Disney+ is the best streaming service for movies in 2026 for households whose movie nights are recent blockbusters. In our count of 893 well-known films in November 2026, it included 91 of the 245 biggest box-office hits since 2000 and nine of the 25 biggest films of 2025, far more than any other service, for $21.49 a month without ads or $12.49 with them. If you want classics and grown-up films as well, choose HBO Max instead: it has 58 acclaimed films, 43 box-office hits and six of 2025's top 25, from Casablanca to Sinners. For older films, Prime Video has the most of any paid service (65 of 650 Best Picture nominees and AFI 100 films, nearly half from before 1960), and a free library card does better still: Kanopy includes 132.
No service has much of film history. Of the 650 acclaimed films, the best paid service streams one in 10, and 235 of them weren't on any of the 24 paid and free services we counted. The totals here are low for that reason: they measure how much of each list a service has, not a grade for the service. The call at the top is also close. Disney+ leads HBO Max by 4.7 to 3.9, and its 4K score is worth more than that whole lead; move five points of weight from popular films or 4K to price and MGM+ would be first instead. So which one should you choose matters more than the order.
The best streaming services for movies, ranked
Disney+
Disney+ ranks first and suits households whose movie nights are franchise films. It includes 91 of the 245 films that made the US box-office top 10 in a year from 2000 to 2024, more than twice the next service (HBO Max, 43). They are mostly Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, Disney animation and the Avatar films, plus Sony's original Spider-Man trilogy and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Disney+ also leads on new films, with nine of 2025's top 25: Lilo & Stitch, Zootopia 2, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, Mufasa: The Lion King, Freakier Friday and Snow White.
The weakness is everything else. Disney+ includes only 14 of our 650 acclaimed films, fewer than Paramount+, MGM+ or even the Criterion Channel. The ad-free Premium plan rose $2.50 to $21.49 a month this fall (announced in September 2026, The Hollywood Reporter), the highest entry price without ads here, tied with Hulu. With ads it costs $12.49, and if every service were priced with ads, Disney+ would lead by about one point. Premium includes 4K, and JustWatch shows 101 of its 109 films from our lists in 4K. That is what puts it ahead of HBO Max: on the film lists and price the two are about level, and without the 4K criterion HBO Max would edge ahead. Its total of 4.7 out of 10 is low because no service has more than a small share of our lists, not because Disney+ does badly against the others.
HBO Max
HBO Max ranks second and is the best all-rounder, the pick for adults who want one subscription. It is the only service with a fair share of all three lists: its lowest score across them is 3.6, and no other service's lowest is above 2.2. It includes 100 of our 893 films, second only to Disney+: 58 acclaimed films, from Casablanca to Barbie; 43 box-office hits, including all eight Harry Potter films, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Dark Knight trilogy; and six of 2025's top 25 (Sinners, A Minecraft Movie, Superman, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Weapons and Final Destination: Bloodlines).
Price and picture hold it back. The ad-free Standard plan is $18.49 a month in Full HD, and 4K needs Premium at $22.99 (HBO Max help). Its future is also open: Paramount completed its purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery in October 2026 and says HBO Max and Paramount+ will "unify into a single service over time", with no date, name or price announced (Broadband TV News). The two together include 169 of our films. Until there is a price for the combined service, a yearly HBO Max plan is a bet; monthly billing keeps your options open. HBO Max is also sold in a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu, which has more of our films than anything else (see which one should you choose).
Paramount+
Paramount+ ranks third and suits viewers who want classics and recent Oscar nominees at a mid price. It ties HBO Max at 3.9 and is listed after it because its unrounded total is lower (3.90 to 3.94). At $13.99 a month for Premium without ads (Paramount+), it is one of the cheapest services here. It includes 71 of our films: 42 acclaimed films, including The Godfather and Parasite, and 31 box-office hits. Of its acclaimed films, 37 are from 1980 or later, the most of any service. It is weak on new films, with two of 2025's top 25 (Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and Sonic the Hedgehog 3). Premium streams select titles in 4K (JustWatch shows 39 of its 71 films from our lists in 4K); Essential, with ads, costs $8.99 and includes about the same films.
MGM+
MGM+ ranks fourth and is the best value, as a cheap second service rather than your only one. At $7.99 a month without ads (MGM+ on the App Store), it is the cheapest service here, and it includes 49 of our 650 acclaimed films, more than Netflix or Paramount+. That works out to 14 cents a month per film on our lists, the lowest of any service.
Its price carries it: 2.5 of its 3.8 points come from the price score. MGM+ includes only five of the 245 box-office hits and two of 2025's top 25 (Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and Sonic the Hedgehog 3), and JustWatch shows none of its films in 4K.
Prime Video
Prime Video ranks fifth and is the best paid service for classic films. It has more acclaimed films than any other paid service, 65 of our 650, and 31 of them are from before 1960, also the most of any paid service. For acclaimed films from 1980 on it is behind Paramount+, HBO Max, Netflix and MGM+. It also has by far the largest catalog, 25,750 movies included with Prime in November 2026, but most are little known, and it has only 11 of the 245 box-office hits since 2000.
The price depends on how you buy it. The Prime Video membership is $8.99 a month with ads, or Prime Video comes with Amazon Prime at $14.99 (Amazon). Since April 2026, removing ads takes Prime Video Ultra at $4.99 a month more, which is also now the only way to get 4K (9to5Google). Ultra can be added to the Prime Video membership as well as to Prime (Reviewed), so we scored $13.98, the membership plus Ultra; with full Prime it is $19.98 a month. The app also mixes films included with Prime among rentals and add-on channels, so check for the "Included with Prime" label.
Netflix
Netflix ranks sixth and suits viewers who mostly watch its own films and series, plus some new hits. It has the biggest catalog after Prime Video, 4,671 movies, but only 61 of our 893 films: 35 acclaimed films and 24 box-office hits. It does well on new films, with five of 2025's top 25 (Jurassic World: Rebirth, Wicked: For Good, How to Train Your Dragon, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle and Five Nights at Freddy's 2), and Sony's new films stream on Netflix first, under a deal renewed and made worldwide in January 2026 (Deadline). Standard without ads costs $19.99 a month in Full HD; 4K needs Premium at $26.99 (Netflix help). Standard with ads is $8.99 and streams 56 of our films.
Apple TV
Apple TV ranks seventh and suits fans of Apple's own films who watch on a 4K TV. JustWatch lists 87% of its whole catalog in 4K, the highest share of any service, with no higher tier to pay for, at $14.99 a month (Apple). On our scored 4K measure it ties Disney+: 13 of its 14 films from our lists are in 4K (93%), against 101 of 109 for Disney+. But its 149 movies are Apple's own productions, so it has only 14 of our 893 films, one of them a 2025 hit (F1). Subscribe for a month when an Apple film you want arrives, not as a movie library.
Criterion Channel
The Criterion Channel ranks eighth and suits film lovers who want world cinema, though our lists don't measure what it does best. It had only 18 of our 650 acclaimed films in November 2026; its 1,939 films lean to world and art-house cinema, director retrospectives and films with commentary and extras, such as the International Feature winners our Best Picture and box-office lists leave out. At $10.99 a month or $99.99 a year without ads (Criterion Channel), it is the pick for film lovers who want that, but don't expect it to have a given Oscar winner: check the title first.
Starz
Starz ranks ninth and suits fans of its own series more than movie watchers. It costs $11.99 a month without ads after an introductory $4.99 a month for three months (Starz), but it had six of our 893 films and none of 2025's top 25.
MUBI
MUBI ranks 10th and suits viewers who follow film festivals, which our lists don't measure. Its 513 films are chosen by editors, mostly recent international and festival releases, and only two of our 893 films were on it. It costs $14.99 a month or $119.88 a year (MUBI). Pick it if you follow festivals; skip it if you want films you've heard of.
Hulu
Hulu ranks 11th on its own and suits households buying a Disney+ bundle anyway: 33 of our films for $21.49 a month without ads. For movies it makes sense only in a bundle with Disney+, where it adds 32 films that Disney+ doesn't have, including Predator: Badlands.
Peacock
Peacock ranks last and suits NBC and sports fans more than movie nights. It has 31 of the 245 box-office hits, mostly Universal and DreamWorks animation and the Harry Potter films, but only one of 2025's top 25 (Dog Man) and 15 acclaimed films, and its ad-free Premium Plus plan rose $3 to $19.99 a month in August 2026 (Droid Life). Premium, with ads, is $12.99. JustWatch lists none of its movies in 4K.
How many of the films each service has
All counts are from JustWatch's US catalog in November 2026, for films included with the subscription. A film can be on several services. The 2025 list is Box Office Mojo's top 25 by 2025 gross, so it includes two December 2024 releases, Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
| Service | Acclaimed (of 650) | Box-office hits, 2000 to 2024 (of 245) | 2025 hits (of 25) | Any of our films | Price without ads | Cost per film a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disney+ | 14 | 91 | 9 | 109 | $21.49 | $0.20 |
| HBO Max | 58 | 43 | 6 | 100 | $18.49 | $0.18 |
| Prime Video | 65 | 11 | 4 | 80 | $13.98 | $0.17 |
| Paramount+ | 42 | 31 | 2 | 71 | $13.99 | $0.20 |
| Netflix | 35 | 24 | 5 | 61 | $19.99 | $0.33 |
| MGM+ | 49 | 5 | 2 | 56 | $7.99 | $0.14 |
| Peacock | 15 | 31 | 1 | 45 | $19.99 | $0.44 |
| Hulu | 14 | 19 | 2 | 33 | $21.49 | $0.65 |
| Criterion Channel | 18 | 0 | 0 | 18 | $10.99 | $0.61 |
| Apple TV | 12 | 3 | 1 | 14 | $14.99 | $1.07 |
| Starz | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | $11.99 | $2.00 |
| MUBI | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | $14.99 | $7.50 |
| Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max bundle | 85 | 149 | 17 | 237 | $34.99 | $0.15 |
| Disney+ and HBO Max, bought separately | 72 | 133 | 15 | 208 | $39.98 | $0.19 |
| Disney+ and Hulu bundle | 28 | 109 | 11 | 141 | $21.99 | $0.16 |
| HBO Max and Paramount+, bought separately | 100 | 72 | 8 | 169 | $32.48 | $0.19 |
Two things stand out. Catalog size tells you little: Prime Video has 25,750 movies and Netflix 4,671, yet Disney+, with 1,417, has more of our films than either. And the films people saw in theaters are split by studio: Warner Bros. films go to HBO Max, Disney's to Disney+ and Paramount's to Paramount+, while 2025's big Universal films (Jurassic World: Rebirth, Wicked: For Good, How to Train Your Dragon) were on Netflix and Sony's new films go to Netflix under its 2026 deal. No single service has most of them.
The acclaimed list leans old: 240 of its 650 films are from before 1960, because the Academy nominated up to 12 films a year in the 1930s and 1940s. Split by era, the services look different:
| Service | Acclaimed before 1960 (of 240) | 1960 to 1979 (of 105) | 1980 on (of 305) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Video | 31 | 11 | 23 |
| HBO Max | 22 | 6 | 30 |
| MGM+ | 15 | 9 | 25 |
| Criterion Channel | 11 | 2 | 5 |
| Paramount+ | 2 | 3 | 37 |
| Netflix | 0 | 5 | 30 |
| Disney+ | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Peacock | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Hulu | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Apple TV | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| Tubi (free) | 64 | 29 | 36 |
What many answers get wrong
AI assistants and popular guides gave confident answers in November 2026 that our count doesn't support:
- "HBO Max has the best movies, classics included." All four AI models we asked picked HBO Max as the best streaming service for movies, and most named it the mainstream pick for classic films. HBO Max includes 58 of our 650 acclaimed films. Prime Video includes more (65), and two free services include more than twice as many: Kanopy (132) and Tubi (129). HBO Max is the best all-rounder, not the best for classics.
- "HBO Max gets new Warner Bros. films the same day as theaters." Reviews.org, the page the AI answers cited most, says so, and two answers repeated it. Warner Bros. ended same-day streaming after 2021 (The Dallas Morning News); its 2025 hits such as Sinners and Superman reached HBO Max after their theater runs.
- "A $19.99 bundle includes Hulu and HBO Max." The Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max bundle costs $21.99 a month with ads and $34.99 without (Disney+).
- "Netflix has the most movies." One answer said so. Both catalog trackers we checked put Prime Video far ahead.
- How many movies each service has. The trackers disagree with each other because they count differently. FlickFinder, updated in November 2026, gives Prime Video 20,001 movies, Netflix 4,785, HBO Max 2,057 and Disney+ 1,721. JustWatch, the same month, counted 25,750 movies included with Prime, 4,671 on Netflix, 1,898 on HBO Max and 1,417 on Disney+. Treat any single number as approximate; the order is the same.
- "The Criterion Channel is best for award-winning films." It had 18 of the 650 Best Picture nominees and AFI 100 films. Its catalog leans to world and art-house cinema, which is a different thing.
- "Max." Three of the four models called it Max in at least one answer. The service went back to the HBO Max name in July 2025 (Variety).
Which one should you choose?
- If you want one answer: Disney+ for a family that watches blockbusters and animation; HBO Max for adults who want a mix of classics, franchises and new films.
- If you want the most films for one bill: the Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max bundle, with 237 of our films (85 acclaimed, 149 box-office hits and 17 of 2025's top 25) for $34.99 a month without ads or $21.99 with ads (Disney+). We couldn't confirm which HBO Max plan the ad-free bundle includes, so check whether it has 4K before you buy.
- If you want two services: Disney+ and HBO Max, which share only one of our films and have 208 between them. Bought separately without ads they cost $39.98 a month, so the three-service bundle, which adds Hulu for $34.99, is cheaper.
- If you love classic films: start with a free Kanopy account from your library, then add Prime Video if you already pay for Prime, or MGM+ at $7.99.
- If you want recent Oscar nominees: Paramount+, with 37 acclaimed films from 1980 on, or HBO Max or Netflix, with 30 each.
- If you want to see 2025's hits: no service has most of them. Disney+ (nine), HBO Max (six) and Netflix (five) cover 20 of the 25 between them.
- If you want world and art-house cinema: the Criterion Channel, and MUBI for recent festival films. Our lists don't measure either well, so judge them by their catalogs.
- If you watch on a big 4K TV: Disney+ Premium has the most of our films in 4K (101), then Paramount+ Premium (39). Apple TV has 4K on nearly everything, but only 13 of our films. Netflix, HBO Max and Prime Video charge extra for 4K.
- If you want to keep costs down: rotate. Every service here bills monthly, so subscribe for the month you have films to watch, then switch.
Free ways to stream movies
The free services did better on acclaimed films than any paid service. Counts from the same lists in the same check:
| Service | How it's free | Acclaimed (of 650) | Box-office hits (of 245) | Any of our films |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanopy | With a card from a participating library or university; no ads, monthly limit set by the library | 132 | 13 | 143 |
| Tubi | Free with ads | 129 | 8 | 136 |
| Hoopla | With a participating library card; monthly limit | 104 | 10 | 112 |
| YouTube | Free with ads, on YouTube's free movies | 104 | 6 | 109 |
| Fawesome | Free with ads | 83 | 0 | 83 |
| The Roku Channel | Free with ads | 72 | 5 | 77 |
| Plex | Free with ads | 60 | 0 | 60 |
| Pluto TV | Free with ads | 25 | 4 | 29 |
| Prime Video Free with Ads | Free with ads, no Prime needed | 24 | 2 | 26 |
| Amazon MX Player | Free with ads | 23 | 2 | 25 |
| Fandango at Home Free | Free with ads | 22 | 8 | 28 |
| Xumo Play | Free with ads | 17 | 2 | 19 |
Between them, these 12 free services include 287 of the 650 acclaimed films, more than all 12 paid services combined (260). None has any of 2025's top 25, and few box-office hits.
How we scored
We didn't subscribe to any service or use its apps, so every pick is desk-researched. In November 2026 we looked up 893 films from three public lists (every Best Picture winner and nominee through the 2025 films, the AFI 100 from 2007, and the top 10 box-office films of each year from 2000 to 2025) in JustWatch's US catalog, the database behind justwatch.com, and counted which services include each film with the subscription. Rentals and channels sold inside another app don't count. Each service was priced on its cheapest plan without ads. Scores follow anchors set before we counted. Streaming catalogs change every month, so these counts are for one day; we will count again at each re-check and report what moved. How we scored the best streaming services for movies lists every count and score, links the film-by-film results, and shows how the order changes if you weight price, 4K or classics differently.
Questions people ask
Netflix or HBO Max for movies? HBO Max. It has 100 of our 893 films to Netflix's 61, including more acclaimed films (58 to 35) and more box-office hits (43 to 24), and costs $1.50 a month less without ads. Netflix is the better pick if you mostly watch its own films and series.
Netflix or Prime Video for movies? Prime Video if you like older films: it has 65 acclaimed films to Netflix's 35. Netflix if you want recent hits: five of 2025's top 25 to Prime Video's four, and far more of the box-office films since 2000 (24 to 11).
Disney+ or Netflix? Disney+ for movies: 109 of our films to Netflix's 61, and nine of 2025's top 25 to five. Netflix for series.
Which streaming service has the most movies? Prime Video. JustWatch counted 25,750 movies included with Prime in November 2026, then Netflix (4,671); FlickFinder's count the same month is lower (20,001 and 4,785) but in the same order. Tubi, which is free, lists more than 51,000. Most of those are little known: Disney+, with 1,417 movies, has more of our 893 films than Prime Video or Netflix.
Will HBO Max and Paramount+ merge? Their new owner says they will become one service "over time". Nothing has changed for subscribers yet, and no name, date or price has been announced.
How the score is built
Weighted average of the criteria below, out of 10
- Acclaimed films 30%
- Share of 650 films (every Best Picture winner and nominee from 1927/28 to 2025, plus the AFI 100) the service includes, from JustWatch in November 2026. 10 at 25% or more.
- Popular films 20%
- Share of the 245 films that were in the US top 10 at the box office in a year from 2000 to 2024. 10 at 30% or more.
- Recent hits 15%
- How many of the 25 top box-office films of 2025 the service includes; 1 point per film, 10 at 10 films or more.
- Price 25%
- The monthly price of the cheapest plan without ads, from US pricing pages in November 2026. 10 at $8 or less, 0 at $22 or more.
- 4K picture 10%
- Share of the service's films from our lists that JustWatch shows in 4K, times 10, less 3 points if 4K needs a pricier plan than the one priced.
| Tool | Acclaimed films30% | Popular films20% | Recent hits15% | Price25% | 4K picture10% | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disney+ | 0.9 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 0.4 | 9.3 | 4.7 |
| HBO Max | 3.6 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 3.9 |
| Paramount+ | 2.6 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 3.9 |
| MGM+ | 3.0 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| Prime Video | 4.0 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 5.7 | 2.0 | 3.7 |
| Netflix | 2.2 | 3.3 | 5.0 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Apple TV | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 9.3 | 2.6 |
| Criterion Channel | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.9 | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| Starz | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 7.2 | 0.0 | 1.9 |
| MUBI | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.8 |
| Hulu | 0.9 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 5.5 | 1.7 |
| Peacock | 0.9 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 1.6 |
Also considered: 7 tools we left out
- Tubi, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Plex, Fawesome, Xumo Play, Amazon MX Player, Fandango at Home Free, and the free movies on YouTube and Prime Video
- Free with ads, so price can't be compared the same way. We counted them with the same lists; Tubi alone includes 136 of our films. See the free services section.
- Kanopy and Hoopla
- Free with a card from a participating library, with a monthly limit set by the library. Kanopy includes 143 of our films, more than any paid service. See the free services section.
- Disney+ and Hulu bundle
- Two scored services sold together. It includes 141 of our films for $21.99 a month without ads; see the count table.
- Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max bundle
- Three scored services sold together. It includes 237 of our films, more than any single service, for $34.99 a month without ads or $21.99 with ads; see the count table.
- Shudder
- A horror service, which none of our film lists measures fairly.
- Fandango at Home, the Apple TV store and Amazon's rentals
- You rent or buy each film; they aren't subscriptions.
- Watch TCM and live TV services
- Need a pay-TV subscription. See the live TV ranking.