Managing a streaming budget often comes down to Netflix vs. Hulu. We are always looking to find ways to rake in some cash for all the other things we need in life.

Hulu and Netflix have been around for a long time, and both have gained fairly obvious reputations in that time. netflix has a lot to offer, but likes to cancel original productions before fans are ready. hulu is a good choice for cord cutters to get their recently broadcast TV shows but also has some great exclusives of its own.

In other words, whether you worship the halls of "Stranger Things" and want to follow the demagogues, or you find yourself in the heated debate of "The Handmaid's Tale," you've probably wondered what's going on across the street. Of course, you can use both services, but you may not realize the complexity of the pricing plans.

Here's everything you need to know about Netflix and Hulu:

Netflix has a higher starting price for its $8.99 basic package than Hulu, which is $5.99 per month. However, Netflix is ad-free; Hulu's ad-free package is $11.99.

Hulu's Black Friday promotion makes it even cheaper at 86% off.

Netflix's $8.99 package does not include full HD streaming and is limited to plans $13.99 and up; Hulu offers up to 4K streaming on its $5.99 monthly plan.

To access all the bells and whistles of Netflix, one would spend $17.99/month for a premium plan with 4K streaming.

Winner Hulu

Right now, Netflix and Hulu are more ubiquitous than any other services and available on all the best streaming devices. That is, the best Roku devices, Fire TV Stick, and Google Chromecast can all stream both services. It is also available on most major smart TVs, Xboxes, Playstations, Androids, and iPhones.

Nevertheless, Netflix advertises that it also supports Blu-ray players; like Spotify, it assumes that anything that has a screen also has Netflix.

Winner: tie

Neither Netflix nor Hulu disclose the size of their libraries in terms of the number of movies and TV shows, but every report out there suggests that Netflix's library is much larger. For example, Diffen claims that Netflix has over 100,000 titles, including TV episodes and movies, while Hulu has over 43,000 TV episodes and 2,500 movies.

And while Netflix may surpass Hulu in terms of content, there is a bigger difference at hand. Both have original shows and movies, but only Hulu offers weekly episodes of shows airing on network and cable television. The exception, of course, is U.S. TV shows that have international distribution deals on Netflix, such as "Riverdale" season 5.

It is hard to say which platform has better content. Both offer a fairly wide range of excellent programming, but it is hard to argue against Netflix, as it seems to offer more titles.

When one thinks of the biggest streaming shows, one often thinks of Netflix originals like "Stranger Things," "Umbrella Academy," "Ozark," "The Witcher," and "Cobra Kai." Then there are the many documentaries, specials, and unscripted exclusives such as "Bo Burnham: Inside," "Sexy Beast," "Tiger King," and "The Last Dance."

Netflix seems to be focusing more on original programming than licensed programming, with excellent titles like "The Departed" and "The Big Lebowski" and sitcoms like "The Good Place" and "Community." However, they could leave as their contracts expire (as of August 16, 2021).

The beauty of Hulu is that it offers exclusive original productions such as "Palm Springs," "Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar," "The Handmaid's Tale," "Pen15," "Solar Opposites," and "Shrill" as well as " Atlanta," "Fargo" (the FX on Hulu brand is strong), "30 Rock," "Parasite," "Sorry to Bother You," and other licensed shows and films. Recently, Hulu has invested in music-based content, including a live stream of Lollapalooza 2021 and a Summer of Soul documentary.

Winner Netflix (unless you still need a way to watch broadcast TV)

Both Hulu and Netflix offer 4K content, but one pays more. As noted above, only Netflix's $17.99 offers Ultra HD content, including Dolby Vision and HDR10.

Hulu offers 4K content for all customers, including original productions and other select content. It does not offer Dolby Vision or HDR.

Both Hulu and Netflix's select content support surround sound up to 5.1 surround sound.

Winner: Hulu

Sharing a Netflix or Hulu account with family members is not a problem.

Netflix's $8.99/month Basic plan has only one stream by default, while the more popular $13.99 Standard plan has two simultaneous streams. However, the $17.99 Premium plan allows simultaneous streams on four devices.

Hulu allows two devices to stream simultaneously on the same account.

Winner: Hulu

Netflix is thankfully ad-free; Hulu cannot make the same boast, even with its ad-free tier. Yes, as is the case with many streaming services, ad-free does not necessarily mean ad-free; Hulu blames this on contractual "streaming rights."

This means that Hulu's $11.99/month ad-free tier ($6 more than the entry-level plan) will show ads for some content; according to its support page dated July 10, 2021, the only shows that will have ads in any tier are " Grey's Anatomy" is the only one.

In other words, while Hulu may stream more shows that must show ads for contractual reasons, Netflix seems pretty tied to its ad-free nature.

Winner Netflix

Netflix can store more content for offline use. It also allows all users to save shows and movies for later viewing.

Hulu allows offline storage only for some subscribers, i.e., those who pay a higher fee for an ad-free Hulu experience. This may be related to the fact that the company wants ads to be live and not preloaded later.

Hulu also has features that Netflix does not. People who watch shows and movies with friends remotely can use the Watch Party feature to sync their streams. The only drawback. It is only available to those using a web browser.

Winner: Netflix

Ultimately, the Netflix vs. Hulu debate need not result in a choice between the two. You can have both. It just means knowing how often you need to pay for each.

Netflix, our winner, doesn't always feel like a winner in our minds. Depending on your favorite shows and whether they are still running (or have ended too soon), the big red streaming machine may feel too big to take into account the fans of the shows it produces. Nevertheless, it is one of the very best streaming services for several reasons. Not only does it have by far the most content, but the ad-free experience is vastly superior to Hulu's ad-filled experience.

Netflix's dominance may be part of the reason the company no longer offers free trials; Hulu's compelling original and exclusive offerings can seem few and far between, making it easy to cancel and return later. Hulu's role in offering recently aired TV shows more than a day later is excellent, but contracts may begin and end with the latest season of a show.

That said, I really wish Netflix didn't pay for 4K or more than two simultaneous streams (as Hulu doesn't); Hulu's low prices are also more compelling if you remember that you're paying for an ad-supported service.