Are you looking to subscribe to another streaming service? If so, you may be wondering what the differences are between Funimation vs. Netflix. You’re in luck! In this blog from Flixed, we’ll be comparing these two streaming services head-to-head across a number of different categories. Read on, learn more, and see which one may be right for you.
Quick Overview – Funimation vs. Netflix
Funimation is a very popular anime streaming service. It focuses pretty much exclusively on Japanese animated TV shows and movies, and it’s second only to Crunchyroll when it comes to its anime lineup. Interestingly, Crunchyroll and Funimation merged in late 2021, so they may be combining forces in the near future.
Netflix likely needs no introduction. It started as a mail-order DVD delivery service, but it’s risen to status of the #1 streaming service in the world, with over 220 million subscribers throughout the entire world. It’s got an enormous content library and tons of originals, and a surprisingly large library of anime, too.
| Funimation | Netflix | |
| Pricing | Premium: $5.99/month Premium Plus: $7.99/month Premium Plus Ultra: $99.99/year | Basic: $9.99/month Standard: $15.49/month Premium: $19.99/month |
| Free Trial Length | 14 Days | None |
| Popular Content | Attack on Titan Jujutsu Kaisen Fire ForceDemon Slayer One Piece | BoJack Horseman Cowboy Bebop Ozark You |
| Original Content | None | Bridgerton Stranger Things Squid Game |
| Home Theater Features | Up to 1080p Stereo Sound | Up to 4KHDR Dolby Atmos 5.1 surround sound |
| Offline Viewing | Yes | Yes |
| Device Support | Web browsers, iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Xbox/PlayStation, select smart TVs | Web browsers, iOS, Android, Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Xbox/PlayStation, most smart TVs, Blu-Ray Players, and set-top boxes |
| Simultaneous Streams | 2-5 (plan dependent) | 1-4 (plan dependent) |
Best Pricing: Funimation vs. Netflix
Funimation wins this category. You’ll pay just $5.99/month for a Premium subscription, which will get you ad-free viewing of its entire anime library. You’ll get full access to thousands of episodes and hundreds of different shows.
On the other hand, Netflix’s cheapest “Basic” plan (which doesn’t even include HD) starts at $9.99/month. To get HD, you’ll need the $15.49 “Standard” plan, which means Netflix is more than twice the price of Funimation.
Best Free Trial: Funimation vs. Netflix
Funimation wins in this category, too. It has a free 14-day trial. You can sign up for any plan on its website and try it for free for 2 full weeks before your credit card is charged. In comparison, Netflix doesn’t offer a free trial at all. To try it out, you’ll need to sign up for an account and pay for a full month of service. You can cancel at any time, of course, but it would be nice if you could try it out for free.
Best Content Library: Funimation vs. Netflix
Netflix is the winner in this category, hands down. Not only does it have lots of anime, but it also has reality shows, talk shows, dramas, sitcoms, blockbuster movies, indie films, documentaries… we could go on and on. Arguably, Netflix has a better content library not just compared to Funimation, but compared to any other streaming service out there.
Still, Funimation does have an edge when it comes to anime. Netflix has about 100-200 anime shows on its platform, while Funimation has more than 700. If anime is your thing and you don’t care much about other content, Funimation is still a decent choice.
What to Watch on Funimation
As mentioned, Funimation exclusively has anime shows and movies. It used to focus only on dubbed shows, but it’s now offering subs on a lot more titles, so that’s sure to please anime fans. Funimation doesn’t have any original content, but licenses its anime from studios in Japan. Some of the top titles available on the service include:
- Golden Kamuy
- Demon Slayer
- Attack On Titan
- Dragon Ball Super
- One Piece
What to Watch on Netflix
Netflix has tons of amazing shows and movies to watch. It started out by licensing shows from other companies, but it now also has lots of Netflix Originals. In total, it’s produced more than 1,500 original shows and movies, and it still has a large library of content from third-party studios. Some of the most popular titles on Netflix include:
- Seinfeld
- The Tinder Swindler
- Inventing Anna
- Squid Game
- Cowboy Bebop
Best Home Theater Features: Funimation vs. Netflix
Netflix takes this category easily. That’s because it offers lots of great home theater features for movies and shows that support them – although you will need the more expensive Premium plan to access some of them. It supports 4K UHD, HDR, Dolby Atmos, and 5.1 surround sound.
Funimation only offers 1080p HD and stereo sound. This isn’t really a bad thing, though. Most anime shows are produced in stereo and at 720p or 1080p, so you’ll still be getting a good viewing experience while watching your favorite Japanese animated shows and movies.
Best Offline Viewing: Funimation vs. Netflix
Netflix wins this category, too. Funimation does have offline viewing, but Netflix does it better. You can download shows on Android and iOS devices, and download up to 100 total pieces of content. Most downloads expire in 7 days, though some may expire sooner. They will also expire after 48 hours if you begin playing a specific title.
Funimation only lets you download 13 videos at once, and the English dub and Japanese sub of each episode count as separate episodes, so that can be really restrictive. However, there is no time limit on downloads. You can keep them as long as you want, even if you’ve started playing an episode.
Best Device Support: Service Funimation vs. Netflix
When it comes to device support, Netflix edges out a win just because it supports more devices overall. Both Funimation and Netflix support:
- iOS and Android
- Web browsers
- Amazon Fire
- Roku
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- PlayStation/Xbox consoles
- Select smart TVs
However, Netflix has more compatible streaming devices overall. Pretty much any internet-enabled device released in the last few years will be compatible with Netflix, including things like Blu-Ray players, set-top boxes from cable companies, and much more.
Best Simultaneous Streaming: Funimation vs. Netflix
Funimation wins this category. It offers 2 simultaneous streams with the cheapest, $5.99/month Premium plan. Netflix offers just 1 stream for its $9.99/month Basic plan. To get 2 streams, you’d need the Standard plan which costs $15.49/month.
When it comes to upgrades, Funimation also takes the crown. If you pay for the $7.99/month Premium Plus plan, you get 5 streams. Netflix’s $19.99/month Premium plan only gives you 4 streams.
Which is Better: Funimation vs. Netflix in 2022?
Our conclusion probably won’t shock you. Netflix is better for most cord-cutters overall, with its wide range of content. It’s got anime, it’s got blockbusters, it’s got Netflix Originals, and it just has an unbelievable amount of stuff to watch overall. If you’re only going to subscribe to one streaming service, it’s probably the best bang for your buck.
Still, Funimation is cheaper and does have some better features, as well as a massive library of anime. If anime is what you want, you’ll be better off with Funimation overall. You just won’t be able to watch anything else, so we’ve got to give the title to Netflix on this one.
