Prime Video vs. Paramount Plus: Which streaming platform should you subscribe to in 2024?

In the battle for the best streaming services, Prime Video takes second place behind Netflix in terms of market share: it is one of the most comprehensive streaming services out there. But how does it compare to other paid competitors?

Paramount Plus isn’t quite as popular, but it offers more than enough great shows from genres like animation, science fiction, and comedy. Which service makes the most money for you? Let’s find out.

Prime Video vs. Paramount Plus: Price and Plans

(Image credit: Paramount Inc.)

In the US and Australia, the price of Paramount Plus is slightly cheaper than that of Prime Video.

There are two Paramount Plus plans in the US: Paramount Plus Essential for $7.99 per month and Paramount Plus with Showtime for $12.99 per month after the service increased prices in June 2024. Paramount Plus Essential is ad-supported.

There are four plans in Australia: the Essential plan for AU$6.99, which is ad-supported; the Standard plan for AU$9.99, which removes advertising; the AU$13.99 Premium plan, which upgrades the quality to 4K instead of HD; and the Paramount Plus with Showtime for AU$12.99.

In the UK there is only one Paramount Plus plan available at £6.99 per month. Regardless of where you’re based, it’s worth checking if Paramount Plus promo codes are available, as the service is known to offer more discounts than the competition.

Prime Video, on the other hand, costs $8.99 / £5.99 / AU$9.99 per month or is free with a $14.99 / £8.99 ($7.49 / £4.49) Amazon Prime subscription for students). This applies to the ad-supported version.

From January 2024, subscribers had to pay a surcharge for ad-free television. This costs $11.98 / £8.98 / $12.98 per month for Prime Video, or $17.98 / £11.98 per month if you upgrade to a full Amazon Prime membership.

A woman holds a tablet with Prime Video on the screen

(Image credit: Amazon)

Prime Video vs. Paramount Plus: What can you watch?

Paramount is one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood, and its online service has access to countless classic TV series – primarily from its parent company CBS, with brands such as Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., as well as the Smithsonian Channel.

The selection of TV classics like the original is particularly good Star Trek, Cheers And Frasierand although the film selection is much smaller than Prime Video, there are still plenty of classic films and children’s films. Paramount also streams some much newer hits like one of our current favorite shows, Yellowjacketsand the critically acclaimed comedy Colin from accounts.

The Paramount Plus Showtime plan also gets you access to your local TV channel and sports, including NFL. According to Paramount, there are more than 40,000 on-demand TV episodes.

Star Trek: Picard

Paramount Plus offers a wide selection of classic TV shows, including several Star Trek eras. (Image credit: CBS/Amazon Prime Video)

The best films and series on Prime Video

In addition to its massive catalog of TV shows and movies, expanded by Amazon’s purchase of MGM Studios in 2022, Prime Video also offers live sports streaming, including Major League Baseball and Thursday Night Football.

It also offers Prime Video Originals, including gross-out-but-fun superhero series The boys and its spin-off Gen VVigilante drama ReacherAnimated series Invinciblehilarious Australian crime drama Deadhole and the hack-and-slash epic Vikings. This is probably Prime Video’s biggest show right now The Rings of PowerAmazon’s stunning prequel to The Lord of the Rings is the most popular show to date.

Annatar stands in front of the main forge of Eregion while the fire is lit in Season 2 of The Rings of Power

Prime Video is spending a lot of money on new series, including the Lord of the Rings prequel “Rings of Power.” (Image credit: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)

Both streamers are constantly adding new content, typically with a large collection at the beginning of the month and then additional titles throughout the month. But Prime Video adds significantly more content every month.

How often do Prime Video and Paramount Plus update content?

Prime Video vs Paramount Plus: Features

The Boys: Season 2

Prime Video’s originals include all sorts of gentle treasures. And that includes the ridiculous OTT violence of The Boys. (Image credit: Amazon)

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Paramount Subscription Plans
Paramount Plus Essentials	HD only, three simultaneous streams, no downloads
Paramount Plus with Showtime	No ads, 3 simultaneous streams, 4K, Dolby Vision and HDR

Both services are widely available for mobile devices, game consoles, TV sticks and many smart TVs.

The Paramount Plus Essential plan is ad-supported and does not include downloads, live sports, your local live CBS station, or Showtime originals and movies. For these features you need Paramount Plus with Showtime.

The main reason to upgrade from Paramount Plus is the video quality, which is HD only on the Essential plan. The Showtime plan gives you 4K, Dolby Vision and HDR10 if programs or movies support it, along with Dolby Atmos audio.

Prime Video delivers up to 4K, but Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos are exclusively available on the ad-free plan. It allows three simultaneous streams on the same Amazon account and downloads to two different devices. Depending on which device you use, there are differences in quality: for example, the iOS app only supports HD video, while the Android app and the Fire TV/Fire TV Stick app support 4K.

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Prime Video Subscription Plans
Standard subscription:	4K, 2 simultaneous streams, download on 4 devices
Ad-free:	No advertising, as above, but with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

A person stands with antlers on his head covered by a net

Yellowjackets alone are worth subscribing to Paramount Plus. (Image credit: Showtime; Paramount Plus)

Prime Video vs. Paramount Plus: Design

Paramount Plus

(Image credit: Future/Screengrab)

While both streamers follow the same basic template and look almost like every other streamer, we find Prime Video more confusing because it’s also filled with non-Prime Video content: not just Amazon’s free, ad-supported Amazon Freevee channel, but paid ones as well Rentals and purchases through Amazon’s digital arm and additional subscription channels such as Max and Paramount Plus.

This makes for a wealth of content, but it’s also quite annoying because Prime rentals and purchases also have the Prime logo in their thumbnails; The small yellow shopping bag icon that indicates a paid product is easy to miss.

The poster of the TV show “The Boys” on a television among other devices

(Image credit: Amazon)

Prime Video vs. Paramount Plus: Verdict

Streaming apps on a smartphone screen with TechRadar radar overlay

(Image credit: Future)

The two streamers’ ad-free services cost about the same in the US: $12.99 for Paramount Plus with Showtime and $11.98 for ad-free Prime Video if you don’t also take out an Amazon Prime membership.

We think Prime Video is the better service when it comes to movies, while Paramount Plus is better for classic TV. It’s particularly good for crime, sci-fi, and children’s content, but its content tends to be more static than Prime Video, which adds dozens of new titles every month.

If you want to watch Star TrekThe Mission impossible Movies or 14 seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants, then Paramount Plus is the streamer for you; if you’re more interested The boys or ReacherMusic documentaries and current blockbusters: Prime Video is the service you can subscribe to.

Ready to switch streaming services? Here’s how to sign up for Netflix or if you’d rather wait Stranger Things returns next year, here’s how to cancel Netflix. Alternatively, if you’d like to try it out before signing up, here’s how to get a Hulu free trial.

Prime Video vs. Paramount Plus: Price and Plans

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