Hulu (aka Hulu Plus) is a leading streaming TV service that offers live TV, live sports, Hulu original shows and movies, as well as classic and new offerings from top cable TV and premium channels. The company provides both ad-free and ad-supported subscription plans, a free 30-day trial for all packages, and the opportunity to bundle its streaming services with other streaming providers.

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The Good

Expansive Library of Movie Options and TV Shows
Ad-Free and Live TV Options Available
Bundle with Disney+ and ESPN+ for $12.99 per Month
Premium Channels Available as Add-Ons
Student Discount for $1.99 per Month

Expansive Library of Movie Options and TV Shows

In addition to its growing library of Hulu original movies and TV shows, Hulu offers subscribers a formidable catalog from some of the biggest names in television, including 21st Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, CBS Corporation, The CW, Turner Networks, A+E Networks and Discovery Networks, and the following channel lineup:

ABC
Adult Swim
AMC
Animal Planet
BBC America
Bravo
CINEMAX (add-on)
CMT
Comedy Central
Cooking Channel
E! Entertainment
Epix Originals
Food Network
Freeform
Fuse
FX and FXX
HBO Max (add-on)
HereTV
HGTV
History Channel
Investigation Discovery
Lifetime
MTV
National Geographic
Science
SHOWTIME (add-on)
STARZ (add-on)
SYFY
TBS
Telemundo
TLC
TNT
Travel Channel
USA
VH1
WGN America

In most cases, subscribers can gain access to newly aired episodes of their favorite shows the day after they air. All streaming content is available through the Hulu app, available via mobile device, computer, or smart TV.

Ad-Free and Live TV Options Available

Each of Hulu's subscription plans offer the first month free. After that, subscribers could pay anywhere between $5.99 to $64.99 per month, depending on their subscription plan:

Hulu ($5.99 per month) — full access to streaming library via TV, laptop, phone, or tablet; supports up to six user profiles and simultaneous streams on two devices.
Hulu (No Ads; $11.99 per month) — all the features of the standard Hulu plan, plus no ads or commercials, as well as the ability to download and watch content for offline viewing.
Hulu + Live TV Plan ($64.99 per month) — no cable required to access more than 65 live channels as well as a live TV guide; record live TV with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage.

Bundle with Disney+ and ESPN+ for $12.99 per Month

Hulu customers have the option to bundle Hulu's streaming services with Disney+ and ESPN+ for only $12.99 per month (still cheaper than Netflix and as expensive as Amazon Prime). This streaming bundle gives users access to Disney's complete library, including the Marvel and Star Wars franchises, as well as ESPN's full 30 for 30 series, along with live sports channels.

Premium Channels Available as Add-Ons

For an additional fee, Hulu subscribers can add premium channels like HBO Max, SHOWTIME, CINEMAX, and STARZ for hit movies, series, and documentaries. For Hulu + Live TV subscribers, add-ons come with unlimited screens, enhanced DVR storage, entertainment add-ons, and Español add-ons.

Student Discount for $1.99 per Month

Active college students qualify for Hulu's student discount, which reduces the cost of the ad-supported plan ($5.99 per month) down to $1.99 per month. Students should note, however, that Hulu does not provide a free trial on its student discount option.

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The Bad

Ads and Commercials

Ads and Commercials

The only drawback to Hulu's basic plan is the presence of commercials. These usually only play at the beginning of episodes or movies; however, for newly aired episodes, short ads will play periodically throughout the show. If customers wish to enjoy their viewing experience without ads, they can opt for the ad-free version which is comparable to other ad-free streaming services like Netflix in price.

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The Bottom Line

With Hulu, a subscriber can gain access for original content, a live TV streaming service, and thousands of viewing options for as little as $5.99 per month. Users should be prepared to pay more for an ad-free viewing experience, and about about much as they would for any other live streaming service. The ability to bundle with other streaming platform services like Disney+ and ESPN+ offers customers a unique viewing library, and the free trial, cancel anytime policy allows users to try Hulu risk-free.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

4.3

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526 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

52%

4 grade

32%

3 grade

11%

2 grade

1 grade

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Trustworthiness

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TTall Milton, FL

I’ve been with company for 4 years and there has only been 1 price increase. I have the no adds plan and absolutely love it. I record all new shows and watch during the week. I probably watch Hulu 70% of the time. Keep up the good work

2 months ago

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Mario Martin Montgomery, TX

After using mainstream cable and sat. services, I was encouraged by my daughter's to make the switch to Hulu plus. Initially I was hesitant because I didn't know much about Hulu plus and was reluctant to losing some of my viewing choices. Fortunately, not only was I able to reduce my cable and sat. rates considerably, I was able to retain my favorite channels and expand my viewing choices with quality programming...did I mention for less than I had been paying monthly for years!?

3 months ago

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Wendy Shaw New Haven, CT

Hulu Plus is so much more then Live streaming!! I can watch full seasons of my favorite past shows, current episodes, Hulu Originals , old movies and new hit movies!!! My kids love the Disney + and my husband loves ESPN+...All around win win for whole family....

3 months ago

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Kaylee Gay Chicago, IL

Hulu Plus goes the extra mile for its viewers because it allows you to keep up to date on the latest episodes for your favorite TV shows. I love that I can watch all of my favorite TV shows with no wait time. on their new episodes. I also love that when I was first trying it out, Hulu Plus gave me a 30-day trial to see if I wanted to make a switch. I love that they gave me so much time to decide and I love that they have such a variety of selections. I also love that you can watch Live TV as well. Hulu Plus is definitely with the cost because they give you so many options, no wait time on your latest episodes, and Live TV. I love that it is like cable and streaming service at the same time.

7 months ago

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Lisa Cato Lake City, FL

I have this service provided at no cost through a mobile promotion. Since then, I have not been able to watch one show without the excess buffering or resetting. There are great shows, especially originals that I i have watched, but it takes forever due to the shotty service.

2 months ago

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HO1 Charles Town, WV

Of all the streaming services I use, Hulu is the best. They have the most interesting selection, and are always adding new content. They also seem to have a better selection of older movies than most streaming services.

3 months ago

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Connor Smith Palm City, FL

I have been with Hulu streaming for a few years now, I love how I am able to watch my TV shows the same day they are aired that night night when I get home or the next day, so that I am able to stay up with my shows. I love that I am able to just get it up on my TV and start watching.

5 months ago

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Verified Customer

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Sondra Menthers

Fantastic content especially for minority communities. Lots of black shows, Muslim, women and LGBTQ themed shows. Hulu also creates create original content from books such as The Handmaids Tale and Little Fires Everywhere.

1 year ago

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Gia Regina Waco, TX

Hulu plus is supreme programming. I could watch Hulu Plus all day. Hulu offers original programming, latest movies, and nostalgic movies and shows.

2 months ago

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Chad Edgar Columbia, MO

I have had her look less forever I love all the movies and TV shows that they have on there so many things to stream and watch always something to pick your interest

3 months ago

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Aubrey Dallas, TX

I love hulu, there's so many shows on there that you can't find anywhere else—especially for the good price you pay. I love a deal and hulu has many that are worth it, if you watch t.v. hulu is a great platform to try out.

5 months ago

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Rebecca D

Hulu plus is also a great streaming site. When you don’t have the ads to get into to the way of your programming it makes for a nice evening of movie watching. I feel the shows they have come out with are really awesome and you’re highly addictive lol

5 months ago

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Mandi Colorado Springs, CO

Hulu has a great variety of shows and movies available for streaming. The online and smart tv apps are very intuitive and easy to navigate. Although you have many good options to watch with a basic paid account, you can add on sports or Disney channels to make your tv watching more diverse.

5 months ago

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Noa Ranoa Vista, CA

You've gotta pay a little extra and go Plus. I went Plus for sports, Cinemax and ESPN. The movies on Hulu are great and plenty but if you need daily news and sports... GO PLUS. Hulu plus is not part of Amazon Prime, so you won't get it free. $65.00 for over 75 channels is pretty incredible.

6 months ago

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Nashali Vescovacci Fort White, FL

I love this company to stream movies and TV shows. I especially love that they add new episodes to their shows soon after they air, so that we don't have to wait for the entire season to come out at the end like other streaming companies. I also find the "Hulu watch party" to be very convenient.

7 months ago

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Brittney Mac Gregor Louisville, KY

I've come back to Hulu after years of using a different streaming company. I have to say I am impressed with the content available. At first I was using the cheapest version to test the waters, but now that I see I am going to be keeping Hulu around, I splurged and upgraded to commercial free. I highly recommend Hulu. I will never go back to standard cable TV again.

9 months ago

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KimDugan Kailua, HI

Hulu Plus is probably just a half-pace behind Amazon Prime and here is why: - No rental options - It's a rather bewildering freemium model with a little less "free" all the time. This comes with the territory, but is worthy of mention nonetheless. Hulu Plus is developing its own set of originals and adding collections of off-network television shows that keeps me coming back. I have Hulu Plus but not the premium-premium account, so I still have to watch commercials and I don't have access to all of the content. As a member of whatever this tier of membership is called, I keep coming back because they have "30 Rock", "Modern Family" and, most importantly, "Malcolm in the Middle." If it weren't for these off-network shows and their original, "PEN15", it might have been a goner for me. I use Hulu Plus to fill the gap of the shows that have been pulled from Netflix and ultimately, I am doing the same "stream chasing" that everyone else is doing. It is of some benefit that Hulu is bundled with Disney+ or I might never have jumped over to that one. Lastly, the interface is a little frustrating. It is much more cumbersome to navigate than Netflix and details are harder to see than on Amazon Prime. Use this service if you want to keep your viewing options of older off-network shows that aren't available on other platforms.

11 months ago

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enelson3903 Bowie, MD

I brought a subscription to Hula Plus and was not happy with the lack of content. I love a couple of original series, but the lack of content did help when I was choosing a series. I think if the develop more content they could be a great service.

4 months ago

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Lauryn Pelch West Jordan, UT

I love Hulu so much. I like all the different movies and shows that are easily accessed. Overall it is a good price and has a lot of option for everyone.

4 months ago

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Ashlyn Elwood Roswell, GA

I used to love Hulu and enjoyed the fact that it had many options that could replace live TV and had a ton of the reality TV shows and competition shows I tend to watch. However, they kept increasing the price to the point where now it's just not the same good value it used to be. Plus you constantly have to watch ads. There are even issues where they'll remove ads for pre-recorded stuff, but other things you still have ads for... even if you paid for no ads. I miss the old Hulu.

6 months ago

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alexisblige Tallahassee, FL

I have both Hulu and Netflix and personally I prefer Hulu’s entertainment selection. However, I dislike the fact that I still get ads unless I purchase Hulu’s most expensive package. I should be able to watch all shows as long as I’ve purchased some sort of membership.

7 months ago

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Verified Customer

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Darren Cardwell

Hulu offers many shows that I have watched. I've been pleased with the offerings. I've been happy with my Hulu subscription. Only wish they offered more to view at the same time.

1 year ago

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Sonya Lopossay Chesnee, SC

Very in love with this app.. love there movies and shows.

3 weeks ago

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Steveastray4u Phoenix, AZ

I had the free trial of Hulu Plus and it was great. Unfortunately I couldn't afford it at the time.

1 month ago

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R. Florez North Highlands, CA

I have a complicated relationship with Hulu ! I love the LIVE feature, especially during football season. BUT it's priced very high, so during the "off season" we switch back to a regular plan. I don't like how many features are limited in the regular plans. Also, our app tends to "glitch" a lot and we get error messages saying "error, cannot be played at this time". Hulu w/ Live has everything we like but I just can't justify the cost month to month, especially since after paying for internet, the cost is more than cable.

1 year ago

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Caloway Salt Lake City, UT

Hulu is a great streaming service that has many great shows. One of the better services is that they will have shows on there that are currently airing on TV so if you can't watch it on TV, then you can watch it on Hulu the next day. That is how I keep up with my favorite shows. They also have good movie options and TV shows. I haven't seen too many of their Hulu Originals but I have heard many good things about them.

1 year ago

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Ellinor Gray Orem, UT

Great service, Great Selection and 100% worth paying for no commericals. Allows for multiple profiles so you don't lose your place in shows due to other household members watching. Their selection is a higher caliber then Netflix with both depth and comprehension. Only complaint I have is I wish they offered a choice of 4 viewing screens rather then just two or unlimited (each has its own price point). Also had some issues where their online services flagged IP adress as having a proxy when it did not and made the service un-usable without clearing it with their help desk. Otherwise I have loved this service and would pick it over any other streaming service out there.

3 years ago

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Erik Lewis Minneapolis, MN

The Handmaids Tale is probably my favorite streaming series and this is the only place to get it. Not having to watch commercials is awesome.

5 months ago

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Noureddine Lalami Brentwood, CA

Hulu offers a wide selection of TV shows and movies from a variety of network. However, there are extra costs for accessing some content, streaming live and downloading.

5 months ago

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seahark Arlington Heights, IL

I talked to Rachel on the phone and she got me a better deal on my hulu subscribtion. She was helpful so I am thankful for her and Hulu as an app.

5 months ago

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Verified Customer

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Bdt1999

They have a wide variety of shows and movies. It's easy to find something to watch, and it's easy to go back to where you left off.

1 year ago

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Chris Bright Tempe, AZ

I love this service, but I hate the price. $72 a month is a bit steep, but I pay it any way. Just with that price included Disney Discovery and ESPN or was at least a little cheaper. I think $45 would be fair. We really enjoy all the original content as well

9 months ago

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Makayla Holland Gaithersburg, MD

I love Hulu , i am constantly watching movie, tv, live streams all the time. But for certain shows they will tend to show a ad every 10-20 mins which starts to get irritating. But other than that the prices are bad and I’ve never had any problems with the app.

1 year ago

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Mia Alshami Fayetteville, AR

I love the service that Hulu provides! I especially love the fact that TV shows that are currently airing are uploaded to Hulu almost immediately after they air on television! My family and I all love Hulu for its wide variety of TV shows and movies that are easily accessible to us!

1 year ago

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Lizzy Puentes Tallahassee, FL

Hulu is such a good streaming network for tv shows and movies. The episodes of most shows are uploaded the next day from when they aired so you are able to catch up right away. The movies are a little outdates but there is still a wide variety. There is also a plan to not have any commercials that is not pricey.

2 years ago

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Zac Cannon Long Beach, MS

My wife and I use Hulu Plus (w/Live) and it is our only way of watching TV now. We have completely cut the cable and we are now saving 100s of dollars in cable bills now since we only stream with internet now. I don't think we will ever go back to cable or satellite!

2 years ago

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Stephanie Byrd Tallahassee, FL

I am absolutely obsessed with Hulu. Hulu is one of the top streaming applications. It surpasses the rest because it offers live services and streams up to date movies and television shows. Online television can not get any better. Not to mention, this is very affordable.

2 years ago

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Jeremy Balls Kaysville, UT

I paid for several different streaming services, but Hulu is the one I use most. They have the most TV series, with most available the next day. Their movie selection is not the best. Lacks parental controls. I would recommend paying a few dollars more, so you can skip the advertisements.

3 years ago

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Nichole Davidson Sandy, UT

I use Hulu more for TV shows and they often have shows the day after they air on TV so you don't have to wait for the entire season to be released. Not all network shows are on Hulu, but there's still a good selection. I haven't had great luck with movies on Hulu as I do with Netflix. I also was frustrated that the lowest paid service still had commercials. Boo.

4 years ago

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Susan Stewart Salt Lake City, UT

We have used Hulu for years now and love it. It is probably tied for our most used television programming. We use Hulu for TV shows, and Netflix for movies mostly. I love that Hulu has all the old shows I grew up on and keeps up with all of the new shows I like on TV.

5 years ago

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Jonny Hancock Draper, UT

I have the commercial-free Hulu package and it's definitely worth it. I really like that I can keep up with current shows as they come on each week instead of having to wait until the entire season is uploaded. However, shows are frequently removed after a certain amount of time, which makes it difficult to go back and watch previous seasons or episodes.

5 years ago

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Aubrie Z. Riverton, UT

I really like being able to watch my shows the day after they air. I like being able to watch them without having to have cable. I also enjoy that it keeps current with the seasons that are airing on tv. That said, I don't like when I can't watch a certain show without having a subscription to network. I pay for a Hulu account so that I don't have to watch cable tv. I wish that seasons would stay on Hulu so that if you missed some you can go back and watch it. I also wish that paying for it meant that I didn't have to watch so many adds. Hulu is nice and convenient, when it is. That's why I gave it a 7.

7 years ago

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Demetrace Williams Milwaukee, WI

Very inexpensive streaming service and, they have all the shows I watch and live sports.

3 months ago

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Emily D Herriman, UT

Hulu is awesome because of how affordable it is. It’s easy to find shows and they offer a lot.

3 months ago

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Jaime American Fork, UT

I have had a subscription to Hulu for the past year, and have loved it! It is so nice to be able to stream past shows plus current shows that I may not be able to watch live! I have cable also, but the other day my DVR messed up and didn't record a show I wanted to see. I was able to go on Hulu and stream the episode I missed! I love that I can watch Hulu on my iPad or phone... so convenient!

2 years ago

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betsy fowler Lehi, UT

I LOVE Hulu. Especially recently. I used to use the service as simply a backup to my Netflix account but this past year it has become my preferred streaming channel because it has better content. I enjoy the lack of commercials with my plus account too. I have never had a problem with the streaming service unless I switch from my WIFI to analog. Then I simply have to restart the program. Not a big deal.

3 years ago

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Cara Marshall Lehi, UT

We've been with Hulu since the early days before Hulu Plus. It consistently delivers a decent product. Good selection of tv shows, and decent movies. Typically, the show comes out the day after it plays at its normal time. You don't have to wait for the entire season to come out like other providers. It's a good value. Not as good as it was when it was just plain Hulu, but the few extra bucks is completely worth not having to sit through all the commercials.

3 years ago

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TyGuy Sandy, UT

I LOVE HULU! Especially their no commercial plan. It's absolutely worth the extra money so you don't watch the same three commercials over and over. My only complaint is episodes disappear too quickly. If I'm several weeks behind, chances are I'll have to wait for the whole season to be released because Hulu will pull the episodes. Other than that, I really love Hulu.

3 years ago

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Jaid Clark Yuba City, CA

Love my Hulu plus, all the live channels you truly watch, plenty of record time, lots of original series too

5 months ago

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Abigail Land Tallahassee, FL

Great variety of shows and movies including great originals. Good closed captioning. No commercials for a reasonable price.

7 months ago

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