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  • Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Compared
Technology Articles > Entertainment > Televisions > Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Compared

How to Cut the Cable Cord

There are more and more alternatives to cable appearing. Yet, cable companies keep raising rates. How can this be? Most TV watchers are unclear about how to go about cutting the cable cord – it’s that old safety, after all.

Can it actually be done, though? Can you go without cable? The answer comes in two parts. First, where do you live? Second, what shows do you watch? Let’s take a closer look, so that you can get rid of that high cable bill once and for all.

Netflix Defined

Netflix is often the go to cable alternative. But, Netflix only offers shows and movies that are already on disk. If you can wait for your show to appear on disk, you’ll find it on Netflix. The company doesn’t really offer a lot of current shows, so it’s best to check the lineup where you are before ditching your cable for Netflix. Interestingly, Netflix has signed some deals with cable networks to appear as a separate channel in the near future. So, what about Hulu?

Note: Netflix Canada is limited.

Hulu Investigated

Hulu is like Netflix, really. In fact, the two are stiff competitors. Hulu does offer some shows that Netflix does not, but you won’t be watching TV in real-time with either. If you have to watch your favorite HBO show when it happens, Hulu isn’t for you – but neither is Netflix.

The truth is that both of these streaming services offer different shows and episodes, so you may or may not get what you want, and you may need to have both services. If you go for both, though, you will be paying around $18 per month, and you may not get everything you want. Are there other ways to ditch cable and still watch your shows without waiting a week or months?

Note: Hulu is only available in the United States.

Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is the third contender in the streaming fight. Prime offers tons of content streamed through Amazon. But, Prime doesn’t have as much content as Netflix. Again, it’s the same streaming post-view mentality with Prime, and that means that you won’t be watching TV in real-time or enjoying your shows as they play. Instead, you’ll have to wait for recent episodes or whole seasons.

Note: Amazon Prime is only available in the United States.

Netflix Has One Advantage

The one thing that sets Netflix apart from the rest is that Netflix has its own shows that are streamed in real-time – like House of Cards. If Netflix can create more shows of this caliber, and beat out HBO, there might be a real advantage to switching to Netflix.

Getting Rid of Cable

You can get rid of your cable and opt for one of the solutions above. Really, it’s up to you. If you need instant gratification and can’t wait for your show to appear elsewhere, you’ll have to stick with cable and try to cut back your bill as much as possible by ditching channels you don’t watch.

If you don’t care when your show appears, you can check out any of the above options – as long as you live in the U.S. If you live in Canada, well, you have Netflix as an alternative. So, really, it’s up to you and just how addicted you are to those TV shows.

Has anyone found another way to cut cable?