We’re streaming more content than ever. A recent Nielsen report said that since the quartine started in early March, streaming on televisions is up 85 percent, leading to an estimated grand total of 400 billion minutes of streamed TV minutes. (Oddly, people are streaming less music now that we’re home.) This means that you’ve likely exhausted most of the movies and shows that your current service, be it Netflix or Apple TV+, is offering, and you’re wondering what else is out there.
We’ve rounded up the most popular streaming services (including movies, shows and music) and what free trials they are currently offering. That way you can try something out without having to hand over your hard-earned dough.
Movies and Shows
Netflix
The free trial: Netflix currently offers a 1-month free trial.
Normal costs: Netflix offers three different plans. The Basic Plan costs $9/month, allows one person to be signed on at a time, and it delivers up to an SD quality stream. The Standard plan costs $13/month, allows two people to be streaming at once, and delivers up to an HD quality stream. And the Premium plan costs $16/month, allows four people to be streaming at once, and delivers up to an Ultra HD quality stream.
YouTube Premium
The free trial: YouTube Premium offers a 1-month free trial for first time subscribers.
Normal costs: YouTube Premium costs $12/month after the free trial is offer. Subscribers get ad-free access to all YouTube and YouTube Music content.
Hulu
The free trial: Hulu offers a 1-month free trial of its standard service or a 7-day free trial of its Hulu and Live TV package.
Normal costs: Hulu offers four different plans. Hulu Basic costs $6/month and gets you access to most of Hulu’s content, but there will be ads. Hulu Premium costs $12/month and gets subscribers ad-free content to most of Hulu’s content. Then you can bundle the Basic and Premium plans with Hulu’s Live TV package for $55/month and $61/month, respectively. You can bundle a subscription with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $13/month, here.
Amazon Prime Video
The free trial: If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you get a free premium subscription of Amazon Prime Video.
Normal costs: If you’re not an Amazon Prime member, a subscription to Amazon Prime Video costs $9/month. (Amazon Prime costs $13/month or $6.50/month for students.)
Disney+
The free trial: Disney+ offers a 7-day free trial when you first sign up.
Normal costs: Disney+ costs $7/ month or $70/year. You can bundle a subscription with ESPN+ and Hulu for $13/month, here.
Apple TV+
The free trial: You get a 1-year free trial of Apple TV+ when you buy an new Apple device. If you haven’t bought a new Apple device, you can get a 7-day free trial.
Normal costs: Apple TV+ costs only $5/month or $50/year, and that includes Family Sharing.
ESPN+
The free trial: ESPN+ does not offer a free trial anymore.
Normal costs: ESPN+ costs $5/month or $50/year. You can bundle a subscription with Hulu and Disney+ for $13/month, here.
Music
Spotify
The free trial: Spotify offers a 60-day free trial of Spotify Premium, its ad-free service. If you’ve been a Spotify Premium subscriber in the past, you are ineligible for the free trial.
Normal costs: Spotify Premium currently costs $10/month and $5/month for students.
Apple Music
The free trial: Apple Music offers a 3-month (90-day) free trial to first time subscribers, but you can actually get an extra month free if you buy through Best Buy.
Normal costs: Apple Music currently costs $10/month for individuals, $15/month for a family plan, or $5/month for college students.
Tidal
The free trial: Tidal typical offers a 60-day free trial to new subscribers of its HiFi and Premium plans, but right now you can get an even better deal: you can get the first four months of either plan for $1/month, tallying up to a grand total of $4. It’s technically not a free trial, but it’s a heck of an offer.
Normal costs: Tidal Premium normally costs $10/month and allows you to listen to over 60,000 tracks in standard sound quality. Tidal HiFi is the more premium subscription that normally costs $20/month and allows subscribers to listen to those same tracks in true lossless hi-fi sound quality.
Pandora
The free trial: Pandora offers a 30-day free trial of Pandora Plus and a 60-day free trial of Pandora Premium.
Normal costs: Pandora Plus costs $5/month and users can skip unlimited songs and download some songs for offline listening. Pandora Premium costs $10/month and allows subscribers to have everything the Plus plan offers, but they can download unlimited songs and they can also create and share playlists.
Amazon Music Unlimited
The free trial: New subscribers to Amazon Music Unlimited get a 3-month free trial.
Normal costs: Amazon Music Unlimited costs $8/month for Prime members or $10/month for non-members.
