Disney Plus vs. Netflix: Which One Is the Better Streaming Service in 2025?

Introduction

Netflix vs. Disney+ has always been a popular argument on the internet because of the recognition gained by both streaming services.

Netflix was founded in 2007 and changed the video streaming industry with its subscription-based model and vast content library. Disney Plus, which debuted later in 2019, quickly positioned itself as a streaming platform dedicated to family-friendly content.

As these two streaming giants race for the top, a comparative analysis of their market performance and growth will reveal their respective strengths and weaknesses in the battle for streaming dominance.

Market Share and Growth: Netflix vs. Disney+

Netflix is currently crowned the streaming industry leader, with over 282.7 million subscribers in Q3 2024. In contrast, Disney+ has experienced some growth since its launch in 2019, reaching over 236.2 million subscribers across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. This display of rapid ascension showcases Disney+’s ability to leverage its existing brand equity and content library to capture market share.

Netflix has a market presence in over 190 countries, penetrating both developed and emerging markets. The platform has successfully localized its content and pricing strategies across regions. Disney+, while available in fewer territories, has secured a solid expansion strategy, particularly in the Asia-Pacific market, where it has secured strong partnerships with local telecom providers and content creators.

Disney+ is mainly focused on Bundle offerings with Hulu and ESPN+, as well as Premier access and integration with Disney’s broad ecosystem for its revenue streams. On the other hand, Netflix has diversified its income streams through multiple subscription tiers, recently introduced ad-supported options, and made pricing adjustments based on region.

While Netflix is very much in demand in Asia and maintains a high ARPU, with its interest in producing Korean content, in regions like North America, it has taken a drop in its audience size up to 61.8 percent. This development contributed to one of the factors that made Netflix introduce ad-supported tiers.

Disney+ has remarkable reach in Europe, with over five million mobile app downloads immediately after it was announced, taking its global subscriber base to over 30 million as of 2020. This successful launch had many factors behind it, such as its partnership with Sky and the Corona lockdown.

Content Strategy: Netflix vs. Disney+

In 2024, Netflix budgeted approximately $17 billion in content creation. They’re focused on high-volume production across several genres, green-lighting on promising projects, and global production hubs to create region-specific content.

Disney is taking a more calculated approach by expanding already successful franchises like Netflix, Star Wars, etc. They use a “tentpole strategy” that involves at least eight big-budget movies from its acquired labels like Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and Pixar. However, this strategy has flopped hard since after COVID-19, as audiences are not buying tickets like they used to.

Netflix’s library includes over 17,000 titles, including popular original series like Stranger Things, Dahmer, and Wednesday, as well as a huge collection of documentaries and films across several genres. This diversity has made Netflix appealing to viewers of all ages and interests.

On the contrary, Disney+ offers just about 15,000 titles, mainly comprising Disney classics like Moana and Encanto alongside newer hits from Star Wars and Marvel. This makes it a top pick for sci-fi and superhero lovers.

Netflix enters partnerships with studios and content creators to secure rights to stream popular movies and TV shows. They have licensing deals with Sony, Universal, Warner Bros and Lionsgate. For instance, Netflix has a deal with Universal to license animated titles from DreamWorks Animation and Illumination, as well as live-action titles from Universal Pictures and Focus Features.

Infrastructure: Disney+ vs. Netflix

Disney+ or Netflix is available on mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and even in cars with Apple Car Play or Android Auto. You can create multiple profiles and download videos to watch offline. They also have a dedicated kids mode that simplifies the UI and shows only content for kids.

Netflix also has secret codes for different genre categories and subcategories. For example, if you’re an action thriller lover, you can enter the code 43048 in the search bar of the streaming app, and you’ll get all the action thriller movies or series on the platform.

Furthermore, we want to let you know whether Netflix or Disney+ provides better streaming speed. The internet speed required for an optimal experience on these platforms varies based on the video quality you wish to stream. However, Disney+ users have repeatedly complained of buffering on the platform. We also found out during our research that Disney plus is much slower than Netflix.

This is because Disney+ lacks a compression algorithm, leading to higher bandwidth demands and increased data usage. Netflix, on the other hand, has an advanced buffering algorithm, allowing you to stream smoothly even on lower bandwidths.

Business Model Comparison: Netflix vs. Disney+

Netflix offers three tiered plans: Standard with Ads, Standard, and Premium. These plans range from $6.99 to $22.99 monthly.

The Premium plan provides extra features, like spatial audio and 4k video. However, despite these offerings, Netflix’s ad-supported plan surpassed other tiers in November 2024, reaching 70 million active users globally.

In response to the crackdown on account sharing, Netflix launched the Extra member feature. This feature, available to Standard and Premium users, allows them to add additional members outside their household for $7.99 per member. Standard users can add one extra member, while Premium users can add two. This feature has been criticized as many customers threaten to quit and switch to competitors, as they now have to pay extra to share their accounts.

On the other hand, Disney+ offers just two plans: Basic and Premium. The Basic plan costs $9.99 monthly, while the Premium is capped at $15.99 monthly with features like an ad-free experience and Dolby Atmos. Both plans offer 4K and HDR video streaming on up to 4 screens, making them significantly cheaper than Netflix, which requires an upgrade. However, Disney Plus extra member feature is more expensive than Netflix’s, as each subscription tier has different pricing.

An extra member slot on the Basic plan costs $6.99/month and $9.99/month on the Premium plan. Additionally, only one member can be added, regardless of the pricing tier.

In the early days of growth, Netflix partnered with Toshiba, which enabled them to give owners of Toshiba DVD players Netflix DVD rental coupons. In recent times, Netflix has partnered with smart TV companies like Sony, LG, and Samsung to install their application on their TV models. Disney+ is also making strategic partnerships with Samsung Smart TVs and services like Max to increase their bundled offerings.

The Next Chapter for Netflix vs. Disney+

Taking a quick SWOT analysis for Netflix and Disney+, it’s obvious these two giants have future growth potential. With the ongoing AI Bubble, Netflix recently announced the introduction of generative AI to assist content creators and improve content recommendations for its subscribers.

Disney has also introduced AI to create realistic 3-D immersive worlds with high-quality graphics. Additionally, with VR headsets becoming more popular, they announced showing 3D versions of their movies on Apple’s VR headset.

These trends suggest a bright future for both Netflix and Disney+ as they’re well-positioned to adapt and meet changing customer demands.