Netflix vs Disney+, which paid video platform do you prefer?
If I were pre-30, I would have picked Netflix; but after turning 30 and having a family, I’ve found that I’m spending more and more time watching videos with my family. Although I still turn on Netflix when I’m alone, I have less and less time and space for myself.
As recently, the manga adaptation of “The White Book of Yu-Gi-Oh” was released on Netflix, and the desire to revisit the childhood classic is not quite convenient to watch at home. On the one hand, LP adults are disgusted by the gore and violence, and on the other hand, it’s because of the little ones.
In early 2024, I opened Disney+. At the beginning of the choice of confusion, such as: what is the content of Disney +, what is the difference between different countries Disney +, how to watch the Chinese mainland users, what are the restrictions on the viewing IP, which country account to subscribe to the cheapest and most convenient, and what problems often encountered in watching Disney +, etc., have been organized, and I hope that it will be helpful to those who are holding on to their money.
I. What is Disney+
Anyone with some knowledge of offshore streaming platforms will have heard of Netflix and YouTube, and probably know that Disney+ is associated with the Disney Group, but what exactly may not be clear.
Together with Hulu and ESPN+, Disney+ comprises the three major streaming platforms of the Disney Group. ESPN is the world’s largest platform for live sports broadcasting, while Hulu is the third largest streaming platform in the U.S. after Netflix and YouTube, with a focus on live TV broadcasting and positioning itself for the people who are transitioning from TV to movies.
Disney+ went live on November 12, 2019 as Disney Legends CEO Iger pushed for a change in online streaming services. On the third anniversary of its launch, Disney’s three streaming platforms totaled more than 235 million subscribers, at one point overtaking Netflix.
So, the US account for Disney+ will have a bundle, which is the price of the “Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+” bundle subscription.
II. What’s in Disney+
There are six major channels within Disney+, namely Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and Star Media (Star). Among them, the content of the US zone account is mainly the first five channels, while the Disney+ account outside the US has more Star channels. For those of you who have registered for a US account, don’t worry, in the US, most of the Star channel content is distributed by Hulu, so you can also see it for “a little extra money”.
According to official sources, Disney+ has hundreds of movies and thousands of episodes. The likes of familiar favorites like Snow White, Zootopia, Star Wars, The Avengers and National Geographic documentaries can be seen on various Disney+ channels.
With a focus on family-friendly movies and series, Disney launched Star Channel for the Asia-Pacific region after completing its acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019 in order to compete with streaming platforms such as Netflix and HBO for the adult (don’t think about it too much) entertainment market.
So, on the Star channel, we have access to Japanese, Korean, and Hong Kong dramas, as well as inland dramas. For example, my whole family re-watched Tangled 3 on the first weekend after I signed up.
III. Disney+ account levels
Similar to Netflix, Disney+ accounts are differentiated by the presence or absence of ads, the number of devices on which they can be downloaded, the number of devices on which they can be viewed at the same time, and the quality of the video and audio. However, Disney+ is “extraordinarily” generous in that it can support seven family sub-accounts, compared to Netflix’s family group, which has only five members.
I’ve included the Singapore and US subscriptions below. If you want to watch 4K videos, the Singapore subscription is priced at Rs 850 and the US subscription is priced at Rs 1007.
Singapore Subscription Prices
U.S. Subscription Prices
IV. Disney+ differences between countries
Note to those who want to sign up for an account, Disney+ is slightly different from Netflix.
When signing up for Netflix, you can register for an account, then change your IP address, then subscribe;
When registering for Disney+, the IP location is the country where the account is located, so be sure to set your IP before registering.
Depending on the country, Disney+ accounts can be divided into three main categories:
- international edition
Including the United States, Canada, some European countries and Singapore, etc. Accounts can be universal. Display copyrighted content from different countries depending on IP.
- HotStar Edition
Including India, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, the accounts are operated independently and are only viewable in these countries.
- Japanese version
It is said to be operated in cooperation with NTT Docomo and is not compatible with the international version, so it is recommended to register if you live in the Japan area.
So, when you register your account, try to choose the country where the international version is registered. As for which country to choose, I’d say whichever node you have is faster. Most people choose either one between the US and Singapore. Since Singapore has more Star channels and more copyrighted episodes than the US, it is also more cost-effective.
V. Can Chinese mainland users watch Disney+ directly?
Not at this time.
If you want to watch it, the solution is to use an IP from another country.
In addition, for those who are logging into their accounts for the first time, it is best to use the IP of the location where the account was registered to avoid being unable to log in.
VI. How to pay for Disney+ account
You can use bank cards, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay. among them, you can’t pay with bank cards issued in mainland China. I personally recommend using Apple Pay. you can see these two articles:
“How to change your Apple ID from National to Turkiye.
How to Buy Regular Turkish Apple/Google Gift Cards.
Just a friendly reminder for those who want to try low prices with GooglePay, many Turkish GooglePay accounts are no longer able to pay successfully. I changed my account from US to Turkey two days ago (January 20, 2024) and it will look like the following:
Should be winded and not too keen on talking to customer service anymore.
Anyone who has solved a similar problem may want to private message me, I’ve recently changed the area to change the hemp.
VII. About account carpooling sharing carpooling
If you don’t want to spend energy setting up and pulling people in on your own, and you just want to be beautiful and watch videos with your family, there are various carpooling platforms to consider, and I compared the three common ones:
| Name | Time | Price（CNY） | 10% off coupon code |
| 环球巴士 | annual | 116.88元 | playful |
| 奈飞小铺 | annual | 118.80元 | playful |
| 蜜糖商店 | annual | 118.00元 | —— |
There’s not much difference between the three. I used a 1 year Nifty to support Honeycomb and also used a 1 month Nifty to look at Global Bus. It’s been a long time, but I was under the impression that Global Bus sub accounts don’t send PINs by default, and I don’t know if there’s any upgrades to optimize them.
Of course, if you think I’m still reliable, you can also find me, a purely human operation, in order to earn yourself a cup of coffee money for the little blogger, carpooling price another 80% or 90% discount is always possible.
WeChat: playfulsoulcn
Responses are inevitably quick and slow, so please understand for the sake of saving money.