I Tried 6 Streaming Services In Canada To Find Out What Ones Are Actually Worth My Money

The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

When it comes to streaming TV and movies, I don't mess around and I don't discriminate based on genre. My tastes are wide and deep, so I decided to try six of the most popular streaming services in Canada (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crave, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and Disney+) to see which ones are truly worthy of my cold, hard cash.

Ready to catch up on the trendiest content of 2023, I signed up for free trials on all six streaming services in a single week, entering my credit card info and setting a GCal reminder to cancel those subscriptions by the Dawn of the Final Day.

Give me a corporate sci-fi drama (I could scream about Severance for 24 hours straight), a cartoon chronicling the adventures of a moon elf and two human boys (Dragon Prince) or an Italian-American rom-com starring Cher and Nicholas Cage (Moonstruck) — I'll eat it all up with gusto.

I tore through the content of each service, evaluating the variety and quality they all had to offer — and for what price.

If you're also mad about growing up and needing to pay for your own Netflix account, keep on reading to find out which streaming services are actually worth subscribing to and which you could pass on.

Gilmore Girls on Netflix.Sierra Riley | Narcity

Netflix

Netflix banning password sharing is one of the great modern tragedies. I mooched off my partner's mom's account until the dreaded alert came up on our TV that informed me I could mooch no longer. Now, the basic Netflix subscription costs $9.99 per month and that'll only support one device in one location.

Mid-Gilmore Girls rewatch, I had no choice but to free-trial it when Netflix pulled the rug from under me.

While the app has a pretty solid catalogue with some absolute classics (Twilight, Avatar: The Last Airbender) and contemporary hits (Fargo, Wednesday, Stranger Things), a lot of its new content lacks a certain "je ne sais quois."

Maybe because Netflix is a content machine, the selection feels less carefully curated than it once did. But then again, maybe I'm just nostalgic for the days when this was the only big streaming service and life was simpler.

Apple TV+

You've probably seen those Apple TV+ commercials starring Earth angel Timothée Chalamet, which boldly ask the question: who doesn't have an Apple show?

My adoration for this particular streamer is rooted in my love of Dickinson, Severance and their clever marketing campaign ft. the Internet's boyfriend.

I think that Apple is slowly building up a catalogue that's worth the $9 per month — slightly cheaper than some of its contemporaries – but beyond those shows, I'm not jumping up and down about anything on there just yet.

Amazon Prime Video

At $99 per year, a Prime membership offers more than any other streamer: you get access to Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video and faster shipping options on regular Amazon. It's great value, but I'm still a hater.

Even if I put my moral qualms with Amazon aside, I honestly don't understand how the user interface on this app is so bad — especially considering the fact that it's owned by one of the richest people alive. Couldn't Jeff Bezos just (under)pay someone to make it less terrible?

TV seasons are all split up into different items, so when you finish a season, the next one doesn't autoplay. It doesn't even suggest the next season to you. You have to go out, search for the specific season in the search bar and choose it out of the mass of results.

There's no guarantee you'll choose the right one from there, either — you might click the wrong season or accidentally pick an option that is identical but it's on a "premium subscription" channel.

Call me lazy, but watching TV is supposed to be relaxing, not a chore.

Although Prime has some great shows like Fleabag and Mad Men, it's a hard pass for me.

Sierra browsing Amazon Prime Video.Sierra Riley | Narcity

Crave

I started my Crave free trial on the day that The Last Of Us episode six came out and the app crashed for over an hour. Not a great first impression, but lucky for Crave I've been a long-time fan.

Crave is, as you may know, the exclusive streamer of HBO content in Canada. HBO is one of my favourite channels on this clump of matter we call Earth, and I honestly don't know what I'd do without access to shows like Looking, Succession, Hacks or White Lotus.

The app actually has a lot of my favourite shows and movies.

The categories, however, are pretty rough. Crave's rom-com section for Valentine's Day, for example, has a few classics and then a long string of made-for-TV holiday movies with titles like A Kind-Hearted Christmas, Cloudy with a Chance of Christmas, Merry Kiss Cam and Menorah in the Middle.

Despite such shortcomings, I will keep Crave at its monthly cost of $9.99, if only to find out what happens to Joel in the next episode of Last of Us.

Paramount+

Paramount+ free trial screenSierra Riley | Narcity

One of the biggest disappointments, the Paramount app isn't available on my smart TV or PS4, so I actually ended up just doing the free trial on Paramount's Amazon Prime channel.

There's a lot of content to choose from, which is great, but the TV selection didn't wow me. I tried a Paramount original series called From that had the promise of being a successor to Lost, but I wouldn't be able to comment on that because I didn't get beyond the pilot.

Their movie selection, however, was pretty decent: Top Gun: Maverick, The Last Black Man In San Francisco and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days can all be found on Paramount+.

Still, I must say that this is another streamer with which I will not be continuing my relationship. In my opinion, it's just not worth the $9.99 monthly fee.

Disney+

Perhaps the fairest of them all, Disney+ offers plenty more than your usual it's-a-small-world fare. Think Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Only Murders In The Building and Barbarian.

Not only is its catalogue pleasing to me, but its categories are also expertly curated, stacked with nostalgic faves and more recent releases. The app makes it easy for you to find something to watch, instead of other streamers that often require a lot of scrolling and searching before landing on a show or movie.

This streamer's annual cost is $119.99, but I'd honestly say it's worth it.

Disney+ Black Voices category.Sierra Riley | Narcity

Final thoughts

For the cumulative price of all of these subscriptions, I could get a sweet cable TV package, so you won't catch me paying for Amazon Video or Paramount+ anytime soon.

As Netflix offers subsidized options — Basic With Ads ($5.99 per month) — I might try paying for it, despite my position that their new changes are a personal affront and kind of rude in general, TBH.

The big winner of the week is Disney+, followed by Crave and Apple TV+.

Do what this information what you will. Happy watching!