Netflix vs Hulu

[Cadus]

So I only have Netflix. I’ve used Hulu a bit, but it was a while ago. I know that they have some different shows, but is it worth getting HuluPlus if I already have Netflix?

I have already seen most of the shows on Netflix, but they come out with stuff frequently enough to where I always have someone to watch. Thanks, people

 

[SJ Coryell]

I personally have both and use them both fairly equally. Hulu tends to have the newer shows and movies so if you want current things that is the system you want. Netflix tends to have older shows and movies so if you are looking for classics and lesser known titles then that is the way to go. Both have kids programs but what is on Netflix is usualy not on Hulu and vice versa. So I think both have benifits.

 

[Cadus]

I didn't even know that hulu had movies lol
Do you have both Netflix and Hulu? Which do you use more? I actually don't want to pay for both if I don't have to, so I guess I'm wanting people's preferences

 

[Aaron62]

I didn't even know that hulu had movies lol
Do you have both Netflix and Hulu? Which do you use more? I actually don't want to pay for both if I don't have to, so I guess I'm wanting people's preferences

The general consensus here from past posts is:
Netflix Movies > Hulu Plus Movies
Netflix Newer TV Shows < Hulu Plus Newer TV Shows
Netflix Older TV Shows > Hulu Plus Older TV Shows

In terms of value for paying for membership, Netflix is cool for the first year or two, and then it's not really worth keeping if you're hoping for new stuff. Hulu Plus is a good value if you don't have a DVR and want to watch the newest shows whenever you want.

 

[CaliTVguy]

@Aaron,
I do find the original programming on Netflix to be worth the money for Netflix streaming. There's enough new stuff that pops in there, that we keep up the streaming subscription. We don't currently subscribe to Hulu.

 

[reverenddejesus]

The TV shows featured on Netflix tend to only include episodes up to 1-2 years before the current airings. The archive of programs on HuluPlus are generally only go back 1 or 2 years. Therefore, it's possible to get the latest and past episodes of quite a few TV series (and what you can't get, you can't get anywhere, like HBO shows) by having both Netflix and HuluPlus and moving between them. It's not entirely foolproof, especially as HuluPlus like to remove older seasons of TV series quite frequently, but you can catch up on several TV shows by having them side-by-side. There's far more overlap between the programs featured on Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, so I'd recommend getting one or the other along with HuluPlus.

 

[Fan-boy-comics]

Not to toot my own horn, but I think this is the best comparison of the two you will find on this website

http://www.dtvusaforum.com/blogs/fa...rison-average-consumer-hulu-plus-netflix.html

 

[Aaron62]

It's not entirely foolproof, especially as HuluPlus like to remove older seasons of TV series quite frequently, but you can catch up on several TV shows by having them side-by-side. There's far more overlap between the programs featured on Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, so I'd recommend getting one or the other along with HuluPlus.

In bold for emphasis. That's one of my main complaints about Hulu Plus, they don't give dates for when shows are going to be taken off of their streaming lineup.

 

[CaliTVguy]

Yeah, if I subscribed to Hulu Plus right now, I would find that aspect of the service pretty annoying! Nothing worse than expecting to be able to watch something and have it taken away!

 

[Cadus]

Yeah, if I subscribed to Hulu Plus right now, I would find that aspect of the service pretty annoying! Nothing worse than expecting to be able to watch something and have it taken away!

Yeah, that does sound pretty annoying. I'm just imagining being on the second to last episode of lost and the series gets taken down. I'd probably punt a puppy.

--Maybe not that one. I'd find an uglier puppy.

 

[CaliTVguy]

Yup, that puppy looks too cute! Should at least get a mean or ugly looking one! If I was within an episode of a series being complete, I would probably get really angry.

 

[FWAmie]

I personally do not like HuluPlus. Now as for why, Ill be honest I tend to like Netflix better because that is what I started out with. But I have tried HuluPlus and I have to admit it isn't bad. So I would say, why not try it out and see if its actually worth having both. Make a list of Pros and Cons of both and what is equal about them.

 

[cherriesandrum]

I literally don't know why anyone would have Hulu Plus. All the actual episodes you want are available free (usually after at most a week, I think). Besides, even if you get Hulu Plus, you'd still have to deal with SO MANY ADS. Netflix doesn't have that.

Just from a quick Google, I found that Netflix had 36.3 million subscribers in March 2013, while Hulu Plus just past 5 million subscribers last December. Big Netflix pro? Pretty much every show and movie your friends have seen and talk about is on there. Even if you don't watch these Netflix-made shows, you've probably heard of Orange is the New Black. And if not, you've DEFINITELY been hearing about House of Cards for the last two weeks. It's not so much about content, but the community this shared content creates. But Netflix is also pumping out Emmy-winning shows.

 

[Cadus]

I legitimately forgot that HuluPlus has ads. What is this, normal TV? Why the heck do you have to pay to view commercials?

Yeah, I've been seeing a ton of stuff about House of Cards lately. I haven't gotten a chance to start it myself, I'm wanting a huge chunk of time to watch it all at once.

Side note, I love your avatar cherriesandrum. Bob's Burgers is so underrated.

 

[cherriesandrum]

THANK YOU. Everyone gets mildly frightened when I get irrationally angry about Youtube videos with five second ads, let alone the idea of paying for commercials. We're of a new age, I suppose.

Hahaha, I recently finished marathoning the first season so I could watch House of Cards when it came out. By the first episode of the second season, I realized I had NO IDEA what I had seen in the first season. So now I'm less engaged with it, but I still refuse to read anything about it until I'm done. So, take that how you will. And yes, Bob's Burgers is the best! Did you notice that the pest truck and the shop next door changes punny names every episode? I am hoping you didn't because I found that out recently too and it made me love the show even more.

 

[Cadus]

I had no idea about the next-door shops, I'll keep an eye out from now on! I know that "Mort" sounds kinda like "morgue," but that's about it.

And geez, I thought that I hated commercials. Five seconds before I can hit "skip" in a YouTube ad is a little too short for me to mind. I don't have time to get mad lol

 

[cherriesandrum]

and

Both SO FUNNY.

 

[reverenddejesus]

Though I'm not really a fan of Netflix's original shows, they are genuinely 'original' and not just an import being called an 'original' by HuluPlus because they happen to be the first TV service to show them in the US. I know Hulu put money into a lot of foreign shows and do a lot to promote TV from abroad in the US, but they still don't have the right to pass off foreign shows shown years ago in their native countries as their own creations. And since HuluPlus is trying to attract the ex-pat audience with its niche TV from around the world (including soap operas, which is a rarity) it can't get away with pretending that this is the first time anyone has seen these programs. I think HuluPlus is also disingenuous about its advertising, and - as has been said - not terribly different from what you would find on cable. There's the same number of commercial interruptions as an on-air show (if minimally less time spent on them) and yet HuluPlus advertises them as 'limited' and advertises the length of each show without commercial breaks while you're watching, which is a lie that even cable doesn't tell!

 

[cherriesandrum]

Yeah, I never made that connection with Hulu's TV shows. After seeing the ad of a particular show over and over, I looked them up online and was confused as to why a particular show was done and already had three seasons. I must admit though, I still want to watch Little Mosque on the Prairie if not for it's hilarious title and the fact it's from Canada of all places.

 

[Cadus]

Though I'm not really a fan of Netflix's original shows, they are genuinely 'original' and not just an import being called an 'original' by HuluPlus because they happen to be the first TV service to show them in the US. I know Hulu put money into a lot of foreign shows and do a lot to promote TV from abroad in the US, but they still don't have the right to pass off foreign shows shown years ago in their native countries as their own creations. And since HuluPlus is trying to attract the ex-pat audience with its niche TV from around the world (including soap operas, which is a rarity) it can't get away with pretending that this is the first time anyone has seen these programs. I think HuluPlus is also disingenuous about its advertising, and - as has been said - not terribly different from what you would find on cable. There's the same number of commercial interruptions as an on-air show (if minimally less time spent on them) and yet HuluPlus advertises them as 'limited' and advertises the length of each show without commercial breaks while you're watching, which is a lie that even cable doesn't tell!

OMG You reminded me why I dislike Hulu commercials so much. It's the repetition. It's the same four commercials over and over and over to the point where I think the ads are working against the companies that put them up because I HATE THEM SO MUCH. When I used to watch Hulu a couple of years ago I remember I had some of the commercials memorized. Sounds kinda cool--it wasn't.