Netflix launched its online TV and movie streaming services in the UK last year to go head-to-head with LOVEFiLM Instant. In this post we put both subscription services up against each other in an attempt to find out which is better.
Netflix is an American Company (we won’t hold that against them) founded in 1997 in sunny California. They currently have over 25 million subscribers to their TV and Movie streaming service in the US, Canada, Caribbean, UK and Ireland.
LOVEFiLM is a UK company that launched in 2003 offering an Online DVD rental by post service. LOVEFiLM now have over 2 million subscribers in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, launching its instant streaming service in 2009. LOVEFiLM was brought out by Amazon in 2011.
Free Trials
Netflix offer a 1 Month free trial to their service, giving you access to unlimited movies and TV episodes. This free trial requires you to add your credit card details and cancel the free trial before the 1 month has finish to avoid being charged for the first month.
LOVEFiLM offer a 30 day free trial to LOVEFiLM Instant, also giving you access to unlimited movies and TV episodes. This free trial also requires you to add your credit card details, and you need to cancel the free trial before the 30 days are up to avoid being charged for the first month.
Section winner – Draw
Price
Netflix online streaming service costs £5.99 a month and allows you to watch unlimited films and TV episodes.
LOVEFiLM Instant is just £4.99 a month and also offers unlimited access to movies and TV episodes.
Section winner – LOVEFiLM
Devices
PC, Mac, iPad, PlayStation 3, Playstation Vita, Xbox 360 (with Gold account), Nintendo Wii, Apply TV, some other Smart TVs and Blu-Ray players.
LOVEFiLM devices:
PC, Mac, iPad, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (with Gold account), some Smart TVs and Blu-Ray players.
Section winner – Netflix
When it comes to movies, both services suffer from a distinct lack of big name titles. The film studios in America are not overly keen on releasing their blockbuster titles to online streaming services like LOVEFiLM and Netflix. As a result both services don’t have all the titles available for instant streaming that you might expect.
For example The Inbetweeners Movie isn’t available on either service, neither is Inception, The Hangover (part 1 or 2), Kung Fu Panda 2, nor the best film of all time, The Shawshank Redemption. On the flip side, LOVEFiLM does have Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Source Code available to watch instantly, while Netflix does not, giving them the edge on this one.
Section winner – LOVEFiLM
When it comes to TV episodes, Netflix is the clear winner. For example the whole of the Inbetweeners Series 1-3 is available to watch online on Netflix, but not on LOVEFiLM. The same can be said for 24, Red Dwarf, the Office US and many more.
Both services still suffer from a lack of really top titles available to watch online, however. For example neither service allows you to watch Desperate Housewives, Entourage, Gossip Girl or The Big Bang Theory.
Usability
Although LOVEFiLM’s user interface is more visually appealing than Netflix, finding films to watch instantly is not as straight forward as on Netflix due to there being numerous versions of each film (DVD, Blu-ray etc).
Section winner – Netflix
The Verdict
If you’re looking to watch movies online then LOVEFiLM instant streaming is for you, however if you are more a TV box set enthusiast, then you should seriously consider the Netflix online streaming service.
For the best of both worlds you might want to consider the LOVEFiLM Instant and LOVEFiLM by Post package, which is currently £7.99 a month. This package means you can watch a selection of movies online, and rent any they do not have available for instant streaming. You can also rent by post a selection of the most popular TV box sets.
Start Your Free Trial Today
LOVEFiLM 30 day free trial – http://www.freetrials.co.uk/dvd-rental/lovefilm
Netflix 1 month free trial - http://www.freetrials.co.uk/dvd-rental/netflix
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