Best Free Utility Apps on Mobile, Ranked
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Editorial Team · 2026-10-11
Best Streaming Apps on Mobile, Ranked by Our Scores
By Editorial Team · published 2026-09-15 · updated 2026-09-15
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Netflix leads our streaming scores at 7.8, and the reason is not the catalogue — it is that the app sells nothing, tracks little and now bundles games and podcasts into a subscription everyone else charges separately for. The gap to sixth place is six tenths of a point, and what separates the six apps is mostly price: the cost of watching without advertising runs from $4.99 a month on top of Prime to $19.99 on Netflix. Every app here was installed, scored on five criteria and reviewed on this site; the ranking is those scores, with US prices as of September 2026.
How we ranked them
Each app has a full review with five sub-scores — core function, ease of use, monetisation, performance, and privacy and permissions — and the number at the head of each entry is the weighted result. Every app on this list is free to install and useless without a subscription, so the monetisation mark is about the plans behind the app: what the cheapest tier costs, what advertising it carries, and what removing that advertising costs.
We also read each app's privacy label. Streaming apps collect more than people expect, and two of the six share most of what they collect with third parties for advertising.
1. Netflix — the app that sells nothing
Netflix scores 7.8 with 8.5 for both core function and ease of use. Beyond films and series, a subscription now includes mobile games — Red Dead Redemption and Bloons TD 6 among them — video podcasts and a clips feed, and episodes download for offline viewing. Nothing is bought inside the app: plans are sold on Netflix's own site, which is also why there are no upsells. The privacy label lists five collected categories with none shared onward, the cleanest card on this list.
The 7.0 for monetisation is the direction of the price. After the March 2026 rise, US plans start at $8.99 with advertising, and watching without it costs $19.99 a month, with the top tier at $26.99.
Good for: anyone who will use the games and podcasts, or who wants the least intrusive app. Not for: anyone who wants ad-free viewing under $20.
2. HBO Max — the best-rated app, and the deepest drama shelf
HBO Max scores 7.4 and holds 4.9 stars on the App Store, the highest rating in our catalogue. Brand hubs cover the prestige dramas, DC, Studio Ghibli, Cartoon Network and Sesame Workshop, and live sport including MLB games sits alongside. Subscriptions are buyable in-app: $10.99 with advertising, $18.49 without, $22.99 for the top tier, with annual plans saving roughly two months.
The privacy mark is 5.5: six collected categories, with location and identifiers shared for advertising.
Good for: anyone whose watchlist is mostly drama. Not for: anyone who wants the app to collect as little as Netflix does.
3. Peacock — the cheapest paid tier that still has live channels
Peacock scores 7.3. Its distinguishing feature is that Select, the cheapest tier at $8.99 a month or $89.99 a year, includes live channels and sports hubs rather than only an on-demand library, and Telemundo's Spanish-language catalogue is in every tier. The tiers differ mainly on interruption: advertising is present below the $19.99 top plan.
The privacy label lists six categories, four shared with third parties, and Apple's card says the app may track you across other companies' apps.
Good for: a household that wants NBC's sport and live channels for the price of an on-demand plan. Not for: anyone who only watches on demand — bigger libraries cost the same elsewhere.
4. Disney+ — the family app, and the bundle maths
Disney+ also scores 7.3. Six brand tiles — Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Hulu for bundle subscribers — filter the catalogue, and profiles lock with a PIN and per-profile ratings, the best parental controls in this category. Nothing is sold in-app. Plans start at $11.99 with advertising; the Duo bundle adds Hulu inside the same app for a dollar more than Disney+ alone.
Ad-free viewing is $18.99 a month, bundles climb to $44.99, and they can only be bought on the website. Outside the six brands, the catalogue is thin.
Good for: a family with children and a Hulu habit. Not for: an adult with no interest in the six brands.
5. Hulu — next-day network episodes, and a cable-sized live bill
Hulu scores 7.2 for one thing nothing else does as reliably: episodes from American broadcast networks land the day after they air. The originals are strong, downloads work on the paid tiers, and the bundle with Disney+ is cheaper than paying twice. Plans are $11.99 with advertising and $18.99 without.
The 6.0 for monetisation is the live television package: more than 90 channels for $89.99 a month, which is a cable bill. It is also US-only.
Good for: anyone following network shows week by week. Not for: anyone outside the United States, or anyone tempted by the live tier.
6. Prime Video — good while you pay for Prime anyway
Amazon Prime Video scores 7.2 and comes with a Prime membership rather than being sold alone. Its download handling is the best here — sizes shown per episode, the next ones queued automatically — and live sport, rentals and channel subscriptions all bill through one account.
It ranks last on monetisation, 5.5, and privacy, 5.5. In April 2026 the ad-free option became Prime Video Ultra at $4.99 a month, up from $2.99, and 4K streaming moved behind it. Seven collected categories, six shared onward, tied to a shopping account. Rentals also sit beside included titles in search, which causes accidental purchases.
Good for: Prime members who download a lot. Not for: anyone who would subscribe for the video alone.
What we left out and why
TikTok scores 7.5 and is a video app, but it is not a streaming service in the sense used here. Pocket Saga at 7.0 streams short dramas paid for in coins, which is a different business. Ticketmaster at 6.4 sells tickets to entertainment rather than streaming it.
Bottom line
Netflix wins on the numbers because of what it does not do: no in-app sales, no third-party sharing, and games and podcasts folded into the plan. If the $19.99 ad-free price is the sticking point, the alternatives are honest about their own: HBO Max at $18.49 for the deepest drama catalogue, Disney+ at $18.99 for a family, Peacock at $8.99 if you can live with advertising and want live channels. Prime Video is worth having only because it is already there, and Hulu is worth having for network shows — as long as you never touch the live tier.
