Hulu: how to sign up, apps, devices, shows, plans and Hulu + Live TV explained
Thinking of subscribing to Hulu? Find out what you need to know about the streaming service, including what you can watch, available plans, and more.
Hulu became one of the first rivals to Netflix when it launched back in 2007. Plenty of platforms have entered the competitive battle for US streaming supremacy since, but Hulu has remained a significant player, with over 47.2 million subscribers and counting.
An enticing selection of essential new movies and TV shows – alongside an impressive back catalogue of older material – makes it easy to see why Hulu remains one of the best streaming services available. Not only is the platform the home of acclaimed TV shows, such as Atlanta, The Handmaid’s Tale, Only Murders in the Building, and The Bear, it’s the place to go for original movies including Prey and Palm Springs, or hit reality series like The Kardashians.
Sign up to Hulu now and get a 30-day free trial on select plans!
Hulu also gives you access to a broad back catalogue of retro content that’s the envy of many of its rivals, as well as the option of signing up for the comprehensive Hulu + Live TV plan.
So, if you’re wondering whether to add Hulu to your raft of streaming platforms, this page will tell you everything you need to know about the pros and cons of subscribing.
Hulu explained: what is Hulu and Hulu + Live TV?
You can stream Pam & Tommy right now on Hulu. (Image credit: Hulu / Disney Plus)
As our full Hulu review explains, signing up to a basic Hulu subscription delivers access to more than 2,500 films and 1,600 TV series. You’ll get content from major networks and original stuff from Hulu, too, but one of its standout features is the sheer volume of options available with different bundles and add-ons. For example, you can add premium channels like HBO Max or Showtime for an extra monthly fee, and cancel/switch at any time.
The Hulu + Live TV subscription grants you more than 75 channels for a reasonable cost (keep reading for more detail on price), as well as Disney Plus and ESPN Plus (see our article on the Disney Plus bundle for more information). If you’re missing traditional cable, this is the plan for you as it offers a mind-boggling amount of shows, while Hulu’s Cloud DVR enables you to record up to 50 hours of live television.
Additionally, you can purchase the Enhanced Cloud DVR to increase your storage to 200 hours, or bolster your line-up with the Entertainment Network and Español Network Add-ons.
Know which plan you want to go for? You can sign up to Hulu now!
Hulu shows and movies: what can you watch now?
Steve Carell stars as therapist Alan Strauss in The Patient. (Image credit: FX)
An entry-level Hulu membership lets you binge entire seasons of hit shows, catch new episodes the day after broadcast, enjoy kid’s entertainment and Hulu Originals, and watch TV series and films old and new from major studios. The following list is just a sample of what’s available. For our roundups of the top options, see our best shows on Hulu and best Hulu movies lists.
Atlanta
Future Man
House of Gucci
Little Fires Everywhere
Love, Victor
Monsterland
Normal People
Only Murders in the Building
Palm Springs
PEN15
Prey
Schitt’s Creek
The Act
The Bear
The Dropout
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Great
The Patient
What We Do in the Shadows
Woke and Ramy
The X-Files
See how Prey gives the Predator franchise a new lease of life on Hulu. (Image credit: 20th Century Studios/Hulu)
The platform also hosts older shows from dozens of networks, among them A&E, AMC, VH1, MTV, TNT, Disney Channel, and Discovery. So, you’re just a click away from shows like Sons of Anarchy (FX), Modern Family (ABC), Broad City (Comedy Central), and animated classics like Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons (Fox). Whatever you pick, chances are you’ll have a lot of fun watching it.
With a Hulu + Live TV plan you can enjoy all this and over 75 live channels. Choosing the Disney Plus and ESPN bundle delivers a wild amount of content to your screen.
What’s new on Hulu?
Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning The Shape of Water is one of the latest highlights on Hulu. (Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
There’s an impressive range of content coming to Hulu in March 2023, including classic movies, plus new film and TV releases. Here are a few of our top picks:
Groundhog Day (1993) – added March 1
The Shape of Water (2017) – added March 1
LA Confidential (1997) – added March 1
Glory (1989) – added March 1
The Departed (2006) – added March 1
History of the World, Part II (new) – added March 6
Boston Strangler (new) – releasing March 17
FX’s Great Expectations (new) – releasing March 26
Rye Lane (new) – releasing March 31
How much does Hulu cost?
The Hulu homepage is your gateway to hundreds of amazing movies and TV shows. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
Last year saw price hikes across Hulu’s on-demand plans, just as we saw with the ESPN Plus cost and the Disney Plus price.
Hulu’s Basic Plan now costs $7.99 a month (with ads) and $14.99 a month (without ads). This brings the ‘with ads’ subscription in line with that of Disney Plus, but inflates the ads-free subscription above Disney Plus’ by some way – Disney Plus’ no-ads package costs $10.99. See our ‘versus’ section below for more on how Hulu compares to other big streamers.
The Hulu + Live TV plans, which include ESPN Plus and Disney Plus, are now $69.99 a month (with ads) and $82.99 a month (without ads). Alternatively, you can grab a Live TV-only subscription for $68.99 a month but, seeing as you’ll have to forgo the Hulu streaming library as well as Disney Plus and ESPN Plus content, we don’t see why you wouldn’t just pay the extra dollar.
Check out our Hulu plans and prices guide for a full breakdown of subscription options and add-ons. Alternatively, if you’re ready to sign up, why not visit Hulu’s website now?
Hulu: is there a free trial?
Go and stream The Bear right now for free on Hulu. (Image credit: Hulu)
Oh yes! And it’s a doozy. If you want to try the standard Hulu package or its no ads equivalent, you’re entitled to a 30-day Hulu free trial, which gives you a month to explore the platform’s thrillingly diverse programming.
How to sign up to Hulu
Registering with Hulu is pretty simple!
Head to the Hulu website
Click ‘Start Your Free Trial’ button
Select a plan
Enter your email address, password, and other details
Click ‘Continue’ and enter billing information
Submit your info and start streaming
Hulu app: what devices can you watch on?
The latest Hulu app and all its features, including Live TV and Premium Add-ons, are supported by the following devices:
Android phones and tablets
Android TV (select models)
Apple TV (4th generation or later)
Chromecast
Echo Show (8, 10, and 15)
Fire Tablets
Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
iPhones and iPads
LG TV (select models)
Nintendo Switch
Mac and PC browsers/apps
PlayStation*
Roku (select models)
Samsung TV (select models)
VIZIO SmartCast TVs
Xbox
Xfinity Flex Streaming TV Box*
Xfinity X1 TV Boxes*
Contour 2 and Contour Stream Player*
Click here for a detailed list of Hulu-compatible devices and models.
* While Contour devices, PlayStation 3, and Xfinity devices have the latest Hulu app, they do not support live TV programming.
Is Hulu available in 4K and HDR?
Elisabeth Moss in the award-winning The Handmaid‘s Tale, one of the flagship shows on Hulu. (Image credit: The Handmaid’s Tale / Hulu)
If you’ve got the hardware to support 4K Ultra HD, you’re in luck. Some of Hulu’s best shows are available to stream with a sharper image, deeper color, and 8 million pixels pummelling your eyeballs. That said, it’s a pretty small selection – Hulu is home to over 4,000 titles, yet only around 70 get the 4K treatment. Luckily, almost all Hulu Originals are available to stream in the higher-definition format.
Titles you can watch in 4K Ultra HD on Hulu include supernatural thriller Helstrom, science-fiction comedy Future Man, every season of the multi-award-winning The Handmaid’s Tale, and horror anthology series Into the Dark. There’s also a clutch of FX titles to enjoy, such as Mayans MC, Black Narcissus, and the star-studded miniseries Mrs America. Any content available in this format will display a 4K badge on the details page.
You can currently watch 4K UHD content on the following devices: Apple TV (5th generation and above), Chromecast Ultra, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, LG TVs (2017 UHD models and above), Roku, Vizio SmartCast TVs, and Xbox One (S and X models).
However, HDR is not supported right now, so all 4K UHD content would be streamed in Standard Dynamic Range (SDR).
Hulu vs Netflix vs Prime Video vs HBO Max
The most ubiquitous VOD platform, Netflix, boasts over 5,000 films and TV series. It produces hundreds of Netflix Originals a year, including Oscar-nominated films and highly popular shows like Stranger Things.
Hulu’s price rise has meant we can’t vouch for it as a cheaper option outright anymore, but it does still provide great value. For comparison, Netflix’s basic with-ads is $6.99 a month ($1 less than Hulu’s ads plan) and the basic without-ads plan is $9.99 compared to Hulu’s $14.99. However, you can only stream on one device with Netflix, whereas Hulu offers two (or the option to buy unlimited streams for $9.99 a month). Hulu doesn’t put limits on the quality of your stream, whereas Netflix’s two cheapest plans only stream in SD. To get two-device HD streaming on Netflix, you’ll pay $15.49 (and $19.99 for four Ultra HD simultaneous streams).
Prime Video is comparable in price for a full Prime membership ($14.99, and $8.99 for just Prime Video). With around 18,000 titles, its content library is more beefed up than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Granted, the overall quality is questionable, but Prime Video does include plenty of high-profile Amazon Originals including The Boys, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Good Omens, as well as high-calibre movies old and new.
The Prime membership does deliver more, though, such as free delivery on your orders, Prime reading, and ad-free music streaming justify the inflated price. On the downside, you’re limited to three streams per account (you can purchase ‘Unlimited Screens’ with Hulu) and, when it comes replicating the cable experience, Hulu + Live TV is far more cost-effective than adding individual Amazon Channels.
HBO Max’s ad-free services is now the same price as the Hulu equivalent and is a couple of dollars more for the ads version. It allows you to watch three different devices at once – and in HD if your connection allows. If you’re a fan of HBO’s output – our guide to the best HBO shows will remind you why you should be – then registering is a no brainer. Yet as well as ground-breaking dramas like Six Feet Under, The Wire, and Game of Thrones, subscribers get a wide range of titles from Warner Brothers, their subsidiaries, and third-party companies.
That means easy access to all Studio Ghibli animations, DC Comics movies, The Lord of the Rings films, and a selection of classic movies curated by TCM. Alternatively, you could just add HBO Max to Hulu as a premium add-on.