Hulu Review

Hulu has great original and on-demand content, but is the library worth the price?

Hulu
hulu
3.8 out of 5 stars
3.75
  • pro
    Home to great Originals, such as What We Do in the Shadows
  • pro
    Access to recently-aired network TV shows
  • con
    Only two people can stream at once
Chantel Buchi
Oct 12, 2023
Icon Time To Read5 min read

Hulu is a streaming service known for its great original content, such as The Handmaid’s Tale, The Patient, What We Do in the Shadows, and Little Fires Everywhere. Hulu also has a unique feature of releasing new episodes the following day after it's aired on live television, such as The Voice, Love Island, and The Bachelor.

And the best part—it’s affordable.

We'll go over Hulu’s plans, the original, new, and old content you can stream with Hulu, and other perks you get with this on-demand streaming service.

Let’s get into the details to find out which plan is best for you and your family.

How much does Hulu cost?

Hulu has two plans—a cheaper one with ads or one with zero ads.

The ads-supported plan is $8 per month, and Hulu's no-ads plan is $18 per month.

Hulu's Premium plan is now cheaper than Max, but more expensive than Netflix's Standard plan, an Amazon Prime subscription, and Disney+'s no-ads plan. 

How much does Hulu cost per month?
Plan
Monthly price
Details
Hulu$7.99/mo.*
Hulu (No Ads)$17.99/mo.
* 30 day free trial, then 7.99/mo. includes ads
Hulu (No Ads) excludes a few shows that play with ads before and after the video.

How much does Hulu without ads cost?

Hulu's no-ad plan is $17.99 per month. Hulu's plan with ads is less than half the price, which is enticing...so how many ads are we talkin'?

When you watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy, you might see three 90-second ads.

When you watch a movie, the experience will feel similar to watching cable TV. You could see up to eight ad breaks that last as little as 15 seconds or as long as 90 seconds.

If you’re used to watching live TV with commercials, this might not be a bother. And you’ll save some cash. But we know many of you will want an uninterrupted viewing experience. (I know I do).

If you’re a serious binge watcher, or you simply don’t have the patience or the time for the interruptions, you’ll want to upgrade to that no-ad plan for $18 per month.

Bundle with Disney+ and ESPN+

The best part about Hulu’s plans is that you have the option to bundle with ESPN+ and Disney+. Why not add more sports and Disney movies to your life? There's only one downside, it may be tough getting off your couch.

One thing we're not complaining about: although Hulu raised its prices, this entertainment bundle stayed the same.

If you decide to go the Hulu limited ads route, you can get all three streaming services for $15. And if you want Hulu without ads, the trifecta will be $25 per month.

So, now, it’s just $7–$8 more than if you were to get Hulu by itself. Disney+ alone is $8, and ESPN+ is $10. So you'd be saving $2–$10 per month. You'll save way more with the ad-supported trio, but a little discount is better than none.

Which TV shows and movies does Hulu have?

Hulu’s on-demand library includes Originals, new, and classic TV shows and movies

Let’s start with Hulu's Original content—the movies and shows you can’t find anywhere else.

Hulu originals November 2021

You might have heard of Little Fires Everywhere with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. Or maybe Only Murders in the Building with the lovable Steven Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez.

Hulu is one of the best in the Original game, and you're not going to regret spending a night eating snacks and watching these talked about series.

Other popular originals you can enjoy on a Tuesday night include The Patient, The Bear, How I Met Your Father, and The Dropout. And an extra bonus: Hulu releases quality Original content quite often.

Recently-aired content straight to Hulu

The best part about Hulu, in our opinion, is how quickly they give their viewers access to recently-aired episodes from network and cable TV!

This is the case for TV shows aired on top channels, such as ABC, A&E, CBS, Food Network, FOX, and Investigation Discovery

So for example, if you’re all caught up on Mixed-ish and want to watch the new episode the day after it airs on Monday night, you’re going to want Hulu. It will be ready for you to watch the following Tuesday morning.

This is the same for the following shows:

  • The Bachelor/ Bachelorette
  • The First 48
  • Rick and Morty
  • Blue Bloods
  • The Real Housewives
  • Top Chef
  • Murder Comes to Town
  • Naked and Afraid
  • Worst Cooks In America
  • Bob's Burgers
  • Family Guy
  • Good Trouble
  • Welcome to Wrexham
  • Archer

This next-day feature is perfect for those who want to cut the cord and don’t want to pay for a cable bill anymore. You won’t have to give up on some of your favorite TV shows.

If you're a fan of NBC shows, like La Brea and Law & Order, you'll want Peacock for next-day episodes.

Older and classic on-demand content

As for other on-demand content, enjoy older content like Seinfeld, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I Love Lucy, The Golden Girls, and Boyz n the Hood.

Hulu's classic content

The only downside to Hulu is the library isn’t nearly as big as Netflix's. To compare, Netflix has about 5,600 movies and TV shows while Hulu has just over 3,000. But it comes with the price because Hulu is a few dollars less than Netflix.

Or hey, just jump on that Netflix-Hulu bandwagon like the rest of us.

Does Hulu have sports?

But like all on-demand streaming services, Hulu doesn’t have live sports. You’ll have to get a live TV streaming service for that.

Hulu +Live TV is actually one of the best live TV streaming services for sports with 14 sports channels like ESPN, FS1, CBS Sports Network, and the SEC Network.

But of course you’re probably just interested in Hulu, the on-demand service, so it’s worth mentioning that Hulu actually has a sports genre. So you can enjoy movies such as Moneyball and TV shows like WWE Monday Night Raw without cable TV.

Hulu sports content

And if you go for the ESPN+/Disney+ bundle, ESPN+ will give you access to all 30 for 30 movies and series, like Man In the Arena: Tom Brady. Find out more in our ESPN+ review.

Does Hulu have kids content?

Parents, grandparents, babysitters, or those who have nieces and nephews, will also love Hulu. When you need to distract your little ones while you’re working or taking a phone call, just turn on Hulu.

They’ll have movies like Rio and Hotel Transylvania, series like Adventure Time and The Amazing World of Gumball, and classic cartoons such as Rugrats and The Power Puff Girls.

Hulu kids shows

Hulu also lets you create a kids profile, so your children will only be able to watch content that’s appropriate for kids up to age 12. This comes in handy when you mindlessly hand your cell phone to your little one while you’re busy making dinner.

This is why we named Hulu as one of the best streaming services for kids.

Which devices are compatible with Hulu?

You and your kids can watch Hulu on most devices, including the following:

  • iPhones, iPads
  • Android smartphones and tablets
  • Apple TV (4th generation or later)
  • Android TV
  • Fire TV
  • Roku
  • Chromecast
  • LG TV
  • Samsung TV
  • VIZIO Smartc=Cast TV
  • Fire tablets
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox 360
  • Nintendo Switch
  • Playstation 4 
  • Playstation 5
  • X1 set-top boxes
Play Video

Recap: Is Hulu worth it?

If you’re not already convinced that you should get Hulu, let us recap everything Hulu has to offer:

  • You get lots of Hulu Original content and you get lots of older on-demand content, both of which get updated quite often. 
  • You can choose to bundle with ESPN+ and Disney+ by adding just $7–$8 extra to your monthly bill.

Everyone in the family, including the kids, will have something to watch whether you’re waiting at the DMV, riding on the train to work, or simply having a few kick back hours at home.

With the bundle, enjoy all the Hulu content; Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars content with Disney+; and live events and sports news with ESPN+. We know we have.

How much are Hulu's plans?

Plan
Price
Details
Hulu (with ads)$7.99/mo.*
Hulu (no ads)$17.99/mo.
* 30 day free trial, then 7.99/mo. includes ads
Hulu (No Ads) excludes a few shows that play with ads before and after the video.

FAQs

Two people can stream Hulu at once per account. If you'd like more streams, you can pay $9.99 for an unlimited amount of streams.

You get the same content with Hulu's $8/month as you do with the $18/month plan. 

But Hulu's $8/month plan includes ads, whereas the $18/month plan does not.

Hulu is on our list as one the best streaming services. Hulu offers a lot of Original content, as well as older on-demand content that is updated frequently. 

If you're looking for new content or to bundle with ESPN+, and Disney+, Hulu is a great option. 

Chantel Buchi
Written by
Chantel is all about finding the best tv or streaming service to watch as many football games as possible to keep her Fantasy Football team in check. A former TV and Streaming Tech Reporter for Reviews.org, she has also worked for NFL Network and The Alliance of American Football. Before that, she received a B.A. of Communication at the University of Utah and an M.S. in Sports Journalism at USC. Go Utes and Fight On.

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