Top 3 Essential Streaming Services You Can’t Live Without
Remember the days when there were only a handful of premium streaming services? With the explosion of options available now, finding the most effective combination can be challenging. However, I have pinpointed that these three services offer me everything I need while also being budget-friendly.
The Three Essential Premium Streaming Services
- Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle – just $16.99/month with ads or $29.99/month without ads (my preferred choice)
- YouTube Premium – $13.99/month
- Spotify – $11.99/month
For under $60 a month (or $43/month if you opt for ads), you gain access to thousands of shows and movies, millions of ad-free YouTube videos, and an extensive music library. The Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle currently stands out as one of the best streaming deals for the variety and amount of content it provides.
Why Choose the Disney+ Bundle Over Other Streaming Services?
After experimenting with various streaming services, I found myself gravitating towards Disney+, Hulu, and Max more frequently than others. Purchasing the bundle allows savings of nearly 40 percent compared to subscribing to each service separately.
It’s important to mention that if you’re a sports enthusiast, the ESPN bundle might be more appealing than Max. However, you can still catch some live sports on Max.
The reasons I remain loyal to this trio of bundled services include:
- Wider variety of content than other services
- Max integrates Discovery+ programming and TCM
- Each platform features numerous original TV shows and films
- All three services have user-friendly apps
- There is content suitable for all age groups
- Catch the latest episodes from ABC, Fox, FX, and more on Hulu, conveniently organized in hubs
- Offers some live programming
- You can view a lot of content within a single app
- Expanding selection of anime (though dedicated anime streaming services may offer better options)
I’ve tried the ad-supported option and found it tolerable. During my viewing of most movies and shows, I encountered two to four ad breaks averaging around two to five minutes worth of commercials each. However, the timing of the ads can be awkward, prompting me to prefer an ad-free experience.
Why This Bundle is Superior to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
For me, the savings through the bundle alone justify the choice. For instance, the Netflix Standard plan without ads costs $15.49/month. For less than double that, I gain access to three premium streaming platforms! Moreover, Netflix lacks sufficient original content that captivates me enough to keep returning.
Amazon Prime retails for $14.99/month or $139/year. Certainly, if you leverage many of Prime’s other benefits, having Amazon Prime can be advantageous. However, with their ad introduction and an additional $3/month fee to eliminate them, the ad-free Amazon Prime Video ends up costing $17.99/month.
While I maintain Amazon Prime mainly for the free shipping, I hardly watch anything due to its confusing interface. It often feels like a puzzle to discern what’s included in my subscription versus what’s available for purchase or rental.
YouTube Premium
If forced to pick just one premium streaming service, I would select YouTube Premium. Frequent YouTube users likely share frustrations over the rising number of ads disrupting their viewing experience — I can’t count how many times I’ve encountered freezes due to ad loading issues.
In my experience, the investment in an ad-free environment is worthwhile because I utilize YouTube in diverse ways, such as:
- Home workouts – I have access to endless fitness videos, eliminating the need for a gym membership and saving on fuel.
- Skill acquisition – I’ve picked up cross stitching, crocheting, guitar playing, dancing, piano, woodworking, and more. Such professional lessons would cost significantly more than a YouTube Premium subscription.
- Enhanced focus during work – I enjoy Pomodoro videos and lo-fi music which improve my concentration while I work. Being ad-free allows me to play videos seamlessly in the background.
- Access to free movies – while YouTube’s free movie selection may lack recent blockbusters, they are still available for free and ad-free with Premium.
- YouTube Music Premium included – valued at $10.99/month on its own, but you receive both services for just $13.99/month.
- Offline viewing – while illegal download methods exist, this official option allows legal offline viewing options.
To illustrate the time savings from going ad-free, during a week of regular YouTube viewing, typically two to three hours each day (including listening time), I realized I was spending around 30 minutes daily on ads. That translates to an astonishing 3.5 hours of content gained per week simply by removing ads!
Why Subscribe to Spotify for Music?
You may be asking why I would choose Spotify, given that YouTube Premium already includes YouTube Music. Personally, YouTube struggles to keep its app experiences separate. I prefer the ability to customize artists, create playlists, and save as many songs as I like without being driven by lo-fi video views altering my music recommendations.
Until they improve their infrastructure to meet subscriber input, my preference will remain with Spotify, as it consistently recommends new music I genuinely enjoy.
Having utilized Spotify for over two years before subscribing to YouTube Premium, I’m reluctant to switch or compromise with lesser alternatives.
Enhance Your Viewing with Free Streaming Services
If you think you need additional variety, I assure you that I have yet to exhaust my options for content to watch or listen to. Nonetheless, I like to supplement my three premium streaming services with several free ones that provide live channels, news, on-demand, and original content. My personal favorites include Pluto TV (excellent CBS content), Tubi (great for the latest FOX reality shows), and Freevee (offering some Amazon Prime content).
Ultimately, successful streaming service savings come down to selecting the right options for your individual preferences. For me, these three services fulfill all my entertainment needs.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Crystal Crowder.
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