Hulu vs Netflix: Which Should You Subscribe To?

This is it, the post I've been putting off for months just because I couldn't choose (and I honestly still can't). The question is this: between Netflix and Hulu, which service gives you your money's worth and access to the shows you love?

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Just to give you a little background, I started my Netflix subscription last November 2015, a few days before I subscribed to Hulu. Back then, you couldn't stream either one here in the Philippines - still can't, really - except for Netflix (though the titles available are still quite lacking). I had to use a proxy on all my devices just so I could get the full experience.


The Cost

Netflix costs $7.99 for Basic, $9.99 for Standard, and $11.99 for Premium. Hulu offers two viewing options, $7.99 for streaming with limited commercials, and $11.99 for commercial-free viewing. I, for one, hate commercials, so it made sense to subscribe to Premium on Netflix and Commercial-free on Hulu. Converted to Peso, it costs around Php 381.00 (Netflix Basic) to Php 572.00 (Premium & Commercial-Free) each, monthly - not a bad price to pay to stream all your favorite shows.


The Collections

Since I subbed to both services at the same time, I got to see their strengths and weaknesses in terms of available shows for streaming.

Here's what I discovered: Netflix turned out to be my go-to service if I wanted to watch incredible documentaries and have a large list of movies for a binge-watching session (especially now that multiple sites have listed URLs which can widen your Netflix options). Hulu, on the other hand, turned out to be my choice for watching American TV shows, animé, and kid shows (yes, kid shows - no, don't look at me like that).

Now, here's what I like about Netflix - Netflix enables you to setup multiple users using one account. I had my main channel set up, then I set up another one for kid titles. I made my mom her own channel as well. This just basically enables you to switch users depending on what mood you're in at the moment (or at least, that's what I used it for).

In terms of available movie titles, Netflix has a lot of horror, thrillers, and crime genres. I fell in love with the collection and had a bunch of movies queued up for the long holidays. Hulu also has its own movie collection, but I feel like it's quite smaller than the other.

Hulu, on the other hand, has a collection called "Criterion", and I BECAME OBSESSED with it. There was a time during the Christmas season that I had trouble leaving films on queue because I want to watch them right away. (If you have Hulu, head over to the Criterion collection and search for Pierre Étaix. You won't be disappointed.)

Another thing (that kind of gives Hulu the advantage) is the amount of Animé titles it has. God. I actually spent the whole night watching (and finishing) series and movies because I couldn't get enough of anything. I watched Non-Non Biyori (look this up, it's a really light, relaxing animé), Himouto! Umaru-Chan (watch this if you want to be entertained and have fun), rewatched Sailor Moon, Totally Spies, Adventure Time, and a whole lot of other shows. I'm telling you - once you go down this road, there's no going back.


The Buffer Time

The Philippines has such crappy internet, you'd think the satellites were buried underground. It was a fear of mine that if I subscribed to HD and SuperHD streaming, I wouldn't get what I paid for because of the internet speed. Well, in this case, Netflix takes the money. Hulu takes quite longer to load (I have a 5Mbps plan, by the way), but when it does, it's a steady pace. Netflix, even though it loads faster, can sometimes stop in the middle of a video and reload from there. I'm not sure if this counts as a criteria, but the numbers have been consistent with me, so I'm guessing it's not only my internet that causes it.


The Decision

I still can't make up my mind about which one I should let go, and after the past three months, I've held on to both. I've been using Hulu more lately, though, so that might be something worth looking into.


I hope this gives you some sort of idea about which service would better suit your needs. For my fellow indecisive folks, you won't lose anything by subscribing to both, hehe.

Anything else you'd like to know about my experience with Hulu and/or Netflix? Leave a comment and I'll answer you back the best I can.