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Read more…Netflix Australia vs Prime Video: Price, content and features compared
We weigh up the 2 biggest streaming providers in the world and compare their performance in Australia.
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We've come a long way since Netflix first revolutionised streaming and prompted other entertainment providers to follow suit. There's currently plenty of choice on the streaming market, with new services popping up left and right seemingly every few months.
Despite fresh competitors, industry giants Netflix and Prime Video are still going strong. The 2 platforms have been continually improving over the last few years, expanding their content libraries and adding features meant to entice potential subscribers to give them a shot.
But if you had to only pick 1, which streaming service should you go with? Our thorough Netflix vs Prime Video comparison will help you make a better choice.
Price
Prime Video and Netflix do things a little differently when it comes to package pricing. The former takes a free trial approach that rolls into a single monthly fee when your time is up. The latter dispenses its services in 3 separate tiers, currently with no free trial available.
In Netflix's case, the Basic tier will get you Standard Definition (SD) and 1 concurrent stream for $10.99/month, Standard gets you High Definition (HD) and 2 concurrent streams for $16.99/month and Premium will get you the crème de la crème: 4K streaming and 4 concurrent streams for $22.99/month.
Meanwhile, Prime Video is free with Amazon Prime, which offers a generous 30-day trial. Once your free month is up, subscriptions cost only $6.99/month. Prime Video offers title in 4K video quality where available and supports 3 simultaneous streams as long as you're watching different content. For the same title, you can watch on 2 devices at the same time.
Both services come with no contracts, so you can cancel anytime. When it comes to price, however, Prime Video is the clear winner. Additionally, Amazon Prime comes with extra shopping perks like free or expedited shipping, access to exclusive deals and more.
Content library
Let's start by looking at raw numbers. Pure library totals.
At last check in June 2022, Prime Video had 2,097 TV shows and 9,080 movies with a total of 11,1777 titles. Meanwhile, Netflix Australia had 2,254 TV shows and 4,190 movies with a total of 6,444 titles.
While Prime Video wins overall, it's worth noting the vast difference in content specifically. Netflix has spent a lot of money investing in original productions. Prime Video, on the other hand, bulks out its library with a greater range of older and lesser-known movies and international titles.
On the same note, quantity isn't everything. What you like to watch will influence which service you choose, so it's worth taking some time to explore each library and figure out which of the 2 looks more appealing.
Netflix is known for international TV hits like Stranger Things, Squid Game, Ozark, Money Heist, The Witcher, Shadow and Bone or Sex Education. On the movie front, it offers both critically acclaimed titles like The Power of the Dog and crowd-pleasers like Red Notice or The Adam Project. Explore their library and you'll find a lot of documentaries and reality shows as well, so there's truly something for the entire family.
The streaming giant has lost a big deal of licensed content given the rise of other platforms, but their originals make up for that. The only problem is that their titles greatly vary in quality, so you'll occasionally stumble upon stuff you don't like.
Prime Video has been accelerating its original content too in the past few years, which ranges from docos to reality shows to movies and TV series. The service doesn't offer as many new monthly releases as Netflix, but there's still plenty to watch.
Highlights include shows like The Boys, The Terminal List, The Wilds, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Reacher and The Wheel of Time; as well as movies like The Tomorrow War and Being the Ricardos.
Their library of licensed content is more extensive than Netflix's - something to keep in mind if you want to watch older series like Supernatural, for example.
Kids programming
Prime Video offers a mix of originals and licensed movies and shows that will keep kids busy for a few days at least. Think Totally Spies!, Just Add Magic or Dora the Explorer. You can create a Kids profile as well that restricts access to more adult content.
Netflix has a reputation for premium children’s content that has transferred over to their Australian line-up. Maybe the strongest content partnership Netflix has in the children's department is Dreamworks, which allows it to present quality original series like Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, The Boss Baby: Back in Business and The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants. Besides, the platform offers a Kids profile too and drops new content for children at an impressive rate.
Bottom line: Netflix is king when it comes to kids' programming, while Prime Video's collection is more modest. That being said, parents keen to solely entertain the little ones might be tempted by Disney Plus.
Video quality
Both providers are leveraging technology that's more or less industry standard at this point. Automated bit-rate adaptation technology allows a movie or TV show to stream in line with your Internet speed.
You can also get SD, HD and Ultra HD (4K) on your television set with Netflix, depending on which package you choose. The basic Prime Video membership lets you stream 4K content, no extra fees required. That's quite the deal.
Device compatibility
The upside of both services being around for a while is that they work on almost any device you can think of.
Whether you prefer to watch content on the go via your smartphone or do your binge-watching on the big screen, Netflix and Prime Video come with excellent device compatibility.
They work on laptops, iOS and Android mobile devices, a wide range of smart TV models, selected blu-ray players and set top boxes, game consoles and streaming media devices like Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV. All in all, both services are winners in this department.
Features
Similarly, Netflix and Prime Video share features meant to make streaming as accessible and seamless as possible.
Both services offer subtitles and closed captions, audio description on selected titles, a watchlist feature, multiple profiles and offline viewing. Netflix is better when it comes to looks - the interface is more user-friendly and easier to navigate than Prime Video's, which looks a bit clunky.
A feature unique to Netflix is Play Something, which will automatically start a title from the library when you can't settle on something to watch. The platform also hosts a few interactive titles and is slowly expanding into mobile games, which are available to subscribers for no additional fee.
Prime Video, meanwhile, supports Watch Parties, so you can watch a title online with friends. You also have the option to subscribe to Prime Video Channels, albeit for an extra cost. Channels give you access to even more content through the Prime Video app, so you don't have to constantly switch between services to enjoy your favourite shows and movies.
Available Prime Video Channels in Australia include Paramount Plus, hayu, Acorn TV and more.
Netflix vs Prime Video: final verdict
Both services offer a premium streaming experience, so it ultimately comes down to what you want to watch. Do you want endless choice, a steady influx of new titles and a lot of kids' content? Go with Netflix. Do Prime Video's originals make your heart flutter? Then the choice is clear.
No matter which service speaks to you, you can take advantage of Prime Video's 30-day free trial to go hands-on without spending a cent. With Netflix you must now head on over to the Netflix website and sign up, as there's no longer a free trial. To begin your Prime Video trial, simply click the link below:
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30 DAYS FREE: Sign up to Amazon Prime Video's free trial today Prime Video's free 30-day trial will give you instant access to thousands of premium TV shows and movies. T&Cs apply. Last verified |
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