Hulu and Hulu with Live TV: price, plans, and everything you need to know

Hulu has been around almost as long as Netflix, but it wasn't until Disney Plus came along and acquired the streaming service that it really came into its own. Nowadays, Hulu is more popular than ever before, with over 47 million subscribers and thousands of hours of entertainment. Hulu has even expanded to offer live TV channels as part of its Hulu with Live TV cable replacement plan. 

Unfortunately, like many other streaming services, Hulu increased the prices of all of their monthly plans in 2022. The ad-supported plan went from $6.99/month to $7.99/month, while the ad-free tier jumped from $12.99/month to $14.99/month, much to the dismay of existing subscribers. Even the so-called Disney Bundle wasn't immune to the changes, as it now costs $19.99/month to get access to Hulu (no ads), Disney Plus (no ads), and ESPN Plus (with ads). 

Suffice to say, whether you're looking to sign up for the first time or you've been a subscriber for years, we've got a lot of ground to cover. Below you'll find everything you need to know about Hulu and Hulu with Live TV, from price and plan options to what you can watch. 

All the shows, movies, and sports you want 

Hulu and Hulu with Live TV give you access to the best movie and television content, both on-demand and live streaming. Pick a plan and add-on that works for your family. Right now you can even get your first month free if you'd like to try out the service with zero commitment.

Hulu (standalone): Starting at $7.99/month

Hulu with Live TV: Starting at $69.99/month

What is Hulu?

Hulu is one of the leading streaming services on the market right now, offering access to thousands of hours of live and on-demand series and movies, with and without commercials. With a variety of subscription plans, add-ons, and bundles, as well as a Hulu with Live TV option featuring curated channels and live sports coverage, Hulu may be the platform for you.

Price and plans

If you choose to include Disney Plus Bundle options, Hulu offers five distinct plans for you to choose from. The cheapest and most popular plan is the ad-supported tier, which costs $7.99 per month. That plan allows streaming on two devices simultaneously and provides access to Hulu's entire on-demand catalog with limited ad interruption.

The next level up is the Hulu (No Ads) tier, which now costs $14.99 per month and comes with additional perks such as the ability to download content for offline viewing. Things get a little more complicated when you look at the bundle options, so we'll break those down below. 

• Hulu with Live TV: $69.99/month for Hulu with Live TV (ads), Disney Plus (ads), ESPN Plus (ads) 
• Disney Bundle Trio Basic: $12.99/month for Hulu (ads), ESPN Plus (ads), Disney Plus (ads)
• Disney Bundle Trio Premium: $19.99/month for Hulu (no ads), Disney Plus (no ads), ESPN Plus (ads)
• Disney Bundle Duo Basic: $9.99/month for Disney Plus (ads) and Hulu (ads)

Where is Hulu available?

While Hulu currently offers plans in the U.S. only, it's believed that the Disney-owned streaming service plans to expand internationally in the future.

Specifically, Hulu's on-demand media library is currently available in all U.S. states and territories, as well as on U.S. military bases around the world. Hulu Plus Live TV is currently only available in the 50 states. Hulu also offers Hulu Japan, limiting its content library to users within Japan by checking the IP addresses of the devices visiting their website.

In 2021, Disney also started rolling out the Star streaming hub within the Disney Plus app in countries where Hulu is not currently available. The Star brand page features movies and TV shows from Disney Television Studios, FX Productions, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight Pictures.

The Star hub is currently accessible to Disney Plus subscribers in Australia, Austria, Canada, Europe, Germany, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, the U.K., Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

What devices support Hulu?

While the latest versions of Hulu and Hulu with Live TV are available on most devices, there are a handful of products that still feature the "classic" Hulu app, which means you won't have access to live TV, select Premium Add-ons, or new features. With that in mind, here's the full list of devices currently compatible with Hulu in some capacity.

It should be noted that while PlayStation 3 and Xfinity X1 TV Boxes support the Hulu app and include access to the Hulu streaming library, live programming is not currently available. Unlike the Xfinity devices, however, PlayStation 3 includes access to various add-ons.

Users can also access the Classic Hulu app — which doesn't support live TV and select Premium Add-ons and new features — on many devices. These include Apple TV (3rd Gen), LG TVs and Blu-ray players (select models), Roku and Roku Stick (select models), Samsung TVs and Blu-ray players (select models), Sony TVs and Blu-ray players (select models), TiVo, and VIZIO TVs (select models).

What shows and movies are on Hulu?

Both the ad-supported and ad-free tiers of Hulu boast an impressive content library of fan-favorite films and TV series, as well as Hulu Originals and new episodes of FX on Hulu series. Like YouTube TV and Sling TV, Hulu Plus Live TV also provides subscribers with a roster of live, region-specific programming spanning news, entertainment, and sports. With that in mind, here's the type of content you can expect on the platform.

Hulu on-demand

Hulu's on-demand media library boasts a rotating roster of shows and classic movies from networks such as CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, FX, ESPN, AMC, Crunchyroll, 20th Century, and Disney including the entire run of series like Modern Family and The Mindy Project.

The platform also features an award-winning lineup of Hulu Originals series and limited series. Among the most popular Hulu Originals are The Handmaid's Tale, The Great, Woke, Pen15, Shrill, and Reservation Dogs. There are also a number of trending limited series currently streaming now on Hulu, including The Dropout, Pam & Tommy, and Nine Perfect Strangers.

Hulu + Live TV

The Hulu with Live tier also offers a collection of live channels featuring sports coverage, breaking news, and current shows. While available channels vary slightly depending on where you live, channels available in most locations include ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, NBC, SYFY, TCM, TNT, USA, Lifetime, and CNN.

It's worth pointing out that the channels available on Hulu with Live TV vary depending on where you're located. So while the above list includes an overall roundup of the channels offered, you'll need to enter your zip code on the Hulu website to see exactly which channels are accessible in your region.

Hulu Premium Add-ons

You can also enhance your Hulu with Live TV membership by adding one of four premium networks (Showtime, HBO Max, Cinemax, STARZ), which vary in price from $9 to $15 depending on which premium channel you choose. Hulu also offers three separate channel bundles, which are catered to three different types of Hulu viewers.

For an extra $8 a month, the Entertainment bundle adds the American Heroes Channel, CNBC World, Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, DIY Network, FYI, Great American Country, Lifetime Movies, and Science to your channel collection.

Meanwhile, the Español bundle costs $5 per month and adds CNN en Español, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia, ESPN Deportes, FOX Deportes, History en Español, and NBC Universo. The fees for each available premium network — HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and STARZ — vary from $9 to $15 depending on the network you choose.

The Sports Add-on costs $10 per month and provides live and on-demand content from NFL RedZone, TVG, TVG 2, MAVTV, Outdoor Channel, and Sportsman Channel. Hulu also offers an ESPN Plus Add-on, enabling sports fans to enjoy live events, original programming, and content from the ESPN Plus library directly on the Hulu app. That add-on costs an additional $7 per month.

Outside of the channel bundles, Hulu offers the Enhanced Cloud DVR and Unlimited Screens Add-ons, which increase the amount of DVR storage on your account and the number of devices you can stream on simultaneously, respectively. Each of those add-ons is available for an additional $10 a month.

Hulu account limits, profiles, and parental controls

All tiers of Hulu permit streaming to two devices simultaneously and allow for up to six separate profiles per account. As mentioned above, the Unlimited Screens Add-on allows subscribers to stream on an unlimited number of devices at home, plus up to three on the go, for an extra fee.

Unfortunately, that add-on is only accessible to subscribers of the Hulu with Live TV or Hulu (No Ads) with Live TV plan and is restricted when watching content through one of the premium network add-ons. That means viewers sharing one account can only stream Premium Add-on content from a total of five screens at one time.

Regarding parental controls, Hulu gives subscribers the ability to create a Kids Profile, ensuring that viewers using that profile can only search and watch kid-friendly content available in the Kids hub. You can also contact Hulu to adjust the age setting for the entire account, which will block mature content across all profiles connected to the account.

Free trial

Hulu encourages potential subscribers to try out its service for free for one month or one week, depending on which plan you select, by signing up for a Hulu free trial. If you choose to try the ad-supported tier or the Hulu tier without commercials through Hulu's free trial, you'll receive the service for free for one month. Unfortunately, none of the Bundle plans come with free trials at this time. 

Watch it live and on the go 

Hulu offers multiple tiers of plans offering access to the best movie and television content online right now. Watch it all right now, on-demand or streaming live with the Hulu with Live TV plan.

Hulu (standalone): Starting at $7.99/month

Hulu with Live TV: Starting at $69.99/month