In the US, Disney+ and Crunchyroll couldn’t be more different. Disney+ has everything for the general audience, whether that’s a hit movie from Marvel or Star Wars or an engrossing documentary from NatGeo. It goes without saying that you can also find countless cartoons and sitcoms from the Disney Channel there too. But things are a lot different if you have a VPN. Outside the US, Disney+ is home to a vast catalog of anime (which otherwise can be found on Hulu). It has Bleach, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Summertime Rendering to name a few. Of course, you can find double that in Crunchyroll, the premier (albeit niche) anime streaming service.
So which is better, Disney+ or Crunchyroll? If you’re an anime fan looking for versatility, Disney+ is better bang for your buck, especially if you have a VPN on hand. But if you’re a hardcore anime fan who has dollars to spare for a niche subscription, then Crunchryoll is a no-brainer. You can read more about how they stack against each other in our breakdown below.
| Feature | Disney+ | Crunchyroll |
|---|---|---|
| Base price | $11.99/mo | $7.99/mo |
| Free trial | None | 7 days |
| Subscribers | — | 5,000,000 |
| Our rating | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Try Disney+ | Try Crunchyroll — 7 days free |
| Disney+ 2 plans | Crunchyroll 3 plans | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Basic | Premium | Cheapest Fan | Mega Fan | Ultimate Fan | |
| Price / month | $11.99 | $18.99 | $9.99 | $13.99 | $17.99 |
| Annual Price | — | $189.99 | — | — | — |
| Streams at Home | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Streams Outside Home | 1, with Extra Member Add-on | 1, with Extra Member Add-on | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Profiles | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Max Quality | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p |
| 4K Support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | — | — | — |
| Audio | 5.1 audio | 5.1 audio | Standard stereo | Standard stereo | Standard stereo |
| Dolby Atmos | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | — | — | — |
| Min. Speed | 5 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps |
| Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | |
0 channels are available on both services. Disney+ has 6 exclusive channels not on Crunchyroll.
| Channel | Disney+ | Crunchyroll |
|---|---|---|
| ABC News Live | ✓ | — |
| Disney+ Playtime | ✓ | — |
| Hallowstream | ✓ | — |
| Hits & Heroes | ✓ | — |
| Real Life | ✓ | — |
| Throwbacks | ✓ | — |
Both services support most major devices. Here’s a full breakdown of where you can watch each one.
| Device / Platform | Disney+ | Crunchyroll |
|---|---|---|
| Airplay | ✓ | ✓ |
| Amazon Fire TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google TV Streamer | ✓ | — |
| Nintendo Switch | — | ✓ |
| PlayStation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Roku | ✓ | ✓ |
| Xbox | ✓ | ✓ |
| Xfinity Flex | — | ✓ |
| Xfinity X1 | — | ✓ |
| and Xumo Stream Box | — | ✓ |
| iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
Crunchyroll has 5,000,000M subscribers compared to 0M for Disney+.
Crunchyroll starts at $7.99/month, while Disney+ starts at $11.99/month. That’s $4.00 more per month for Disney+, or $48.00 more per year.
Is Crunchyroll cheaper than Disney+?
Yes. Crunchyroll starts at $7.99/month, while Disney+ starts at $11.99/month. That's a difference of $4.00/month, or $48.00 per year.
Do Disney+ or Crunchyroll offer a free trial?
Disney+ does not currently offer a free trial. Crunchyroll offers a 7-day free trial.
What channels does Disney+ have that Crunchyroll doesn't?
Disney+ has 6 channels not available on Crunchyroll, including: ABC News Live, Disney+ Playtime, Hallowstream, Hits & Heroes, Real Life, and more.
Can I cancel Disney+ or Crunchyroll anytime?
Yes. Both Disney+ and Crunchyroll are month-to-month subscriptions with no long-term contracts. You can cancel either service at any time.
<p>Great for kids: There’s no shortage of content for younger audiences, with all the major Disney hits a click away. </p><p>New theatrical releases: Although sometimes you have to pay an extra fee (usually of up to $30), a great perk of Disney Plus is Premier Access, which makes theatrical releases immediately available to stream on the platform.</p><p>Exclusive releases: Since it’s Disney, the catalog of popular TV shows and movies that you can't find anywhere else is huge. </p><p>The app: The Disney Plus app is so well-designed that in 2020, Apple named it the Apple TV App of the Year, and voted the best app of 2020 by Google Play users.</p>
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