6 min readNew DelhiFeb 9, 2022 09:21 AM IST
First published on: Feb 8, 2022 at 11:42 AM IST
Netflix reduced its monthly subscription prices for India in December last year, with the lowest plans now starting at Rs 149 per month. However, the base plan of Rs 149 is limited to just phones or tablets and does not let users access content on a smart TV or laptop. Instead, the Rs 199 gives that option, which makes it a better bet for many users who are looking for an affordable way to access the service.
But how does Netflix Rs 199 per month plan compare to other popular streaming apps in India? We take a look.
Netflix’s Rs 199 per month plan: What does it offer?
Netflix’s Rs 199 per month plan lets users watch content at 480p resolution on just one screen at a time. But you can access all the content on Netflix, including the recent mobile games that the company has rolled out. You can download content as well with this account. But downloads are also limited to just one device. So, if you have Netflix logged in for your mobile and tablet with the Rs 199 account, then you cannot download content on both.
The Rs 199 plan also lets users access the content on laptops and TVs, which is not an option on the base Rs 149 plan. The other Netflix plans cost Rs 499 and Rs 649 per month, with support for HD and 4K content respectively. They also support 2 and 4 screens simultaneously. Do keep in mind, Netflix remains ad-free for all plans.
All the Netflix plans for India are seen here. Graphic by Abhishek Mitra/Indian Express
Amazon Prime Video membership at Rs 179 per month: What does it offer?
In order to get an Amazon Prime Video membership, users can simply sign up for Prime which comes with a host of benefits, including free shipping on Amazon, access to Prime Music, etc. However, of the Prime Membership last year. The yearly cost is Rs 1499 now, up from Rs 999. The monthly cost is Rs 179 now, and it used to be Rs 129 per month. The quarterly cost is Rs 459.
With an Amazon Prime Video subscription for Rs 179, you get access to all the content at a max resolution of 4K on up to four screens simultaneously. Amazon Prime Video also lets you download content. Amazon Prime Video offers access to other channels, such as Discovery+, Hoi Choi, LionsGate, Docubay. However, these subscriptions will cost extra. The advantage here is that you can access all of this content from the Amazon Prime Video app itself.
Amazon also has a mobile-only plan for Airtel users. The Amazon Prime Video mobile edition plan starts at Rs 89 per month and allows users to stream Amazon Prime videos in SD quality. This gives access to only the video content and not other Prime benefits.
The plan was launched last year in January. It also comes with a 30-day free trial. It is available free of cost with all prepaid plans on Airtel.
Disney+Hotstar monthly plan of Rs 299: What does it offer?
Disney+ Hotstar introduced new plans from September 2021. The basic mobile plan starts at Rs 499 per year and only supports one device at a time. The video quality is limited to HD (720p), and stereo audio is supported. However, the plan is limited to mobiles only and it is not ad-free.
The second plan that Disney+ Hotstar will be offering is ‘Premium’, which is a monthly plan at Rs 299 per month. Or users can pay Rs 1499 per year for this year, which is half the cost. You might not see the monthly option being reflected for the Premium plan if you subscribe via a mobile. The monthly option is only shown when you access the website on a desktop or laptop browser.
Disney+Hotstar plans seen on the desktop. (Image credit: Disney+Hotstar website)
The Rs 299 per month or Rs 1499 per year plan offers access to all premium content, is ad-free, supports 4 devices simultaneously, 4K video and Dolby 5.1 audio quality. Users can access the content from anywhere.
Disney also has a Super plan priced at Rs 899 per year, which supports two devices simultaneously. Users get full HD video quality, but this is not ad-free. The plan has Dolby 5.1 supported as well.
SonyLiv monthly subscription cost of Rs 299: What does it offer?
SonyLiv’s monthly subscription starts at Rs 299. The company also offers a six-month subscription for Rs 699 and a yearly subscription for Rs 999. Only those who are subscribed to these get access to LIV original shows and movies such as the Shark Tank India version, Sony and SAB shows at the same time as TV, Indian Movies, Live Sports and Tournaments, Hollywood movies and international shows and kids content.
If you are subscribed to the monthly plan, you can only do concurrent watching on one scream, while the six-month and yearly plans support two screens. Users can create five different profiles on the platform and offline downloads are supported for all.
There is also a WWE pack for Rs 299, which does not give access to any of the other content, but only to the WWE premium content. This pack only allows concurrent watching on one platform. This pack does not support offline downloads.
SonyLiv has not specified the streaming quality for the content for each plan. The content is ad-free only for select content and channels, even if you are a paying subscriber.
Zee5 plans: What do they offer?
Zee5 offers a Rs 999 per year plan, which is currently retailing at 50 per cent off of Rs 499. The plan supports three screens at the same time. Zee5 also has a three months plan of Rs 299, which supports two screens at the same time. A subscription is needed to watch its web series, live content on Zee5, Alt Balaji content, etc.
Zee5 users can download the content, but only on the mobile app. The max video quality supported is 1080p.
The Netflix, Disney+Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5 and SonyLiv apps are seen on an iPhone. We compare the monthly plans of these streaming services. (Image credit: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express) 
All the Netflix plans for India are seen here. Graphic by Abhishek Mitra/Indian Express
Disney+Hotstar plans seen on the desktop. (Image credit: Disney+Hotstar website)
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