It appears that traditional cable television might be dying due to the rise of streaming services. It’s hard for the average young adult to invest in all of these services and even harder to choose which to subscribe to. Thanks to free trials, I was able to test out each streaming service to see which one is the best and worth your money.

8. Funimation
Price: 3/5
Selection: 2/5
Design: 2/5
Original Content: 0/5

Funimation is an entertainment company that dubs and translates shows. However, it’s also one of the top streaming services for anime. I wouldn’t recommend leaving space for Funimation on your streaming services budget unless you’re an avid anime watcher. While it’s one of the cheaper options at $5.99/month, the selection is pretty niche, and there’s no original content. Also, you can find its most popular animes on other platforms. If you do want to test out Funimation, there is a free plan where you can watch everything for the price of ads.

7. Crunchyroll
Price: 2/5
Selection: 3/5
Design: 1/5
Original Content: 2/5

Crunchyroll is another streaming service that specializes in anime. There really isn’t that much of a difference between Crunchyroll and Funimation in terms of selection. Though, a standard plan at Crunchyroll is more expensive at $8.99/month, but, like Funimation, they have a free plan which comes with ads. When it comes to content, I haven’t heard that much buzz about Crunchyroll’s original animes, but I can say that they look good. The only critique I have for this service is that it has my least favorite layout. However, I have to place it higher because many anime fans prefer Crunchyroll over its competitors.

6. Paramount+
Price: 5/5
Selection: 3/5
Design: 2/5
Original Content: 2/5

Paramount+ just launched March of this year, which makes it the newest streaming service on the list. It’s also affordable with users having to pay $4.99/month and college students getting an additional 25% off. Outside of the phenomenal pricing, the selection is a little lackluster. The content doesn’t seem to reach outside a basic cable channel lineup. The only selling point that Paramount+ truly has for me is the “iCarly” reboot. However, I will say that Paramount+ is a good alternative for college students without cable.

5. HBO Max
Price: 2/5
Selection: 4/5
Design: 3/5
Original Content: 4/5

HBO might’ve been a household name for years, but this streaming service only launched last year. It’s the most expensive service on the list, priced at $9.99/month with ads and $14.99 without ads. I do think it’s priced accurately because the selection, especially for movies, is amazing. Moreover, HBO owns popular shows you can’t find anywhere else such as “Game of Thrones” and “Euphoria.” Still, the average person might not be able to afford it on top of rent and other bills.

4. Disney+
Price: 3/5
Selection: 3/5
Design: 4/5
Original Content: 4/5

I was not the biggest fan of Disney+ when I first heard about it a couple of years ago. Honestly, I didn’t like that all movies owned by Disney were going to disappear from the other streaming service I used. However, I ended up enjoying Disney+ greatly when I bit the bullet and started paying $7.99/month. They have great original shows such as “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” and “WandaVision” as well as almost every Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel movie.

3. Hulu
Price: 5/5
Selection: 4/5
Design: 2/5
Original Content: 3.5/5

Hulu is definitely a good streaming service, especially for college students on a budget. Hulu offers a student discount for $1.99/month for its ​​ad-supported plan, and you can add Spotify Premium for an additional $3. This makes Hulu the most affordable streaming service on the list. However, I will admit that the constant ads while watching movies and shows get annoying at times. Additionally, I’m not a big fan of Hulu’s digital layout because I find it hard to find new content compared to other platforms. However, Hulu is amazing once you ignore the ads and layout!

2. Amazon Prime Video
Price: 5/5
Selection: 5/5
Design: 3/5
Original Content: 3/5

When people think of Amazon, the first thing that comes to mind might be the one-day Prime shipping or Jeff Bezos. However, I think Amazon Prime Video might be one of the most underrated streaming services. While Amazon Prime gives the same energy as a movie theater in a mall, I can’t deny that it’s so convenient. College students only have to pay $6.49/month, which is amazing because it includes free and fast shipping for Amazon purchases on top of the streaming service. I’d definitely recommend Amazon Prime Video if you’re looking for a new streaming service!

1. Netflix
Price: 3/5
Selection: 5/5
Design: 5/5
Original Content: 5/5

Netflix was the first streaming service and remains the best one. While it’s not as expensive as HBO Max, it’s on the pricier side. For just one person, you can expect to pay $8.99/month. However, while that price can fluctuate depending on your plan, I still think it’s worth including in your budget. It has the best original content out of all the streaming platforms with shows such as “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Stranger Things.” From anime to reality shows, Netflix also has a wide variety when it comes to its selection. With its content and personalization features, Netflix should be your top choice when it comes to choosing a streaming service!

There you have it! It’s hard to choose only a few streaming services when there are so many out there. We at The Clog hope that this power ranking helped you decide which streaming services are right for you.