Is Disney Plus worth it? Pricing, content, availability, and more

A few years ago, Disney Plus announced the company’s plans to launch its own streaming service that would compete directly with services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and plenty of others. Disney Plus formally launched in November 2019 and quickly became one of the most popular streaming services in existence, with new streaming shows and movies nearly every week.

So what is Disney Plus, what does it offer, and what else should you know about the service? This master guide serves as the place to find answers to all your Disney Plus questions. Don’t already have Disney Plus? Get it via the button below as part of a bundle that also includes Hulu and ESPN Plus.

Disney Plus is your one-stop-shop for all your favorite Disney content. It’s not just Disney, there’s also tons of content from brands including Pixar, Marvel Studios, National Geographic, and Star Wars universe. There’s even some content from the Disney-owned Fox network, including the vast majority of Simpsons episodes.

For now, most of the content consists of Disney’s massive library of pre-existing shows and movies. This includes newer content as well as Disney classics straight from the Disney Vault. Of course, original content is also part of the plan, and there are already some great exclusives to be found here — including the highly popular Star Wars show The Mandalorian. Then there are the new Marvel Cinematic Universe shows like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki.

Is Disney Plus worth it? Absolutely! This streaming represents enormous value for consumers, especially families. Instead of paying individually for all your favorite Disney movies or shows, Disney Plus gives you access to its entire library for a monthly fee. Disney Plus is also being very aggressive with adding highly anticipated new Disney movies to its library relatively soon after they leave the theaters. In 2021, it even add a few movies to the service at the same time they were released to theaters, including Cruella, Black Widow, and Jungle Cruise.

Of course, if you don’t have kids and aren’t a Disney fan, you won’t find that much here worth getting. Most of the content is family-friendly, though there’s a fair amount of grown-up fare too.

Disney Plus first launched back on November 12, 2019 in the following markets:

• Canada
• Netherlands
• United States

Shortly after, it expanded to other countries including:

• Australia
• New Zealand
• UK
• Ireland
• Germany
• Italy
• Spain
• Austria
• Switzerland
• France
• Japan

It’s also worth noting that the service has recently launched in India, though the arrangement is a bit different, as it’s actually part of the India-based Hotstar streaming service. On September 15, 2020, Disney launched the service in the following European countries:

• Portugal
• Belgium
• Finland
• Iceland
• Luxembourg
• Norway
• Sweden
• Denmark

On November 17, 2020, the service launched in Latin American countries. They include:

• Argentina
• Brazil
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Ecuador
• Peru
• Mexico
• Panama
• Uruguay

On February 23, 2021, the service launched in Singapore. In late 2021, the service launched in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

In 2022, Disney Plus expanded further, including in the following countries and territories:

• Åland Islands
• Albania
• Algeria
• Andorra
• Bahrain
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• British Indian Ocean Territory
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• The Czech Republic
• Egypt
• Estonia
• Faroe Islands
• French Polynesia
• French Southern Territories
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iraq
• Israel
• Jordan
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Malta
• Miquelon Overseas Collective
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• North Macedonia
• Oman
• Palestine Territories
• Pitcairn Islands
• Poland
• Qatar
• Romania
• San Marino
• Saudi Arabia
• Serbia, Slovakia
• Sint Maarten
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• St Helena
• St. Pierre
• Svalbard and Jan Mayen
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates
• Vatican City
• Yemen

For those in the United States, Disney Plus will set you back just $7.99 a month at its lowest tier, an ad-supported option that rolled out late in 2022. If you want to get rid of ads, the service will run you $10.99 per month, though you can save extra money by paying $109.99 upfront for an annual subscription.

Pricing outside of the United States varies.

Can I bundle Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus?

Since Disney owns both Disney Plus and Hulu, you might think there’s a way to bundle the two services at a discounted price. Well, you’d be right.

It doesn’t stop there though. Disney also throws in its sports-centric ESPN Plus.

The Disney streaming bundle comes in various tiers. Since Disney Plus and Hulu are offered with or without ads, you can save a few dollars by opting for the ad-supported version.

Here’s how those bundles break down:

• Duo Basic (with ads): Disney Plus and Hulu — $9.99 per month
• Trio basic (with ads): Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus — $12.99 per month
• Trio Premium (no ads): Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus — $19.99 per month

Disney Plus originally offered a seven-day free trial. Sadly, you can’t test drive the service anymore. You’re either in or out and have to pay from day one.

You can theoretically piggyback on someone else’s account. A Disney membership is, strictly speaking, supposed to be used only within one household, but the company hasn’t yet made moves to stop account sharing. That’s not really free though. Even if you don’t pay, someone needs to have a paid account.

One way to get Disney Plus for free, though, is via third parties.

Have Verizon or thinking about switching to Big Red? You can get Disney Plus for free!

If you are a current or new subscriber to select Verizon Wireless’ unlimited 4G or 5G plans, you can get up to a full year of Disney Plus for free. This deal is also available for new customers for Verizon’s Fios internet and 5G home internet services. The great news is there are also options to add the Disney Plus-Hulu-ESPN Plus bundle. That means you’ll get all three services for basically the price of one. Can’t beat that!

How do I sign up for Disney Plus?

Before signing up for Disney Plus, check the list above and make sure that it has launched in your region. If it has, signing up is really easy. You can read our quick guide on how to do it. The easiest way is to head over to Disney Plus’ website and sign up there.

Disney Plus is available on a wide variety of platforms devices:

• iOS, including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices
• Apple TV set-top boxes, including integration with the new Apple TV app. It will allow customers to sign up for the service inside the app
• Android, including Android-based phones and tablets (specific OS version not yet revealed)
• Android TV-based devices, including the NVIDIA Shield.
• Google Chromecast and devices that have Chromecast built-in
• Microsoft Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S game consoles
• Sony Playstation 4 and 5 game consoles
• Roku, including all Roku sticks, set-top boxes, and TVs that have the Roku OS installed
• Amazon Fire TV-based sticks, set-top boxes, and TVs
• PC desktop web browsers
• Samsung smart TVs from 2016 to the current models.
• LG smart TV models.
• Vizio SmartCast TVs from 2016 to the current models.
• Comcast Xfinity set top boxes for Comcast  X1 and Flex customers

One thing to note, while the device you use to watch Disney Plus will offer the same content across the board, only Android and iOS devices will allow you to download your shows for offline viewing.

Does Disney Plus support 4K? And if so, what devices do you need?

Yes, Disney Plus supports 4K on a variety of devices! Devices include:

• Roku devices and TVs that support 4K
• Microsoft Xbox One
• Sony Playstation 4
• Apple TV
• 4K capable Android TV-based devices
• Chromecast Ultra and 4K devices with Chromecast functionality baked in
• LG Smart TVs

That’s not necessarily a complete list, but it’s close. As for what you can watch in 4K? Quite a few Disney Plus movies and TV shows support 4K streaming. That includes all of the classic and prequel Star Wars films, which are being presented in 4K for the first time on the service. The Force Awakens and Rogue One also support 4K.

In November 2021, a number of MCU films on the service added IMAX Enhanced versions alongside the regular versions of those movies. Those editions switch the aspect ratio to  IMAX’s 1.90:1 aspect ratio for any scenes in those movies that were shot in the format.

Disney Plus includes access to hundreds of movies and thousands of TV shows from its 90 years of content. This includes all those great animated films and live-action movies from the Disney brand, including the Disney Vault full of classics such as Snow White, Cinderella, The Lion King, and many others. Disney also features all of the Pixar movies you know and love, as well as tons of Star Wars shows and films. Marvel fans will find the vast majority of their favorite movies, and there are even tons of TV shows from the National Geographic Channel.

Classic content from The Disney Channel is also available on the service. That includes shows like Duck Tales to Hannah Montana, with thousands of episodes and over 100 movies.

It also has a number of family-themed TV shows and movies from its recent Fox purchase. That includes The Simpsons, with all 30 seasons available from day one on the service.

Of course, not everything Disney has ever made will be found on the service, yet. Because of a current contract with Netflix and others like HBO, some shows and movies won’t make their way to the service until a bit later. Disney plans to transition all its content away from the competition over the next few years.

As we mentioned earlier in this guide, Disney Plus has plenty of exclusive content too! Here are just some of the exclusive shows and movies on the service right now:

• Encanto – The acclaimed film about a Colombian family coming to terms with its history through magic is among the best titles on Disney Plus.
• Noelle – A Christmas movie starring Anna Kendrick as the daughter of Santa Claus. The movie also stars Bill Hader.
• Andor – The best Star Wars show to date, the series is a prequel to Rogue One and explores the early days of the Rebellion.
• Lady and the Tramp – A live action-CGI remake of the classic Disney animated film.
• The Mandalorian – A live-action TV series based in the Star Wars universe. It centers on an unnamed Mandalorian bounty hunter.
• High School Musical – The Musical: The Series – A TV series reboot of the popular Disney Channel movie series.
• The World According to Jeff Goldblum – A NatGeo series centering on actor Jeff Goldblum and his look at interesting things on the planet.
• Encore – Former students reunite to once again stage their high-school musical as adults.
• One Day at Disney – A feature-length documentary that will look at the lives of Disney employees around the world. It was filmed during one day on the job, February 21, 2019. After the feature film is released, Disney Plus will show One Day at Disney short subjects every week, and each will focus on just one employee in the Walt Disney company.
• Diary of a Female President – A show about a 12-year old Cuban-American girl who is destined to become the President of the United States. This show will actually be made by CBS Studios, rather than by Disney.
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The seven and final season of the cult-favorite animated TV series set in between Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
• Mulan – The recent live-action version of the animated movie, telling the story of a Chinese girl who poses as a man to help fight a war.
• Hamilton – A filmed version of the highly popular stage musical about the life of US founding father Alexander Hamilton.
• Soul – The latest Pixar movie, about a jazz musician who “dies” and has to get his soul back in his body, is a true animation classic.
• WandaVision – The first Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series, centered on Wanda and Vision.
• The Falcon and The Winter Soldier – Captain America’s two best buddies team up in this MCU show.
• Loki – The latest MCU show features Thor’s brother, the Norse god of mischief, trying to fight a time travel-themed foe.
• What If…? – An animated series that takes a look at how the Marvel Cinematic Universe would look if certain events had happened differently.
• Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi – Ewan McGregor returns to the role he took on during the Star Wars prequel movies in this series.
• Ms. Marvel – A Marvel Studios series centering on the Pakistani-American superhero of the same name.
• Moon Knight – Yet another Marvel Studios series, this one telling the story of Marc Spector, a dark vigilante with moon-based powers.
• She-Hulk: Attorney at Law – The gamma-powered woman who is also a lawyer is the subject of another Marvel Studios series.

Disney Plus first launched as an exclusively family-friendly streamer, with all of its content fitting between TV-Y and TV-14 ratings.

With Disney regaining control of some of its Marvel Netflix-co-productions, that’s changing.

The Defenders series, which include Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders, along with the Punisher, are all rated TV-MA. Now that they’re moving from Netflix to Disney Plus, they mark a shift in the types of content that can appear on the Disney streamer.

There have been other more mature Disney-owned Marvel shows like M.O.D.O.K. and Hit-Monkey since the launch of Disney Plus, but they’ve been on Disney’s other major streamer Hulu so far.

We don’t know yet if Disney plans to move all Marvel content under one roof at some point.

On February 23, 2021 Disney Plus added the Star brand to its various content categories in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. This brand added content owned or acquired by Disney that has more mature content. This includes TV shows and movies from the 2oth Century Fox library, including Family Guy, Aliens, Die Hard, Predator, and much more. It’s also where most Hulu content premieres outside the US.

The Star brand will not be added to the US version of the service. That kind of content will still be available on Disney’s Hulu service. Star will also be the home for original content from the US-based Hulu and will add more original local content in the future.

As mentioned, Disney has now acquired much of the content of 21st Century Fox. That means Disney will have the movie and TV rights to franchises like Aliens, Predator, Planet of the Apes, and the X-Men-Deadpool Marvel Comics characters. However, this service is mostly meant for a family audience, which means that much of Fox’s franchises, which are made for an older audience, won’t show up on the Disney streaming service in the US.

However, former Disney chairman Bob Iger has stated that a number of former Fox franchises will be rebooted in some way for Disney Plus. That has since happened, with new movies in the Home Alone and Diary of a Wimpy Kid films now added to the service, with more on the way.

The good news for Disney is that it now effectively controls all of Hulu. It originally owned 30 percent, and then it bought the 30 percent share once owned by Fox. It has since made a deal with Comcast to buy the remaining interest it has in Hulu over the next few years, but Comcast also agreed to give operational control of the service to Disney. Hulu currently has about 33 million subscribers. Disney has indicated that it will offer content of the properties that it bought in the Fox deal on Hulu, rather than on Disney Plus.

Some shows that were slated originally for Disney Plus were moved to Hulu. That includes the TV adaptation of High Fidelity, and the Love, Simon spin-off show Love, Victor.

The app and UI include special sections for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic brands. There will also be sections in the interface so users can see all of the service’s movies, TV shows, and original content. It recently added a “Continue Watching” section so users can see which movies and shows they stopped watching in the middle, so they can quickly resume them.

Users will be able to create up to seven custom individual profiles. Kids can see the shows and movies they are interested in, while their older parents can see their preferred content.

The service also has a Kids Mode. It includes parental controls so moms and days can keep their sons and daughters from seeing content that’s out of their age group. Disney Plus recently added a GroupWatch feature, which allows up to seven people to watch shows and movies from the service together, via remote viewing.

Recently, the service added a “share” button for its mobile apps. Subscribers can go to a Disney Plus movie or TV show and then tap on the “share” icon. Those users can then send a link to that content to their family or friends via messaging apps or social media accounts. The recipients must have a paid Disney Plus subscription in order to access the account.

The service has a ton of content, but it’s still pretty light on the exclusives, even if Disney is working hard to change this. Disney also tends to focus on family-friendly content, so more mature-themed shows are basically nonexistent for the US audience. If you’re looking for family-friendly viewing and love what Disney produces, it’s an absolute no-brainer. This is further helped by its relatively low price tag, at least compared to many competitors.

Prefer programming that’s a bit more on the adult side? Netflix might be a better choice for many.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for the service now.

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