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iTunes

Is This Your Business?
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238 User Reviews

5.2

Overall Score

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Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: June 3rd, 2024

Apple created and launched iTunes in January of 2001, allowing users to listen to music anywhere on their Apple devices. iTunes became a noteworthy addition to the streaming industry as Apple added streaming movie and TV through iTunes and Apple TV. iTunes is now more than just a music player or a podcast app. This plunge into the television streaming space adds to the many unplugged streaming entertainment options.

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The Good

  • Ad-free
  • No subscription
  • One place for all content

One Place for Music, Movies, TV, and Pictures

iTunes allows users to have access to all of their Apple content (music, movies, TV, video, and pictures) in one place, the iTunes library. This is a unique feature in the streaming TV industry. It's an added convenience to customers to have all of their content in one place.

Apple TV Integration

For $99 users can purchase Apple TV, a streaming device that syncs with other Apple devices and allows users to watch their favorite shows and movies from their TV and other Apple devices.

Parental Controls and Ad-Free

Users are able to watch movies ad-free and have parental controls for movies, giving flexibility for family viewing.

Great Mobile App

Apple has created a great iTunes app for its users that's available in the app store. The overall user experience is great and users give the iTunes mobile app a rating of over 4 stars.

No Monthly Fee

iTunes users don't pay a monthly fee to use iTunes.  Users simply pay per rental or purchase. Overall, iTunes is a great entertainment platform where users can access music and pictures, and stream TV and movies.  Users are able to watch movies ad-free and have access to parental controls while watching. And with a large library of over 2,000 TV series and over 20,500 movies to choose from, users have a great selection.

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The Bad

  • More expensive
  • Apple products exclusively
  • No free library

More Expensive Than Others

TV episodes and movies can be a little pricier to rent on iTunes.  Rentals start around $3.99 for movies and $2.99 for new TV episodes.

Only Works with Apple Products

Even though iTunes provides syncing with all of your other Apple products, they are closed off to other common devices (like those using Android).

New Releases Only Available for Purchase

iTunes has a large library to choose from, but new releases are only available to purchase, not rent.  Whereas Amazon Prime allows its customers the option of purchase or rental.

Apple TV Restrictions

With Apple TV, users can't play DVD's, CD's, or do any kind of recording of their favorite TV shows. Also, no cables come with the purchase of an Apple TV and will need to be purchased separately.

No Free Library

With iTunes users pay per rental or purchase.  There is no library of free movies and TV for users to access.  This is mainly due to the fact that users do not pay a monthly fee. Although iTunes has many great features to their services, there are some drawbacks to consider.  The main drawback to iTunes is that if you aren't an Apple user than Apple TV and iTunes isn't even an option for you.  iTunes only works for Apple devices. In addition, iTunes doesn't have a library of free movies and TV series to watch.
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The Bottom Line

If you currently use a variety of Apple products, then iTunes will give you the convenience of having all of your digital needs met at the click of a button, along with the other perks that being an Apple user brings. However, if you use any other device besides Apple, iTunes isn't even an option for you. Also, note that iTunes is not a monthly subscription streaming TV service.  If you are looking for a large library of movies and TV to watch at any time, iTunes isn't the best fit for you.  But if you are just looking for one-off rentals or purchases, and you are an Apple user, then iTunes is a great option to consider.

For more information, check out the iTunes reviews below. 

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User Reviews

Star Rating

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4.2

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238 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

52%

4 grade

27%

3 grade

13%

2 grade

5%

1 grade

2%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Clemmie & Mandy Johnson San Jose, CA

I like using iTunes except it doesn’t always auto update like it’s supposed to. Sometimes the apps stay in the old version and take a while to update or don’t work unless I manually update them (even though my setting is set to auto-update). I also don’t like that I’ll lose access to music I’ve purchased unless I maintain my subscription. That’s not really fair if I purchased the content.

1 year ago

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TC B Florissant, CO

Is there a ton of selection? Why yes there is- and overall, the selections are not too pricey. However, the frustration is that once you download and purchase music and movies on iTunes- you cannot transfer them to a non-apple device/laptop. So, if you decide to go with a non-apple laptop then you lose the hundreds, nearly thousands of dollars of money you have put out on your extensive music and video library.

1 year ago Edited August 11, 2023

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TyGuy Sandy, UT

A few years ago, I decided to go digital and only purchase my movies through iTunes. I really like having my entire video library on any of my Apple devices at any moment. I have had to contact customer service a few times to return a movie that didn't meet my expectations or was accidentally purchased. I've got about 270 movies in my library and I have purchased just about every mainstream Apple device, yet their customer service gives me a very hard time when I'm need their assistance regarding a refund that rarely happens. But they'll tell me that they'll do it as a one time curtesy. I can go to another store and purchase a DVD and if it doesn't meet my expectation, I can return it, no questions asked. You would think that Apple's customer service would be better than it is.

6 years ago

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Brian P

Seems like Itunes is being dominated by Amazon. Itunes is hard to transfer songs, I feel like I keep losing my purchases and as I upgrade my devices, the entire activation to transfer of music selection is clunky and riddled with issues.

1 year ago

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Heather Novus Palm Bay, FL

I have used iTunes a lot over the years, but I'm slowly relying more on Spotify. I loved the tiny ipods they used to make, but now it's a device the size of a phone. If I'm going to carry my phone anyway, I'm just going to use spotify

3 years ago

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Maile Curtis Salt Lake City, UT

Itunes is great, however they are getting really expensive. It's nice that you do not need wifi to watch a movie, but the price is not worth it. You could find the same movie or tv show on different network for much cheaper instead of paying $20.

7 years ago

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Bridget Walker Gulfport, MS

ITunes streaming is not what I expected it to be. It doesn't offer as much as the other streaming companies do. I was supposed because I expected a whole lot more out of iTunes. I canceled my service

2 years ago

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Rebecca D

iTunes is a great streaming service but it is so expensive. The new movies are way over priced when you could wait a little bit longer and get them on another site at a better price.

3 years ago

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Raven Brodsky New York, NY

This used to be a much better platform for buying/streaming videos. But now I have a hard time finding what I want to watch. They ruined the search features and the organization.

3 years ago

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Myken American Fork, UT

We got a free trial of iTunes movies but it’s very difficult to stream if you don’t have an Apple TV. I don’t like that we’re unable to stream it with our Google Chromecast or Firestick. I feel like it forces you to watch programs on your phone or buy an Apple TV.

5 years ago

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Tony Gibson American Fork, UT

I have always really enjoyed using iTunes for my library, especially since my I have so many Apple products. It does feel like there are updates constantly, which starts to get a little bit old and I don't use the iCloud but they keep sending me stuff for that whether I want it or not. I don't see myself moving away from iTunes anytime soon.

5 years ago

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Alexander Johnson Burbank, CA

Honestly never was much of a fan. I bought a movie and three albums and one day all of them disappeared and I have never been able to retrieve them again.

4 years ago

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Kristen Pleasant Grove, UT

The selection is good, but the prices can be steep. If something is not on Netflix and I want to watch it bad enough, I usually buy it through iTunes.

10 years ago

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Monica Bertha Encinitas, CA

I love iTunes and I use it everyday but the only thing is I bought so much before iCloud became a thing and it was real money but I don’t have any of those shows and movies anymore and that’s bummer..

5 years ago

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Dani Provo, UT

Honestly super frustrating in a lot of ways. Even after purchasing a movie or a song their are a lot of limitations with what devices you can access your media on. Not a huge fan

5 years ago

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Matthew Carbaugh Herndon, VA

Used iTunes for videos back when I had it with apple music. Only used it a few times, preferred other streaming services and youtube due to better suggested videos and explore options.

6 years ago

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Lailapuga Mesa, AZ

I have rented movies from iTunes only due to the fact that the movie could not be found on any other streaming service. I wish the prices of renting quality movies were the same as that of amazon prime.

6 years ago

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Tualagi Saint George, UT

not dependable. sometimes we get a good stream and other times we get a lot of interruptions. they charge you monthly faithfully but doesn't want to help solve the issues you have with there product.

6 years ago

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Boston Whipple Provo, UT

After a few minutes of watching the picture froze but the audio kept going. When we tried to restart the show there was no audio or video. iTunes closed and wouldn't open again.

6 years ago

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Jason Atlanta, GA

I used to use ITunes to download and stream movies and shows but not anymore. There are just so many better platforms to use now

2 years ago

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Victoria Phillips Fort Worth, TX

ITunes is good, but could be better. While I no longer have an iPhone, when I did I was always having g trouble syncing iTunes to my computer.

3 years ago

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Madison Scott Pleasant Grove, UT

My family loves iTunes. We feel the variety is awesome. We seem to find all the things unique and hard to find within the entertainment world right there on iTunes.

5 years ago

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Spencer Scoville American Fork, UT

It is a little annoying to use and only works on other apple products which is annoying if you do not use only apple. Other than that the quality is pretty sweet.

6 years ago

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Hayley Lambdin Orem, UT

I think the prices to buy digital movies is way too expensive, but it is nice to have my redeemed movies.

7 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Amy Boren American Fork, UT

I think that it is easy to use but it is expensive for what you get. We discontinued because we were using others for a better price.

5 years ago

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Scotlynn Blair Phoenix, AZ

More expensive than I would like and most of the time you don't need to have a show forever so I wish there rent options were better

5 years ago

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Dasha Directo Provo, UT

iTunes has a lot of older shows available to stream. It's not my favorite streaming service though because it's hard to access sometimes.

6 years ago

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Paula Henrie Pleasant Grove, UT

Love the family share plan. My kids were buying and spending so much money on music but this has saved me alot of money.

6 years ago

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Jeff Stewart Saint George, UT

I own so many apple products and I feel that for some reason iTunes is not user friendly. Content is good.

5 years ago

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Courtney Eames Kaysville, UT

iTunes is hard to use. It is hard to download and keep it downloaded. Once you do have it downloaded it works great.

5 years ago

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Denise H. Mona, UT

Quite expensive for what you get; I think there are better options out there.

7 years ago

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S Suguturaga Orem, UT

It is a good service for apple devices and I like the tech support that is available.

6 years ago

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