Deciding between Netflix and Hulu

Because of the leaps and bounds made by technology over the couple of decades, all our favorite movies and television shows are now just a click away. Anyone with a computer or mobile device and an Internet connection can subscribe to a streaming video service. While there are a lot of streaming services, some may be better for you than others. Right now we'll be comparing two of the most popular streaming services today: Netflix and Hulu.

Library
Hulu has a smaller collection of movies and television series compared to Netflix. Though the libraries of both services are growing, Hulu only has about 1,650 shows and 2,500 movies, while Netflix has a library of about 100,000 movies and shows. In terms of sheer volume, Netflix definitely trumps Hulu by a lot.

Original Series
Producing quality series is no longer limited to big studios and outfits. Though Hulu and Netflix started out as streaming services that show series and movies produced by different studios, they have been able to produce their own work over the years. Hulu has produced 19 original series, with a whole lot more in production or about to premier. Netflix, meanwhile, has produced more popular shows like House of Cards, Jessica Jones, Orange is the New Black, Narcos, Marco Polo, Stranger Things, and the continuation of Arrested Development. Netflix has also explored more genres and formats than Hulu.

Pricing
Hulu used to draw flack for the presence of ads and commercials even for premium subscribers. However, it recently added an ad-free tier for the price of $11.99 a month. Hulu's basic service is free, though not all shows and movies are available. Netflix's basic service, however, already fetches $8 a month.

Video Quality
It might be better to view Hulu's selections through a smaller screen. Hulu only offers 288p, 360p, 480p, and 720p (for some selections) resolution. Netflix, meanwhile, has different video qualities per tier. Tier 1 has DVD quality, Tier 2 is a little better, Tier 3 offers 720p, while Tier 4 recently offered 1080p HD.

Presence of Ads
As stated above, Hulu only recently introduced an ad-free subscription. Otherwise, Hulu hosts banner advertisements and you'll also have to deal with frequent disruptions in your streaming. It's much like watching television, unless you fork over $11.99 montly for ad-free service. Netflix, meanwhile, does not play or host advertisements across all available tiers.