Thinking about canceling Netflix? A lot of people are feeling the same way right now. Last month, the streamer reported that it had lost subscribers for the first time in over a decade. Netflix’s hiring is quite trending, whether it’s because they’re cutting budgets or unhappy with the content.
If it’s the latter, many viewers are disappointed by the spate of Netflix-cancelled shows like The Baby-Sitters Club and Archive 81. Or the fact that a beloved series just found a natural ending, like Ozark. They may want to cancel Netflix pending the return of other favorites like Bridgerton Season 3, Squid Game Season 2, Virgin River Season 4, and Lincoln Lawyer Season 2.
Once you cancel Netflix, you can use the $10, $15.49, or $20 you save each month to subscribe to two other streaming services. Yes, you can ditch Netflix and get two equally good options in return.
We recommend the following:
Cancel Netflix Premium for HBO Max and Apple TV Plus
Netflix’s premium plan, which includes 4K Ultra HD streaming, costs $19.99 per month. For the same amount you get our top pick of the best streaming services, HBO Max, as well as our budget streaming choice, Apple TV Plus.
HBO Max is my favorite streaming service, and my colleague Philip Michaels ended up jumping on the HBO Max bandwagon for the same reason: the deep, high-quality library. [Editors’ note: Even the editor of this story agrees that HBO Max is the best.]
As for the Apple TV Plus, it’s quickly climbing the ranks of streamers. Last year I was about to cancel Apple TV Plus after my free trial for more than a year, but changed my mind because of the excellent content led by Ted Lasso and For All Mankind.
Similarly, Phil recently canceled and then changed his mind after being persuaded by offers like Severance, The Afterparty and Oscar winner CODA.
HBO Max’s ad-free plan costs $15 per month, while Apple TV Plus costs $5. With both, you won’t miss Netflix at all.
Cancel Netflix Standard, get HBO Max with ads and Apple TV Plus
But most likely you subscribe to Netflix’s standard plan. It is their most popular tier, costing $15.49 each month. If you cancel, you can still enjoy the services above – with one catch.
You have to sign up for HBO Max with ads, which costs $10. Add that to the $5 Apple TV Plus and you save (a little) from canceling Netflix. You can save even more by purchasing the HBO Max annual subscription. It costs $99.99 for the year, which amortizes a monthly price of $8.33.
HBO Max with Ads lets you watch everything on the service, but you can’t download shows or watch movies in 4K UHD.
The best option after canceling Netflix Basic
If you’re a budget-conscious Netflix subscriber who doesn’t care about HD picture quality, you probably have the $10-a-month basic plan.
After you cancel Netflix, you can still replace it with two streaming services — except one of them won’t be HBO Max. Apple TV Plus ($5) is a must and the other could be Peacock ($5) or Paramount Plus ($5).
Both have good libraries: Peacock has The Office, Saturday Night Live, and Yellowstone; Paramount Plus has NCIS, Survivor and Star Trek. They also offer live sports and programming: Peacock has Premier League football, tennis, the Olympics and WWE; Paramount Plus has the NFL, European Soccer and Golf. Paramount Plus has the added benefit of being able to watch your local CBS station live.
Whichever configuration you choose, rest assured that you’ll still have access to tons of top shows and movies after Netflix cancels.
Varis Van zel 