Winter is coming. As the days get colder and colder, most of us turn our thoughts to watching movies. Most of us view our TV shows and films through one or more video-on-demand platform, however, the VOD platform market is constantly changing as rivals change prices and even their catalogs as their viewers’ habits and distribution channels change.
So, if you are reading this, you are wondering what the best video-on-demand platforms are to stream movies. We have put together a list of the 10 best movie streaming sites and have listed the main pros and cons of each to try to help you to make the most informed decision possible.
Here is our list of the best VOD platforms of the year.
Netflix – Best Overall Streaming Platform for TV and Movies
Netflix is a video streaming platform that needs no introduction. The company has led the VOD market for movies and TV since the beginning.
Today, despite increasing competition, Netflix has the largest catalog of movies and TV shows out there. Since the company upturned the market a decade or so ago by deciding to produce its own original content, it has produced many original TV shows and films that are not available anywhere else.
Pros
- High-quality 4k video streaming
- Big catalog
- TV shows, movies, and short films
- Ad-free viewing (cheaper subscription featuring ads soon available)
- Offline downloads for smart devices
- Great mobile app
- Free games for mobile devices.
Cons
- Expensive
- No free trial
- Has lost most of its HBO, Disney, and NBC content including Friends, The Office, and Marvel movies.
Sofy.tv – Best Short Film Streaming Platform
Sofy.tv is the world’s premiere short film platform. Since its launch half a decade or so ago, Sofy.tv has built a catalog of thousands of world-class short films.
Many of its short films are not available anywhere else. It has an excellent AI-powered movie recommendation tool and is the only VOD that offers its users the chance to improve the accuracy of its recommendations by taking a movie preference survey.
Pros
- High-quality 4k video streaming
- Big catalog of short films
- Rewards short filmmakers with financial payouts
- Ad-free viewing
- Free trial
- Excellent value for money.
Cons
- No mobile application.
YouTube – Best Social Media VOD Platform
YouTube is the world’s biggest social media platform. It is the go-to place for all kinds of videos and has by far the largest collection of content out there.
The platform offers a great mobile app and website that feature an excellent sync system which means you can literally close the app down on one device and pick up on another where you left off.
The platform features all the latest music videos and Influencer content. It has a fair collection of documentaries and films and TV shows, many of which you must pay for.
Pros
- Enormous content catalog
- Free though with a paid option
- Great mobile application
- All kinds of content
- Ability to produce and post your own content.
Cons
- Content quality varies considerably
- Frequent ads for free option.
HBO Max – Great Collection of Classic Movies
HBO Max is the streaming service from Warner Bros Discovery (formerly WarnerMedia). Anyone who knows anything about movies has heard of Warner Bros and so will not be surprised at just how many great films this platform offers.
It has a great mobile app and website which means it can view on just about any device out there including smart TVs. HBO Max was one of the first to offer offline downloads, something which is very handy for those people who often watch content on the go.
Pros
- Massive catalog of Warner content including great movies and TV shows
- Good app that includes offline viewing
- Ad free version
- Parental viewing controls
Cons
- More expensive compared to other options
- Basic version doesn’t allow offline downloads.
- Small number of 4k videos.
Disney Plus – A Must for Families
Disney Plus is extremely popular for families. The reason for this is simple – it includes all the films and TV shows made by Disney, Pixar, and Marvel, including all the Star Wars movies and TV shows.
Seeing the success of Netflix, Disney decided to pull its content from Netflix and launch Disney Plus. This means that anyone wishing to access its vast family-orientated catalog now needs to join this VOD platform.
While many are frustrated at having to pay for another VOD platform, Disney’s content is world-class and definitely worth the investment even for those people without young children.
Pros
- All of Disney’s catalogs in one place
- High-quality 4k content
- Great mobile app.
- Great content.
Cons
- Expensive.
Amazon Prime Video – Good Option for the Latest Movie Releases
Amazon is working hard to make its mark on the movie and TV streaming marketplace. The company is producing a lot of original content as well as making its Prime service more and more attractive to users by linking it to benefits on their online marketplace such as free postage.
Amazon has so far amassed a good amount of TV and movie content, and like Netflix, is working hard to create as much original content as possible. Its content tends to be focused on more recent releases rather than classic movies etc., however, this makes it a great option to keep up to date with the latest releases.
Pros
- Good amount of original content
- TV and Film rental options
- Lots of 4K content
- Live sports events
- Content can be downloaded.
Cons
- Not as much content as other VOD platforms
- Unable to access content from many rival studios.
Stay connected