Netflix Review [current_date format="yy"]: Plans, Pricing, and More (2024)

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• Current deals
• Plans and prices
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Netflix carries more TV series, movies, documentaries, kids’ shows, stand-up comedy specials, anime, and international programming than you could possibly ever watch (we know—we’re professionals and we’ve tried).

With Netflix’s new password-sharing policies, ad-supported subscribers won’t be able to share their account outside of their household. Standard subscribers get one extra member outside of the household, and Premium subscribers get two. The catch is that any member beyond that costs an additional $7.99/mo. per person, which can really inflate that monthly bill. Yikes!

Acquired (rather than original) TV shows—Netflix’s initial claim to streaming fame—are in dwindling supply with each new streaming competitor. But you can still find some non-original titles from ye olde days of cable television in Netflix’s library. And some competitors, like Max and Paramount+, license their originals back to Netflix. It all circles back to the red N.

And Netflix definitely still has a lot of super popular movies from the last decade, from Get Out toThe Batman.

Even though you can literally scroll for hours, Netflix still isn’t an all-inclusive portal for keeping up on every TV show and movie released. But, as one of modern pop culture’s major players, it doesn’t have to be. Plenty of people claim Netflix as their only TV service, streaming or otherwise, and they’re rarely at a loss for something new to watch. If you’re overwhelmed, check out out our What to Watch on Netflix recs.

Anybody remember when Netflix only mailed out DVDs?

Those days are gone, but now in-house originals are where it’s at for Netflix. Ever since the premieres of original series Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards in 2013, Netflix has moved toward becoming an outlet for exclusively produced content and curated foreign programming.

In fact, originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, and countless others are now the service’s primary focus. Netflix invests heavily in Netflix, and it cranks out series and movies—even if it doesn’t promote or renew them all.

But Netflix doesn’t just produce multi-episode series that keep you binge-watching through the weekend; it also makes feature films and documentaries that eat only a couple of hours of your time.

You’ve likely heard of Mank or Hillbilly Elegy—neither was a critical darling, but millions watched them anyway.

Netflix’s best-kept secret is its impressive lineup of mobile games. Yes, you read that right—all Netflix subscribers get access to an array of mobile games, for free. It’s easy to miss this feature if you usually only watch Netflix on a smart TV or streaming device. All you have to do is log into Netflix on a mobile device (so a tablet or phone) and scroll down until you see the “Mobile Games” heading.

When you pick a game you want, Netflix will prompt you to open your device’s app store, where you can download the corresponding game for free.

Here are some of the games you can expect with your Netflix subscription:

• OXENFREE
• OXENFREE II: Lost Signals
• Sonic Prime Dash
• Bloons TD 6
• The Queen’s Gambit Chess
• Spongebob: Get Cooking
• Nailed It! Baking Bash
• Terra Nil
• World of Goo Remastered
• Into the Breach
• Stranger Things: 1984
• Reigns: Three Kingdoms
• Spiritfarer
• Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
• …and more

The Netflix app can be installed and activated on as many devices as you like, but the number of simultaneous streams is limited depending on the package.

Standard with adsallows two streams, as well as episode/movie downloads to two devices for offline viewing.

Standard also allows two streams, and it downloads to two offline phones or tablets.

Premium allows four streams, and it downloads to six offline phones or tablets. If you have a large household and want to keep the kiddies happy, Premium is probably the way to go.

Netflix recommends a baseline of 3Mbps internet speed for SD viewing, 5Mbps for HD, and 25Mbps for 4K Ultra HD. We, on the other hand, recommend 25Mbps as the bare minimum for any type of internetting—life’s too short for buffering, people.

Netflix’s Standard plans stream in 1080p HD.

The Premium plan allows 4K Ultra HD streaming, which applies to Netflix originals and some acquired titles. More advanced HDR (high dynamic range) streaming is available on a limited basis.

There’s little to knock about Netflix’s on-demand streaming service—for a reasonable price, it delivers the world to your screens.

We could complain about the isolated nature of Netflix, as it offers less and less from outside film and TV studios all the time, concentrating more on its own product. There’s also no local TV connection, but there are other ways for you to get your community information (get an antenna; your local TV news could use the eyeballs).

In all, Netflix isn’t a replacement for good ole cable—but with so much exclusive content, that hardly matters. Once subscribed, you probably won’t need to leave the house again.