Photo by Jakub Zerdzicki
Article courtesy of WhatAreTheBest.com.
- Amazon Prime Video is the best value TV streaming service in the US, working out at just $0.34 per 1,000 titles.
- Apple TV+ is the most expensive service for content by volume, at $40.59 per 1,000 titles.
- Rankings compare each service’s catalog size against the monthly price of its cheapest plan, measuring how much content subscribers get for their money.
New research has revealed the best and worst value TV streaming services in America, with Amazon Prime Video taking the top spot.
The study, conducted by product comparison platform WhatAreTheBest.com, compared the number of films and shows available to stream on ten leading streaming platforms against the price of their cheapest monthly plan. The research measured value in two ways: the cost per 1,000 titles and the number of titles a subscriber gets for every dollar.
The best value US TV streaming services in 2026 (cheapest available plan)
RankServiceMonthly priceTitles to stream Cost per 1,000 titles Titles per dollar
| 1 | Amazon Prime Video | $8.99 | 26,783 | $0.34 | 2,979 |
| 2 | Netflix | $8.99 | 7,722 | $1.16 | 859 |
| 3 | HBO Max | $10.99 | 3,621 | $3.04 | 330 |
| 4 | Hulu | $11.99 | 2,986 | $4.02 | 249 |
| 5 | AMC+ | $7.99 | 1,473 | $5.42 | 184 |
| 6 | Peacock | $10.99 | 1,969 | $5.58 | 179 |
| 7 | Disney+ | $11.99 | 2,075 | $5.78 | 173 |
| 8 | Paramount+ | $8.99 | 1,450 | $6.20 | 161 |
| 9 | Starz | $11.99 | 698 | $17.18 | 58 |
| 10 | Apple TV+ | $12.99 | 320 | $40.59 | 25 |
Amazon Prime Video is the clear winner. Its cheapest plan, the ad-supported Prime Video tier at $8.99 a month, gives subscribers access to 26,783 titles, far more than any other platform in the study. Customers pay just $0.34 per 1,000 titles, receiving 2,979 titles per dollar.
Netflix ranks second, with 7,722 titles on its $8.99 Standard with Ads plan, at a cost of $1.16 per 1,000 titles, which gives subscribers 859 titles per dollar. Amazon offers roughly three and a half times as many titles for the same monthly price.
HBO Max is third, at $3.04 per 1,000 titles. Its Basic With Ads plan costs $10.99 for 3,621 titles, meaning customers can stream 330 titles per dollar.
Hulu comes fourth, with 2,986 titles on its $11.99 ad-supported plan, at $4.02 per 1,000 titles.
Four services then cluster together in the middle of the table, separated by only pennies per 1,000 titles and effectively tied on value: AMC+, Peacock, Disney+ and Paramount+, all costing between $5.42 and $6.20 per 1,000 titles.
Starz places ninth, with 698 titles for $11.99, equal to $17.18 per 1,000 titles, and Apple TV+ rounds out the top ten, at $40.59 per 1,000 titles, or around 25 titles per dollar.
A lower monthly price does not guarantee better value. AMC+ has the cheapest plan in the study at $7.99, yet it lands mid-table in fifth, and Apple TV+ is priced the highest at $12.99 and finishes last.
Three services charge exactly $8.99 for their cheapest plan, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Paramount+, yet the content they deliver is worlds apart. At that same price, Amazon provides more than 18 times as many titles as Paramount+, at 26,783 against 1,450.
Albert Richer, founder of WhatAreTheBest.com, has commented:
“A low title count does not always correlate to a worse streaming service. The ranking measures the amount of content a subscriber can stream for the money, not how good that content is, so it really does depend on the viewer. A large catalog often carries a lot of older and back-catalog titles, so a higher title count does not mean more hit shows. A small, originals-led service such as Apple TV+ can rank low on content per dollar by design.
“Looking strictly at value, Amazon Prime Video offers around 120 times more content per dollar than Apple TV+, with 26,783 titles on its cheapest plan.
“It’s a good idea to work out how you actually watch before you pay. If you want the widest choice for the lowest monthly cost, the value numbers point one way, but a smaller catalog built around strong original shows can be better value for you if those are the titles you sit down to watch.”
Sources:
- Streaming service library size – JustWatch (US)
- Streaming service subscription cost – individual streaming service sites
Methodology:
- The study looked at ten of the largest subscription TV streaming services available in the United States: Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Max, Hulu, AMC+, Peacock, Disney+, Paramount+, Starz and Apple TV+.
- Catalog size was taken as the number of unique films and shows included with a subscription, with each series and film counted once. The count excludes titles available only to rent or buy, add-on channels sold separately such as Prime Video Channels, and live channels and sports feeds, so it reflects on-demand content included in the subscription price.
- Prices are the official published US monthly rates for each service. The ranking uses each service’s cheapest available plan, which for most services carries advertising. Starz and Apple TV+ do not sell an ad-supported tier, so their cheapest plan is already ad-free and their figures are the same in both tables.
- The study calculated value two ways: cost per 1,000 titles (monthly price divided by titles, multiplied by 1,000) and titles per dollar (titles divided by monthly price), which give the same ranking but depict each service’s value in two ways.