Amazon Prime Video vs Netflix: Which is the better streaming platform for you?

Although Netflix is arguably the original media streaming service, it is by no means alone in the industry. There are many streaming services out there all vying for your monthly subscription dollars. One of those services is Amazon Prime Video, which begs the question: which service should you get?

The Amazon Prime vs Netflix decision isn’t easy. After all, an Amazon Prime subscription doesn’t just give you access to streaming movies and TV; there are many more perks on offer too.

However, if all you care about is which service you should pay for when it comes to watching movies and television shows, you should examine the strengths and weaknesses of each platform to come to your conclusion.

Let’s take a look at who wins the Amazon Prime vs Netflix fight!

Best streaming services: The major players

Amazon Prime vs Netflix: Video quality

With display resolutions on TVs, smartphones, laptops, and all other electronics getting better and better, you want to be certain that the media you stream matches the quality of your display. After all, what’s the point of having a crisp 4K computer monitor if what you’re watching maxes out at 480p?

When it comes to Netflix and media quality, you have some options. There are three subscription tiers offered by Netflix, and each one allows you to stream at different resolutions:

• Basic — HD (480p max)
• Standard — Full HD (1080p max)
• Premium — Ultra HD (4K max)

Obviously, the price goes up the higher your streaming quality goes (more on that later). Also, it should be noted that only select content on Netflix will have a 4K option.

Amazon Prime is much more straightforward: your annual Prime subscription fee allows you to watch any available content at the highest quality possible, which in some cases would mean a 4K resolution.

Both services also stream with HDR support and Dolby Atmos sound quality, assuming your home theater setup supports those features. In the case of Netflix, support for those features is only available with the Premium tier subscription.

Amazon Prime vs Netflix: Platforms

There are so many streaming devices available nowadays. You’ve got your standalone devices like a Roku or Fire TV, as well as smart TVs with various apps pre-installed. You’ve also got laptops, smartphones, and tablets, all of which might have different operating systems and different features and limitations.

Related: The best media streaming devices you can buy

With that in mind, you want to subscribe to a service that offers the best compatibility with all the screens in your life.

At this point, both Netflix and Amazon support all the major platforms, with both services having apps for the majority of streaming devices, as well as specific apps for Android, iOS, Windows, etc.

However, if you were to get picky, Netflix is supported on slightly more devices than Amazon Prime. If you have some very niche needs when it comes to your streaming devices, Netflix will likely be the most reliable option here.

Amazon Prime vs Netflix: Number of streams

Both Amazon and Netflix limit the number of simultaneous streams you can have going on your account at any given time. This prevents you from sharing your account with your extended family or large friend network — though many still do it.

That being said, the two companies understand that you might want to have one stream going on your living room TV, while your kids have another stream going on the family tablet. As such, they offer options.

Since Netflix has tiered subscriptions, your simultaneous streaming limit goes up with the more you spend each month:

• Basic — One stream only
• Standard — Two simultaneous streams
• Premium — Four simultaneous streams

Amazon does things a little differently. Each Amazon Prime member can stream on up to three devices at once. However, you can only stream the same media on two devices at once. Netflix doesn’t have this limit — if you’re a Premium tier Netflix subscriber, you could stream the same program on four devices at once without issue.

Amazon Prime vs Netflix: Content

If you’re going to pay for only one streaming service, you want the one with the most content. Ultimately though, when you examine Netflix, Amazon Prime, or any other service, which one jibes the most with your taste is going to be pretty subjective.

For example, Amazon has a lot more movies on offer as compared to Netflix. Knowing that, you might assume Amazon is the better choice for film lovers. Unfortunately, many of the movies Amazon offers are B-grade oldies or straight-to-video fare you’ll likely never want to watch. Littered among those movies are some bigger hits and originals, but some of those will be a few years old.

Related: The best sci-fi shows on Netflix

Meanwhile, Netflix offers fewer films, but the ones it does offer are usually of a higher caliber.

When it comes to television series, Netflix is by far the winner. Not only does it have a larger selection of series content, but its original shows are also some of the most popular programs of the past decade, including Squid Game, Bridgerton, Stranger Things, The Witcher, Black Mirror, Tiger King, The Queen’s Gambit, and many more.

Amazon Prime Video isn’t out of the running on originals though. It has some great original shows too, including Reacher, The Wheel of Time, The Boys, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Jack Ryan. One of its bigger, recent titles is the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Amazon Prime vs Netflix: Live events and other extras

One major differentiating factor between Amazon Prime Video and Netflix is the availability of extras like channels and live events on Amazon.

At every price point, Netflix gives you the same content. You can get higher video quality, more simultaneous streams, and so on, but the films and series you get are always the same.

On Amazon Prime Video, you can customize your subscription.

Check out: The best live streaming services

Among those customizations are channels. Amazon Prime Video Channels let you build out your streaming package à la carte. You can pay for individual channels, including live channels and streaming add-ons like Discovery Plus, Starz, and Shudder.

That means you can watch live programming as an Amazon Prime Video subscriber. You’ll have to either pay for one of the live channels or for individual live events, so that might bump you way out of the Netflix price range, but it’s an option you just won’t get with Netflix.

Amazon Prime vs Netflix: Downloads

If you’re going to be away from the internet for a while, don’t worry: both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video allow you to download content to your devices. This enables you to watch streaming content from the platforms without a data connection.

Because you download content through the platforms’ respective apps, your watch history gets synced. For example, let’s say you’re bingeing Stranger Things. You download all of the second season to your phone. While you’re away from an internet connection, you watch three of those downloaded episodes. Then, when you get home, your phone reconnects to the internet and syncs your views. That way, when you continue with your Stranger Things binge on your TV, the Netflix app will know where you left off.

See also: The best classic movies on Amazon Prime video right now

However, both Netflix and Amazon Prime restrict how much you can download and how many devices you can work with. As with the other aspects of Netflix, those limits are tiered:

• Basic — Up to 100 downloads on one device
• Standard — Up to 100 downloads total on two devices
• Premium — Up to 100 downloads total on four devices

Amazon’s download policy is a bit vaguer. The company has a maximum limit of the number of downloads you can have at one time, but it doesn’t divulge what that maximum is. The undisclosed maximum is also different depending on your area of the world. However, it is clear that you can only download content to two devices at any one time, which lines up with Netflix’s Standard plan.

Amazon Prime vs Netflix: Additional perks

Although Netflix still has a DVD mail-out service, its three tiers of subscription plans don’t have any additional features or perks. You pay a flat fee each month which allows you to stream as much content as you want, and that’s it.

An Amazon Prime subscription, on the other hand, comes with so many additional perks. You get free Prime shipping for anything you buy from the company as well as access to a free music service called Amazon Prime Music. There’s also unlimited photo storage, the Kindle lending library that essentially gets you free e-books, and even discounts at Whole Foods supermarkets, which Amazon owns.

Sure, none of those perks have anything to do with streaming movies or TV shows, so you might not care about them. But if you want to get the most out of your subscription, Amazon Prime offers much more than Netflix.

Amazon Prime vs Netflix: Price

As mentioned a few times now, Netflix has tiered subscription plans. Here are the prices and limitations to each plan:

• Basic — One stream only with a 480p quality limit for $9.99 per month
• Standard — Two simultaneous streams at 1080p for $15.49 per month
• Premium — Four simultaneous streams at 4K with HDR and Dolby Atmos for $19.99 per month

Meanwhile, Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month. If you pay yearly, you get a significant discount of over $40, bringing your annual price down to $139. You can also get Amazon Prime Video all by itself, without any of the other Amazon Prime perks, for $8.99 a month. Amazon also offers several discount programs, such as one for currently enrolled students.

When it comes to your yearly spend, the Basic Netflix plan and the standalone Amazon Prime Video plan are your cheapest options. However, for only $12 more per year than what you’d pay for Netflix’s cheapest plan, you can get the full Amazon Prime subscription that comes with the bevy of perks mentioned in the previous section.

Which one is right for you?

So, which one should you pick? If you want to get the most out of your dollars, our suggestion would be to go with Amazon Prime. If you want to spend the least amount of money possible, we suggest going with the Basic Netflix plan or the stand-alone Amazon Prime Video tier.

Ultimately though, we highly recommend going with the Basic Netflix plan and the full version of Amazon Prime. If you do, you’ll get the incredible selection of content Netflix offers as well as the content and perks Amazon Prime offers. If you can afford to spend just under $260 per year — or around $22 per month if you budget it out for yourself — this is the ideal situation.

Let us know in the comments which service you think is best!

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