Is Disney+ Worth the Cost or Should You Save Your Money?
Written by
Gail Kellner
Edited by
Caitlyn Moorhead
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Disney+ offers several plan options and bundling packages including everything from Duo Basics to Trio Premiums. However, your budget probably doesn’t allow you to subscribe to every streaming service, so you may be asking yourself if Disney+ by itself is worth it. It certainly depends on what kind of content you like to watch, but also the monthly price is a factor.
Here are a few key takeaways for costs with Disney+ subscription plans:
- Disney+ Basic (with ads): $9.99 a month
- Disney+ Premium (no ads): $15.99 a month or $159.99 a year
- Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium (no ads): $19.99 a month
- Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Basic (with ads): $16.99 a month
- Disney+ (no ads), Hulu, (no ads) ESPN+ (with ads) Bundle Premium: $26.99 a month
- Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle (with ads): $16.99 a month
- Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle (no ads): $29.99 a month
What Does Disney+ Offer?
Disney has a huge advantage as a streaming service due to the vault of classic Disney films and television shows. Disney+ also offers movies and shows from the Marvel Universe, Star Wars, National Geographic and Pixar, as well as a range of Disney Channel movies and TV shows.
Disney+ spent $71.3 billion to acquire the film and TV rights to Twentieth Century Fox, as well, so they could add those titles to their offerings. In addition, Disney has invested in a ton of original programming so it can compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Disney Plus vs. Other Streaming Platform Competitors
There are no shortage of streaming services. If you’re considering Disney+, perhaps it would help to compare it to what other streaming services offer.
Netflix
Netflix offers a wide variety of both original and licensed content. The base price for its standard plan with ads is $7.99 a month.
Pros:
- Wide variety of movies and series, both original and licensed
- Plans start at $7.99 a month for the Basic with ads plan, up to $24.99 a month for the Premium plan, which includes ad-free access to all content, streaming on four devices simultaneously, plus 4K Ultra HD and HDR
Cons:
- Popular films and TV series leave Netflix programming regularly
- Cost of their premium tiers is on the higher end compared with similar streamers
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime, which includes Amazon Video, costs $15.99 a month and offers content such as “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” and “The Boys.” It also offers both original and licensed content.
Pros:
- Great original content
- Prime Video is also available as a standalone streaming service for $8.99 per month.
- Offer NFL games on Thursday nights
- Supports 4K Ultra HD
Cons:
- Not as much kid-friendly content as Disney+
- Some content still needs to be rented or bought separately to be watched
Max
Max, originally HBO, then HBO Max, has a huge variety of movies and shows including some original content.
Pros:
- Ad-free plan available
- Parental control features
- Includes Warner Bros. content
Cons:
- The most affordable plan at $9.99 a month includes ads, and the ad-free plan is relatively expensive at $16.99 a month
- Max can be added to your Hulu account instead of being a separate streaming service you pay for
Peacock
Peacock is the subscription version of NBC. It offers a ton of NBC series, and premium subscribers have access to over 20,000 programs.
Pros:
- Flexible pricing options
- Live sports
- Some free content
Cons:
- Ads on both free and Premium content
- No offline downloads on lower-priced plans
- Premium Plus plan still has ads on select content
What’s Next for Disney Plus?
Like many companies, Disney had to adjust to the pandemic-era world, and it did that in part by creating new content for Disney+. As the world readjusts and restrictions lift, Disney continues to create original content for Disney+. It has a slew of content coming for Star Wars and Marvel, not to mention continuations of hits like “The Mandalorian” and content for their Pixar and Disney platforms.
Disney+ has recently begun including more mature content, as well, which can be easily disabled — and when it is enabled, it can be accessed only on profiles that are secured with a PIN.
Final Take To GO: Is Disney+ Worth It?
The bottom line is that for many Marvel, Pixar or Star Wars fans, the featured content available on Disney+ is worth the monthly fee. For parents of small children, the large amount of quality kids’ content makes it stand out among streaming services. The content the consumer desires will determine whether having a Disney+ subscription is worth it.
Disney+ offers a lot of movies and original series. Disney appears to be beefing up its original content, especially with new series.
If you have children, there’s plenty to keep them entertained on Disney+. For adults, Star Wars and Marvel fans will find plenty to keep them interested. You could argue that Disney is generally aimed at kids and kids-at-heart — but Disney+ recently began adding more mature content, suggesting that adults will find more to watch on Disney+ in the future.
Starting at $9.99 a month, Disney+ is one of the cheaper streaming services available. For the money, Disney+ offers good value for anyone interested in its content.
Gail Kellner contributed to the reporting for this article.
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