profiles. On top of this, Netflix created “Household,” a feature that prevents people from using your Netflix account outside your designated home location. This makes password sharing a lot trickier, though it is technically possible to tackle the issue by using a VPN.

Disney+, on the other hand, has announced its intention to ban password sharing from March 14, 2024, and onward. Similarly to Netflix, Disney+ will offer the ability for password sharers to open their own, separate accounts, discouraging password sharing.

Netflix vs Disney+: User Experience

Truthfully, both the Disney+ and Netflix user interfaces are fairly similar, be it on your desktop or mobile. Netflix’s home page consists of categories based on your preferences and user favorites, as well as your watchlist and the content you’re currently watching.

By clicking the three horizontal lines on the left-hand side of the screen, you can go to your account, view your downloaded content, and search for specific categories.

There’s also a search icon on the top-right of the home screen that you can use to search for specific titles.

Disney+’s desktop layout is pretty similar to that of Netflix, with separate categories relating to popular TV shows, your preferences, your watchlist, and the shows you’re currently watching.

You can access your profile by clicking on your avatar at the top-right of the screen, and can access your watchlist and certain content categories in the horizontal menu bar at the top of the page.

All in all, both platforms are fairly easy to navigate.

Netflix vs. Disney+: Regional Availability

Both Netflix and Disney+ are available in the US, UK, Europe, and Canada, but what about the rest of the world? The majority of countries worldwide allow Netflix and Disney+ streaming, but there are a few exceptions.

Netflix is blocked in the following countries: North Korea, China, Crimea, Iran, Syria, Russia.

Disney+ is not available in these countries: North Korea, China, Crimea, Iran, Syria, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

You can still access Netflix or Disney+ in certain scenarios with a VPN , but this depends on your country of residence and the VPN you’re using. Disney+ and Netflix do not outright ban VPN users but can block access to certain VPN IP addresses that have been flagged previously.

Even if you aren’t in a country banned by Netflix or Disney+, you may still wish to dabble with using a VPN to circumvent the regional restrictions on specific content we highlighted above.

Our Verdict

If you’re big on Marvel and Star Wars, Disney+ is the obvious choice for you, as the platform hosts all the content from these franchises for your enjoyment, as well as an array of other popular TV series and movies.

However, if you’re not big on the above franchises and want to access a wider catalog of shows using a solid VPN, Netflix may better suit your preferences. Additionally, Netflix’s cheapest plan is a dollar-per-month cheaper than Disney+, which is great for a super budget-friendly option but does incur commercial breaks.

In terms of picture quality, you cannot access 4K or UHD on Netflix without paying a hefty $22.99 monthly, whereas Disney+ offers this high-quality resolution for $13.99 monthly. If you’re a resolution enthusiast but don’t want to splash the cash too severely, Disney+ comes out on top.

So, overall:

Best for Big Franchises: Disney+
Best for Price: Netflix for basic plan, Disney+ for premium plan
Best for Choice: Netflix
Best for Bundles: Disney+
Best for Accessibility: Both

These two streaming platforms share a lot of similarities and can both be used to stream high-quality content. So, worry not; you won’t be much worse off with either choice.

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Stream in Style: Deciding Between Disney+ and Netflix for Your Entertainment Needs