Disney+ Review: Who’s it Best For in 2024?

With a sea of streaming services available, it can be difficult to determine which one is worth the investment. Our in-depth Disney+ review looks at the price plans (and price hikes), features, and content in the Mouse’s House to help you decide if it’s worth it in 2024.

How much does Disney+ cost in 2024?

Like most streaming services, Disney+ has repeatedly increased its prices since launching in 2019, when it offered a single plan for $6.99 a month. It increased to $7.99 in March 2021, then to $8.99 before introducing an ad-supported plan.

And then it raised (some) prices again.

Things also got a bit more complicated since those halcyon days of a single, inexpensive price plan for the most valuable content library in Hollywood.

In addition to the ad-supported tier, there are now bundle options to include Hulu and ESPN+. That means there are now a total of 6 Disney+ plans to choose from.

Disney+ Basic: $7.99/month

• Complete library with exclusive titles from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic
• Ads: Yes
• User profiles: 7
• Downloads: No
• Simultaneous screens: 4
• Quality: Up to 4K
• Annual Plan: No

Disney+ Premium: $13.99/month

• Complete library with exclusive titles from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic
• Ads: No
• User profiles: 7
• Downloads: Yes
• Simultaneous screens: 4
• Quality: Up to 4K
• Annual Plan: $139.99/year

Disney Bundle Duo Basic: $9.99/month

• Disney+ (With Ads)
• Hulu (With Ads)
• Ads: Yes
• User profiles: 7
• Downloads: No
• Simultaneous screens: 4 on Disney+, 2 on Hulu
• Quality: Up to 4K
• Annual Plan: No

Disney Bundle Duo Premium: $19.99/month

• Disney+ (No Ads)
• Hulu (No Ads)
• Ads: No
• User profiles: 7
• Downloads: Yes
• Simultaneous screens: 4 on Disney+, 2 on Hulu, 3 on ESPN+
• Quality: Up to 4K
• Annual Plan: No

Disney Bundle Trio Basic: $14.99/month

• Disney+ (With Ads)
• Hulu (With Ads)
• ESPN+ (With Ads)
• Ads: Yes
• User profiles: 7
• Downloads: On ESPN+ only
• Simultaneous screens: 4 on Disney+, 2 on Hulu, 3 on ESPN+
• Quality: Up to 4K
• Annual Plan: No

Disney Bundle Trio Premium: $24.99/month

• Disney+ (No Ads)
• Hulu (No Ads)
• ESPN+ (With Ads)
• Ads: On ESPN+ only
• User profiles: 7
• Downloads: Yes
• Simultaneous screens: 4 on Disney+, 2 on Hulu, 3 on ESPN+
• Quality: Up to 4K
• Annual Plan: No

Legacy Disney Bundle: $18.99/month

The Legacy Disney Bundle is no longer available to purchase. It is only for existing subscribers to the plan. If you have and you like it, hang on to it. Because once you cancel or change it, you can’t get it back.

As you can see above, only one of the plans offers a discounted annual subscription. Getting the Disney+ Premium annual plan saves almost $28/year, which is like getting 2 months for free. 

Unfortunately, the other plans don’t have the same deal, meaning the Trio Premium bundle will set you back $300/year.

Conversely, Hulu offers an annual option for its ad-supported plan, but not its ad-free plan. 🤷‍♂️

Disney+ vs. the alternatives

It’s all good and fine to know how much Disney+ costs, but how does it stack up against the competition? Here’s how it compares to the other major streaming services.

Even after consecutive years of price hikes, the Mouse’s streaming service remains competitively priced. Its (non-bundled) ad-supported and ad-free plans both sit in the middle of the pack among the most popular streamers.

What kind of content does Disney+ have?

The world’s greatest animation studio needs no introduction. Nor do the studios and IPs that Disney now owns. Who hasn’t seen Star Wars – or at the very least heard about it many times? And Pixar essentially redefined animation. 

Mickey’s—or is it Minnie’s?—on-demand library is one of the best around, in terms of both size and quality. The one strike against it is that it might be a little too family-friendly for some people. Adults without kids might be in the mood for something edgier than Bo Peep’s innuendoes with Woody and Buzz.

Original content on Disney+

Disney has never been known to sit back on its laurels, and its streaming service is certainly a testament to that fact. Since its launch in 2019, it’s made 35+ TV original scripted series, 35+ docuseries, more than 2 dozen shorts, a bunch of reality shows and specials, and nearly 60 movies. And that’s just the English-language content. 

Here are some best original series on Disney+:

• The Mandalorian (since 2019)
• High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019–2023)
• Ahsoka (since 2023)
• Loki (since 2021)
• Star Wars: The Bad Batch (since 2021)
• What If…? (since 2021)
• Andor (since 2022)
• The Santa Clauses (since 2022)

Movies on Disney+

What’s there to say about a movie library that includes nearly every Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and Disney movie ever made? (Okay, there’s still far from every Disney movie, but most people aren’t looking for Son of Flubber or The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit. And some films, like Song of the South, will likely stay locked in the “Disney Vault” forever.)

Here are some of the best movies on Disney+ right now:

• Black Panther
• Edward Scissorhands
• The Empire Strikes Back
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Inside Out
• Hamilton
• Hidden Figures
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
• The Princess Bride
• Soul
• Tangled
• West Side Story

TV shows on Disney+

There’s a lot to watch and some of the most popular shows are miniseries, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett. But there are a lot of continuing shows – and most of them aren’t in the universe created by George Lucas. (But of course, we’ll mention a few.)

Here are some of the best TV shows and miniseries on Disney+ not listed above:

• Abbott Elementary
• Alias
• The Muppets
• Obi-Wan kenobi
• The Simpsons
• She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars
• The World According to Jeff Goldblum

Live TV on Disney+

There currently isn’t any live content on the service, but Disney tested its livestream capabilities near the end of last year. As more companies begin to add bits of live programming, the idea of live TV landing on Disney+ is much closer than a galaxy far, far away.

Kids Parent content on Disney+

Do we really need to address whether there’s any kids content on the world’s best streaming service for kids? Didn’t think so. But what about Mom and Dad or anyone else looking for more mature content?

In a handful of overseas markets, Disney’s streamer added an extra content hub called Star, which has some Hulu shows and more mature content. But with subscribers being steered toward the Disney bundles, we may not see Star stateside anytime soon.

While Marvel shows like Daredevil and The Punisher are for more mature viewers, you’ll probably want to upgrade to a bundle with Hulu if you’re looking something to watch after the kids go to bed.

Sports on Disney+

If you’re looking for sports on Disney+ you won’t do much better than movies like The Mighty Ducks or The Sandlot.

Once again, this is where the bundles come into play. Fortunately, ESPN+ is the best deal online for streaming sports. And if you don’t mind ads, the Trio Basic bundle gets you all 3 streaming services—Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+—for less than the mid-tier plans for Netflix and HBO’s Max. 

Disney+ interface and usability

It’s clear that Disney put a lot of thought into the usability of its streaming platform before it launched. Whether browsing, searching, or watching, it delivers one of the smoothest experiences you’ll enjoy on a streaming platform.

Navigation

With a highly responsive interface, navigation is simple and enjoyable. In a browser, there’s a small menu at the top of the page with Home, Search, Watchlist, Originals, Movies, and Series. The main section then has a gallery of auto-scrolling featured content, below which are the main content hubs for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic.

Following that are rows of content based on categories of Disney’s choosing, such as shows in Ultra HD and HDR, New to Disney+, Recommended for You, and then Continue Watching. Below that is Trending, then curated collections based on themes like Throwback TV or Superheroes to help you discover new content.

We’re firm believers that Continue Watching should always be at the top of any user interface, but at least it’s not buried as deeply as some other streamers.

Language settings

Catering to its global audience, Disney’s streaming service offers a wide range of language settings, including audio and subtitle options. This makes it an excellent choice for anyone seeking content in a language other than English.

Parental controls

The folks in The Magic Kingdom offer robust parental controls that allow you to set restrictions on content based on ratings or specific titles. This is particularly useful for parents who want to ensure their children are only watching age-appropriate content.

Like most streaming services with parental controls, you can set it so a PIN code is required to exit Kids Mode. You can also fine-tune each profile according to 5 content rating age categories: G, PG, 12+, 15+, and 18+.

Disney+ account sharing and simultaneous screens

Compared to other streamers, Disney offers some of the best basic features for sharing the service.

How many people can watch Disney+ at once?

Disney+ allows you to watch 4 screens at once with all subscription plans. Unlike some streaming services—namely Netflix and Max—it doesn’t lock extra screens behind more expensive plans.

The 4 screens you can watch with Disney+ is second only to Apple TV+’s 6 screens and equal to the overpriced top-tier plans of Netflix and Max. Most other on-demand streaming services only allow 3 screens or even just 2.

How many profiles can you make on Disney+?

You can have up to 7 profiles on one Disney+ account, so each member of your household can have their own personalized experience. This also helps ensure that recommendations and watchlists are tailored to each user’s preferences.

And, as mentioned above, each profile can be assigned an age rating.

Disney+ supported devices

Disney+ is compatible with popular media players such as Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV. This makes it easy to watch your favorite Disney+ content on your TV.

• Streaming devices: Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Xumo
• Phones & tablets: Android, iOS, Fire Tablet, Windows tablets
• Cable & satellite boxes: Cox, Xfinity, Spectrum
• Smart TVs: Android TV, Hisense, LG, Samsung, Vizio, Xumo TV
• Smart home devices: None
• Game consoles: PlayStation, Xbox
• Desktops & laptops: Windows, All major browsers
• Blu-ray players: None

The list above refers to the brand or device in general. Check the Disney+ Supported Devices page for the most up-to-date information and to see if your specific model is supported.

Disney+ streaming quality

Unlike some streamers—again, Netflix and Max—4K video quality isn’t locked behind a more expensive subscription plan.

And while every title isn’t in 4K, there are 215+ titles in glorious 4K Ultra High Definition, HDR, and/or Dolby Atmos. No matter which subscription level you have.

Is there a Disney+ free trial?

Unfortunately, the Disney+ 7-day free trial is no longer available. 

However, is there really a need to try before buy when it comes to Disney? You know exactly what you’re signing up for.

And seeing as only 1 of the 6 plans can be an annual subscription, the risk is minimal. (Unless you forget to cancel your subscription in the event you don’t like it.)

Verdict: Who is Disney+ good for in 2023?

A better question might be who isn’t Disney+ good for? (The Grinch comes to mind.)

It’s obviously not for childless adults who are not fans of Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, or Disney in general.

So, who is Disney+ suitable for? Naturally, people with kids top the list. It is—with no sense of hyperbole—the best streaming service for kids. From movies to series to shorts, there’s something for every interest, attention span, and age group.

Marvel fans, Star Wars fans, and Pixar fans are most likely already subscribed. Because Disney+ is the ultimate streaming service for fans of the major studios, franchises, and IPs you can’t stream anywhere else: Star Wars, Toy Story, Cars, Avengers, and on and on.

It’s also great for families in general, regardless of offspring status. If you add Hulu and ESPN+ with one of the bundles, you get the best streaming option for families on the market today.