Amazon Prime Video vs Netflix: which service is best?

Ash Walker • 12 Aug 2024 Features

The two services boast a ton of great content - but which comes out on top?

There are a ton of streaming services out there, and it often seems like more pop up every week, but the two biggest have to be Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Both were among the first streamers to appear on the entertainment landscape, and both have grown exponentially since then, boasting enormous catalogues of classic movies and TV shows, alongside blockbuster originals. They are, undeniably, giants.

But which is better? Read on as we pit the two mammoth streamers against one another and ask which is more deserving of your time and money - Netflix or Amazon Prime Video?

Prime Video vs Netflix: Movies

When it comes to movies, you won’t be starved for choice with either streaming service: both Netflix and Prime Video boast massive libraries of around 5,000 films.

However, on top of this, Prime Video also offers an enormous range of titles that are available for rent or purchase, at an additional cost. Altogether, this takes Prime Video’s movie count to a staggering 17,000 titles - the biggest of any streaming service.

Both streamers also get a healthy mix of classics, originals and the latest releases, with their respective libraries being refreshed on a regular basis. It’s also worth noting that Prime Video also offers Home Premieres at an additional cost, which gives you a chance to catch movies that are still in cinemas in your own home.

Winner: Prime Video. While both services offer huge libraries, Prime’s enormous range of titles for rental and purchase takes them over the top.

Prime Video vs Netflix: TV

Of course, movies aren’t the whole story. Both Netflix and Prime Video are giants in the world of streaming TV, each offering some of the biggest, most popular and most critically acclaimed shows on the air right now.

Netflix has mastered the art of the documentary series - particularly when it comes to the weird world of true crime, as evidenced by mega-hits like Tiger King and Making a Murderer. It also hosts blockbuster series in a wide range of genres, like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, You and Arcane.

Prime Video is no slouch either, with an impressive list of popular, award-winning shows - from recent buzzy genre hits like The Boys and Fallout, to action thrillers like Reacher and Jack Ryan. You’ll even find prestige period dramas, like The Marvellous Mrs Maisel, and the epic Lord of the Rings prequel series The Rings of Power, which is reportedly the most expensive TV show ever produced.

In other words, there’s a lot, and those are just the originals. Both streamers also have libraries stacked with firm TV favourites from other networks, so you’ll never be short of something to watch.

Winner: A tie. Both streamers have unbeatable TV libraries.

Prime Video vs Netflix: Originals

While both streaming services pride themselves on gathering the best, most popular content around, they have also both invested heavily in producing original content.

Not just TV shows either, like the ones mentioned above; both Netflix and Amazon Prime have built up extensive catalogues of original movies, many of which have had limited cinema runs and have even won Oscars.

Prime Video has produced a number of recent hits, such as Air and Saltburn, and some critically-acclaimed recent classics like One Night in Miami and The Big Sick, all of which you’ll find available to watch with a subscription.

Netflix, though, have been steadily building an impressive list of Oscar-winning films, including recent contenders All Quiet on the Western Front, The Power of the Dog, Society of the Snow, Maestro and Scorcese’s The Irishman.

Winner: Netflix just about wins it. While both have impressive libraries of original content, Netflix has the edge in sheer quantity, as well as quality.

Prime Video vs Netflix: Image Quality

Netflix offers several different levels of image quality, at varying price points. The standard subscription allows for HD, while the next level up offers UHD for an extra £7 per month. On the other end of the spectrum, Netflix also offers a cheaper, standard definition subscription (which also has ads).

Prime Video, on the other hand, is a bit more straightforward. With a subscription, you’ll get access to HD content as standard, with the option to raise or lower image quality at will, where available. Some titles are even available in 4K, at no additional cost.

Winner: Prime Video. While both offer the best sound and video quality, you’ll have to pay more for it with Netflix.

Prime Video vs Netflix: Cost

As mentioned above, Netflix comes with multiple tiers at various price points. At the time of writing, the current prices you can expect to pay are as follows:

Prime Video on the other hand, will set you back £8.99 per month, or £95 for the year. There are also some discounts available for students and young people.

Both services are priced fairly similarly, but it’s definitely worth noting all of the additional benefits you’ll get with an Amazon Prime subscription - not least of which is the enhanced shipping options available when buying products from Amazon. Next day delivery - or even same day in some cases - is an incredibly useful bonus.

With Prime Video, you also have the option to add on additional subscriptions (for an additional cost) - such as Paramount Plus, Shudder and BFI Player - which will then be accessible through the Prime Video app, all in one place. 

Winner: Prime Video. Not only is it cheaper than Netflix’s standard subscription, it comes with a host of additional benefits.

Prime Video vs Netflix: Which is better?

It’s a close call, but Prime Video just about edges it with a win (or tie) in 4 categories, to Netflix’s 2. But honestly, both are excellent streaming services with a ton of great content to offer.

Interested in either of these services? Check out our Prime Video and Netflix pages for more information.