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6.2

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: August 25th, 2025

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.

Top Ranked Companies

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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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Star Rating

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4.3

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671 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

54%

4 grade

30%

3 grade

11%

2 grade

2%

1 grade

3%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Trustworthiness

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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.

10 years 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.

3 years ago

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Michael Lyman Salt Lake City, UT

I was not a huge fan of Hulu at all. I actually refused to use it for a long time. However, my fiance is a huge Hulu user, and has been around since they began in 2008. With her influence, I have started enjoying her subscription to Hulu. I like that they have the newest episodes of shows available instead of waiting for a full season to be released on DVD like Netflix. It is still not my favorite streaming service, but it is definitely worth looking at if you like staying current with TV shows.

8 years ago

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Beth Farmer Pleasant Grove, UT

We decided to give Hulu a try. It has lots of shows that you can't find on Netflix or other streaming apps. I do like that they have newer shows but they also have so many classics like Golden Girls, Family Matters, Full House, Boy Meets World, Seinfeld, Home Improvement. Total classics for the whole family to enjoy! I don't offer like the user experience. It's confusing how they list their shows and it's harder to search and find what you want. I feel like I can never see everything they have at once. Netflix is MUCH more user friendly and they also have an auto button to skip the shows opening credits. Hulu just seems like a lower budget Netflix. But, again they do have content you can't find that I love! Overall we like Hulu.

6 years ago

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MC Swift Okeechobee, FL

Hulu isn't my favorite, there layout they chose to overall navigate through their content isn't the most user friendly but overall, you do get a good selection to choose from and they do offer the ability to watch live streaming content although it isn't very cost effective in comparison to else is out there in the way of options.

1 year ago

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Bridget Walker Gulfport, MS

Hulu Plus is a good service. It's a lil pricey but if you have the money to splurge on streaming it's well worth it. I personally don't think that it's the best out there but it's not the worst either. After one month I cancelled my subscription

3 years 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.

3 years 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.

3 years ago

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Emerald Scott West Jordan, UT

Hulu is great if you like keeping up to date on shows. I really don't like that there are commercials constantly. I'm paying to avoid commercials, if I wanted to watch commercials all day I would go to the channel sites directly and watch from there. Only reason I keep it is because a handful of the shows I can't watch from their sites directly.

7 years ago

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Breanna Jones Salt Lake City, UT

Hulu has a great selection of tv. I like being able to watch the episode I missed the day after airs. I do not like having to watch commercials even though I pay a monthly subscription fee. I wish it was like Netflix and you have no commercials during you tv viewing. But the selection is good so I will keep using Hulu.

8 years ago

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Myra Howes Provo, UT

I like Hulu, but I wish there were more options of shows and movies to watch. So many that I have seen are obscure. I have Hulu for 2 or three shows that I really like, but I find the interface to be hard to use. I have a hard time finding other shows or what I want. I feel like you have to really know what you're looking for to be able to find it.

5 years ago

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Tim Berrett American Fork, UT

We had HuluPlus for several months to try out their streaming service and TV/Cable service. The content was good and the TV service was good. Unfortunately, our internet service was not great at the time and we had many buffering issues. I believe this was an internet issue and not an issue with Hulu. We will try it again when we have better internet.

6 years ago

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Katie Howard Pleasant Grove, UT

We have used Hulu to cover the gaps between other streaming services, such as to see current TV shows, as well as for some of its original programming. We tend to go back and forth with it, canceling whenever we notice we haven't used it for a while. It's not our favorite go-to streaming service, but it definitely comes in handy at times. It is annoying that you still have to watch commercials even though you're paying for the service, unless you're willing to pay even more to have them removed. Most pay TV doesn't require you to watch commercials.

7 years ago

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martins timothy

It’s good for students due to the fact that they give special discounts The problem is that you can’t simultaneously stream on a tablet, laptop, and TV, for example and it’s not good enough

1 year ago

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Moureen Meggers

Not enough good shows to watch, same old stuff. Movies offered are not that great. Nothing really new on here very often. I do not pay for a annual plan, only go month to month and then stop for a few months.

2 years ago

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Elizabeth LaFlamme Anderson, SC

I hate that we pay for this service and still have to sit through ads… I wish that the shows and movies stayed longer before rotating off, but otherwise I like Hulu. not as good as the others.

2 years ago

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Jason Atlanta, GA

Hulu kinda disappoints me. Seems like they have one really good show at a time and otherwise their options aren't that good. Pretty annoying having to pay extra to not have ads too.

2 years ago

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Ladie Lavender Seattle, WA

I tried their free trial and decided not to go for subscription because of the lack of choices compare to other streaming services and the cost is too much. I do like that they have full season of current shows.

2 years ago

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Landon Robison

I have been a hulu plus subscriber for about 6 months now. Overall they have a good collection of tv shows, but I have experienced quite a few technical issues such as long load times and buffering.

6 years ago

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David Gaebler

Not all that great. Getting to the selection menu is painful, there is no single easy scrolling menu like there is for other cable companies. Also, sometimes the sound and the picture do not sinc up.

7 years ago

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Alicia Holman Gilbert, AZ

I don't love the website and there isn't a lot of variety, but I like that you can stream from several devices. I continue to use them, but I can see why some people choose Netflix over HULU.

7 years ago

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Lindsay H. Draper, UT

Hulu has a wide selection of TV shows, however they don't have all of the seasons and/or episodes of every show, which can be frustrating if you want to watch from the beginning.

8 years ago

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Kristen Pleasant Grove, UT

I have used Hulu Plus for over 2 years and have been pleased. I enjoy watching current television series on my own time. The content outside of television shows can be quite dry.

11 years ago

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April aphe8493 Castle Rock, CO

Hulu has a lot of options like other streaming companies, but I definitely mostly use it to watch reality tv like Dance moms, keeping up with the kardashians, love island, masked singer. I don't really like most of the options for movies, but they definitely have good shows and reality shows on there compared to the other streaming platforms.

5 years ago

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Lawrence Lee Provo, UT

I like Hulu. They have a lot of weird shows, but lots of good ones too and movies. I use several streaming services and honestly don't have too much loyalty to any given one. I just bounce between them. My perception is that it's a bit harder to navigate through a lot of shows on Hulu so maybe I spend less time on here.

5 years ago

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Donna Gaddy Long Beach, MS

Was happy with the service in the beginning but then it stopped working with my specific brand of tv. Now i have to start it on my phone and cat to my tv. Plus they raised the price 20% without notice. Shopping around again:(

5 years ago

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Amy American Fork, UT

Hulu is great when I want to watch some of the current shows. I don't love that they only keep them on for a short time. Sometimes I go in and they will have a few of the episodes but skip some of the ones in the middle of the season. It is frustrating. I love that I don't have to watch commercials or ads. Overall I like it.

6 years ago

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Isaac Kaysville, UT

Usually I only have great things to say about Hulu plus but lately it keeps saying that there is a problem and to try back later. I was fine until it said that for a week straight. I tried to search and call to find out if it was just our account that was having problems and the lady told me she wasn’t sure what the problem was.

6 years ago

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Katie Kearney Vienna, VA

I only used Hulu for a little while. I came to find there were better options out there with better variety and no ads. To me, personally, it was worth paying the $2 more for no ads or commercials. Overall it was just ok for me.

7 years ago

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Joanna Hester Gilbert, AZ

We had Hulu for two years. However, we recently ended our subscription because we did not use it. We had a hard time finding the movies that we wanted to watch. For some its a great deal, depending on the kinds of movies you are looking for.

7 years ago

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Rhonda Grant Ringgold, GA

I like it a lot but it has to many commercials Than I really like to see but it has very interesting shows to watch. I enjoy the documentaries they have the best of all.

3 years ago

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Christine Barnhart IA

This app could definitely improve, they don't have a very wide variety of newer movies or shows to chose from, but very easy to use and still leave a a somewhat good variety.

3 years ago

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Alec Dover

Great service! I love that they have Duck Dynasty. Best show ever. They tend to have shows that Netflix and other streaming sites don't. So you get a unique product.

8 years ago

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Nichole Hiatt Eagle Mountain, UT

I didn't like Hulu because of all the commercials and ads. I also didn't like that I couldn't watch things in real time, that I had to wait a period of time before viewing the shows.

5 years ago

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Aaliyah Lobendahn Orem, UT

I like how many shows there are but I do think that they have way to many ads, some shows stop every 5-10min just to show two ads that we’ve already seen about 5times in the last hour we’ve been watching on hulu

5 years ago

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Michael Perez Glenshaw, PA

You shouldn't have to pay extra for a streaming service to avoid ads. Nobody wants ads. Offering a lower priced option with options is pointless except to say your rate starts lower.

6 years ago

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josharmatage Alpine, UT

I use Hulu plus only when Netflix doesn't have the show. Also Hulu can be kind of confusing when I go to watch one of my favorite anime series and it is in Japanese and I don't have the option of English.

7 years ago

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Brady Hanson Orem, UT

I like the no commercials feature with Hulu Plus and it’s a good way to stay up-to-date on shows that are currently on the air. The movie selection isn’t very good. For the price, I would recommend Netflix.

7 years ago

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PolyanaL Salt Lake City, UT

Hulu plus is good, I enjoy it because I like the shows aired in it. However, its too pricey. Unlike Netflix you have to pay for a no commercial inbetween and they do not have the download option avaibable.

7 years ago

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Larry Horat

Not much out of the ordinary with Hulu Plus. There are a couple of TV shows I do watch on here. Not sure how much longer I'll keep this subscription.

1 year ago

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SAMANTHA EDWARDS TX

Hulu Plus is a company similar to Netflix. You can stream all of your movies here as well as an app called Up Faith and Family. A+ Rating!

3 years ago

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Steve Ashby Portland, OR

I pay for this service but I'm not sure why...They're stuff is the least favorite of the streaming services I subscribe too.

4 years ago

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Hyrum Sandy, UT

They have all the shows that used to be on Netflix. They have good content but I don't like that we pay to watch commercials.

8 years ago

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Lacey Horne Salt Lake City, UT

Found a few good series and movies on here, but very disappointed with the lack of options. It seems like lately when I search for a show it isn’t available

5 years ago

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Humzah

I tried to register an account on the UK servers, however several of the shows that I wanted to watch were blocked. I then had to quickly cancel my subscription.

6 years ago

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Sarah Kaysville, UT

I like Hulu a lot but lately I have been having problems and it won’t work for a few days and I tried to get ahold of customer service and they never responded to my email.

6 years ago

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Hadley heaps Lehi, UT

I have used hulu on my friends phone and I like how you can watch movies that you can't find on Netflix or tv sometimes. I am planning on making an account soon.

6 years ago

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Katana Castle Alpine, UT

I had a blast watching World of Dance! And I liked that the movies don’t have ads. But there is not a very wide selection of Family Friendly fun shows.

6 years ago

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Joshua Langley Mesa, AZ

Even when paying for no commercials some shows still have commercials but shows that are currently airing can be easily watched just a day after they first air

7 years ago

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Reb R

Just not a huge fan. Not super user friendly & not a great selection of shows compared to other services.

2 years ago