Amazon Prime vs. Netflix: What is the Better Option?

Online viewing of television programs accounts for approximately 1 in every 4 minutes of all television viewing. The number of viewers continues to rise, especially among those age groups most active in the online media markets.

Amazon Prime and Netflix dominate the online streaming tv and film markets, both with different offerings leaves consumers finding themselves faced with a number of options complicating the subscription decision-making process.

In this article we look into 5 key areas of comparison of the features offered by both Amazon Prime and Netflix.

1. Content
One of the most highly subjective areas in Amazon Prime vs. Netflix feature comparisons revolves around the content differences between the two providers. Oftentimes, this boils down to whether the viewer’s preference is for TV shows or Movies, with Netflix offering the most for the former group and Amazon taking the lead with the latter.

But looking at the entire offerings of the two video streamers presents a different picture. In terms of sheer title volume, analyst estimates agree that Netflix has between 2 to 3 times as many titles as Amazon.

However, in terms of the emerging original content market, Amazon Studios has begun producing and offering titles which are they solely offer.

2. Quality
Netflix and Amazon both provide 1080p streaming and the newer 4K Ultra High Definition (“UHD”) video formats. In terms of audio, Netflix delivers Dolby Digital Plus version 5.1, offering 7.1 on certain selections while currently Amazon only offers 5.1 on its select listings. However, Amazon stands without competition in its High Dynamic Range (“HDR”), a streaming digital technology which enhances 4K UHD, at no additional cost, giving Amazon the lead in the quality category.

3. Device Support
Two different categories exist for supported online and offline types of devices. Netflix boasts easier access on traditional media player devices, i.e., Blu-ray players and television sets.

Once again, however, Amazon’s differentiates its offerings. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, set top boxes as well as it’s own tablet and handheld devices makes the comparison difficult. A key area of user experience has to do with the setup.

The configuration steps involved with downloading Amazon’s .apk file, required for the Amazon Video Player installation constitutes a process that some may consider excessively complicated. The setup and configuration of the Netflix player is much easier, downloadable from the Google Play store. Additionally, the Netflix video search functionality is consistently ranked higher than the Amazon player interface by streaming users.

4. Availability
In terms of world wide presence, Netflix is available in more than 50 countries across several continents. They also announced their globalization strategy of making Netflix available to four times that number by next year’s end.

Amazon Prime is available in fewer than 6 countries presently.

But again, competitive ranking is made difficult by the variety in Amazon’s offerings. In this case, Amazon Prime has announced that it will begin supporting offline movie viewing on handheld devices, something that Netflix has publicly stated that it has no intention of offering.

5. Price vs. Value
Netflix comes in just under Amazon Prime’s annual subscription of $99, at $96.

For the extra $3, though, Amazon also bundles its Prime Video with its broader Prime membership offerings which includes upgraded shipping, music subscription and other add on services. For the extra $3, the Amazon subscriber gets a lot more, which of course Amazon would consider its stronger selling point.

In most of the comparison categories, there is no clear cut winner, though Amazon’s unique offerings present as highly favorable. Oftentimes, the decision comes down to user preferences across each competitors’ offerings and even then, it may boil down to a must-have program that’s offered by one and not the other.