Apple TV Plus review — this exclusive streaming service isn't for everyone
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Apple TV Plus is on our list of the best streaming services, but it's not high up that list. After having spent some time with it, it's easy to justify both of those things.
After all, the best Apple TV Plus shows and all of the best Apple TV Plus movies are good. "Ted Lasso" is probably one of the more beloved TV shows in recent memory, "Slow Horses" is the best show on TV according to some of the Tom's Guide staff and "CODA" was the first movie from a streaming service to win Best Picture. And Apple doesn't charge extra to stream in 4K, unlike Netflix and Max.
Apple TV Plus also offers live sports. There are Major League Baseball games on “Friday Night Baseball” and if you spend extra, you can watch every Major League Soccer match with Apple TV's MLS Season Pass.
That said, there's a lot to say critically about Apple's streaming service. While there are great shows and movies, there are also a lot of mediocre ones and even some bad ones. The biggest problem? All of them are Apple originals — there's no expanded catalog of shows and movies from other studios like with most streaming services. Only Disney Plus similarly constructs its catalog and it has a lot more original content to pull from, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe and "Star Wars."
Even more egregious than this might be the lack of an Android app. While Apple is famous for its "walled garden," you can't exile Android phones from your streaming service and hope to compete with Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney. It's not like Apple is totally opposed to having the service on Google products either — Apple TV Plus is available on Google TV.
And while live sports is a positive, Apple only includes its MLB games in Apple TV Plus subscriptions. You have to pay extra for MLS. It also lacks any content from the NFL, NBA, NHL, college football or the Premier League, games that essentially all of its competitors now offer to some extent.
These negative marks were fine when Apple TV Plus cost $4.99 or even $6.99 a month. But at $9.99 a month, it's now more expensive than ad-supported plans from Netflix and Max, albeit with better picture quality and no ads. So the question is: "Is Apple TV Plus still worth it?" Read our full Apple TV Plus review to find out.
Apple TV Plus pricing, availability and deals
Priced lower than any major streaming service, Apple TV Plus costs $9.99 per month (with a one-week free trial). That includes 4K streaming, is completely ad-free and you can share with up to five family members.
Apple TV Plus is available in more than 100 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Students paying for the $5.99 Apple Music account get Apple TV Plus for free.
Apple TV Plus app and device support
Apple could not hope for its streaming service to succeed if it were limited to just Apple's hardware; neither the Apple TV HD ($149) nor the Apple TV 4K ($179) is affordable. So, the good news is that the service isn't limited to the Apple TV app (available on tvOS, iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS).
Aside from Apple products, here's the full list of devices compatible with Apple TV Plus:
Samsung smart TVs
LG smart TVs
Vizio smart TVs
Sony smart TVs
Xfinity devices
Roku
Amazon Fire TV
Google TV
Playstation
Xbox
Apple TV Plus library: Not aiming for quantity
Apple TV Plus' $4.99-per-month price made sense given that you can fit the nine entries in the Apple TV Plus launch list — "The Morning Show," "See," "For All Mankind," "Dickinson," "Ghostwriter," "Helpsters," "Snoopy in Space," "Oprah's Book Club," "The Elephant Queen" — in a single smallish paragraph.
A few of these originals are still on our list of the best Apple TV Plus shows and movies, but they've largely been overshadowed by shows like "Ted Lasso" and "Slow Horses" and movies like "CODA" and "Killers of the Flower Moon." The price point has also increased as the catalog increased in volume, now clocking in at $9.99 a month.
In terms of quality, Apple TV Plus can hang with any streaming service. The problem is it's drastically lacking in quantity.
At present, the streaming service offers just over 30 original movies and over 50 original TV shows (h/t JustWatch). While many are good, that's just simply not enough when compared to the over 3,600 movies and over 1,800 shows on Netflix that you can watch for just $6.99.
Even when you account for that Netflix plan being ad-supported and capping at 1080p image quality, Apple TV Plus still doesn't measure up. Keep in mind that since Apple only puts original content it also lacks any shows and movies from major franchises like DC, Marvel, "Star Wars," etc.
Outlook: Waiting on more hits
Apple TV Plus clearly has a lot going for it. There's no denying that. And if it was still $4.99 a month, we'd give it an unreserved endorsement.
But it's not $4.99 a month — it's $9.99 a month, and it's a struggle to recommend spending $10 for the tiny content library Apple offers. And if your primary screen is an Android phone or tablet, this streaming service may be a non-starter.
If you can save a little money, or time your subscription churn properly, it can still be worth it though. The Apple One bundle offers Apple TV Plus, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and 50 gigabytes of iCloud storage for $19.95. If you already want Apple TV Plus and Apple Music, then you're essentially getting the games and storage for free. Similarly, students who get Apple TV Plus for free with their $5.99 student Apple Music subscription should obviously watch the shows and movies it has to offer.
Otherwise, maybe just wait until a show or movie you want hits the streaming service. September is a great time to sign up for Apple TV Plus because you get "Slow Horses" season 4. But if you unsubscribe once that's over, we won't blame you.
