Hulu: Pricing, Plans, How to Sign Up & More

Hulu is one of the OG’s when it comes to streaming. It’s been around since late 2007. That’s around the time that Netflix started transitioning into a streaming service from mailing out DVDs to its customers. It was initially owned by NBCUniversal, Disney, and Fox, the owners of the most extensive OTA networks in the US. Now it’s majority owned by Disney and has gone through some significant changes over the years. But is it worth signing up for?

In this guide, we’ll be covering everything that you need to know about Hulu and even the differences between it and Hulu + Live TV. This is to help you decide whether to sign up for Hulu.

What is Hulu?

In the early days, Hulu was a place where you could watch TV shows the day after they aired on ABC, FOX, NBC, and a few other networks. However, those were the major ones. There were also movies available on Hulu, but the big seller for Hulu was being able to watch the newest episode of Grey’s Anatomy on Friday, the day after it aired. Basically, it’s a DVR without having an actual DVR.

Hulu used to only offer its service with ads, which annoyed a lot of people since they were paying for a service and still seeing ads. Now we’ve kind of gotten used to this. With other services doing it too – Paramount+, Peacock, and more. But Hulu also debuted an ad-free tier for users to sign up for as well.

Since then, Hulu has ventured into making its own original content. And Disney owns sole possession of Hulu. Disney gained a majority share after it bought some of Fox’s business – which included 21st Century Fox. It also then bought out Comcast’s stake in the company recently, for around $8.6 billion.

Hulu, along with Netflix, has been a mainstay in the world of streaming services. Normally, when you think of streaming, Netflix is first, followed by Hulu.

What is Hulu + Live TV?

Hulu + Live TV is a bit different from regular Hulu. Essentially it is their Live TV streaming service and starts at $65 per month (currently, there’s a promo where you can get it for $54.99 per month for your first three months), which does include regular Hulu and gives it the biggest on-demand library in the business.

If you’re looking to cut the cord, then Hulu + Live TV is a really great option since it has the entire library plus over 65 live channels, which does include sports.

You can opt to get just Hulu, though, and you will still be able to get most of the content you’d find on the Live TV version of the service. You can find out more about it here.

How much does Hulu cost?

Update: Disney has announced that prices are going up for Hulu (as well as Disney+ and Hulu Live TV). Starting on October 12, Hulu will cost $17.99 for the ad-free tier, which is a $3/month increase. The ad-supported tier is remaining the same. Disney has also introduced a new bundle – Duo Premium. Which includes Disney+ and Hulu ad-free for $19.99, which is a $31.98 value.

There are two plans for the regular Hulu service. There is the ad-supported tier that costs $7.99 per month. Then, there is an ad-free tier that is $17.99 per month. Hulu tends to have quite a few ads scattered throughout its shows and movies, so if you get annoyed by ads, then you might want to spend the extra cash.

The service is the same for both tiers. The only difference is the ads. Unlike Peacock, all the content available on the Hulu ad-free tier is also available on the ad-supported tier.

Can I bundle it with Disney+?

Yes.

Since Hulu is majority owned by Disney now, it has bundled Hulu in the Disney+ bundle. Much like there is with Hulu, there are also two plans for the Disney+ bundle. You can bundle Disney+, Hulu (with ads) and ESPN+ for $14 per month. Or you can bundle the three with ad-free Hulu for $20 per month. That is cheaper than paying for each one individually. Since Disney+ is $8, ESPN+ is $6, and Hulu is $6 (or $11) per month, respectively.

And if you want to bundle with Hulu + Live TV, it’ll cost you $72.99 per month, which is a really great deal. Basically $7 more per month to add Disney+ and ESPN+ to your Hulu plan.

How can I get it for free?

Many years ago, Comcast would give Hulu to its customers for free. But that’s not the case anymore. However, there are still other ways to get Hulu for free.

The easiest way is to be a Verizon customer. Verizon offers the entire Disney+ bundle on its Play More and Get More Unlimited plans. So if you subscribe to either of those, you can get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ for free, as long as you remain a Verizon customer.

In January 2024, T-Mobile also announced that it would offer Hulu “on us” for its customers. You can get Hulu (With Ads) included with the Go5G Next plan from T-Mobile. That is T-Mobile’s most expensive plan, coming in at $100/month for a single line. It also includes Apple TV+ and Netflix Standard with Ads “on us.” So for that price, you’re getting three streaming services.

Is there a free trial for Hulu?

Hulu sometimes will offer a free trial or discount for your first few months. However, that doesn’t happen as often anymore. You’ll want to check out the Hulu website for the most up-to-date information on free trials.

What add-ons are available?

Hulu is still pretty affordable, even at $8 per month; it’s one of the cheaper streaming services available right now. And has a boatload of content. But you can add even more content to Hulu with some of their add-ons.

You can add different premium streaming services to your Hulu account. These include MAX for $10 (or $17 without ads), Cinemax for $10, STARZ for $9, or Showtime for $11 per month. Obviously, if you add all of these to your account, your Hulu price can get expensive really quickly. But you’ll also have a ton of content to watch on your couch.

These can also be added if you have Hulu + Live TV.

What original content does Hulu have?

Hulu doesn’t spend anywhere near as much on original content as Netflix does, but it does still have a nice library of original titles. It also helps that ABC creates a number of originals for Hulu itself. Since both are owned by Disney, it makes loads of sense.

Here are some of the bigger titles from Hulu’s library of original series:

Mother Up!
The Wrong Mans
Harlots
Hard Sun
The First
The Bisexual
Holly Hobbie
Catch-22
The Weekly
This Way Up
The Accident
Endlings
Utopia Falls
Madagascar: A Little Wild
The Might Ones
Trolls: TrollsTopia
The Confession
East Los High
11.22.63
The Path
Freakish
Chance
Shut Eye
Dimension 404
The Handmaid’s Tale
Runaways
The Looming Tower
Castle Rock
Into The Dark
Light as a Feather
The Act
Wu-Tang: An American Saga
Looking for Alaska
Reprisal
Battleground
Quick Draw
Deadbeat
The Hotwives
The Neighbors
Difficult People
Casual
Future Man
All Night
PEN15
Shrill
Ramy
Four Weddings and a Funeral
High Fidelity
The Great
Woke

And that’s just a fraction of the original titles that are currently available on Hulu. There are plenty more available and loads more coming. So there’s definitely something for everyone to watch.

What devices are compatible with Hulu?

Hulu is available pretty much everywhere you can imagine, from browsers to smartphones to smart TVs and beyond. Here’s the full list of every device that supports the current Hulu app.

Android phones and tablets
Android TV (select models)
Apple TV (4th generation or later)
Chromecast
Echo Show
Fire Tablets
Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
iPhones and iPads
LG TV (select models)
Nintendo Switch
Mac and PC browsers/apps
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 5
Roku (select models)
Samsung TV (select models)
VIZIO SmartCast TVs
Xbox 360
Xbox One X
Xbox One S
Xbox Series X
Xbox Series S
Xfinity Flex Streaming TV Box
Xfinity X1 TV Boxes

If you have an older device, you may have to use the “Classic Hulu app” which means that you won’t get access to the live TV or some of the premium add-ons. But you can watch Hulu still. These devices include:

Apple TV (3rd generation)
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
VIZIO TVs (select models)

How fast does my internet need to be, to watch Hulu?

Hulu rarely buffers anymore since the Internet is fast enough for most of us to stream it without any issues. It has had many years to optimize its streaming, too. However, for Hulu in HD, you do need at least 6Mbps download speed, and at least 8Mbps for Hulu + Live TV. The more, the better, as always. Especially if there are others in your home streaming or doing other things on your network.

Here are Hulu’s recommendations for internet connection speeds:

Standard Definition: 1.5Mbps
720p HD: 3Mbps
1080p HD: 6Mbps
Hulu + Live TV: 8Mbps
Ultra HD 4K: 16Mbps

Can I watch Hulu offline?

Yes, you can download some content to watch offline with Hulu. However, this only applies to the Hulu (No Ads) or Hulu + Live TV plans. The Hulu subscription with ads, will not allow for offline viewing. This is the case with virtually any streaming service, as offline viewing means no ads.

Can I share my Hulu account with others?

Hulu does allow for profile sharing with multiple users, but there are restrictions on simultaneous streams. On most plans, only two concurrent streams are available. However, if you are a Hulu + Live TV subscriber, you can add the Unlimited Screens add-on, which will give you unlimited streams when connected to your home network. And if you’re out of the house, you can stream on up to three screens.

How can I sign up for Hulu?

You can sign up for Hulu by clicking here.

You will be able to start your free trial, which is 30 days. During the sign up process, you’ll be asked which tier you want to sign up for. And which premium networks you want to add. And that’s it/ It’s really pretty easy to do.

And of course, as is the case with all of the streaming services, there are no contracts to sign, and you can cancel at any time. However, if you cancel before your next billing date, you will not be refunded for the unused days. Instead, your account will continue to be operational until that billing date. Hulu does allow you to pause your account for a few months, or cancel it. And if you want to sign up again, your information is all there, including your watchlist and recommendations.

How can I cancel Hulu?

You can cancel your Hulu account at any time, but you won’t be prorated for it. So if you cancel in the middle of a billing cycle, you won’t get any sort of refund.

To cancel your Hulu subscription, head to the account page on a computer or mobile browser.

Next, select Cancel under your subscription.

Now you’ll be presented with the option to pause your subscription (do this if you plan on coming back in a few months); otherwise, select Continue to Cancel.

Then select Cancel Subscription. Now you’ve successfully canceled your subscription to Hulu.

Is Hulu worth it?

The real question here is whether or not Hulu is actually worth it. That’s going to depend on a number of factors, like what content you watch, how much you’re spending on streaming already, and if you want Disney+ and/or ESPN+ too.

For me, Hulu is worth it, and I’m actually getting very close to canceling YouTube TV. Since everything I record on YouTube TV, is now available on Hulu for a fraction of the cost. I do really like the ad-free bundle of Disney+ and Hulu with ad-supported ESPN+. It’s somewhat expensive, but I do think it’s the best deal out right now.

Hulu is continuing to add more shows and movies, including plenty of originals. And if you’re okay with seeing some ads, $7.99 per month for just Hulu is not too shabby.