Streaming services have dominated our culture for several years now, and the time of cable packages is behind us. That said, as the number of streaming services on offer increase, the subscriptions can add up. It’s unrealistic to purchase every single one available, especially if you’re only interested in certain movies or television shows. That’s why evaluated all the streaming options (including Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and HBO Max) to choose the best streaming service in 2023. This useful guide should help you decide which ones to subscribe to.

Your streaming budget probably shifts, depending on which services are worth your time and money. Your choices likely depend on which original shows and movies you want, how important a back catalog of older TV shows is to you, whether you need to consider kids, roommates or sports fans — and your budget. Disney Plus launched its ad-supported plan and raised the price of its ad-free version, all while rolling out four Disney Bundles. Meanwhile, Netflix with ads arrived at $7 per month. Some services offer cheaper options (like Peacock’s free tier), while others come essentially free as part of a bundle (like ESPN Plus in the Disney Bundle).

We’ve reviewed each of these streaming services individually, and assigned numeric ratings based on content, app design and features and overall value. Certainly, some personal preferences regarding content mix influence our decisions, so note that if you love a specific show or style of show, you may have a different favorite.

With that in mind, here’s our list.

How we test streaming services

Chances are you’re already pretty familiar with most of the names on this list, but it’s by no means comprehensive. There are plenty of other ways to stream, and hundreds of other choices out there. As we evaluated these particular streaming options, we kept certain things in mind.

This list is ordered based on the numerical value I assigned to each streaming service in their individual review, which I determined by design (i.e. ease of use across different TV and mobile platforms), features (like 4K HDR, mobile downloads, recommendations, watch lists and number of streams), content (number of shows and quality of originals and back catalogs) and value (price compared to these other factors). Click through to the full reviews for more details.

Streaming services FAQs

Want more? Check out CNET’s Streaming TV Insider for advice on what to watch, the latest streaming news, help, how-to and more.

More recommendations

• Best Live TV Streaming Service for Cord-Cutters
• Best Cheap Internet Providers of 2023