With on-demand services like Hulu and Netflix, you can watch your favorite movies and shows anytime. Streaming platforms like Youtube and Twitch also keep you entertained for hours on end. Gone are the days of cable.
But what if you could enjoy the merits of cable TV along with the features of Netflix and Hulu?
With these platforms, you can stay current with the latest seasons of TV shows and get a massive content library of on-demand content. On top of that, you will get to watch big sporting events like tennis Grandslams or the NFL Draft.
In this article, we highlight both Hulu + Live TV and Amazon Prime Video, putting their features under the microscope to see if either is worth your money.
Hulu + Live TV and Amazon Prime Video Free Trials
These days, free trials should be an industry standard. After all, you’re committing to pay a company for their services every month. You shouldn’t just buy into the hype, right? You first need to sample a product to see if they’re worth investing in.
Starting with Amazon Prime Video, you get a very generous free-trial period of one month. You can sample all the live channels and on-demand content—and other bonuses we’ll get into later.
If you’re happy with Amazon Prime Video, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll receive the bill a month after the free trial ends. But, if you’re unhappy with the service, all you have to do is remove your credit card details from the app before the free trial ends. That way, you won’t face any charges.
On the other hand, Hulu + Live TV is a bit disappointing when it comes to trial periods, since it doesn’t offer one.
Now, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of each service.
Price
Of course, the first thing you have to consider when subscribing to a new service is its price. So, let’s break down the subscription models of both Hulu + Live TV and Amazon Prime Video.
Hulu + LiveTV
Right now, you have 4 choices when it comes to a Hulu + Live TV subscription:
- Hulu – Pay $6.99/month for access to Hulu’s on-demand library with supported ads.
- Hulu (No Ads) – For $12.99/month you get to watch everything on Hulu’s content library completely ad-free.
- Hulu + Live TV now with Disney+ and ESPN+ – At $69.99/month, you get an all-in-one package of internet TV and Hulu’s media library. It also includes premium content from Disney+ and ESPN+.
- Hulu + Live TV now with Disney+ and ESPN+ (No Ads) – The $75.99 package is the same as the all-in-one subscription with the benefit of ad-free viewing for the Hulu on-demand library.
| Hulu + Live TV No Hassle TV $69.99/ month | 75+ Live TV Channels 2 simultaneous streams Unlimited DVR Disney+ and ESPN+ Included | SIGN UP |
| Hulu + Live TV No Ads $79.99/ month | 75+ Live TV Channels 2 simultaneous streams Unlimited DVR Disney+ and ESPN+ Included | SIGN UP |
With Hulu + Live TV, you have a wide selection of subscription models, allowing you to pick the best model that fits your budget.
Amazon Prime Video
Currently, Amazon offers 3 ways to subscribe to its video streaming service:
- Amazon Prime (Monthly) – $14.99/month ($7.49/month for students) to access the Amazon Prime Video on-demand catalog. Additionally, subscribers get Amazon Prime benefits like free overnight shipping, free release-day delivery, 5% cashback with the Amazon Prime credit card, and exclusive Alexa deals.
- Amazon Prime (Yearly) – Next is $139.00/year ($69.00/year for students) for all the same benefits for a discounted price.
- Amazon Prime Video – Last is $8.99/month to access Amazon’s content catalog.
| Amazon Prime Video 30-Day Free Trial $8.99 / month | 100+ Channels Award-winning content 2 simultaneous stream | SIGN UP |
Amazon offers multiple ways to access its on-demand content. And if you subscribe to the full Prime membership, you get the added benefit of a convenient shopping experience.
Channels
When choosing an internet TV service, the platform that carries your favorite channels will trump the competition. Another thing to consider is how broad its channel line-up is. So, which platform offers the best channel selection between Amazon Prime Video and Hulu + Live TV?
Hulu + Live TV
Between sports, news coverage, or even cartoons, Hulu + Live TV has a channel line-up that fills every niche.
- ESPN
- ESPN 2
- ESPN News
- Disney Channel
- Disney XD
- NBC
- CBS
- CBS News
- Fox
- FX
And for an added premium, you can get access to premier channels like:
- SHOWTIME
- Cinemax
- HBO Max
- STARZ
When you subscribe to Hulu + Live TV, you’ll find channels that every family member can enjoy.
Amazon Prime Video
Currently, Amazon Prime Video has a paltry selection of channels compared to the competition. Moreover, you’ll have to pay an additional fee to subscribe to live TV channels. Channels prices range from $3 to $29/month.
Some channels in their line-up include:
- NBA League Pass
- MLB.TV
- SHOWTIME
- BET Plus
- STARZ
- Discovery Plus
- Boomerang
- Paramount Plus
- Cinemax
- PGA Tour Live
With Amazon Prime Video, you won’t get the widest selection of channels. That being said, you’ll have more than enough to keep the family happy.
Simultaneous Streaming
Another advantage that internet TV has over traditional cable TV is allowing everyone to watch what they want when they want. Gone are the days of the kids fighting over the TV or sitting bored while the parents watch the news.
Now, let’s look at how Hulu + Live TV and Amazon Prime Video handle the simultaneous streaming feature.
Hulu + Live TV
By default, all Hulu + Live TV subscribers are limited to streaming simultaneously from 2 devices. Fortunately, for an additional fee of $9.99/month, you can upgrade to an unlimited device plan. Just pay a small fee and you won’t have to worry about limits on simultaneous streaming on Hulu + Live TV.
Before we continue, we want to highlight a particularly high value streaming service. Hulu with Live TV is one of the best options for streaming in 2022 with a rich catalogue of live sports, news, and 50k+ on-demand movies and episodes from Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+.
Get Hulu with Live TV today.
Amazon Prime Video
All Amazon Prime Video subscribers can stream content from 3 devices at the same time. However, this comes with a caveat—only 2 devices can watch the same content at the same time. For example, if devices 1 and 2 are watching The Boys, a 3rd device won’t be able to stream the same content.
While being more limited than Hulu + Live TV’s add-on, Amazon Prime Video provides a big enough simultaneous stream limit to keep the fighting over TV time at a minimum.
DVR
Another deciding factor in choosing a streaming service is the DVR size. If the platform doesn’t have a big enough DVR limit, you might miss out on saving your favorite TV moments. So, between Amazon Prime Video and Hulu + Live TV, which has a better DVR feature?
Hulu + Live TV
By default, everyone who subscribes to Hulu + Live TV will have 50 hours of cloud DVR space. But for an additional fee of $9.99/month, you can get the 200 hour DVR upgrade. Between the base 50 hours and the upgraded 200 hours, Hulu + Live TV provides ample DVR space to record your favorite programs.
Amazon Prime Video
Unfortunately, Amazon Prime Video doesn’t feature a DVR service. However, you can watch your favorite movies and shows in the Amazon media vault offline through the download feature. You can save whatever content you can find in the Amazon media catalog to view on a long plane ride or when you’re out of range of the internet.
Amazon Prime Video may lack DVR, but you can still enjoy offline viewing through downloads of the on-demand content.
Device Support
Having device support across a wide gamut of devices is an important feature that every internet TV service needs. If a platform doesn’t support any of your devices, you’d better stick to cable TV.
Here’s a look at which devices are supported on Hulu + Live TV and Amazon Prime Video.
Hulu + LiveTV
You won’t have to worry about device support when you subscribe to Hulu + Live TV. After all, the platform features app support on most modern devices.
Here’s a small sample of the platform’s supported devices:
- Smart TVs – Select Samsung, LG, Android TV, and Vizio models
- Streaming Devices – Amazon Fire, Chromecast, and Roku devices
- iOS – AppleTV, iPhone, and iPad
- Game Consoles – Xbox consoles, PS4 and PS5, and Nintendo Switch
- Internet Browsers – Chromium-based browsers
With Hulu + Live TV, device support is something you won’t have to worry about.
Amazon Prime Video
Like Hulu + LiveTV, Amazon Prime Video is supported across most modern devices:
- Smart TVs – Select Samsung, LG, Android TV, and Vizio models.
- Streaming Devices – Amazon Fire, Chromecast, and Roku devices
- iOS – AppleTV, iPhone, and iPad
- Game Consoles – Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and PS4/5
- Internet Browsers – Chromium-based browsers
When you subscribe to Amazon Prime Video, you’ll get app support on almost all your devices—maybe even the kitchen sink.
On-demand Content
Between Hulu + Live TV and Amazon Prime Video, you have 2 examples of industry leaders for on-demand streaming. However, Hulu + LiveTV does have one advantage over Amazon Prime Video: its library is more organized.
Amazon Prime Video’s interface can be a bit cluttered, making it a bit of a pain to navigate.
But, if you’re not a stickler for organization, you can’t go wrong with either Hulu + LiveTV or Amazon Prime Video when it comes to an on-demand catalog.
You Won’t Need Cable With Hulu + Live TV and Amazon Prime Video
Cable-cutting will never be easier when you have platforms like Hulu + Live TV and Amazon Prime Video. You’ll get a wide range of internet TV channels and an ever-growing library of on-demand content. So, you’ll never find yourself lacking in things to watch with either of these platforms.
