Despite a recent price increase, Disney Plus still reigns as one of the best streaming services around. Not only is it where you can find all of the most iconic Disney films, but the streaming service is also the home of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Pixar, and even legendary series like The Simpsons. Available in over fifty countries — with more on the way — Disney has finally given us an all-in-one destination we Disney fans have been waiting almost two decades for.
With a starting price of $7.99 per month for the new ad-supported plan, Disney Plus still reigns as one of the more affordable streaming services, especially when you consider bang for your buck. Nonetheless, recent price increases have sent people back to the internet for answers. Whether you're looking for information on Disney Plus' plans, content library, or the Disney streaming bundle, you'll find everything you need to know in this guide.
(opens in new tab)What is Disney Plus?
Disney Plus is a streaming service that brings together all of the content in Disney's massive media empire — from Disney and Pixar to Marvel to Lucasfilm to National Geographic and 20th Century Fox — in one easy-to-use app. Available on nearly every major platform and with hundreds of films and TV shows from the Disney Vault and recent theatrical releases, Disney Plus is a tantalizing realization of a dream many Disney nerds (like myself) have had of being able to watch their favorite shows and films in one place rather than having to hunt for them across a half dozen services — and this is also the first time a great deal of legacy Disney television content is available for streaming. In short, Disney Plus is simply everything we ever wished it would be.
Anything and everything that falls under the Disney umbrella — and make no mistake, it is a huge umbrella — will eventually go through the Disney Plus app, on whatever platform you wish to watch it on. If that sounds impossibly big, well, you're right. Another great thing about Disney Plus is that it is ridiculously easy to sign up for the service, whether you're at your desktop computer or on the go with your phone. Unfortunately, as it stands right now, there is no Disney Plus free trial available, but the low monthly cost makes it cheap to sign up and try it out.
What countries is Disney Plus available in?
Disney Plus is available in over 100 countries across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa, including (but not limited to):
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Channel Islands
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Finland
- France
- French West Indies
- French Guiana
- Germany
- Greenland
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India (branded as Disney Plus Hotstar)
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Norway
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Portugal
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Wallis and Futuna
What devices support Disney Plus?
Disney Plus was available on quite a few devices at launch, and the list of devices that support the platform has only grown over the past three years. So whether you're on a phone, laptop, TV, or gaming console built in the last five years, chances are Disney Plus is available right now or soon.
iPhone and Android devices
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Disney Plus is available on nearly all of the best Android phones and tablets, as well as Apple devices. The benefit of using Disney Plus on a phone or tablet rather than watching on a smart TV is that on these devices, you can download videos for offline playback, which is something you can do on up to 10 devices per Disney Plus account, meaning everyone on the plan can keep a few videos downloaded in case of emergencies like being trapped on a Wi-Fi-less flight.
Desktop and laptop computers
Like all modern streaming services, Disney Plus allows you to stream directly from Disneyplus.com (opens in new tab) (external link) on Windows, MacOS, Chromebooks, and even Linux computers (as of November 2022). You can't download videos for offline playback when streaming through the browser (unless you're using a Chromebook) but you have some handy keyboard controls.
While Disney didn't release a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app at launch, despite having already done most of the work needed to make one release an Xbox One app, the Disney Plus UWP app launched in late 2021 and is available now in the Microsoft Store for both Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs.
Xbox, PlayStation, and streaming consoles
Most people want to stream on a bigger screen to enjoy Disney Plus with their friends and family, and that means supporting the gaming and entertainment consoles that we use now more than ever. Support for most Android TVs, Roku devices, Google Chromecast, Apple TV and Fire TV devices has been here since launch day. However, it's worth pointing out that Disney Plus isn't supported on a handful of Roku devices. These devices are the Roku LT model (2400X & 2450X), Roku HD model 2500X, Roku 2 XS model 3100X, Roku 2 HD models (3000X & 3050X), and select Roku Streaming Stick models (3400X & 3420X).
On the gaming console side, both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles are supported right now, as well as last-gen devices like the PS4 and Xbox One. I honestly believe that gaming consoles are the best for watching Disney Plus because you can use your controller triggers to fast forward and rewind more easily than using the on-screen controls.
No mobile consoles are currently supported on the mobile console side of the equation, although Disney has hinted at bringing Disney Plus to Nintendo Switch in the future. We have no concrete timeline on when it could launch on Switch, though.
Smart TVs
Of course, most Smart TVs have Disney Plus apps at the moment, including Android TV-supported smart TVs from Sharp, AQUOS, and Sony Bravia; LG Smart TVs running WebOS 3.0 and above; Samsung Tizen Smart TV's (2016 models or newer); and Vizio SmartCast TV models released in 2016 and later.
Which devices support Disney Plus in 4K?
While the majority of films and series on Disney Plus are only available in HD, there are approximately 100-odd titles ready to stream in glorious 4K UHD (Ultra High Definition). In order to stream this content, you'll need a 4K Ultra HD or HDR device, TV, or display, as well as a high-speed internet connection of at least 25Mb. Luckily, there are tons of streaming devices that support 4K entertainment.
What are the Disney Plus plans?
As of December 8th 2022, there are two main Disney Plus plans: Basic and Premium. The newly-launched Basic plan has limited ads and costs $7.99 per month, while the ad-free Premium plan is $10.99 per month (or $109.99 for a year). In addition to having no ads, the Premium plan will also let you download unlimited content for offline viewing on up to 10 devices, plus you'll get instant access to Groupwatch features and Dolby Atmos.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Basic plan ($7.99/month) | Premium plan ($10.99/month) |
| Ad-free streaming | No | Yes |
| 300+ titles in 4K/UHD | Yes | Yes |
| Watch on up to 4 screens | Yes | Yes |
| Offline downloads | No | Yes |
| Groupwatch | No | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes |
The Disney Bundle is also a popular option for subscribers, giving you instant access to Disney Plus, Hulu, and even ESPN Plus for one discounted monthly rate. Disney Plus now lets you customize your entertainment a bit by offering three different versions of the bundle.
- Disney Bundle Duo Basic: $9.99/month for Disney Plus (with ads) and Hulu (with ads)
- Disney Bundle Trio Basic: $12.99/month for Disney Plus (with ads), Hulu (with ads), and ESPN Plus (with ads)
- Disney Bundle Trio Premium: $19.99/month for Disney Plus (no ads), Hulu (no ads), and ESPN Plus (with ads)
These options may look strange to you if you've already been enjoying the Disney Bundle for a while. If you're an existing subscriber, check your email: you should've been automatically transferred to something called the "Legacy" tier and will retain your access to Disney Plus (no ads), Hulu (with ads), and ESPN Plus (with ads) for $14.99 per month (a price increase of one dollar).
What shows and movies are on Disney Plus?
Disney has prided itself on its Vault of extensive content for decades. While the Disney Vault strategy was starting to decay in the digital age, Disney Plus now hosts most of the Disney Vault alongside an impressive array of content from Marvel, Lucasfilm, Fox, and National Geographic. Right now, Disney Plus has over 500 films and more than 7,500 TV episodes, including most of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars Skywalker Saga.
While Disney Plus still has room to improve when it comes to grouping content in categories for easy marathoning, you'll find dedicated collection tabs for franchises like Frozen, Aladdin, 101 Dalmatians, and Home Alone under the Disney section. Meanwhile, the Marvel section of the platform groups existing films under the four current phases of the MCU. You'll also find a tab with every movie in the MCU listed in Timeline Order.
The Disney Plus library outside of the US
There are differences in available content between countries. For instance, French law forbids theatrically released films from being put on a streaming service in that country for three years, so don't expect to see brand new MCU movies on Disney Plus in France until months after they're released in North America, unless Disney manages some true shenanigans or gets that law changed somehow.
So far, however, the differences between the available content in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands has been small, mainly that a few more of the recent Marvel and Disney films are currently unavailable.
Disney also began rolling out the new Star section of the Disney Plus app in countries where Hulu is not available in 2021. Currently accessible to subscribers in Australia, Austria, Canada, Europe, Germany, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, and the UK, the Star brand page on Disney Plus features movies and TV shows from Disney Television Studios, FX Productions, 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures.
The Disney Plus bundle: ESPN Plus
Disney Plus is just one of the major digital platforms Disney is serving up in this new streaming era. It's the largest, for sure. But it's also just one part of the puzzle. In fact, the various Disney Plus Bundle tiers give you the option to subscribe to Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and Hulu for one simple monthly payment.
If nothing else — and if you're a sports fan of any kind — you also should consider a subscription with ESPN Plus. It runs on the same underlying platform as Disney Plus, so you'll be pretty familiar with how things work.
And as for the content, well. If you thought there was a lot of sports on TV, wait until you get a look at ESPN Plus. Yes, it's got live sports. All kinds of live sports. It's got college football games that you can't find on TV. It's got a huge amount of college basketball. It's got a smattering of NHL. It's got boxing and UFC — in fact, you have to have ESPN Plus if you want to watch pay-per-view UFC events.
(opens in new tab)The Disney Plus bundle: Hulu
The third arm of the trifecta is Hulu, which Disney also controls. It's where you'll find all the on-demand content you've come to know from that service, as well as original shows like The Handmaid's Tale, The Great, and Dopesick. In addition, Hulu is where much content originally planned for Disney Plus is ending up as Disney tries to keep Disney Plus to more family-friendly fare, so the bundle will be the only way to ensure that you can see all of the content that's coming down the pipeline.
And perhaps more important for Disney's purposes is Hulu with Live TV which, as the name implies, gets you live (and local) television alongside all that other content. You can now get the Disney Plus bundle with Hulu + Live TV, which allows you to watch current Disney Channel shows — and tons more channels — along with legacy shows and older seasons on Disney Plus.
(opens in new tab)Parental controls, profiles, and account limits
Since Disney Plus allows up to seven user profiles on a single account — and up to four users streams at a time — it's only natural that Disney Plus accounts are meant to be shared amongst family. However, when the kids are misbehaving or when a friend isn't chipping in the way they promised they would when you let them have your login, it's time to change your Disney Plus password and lock them out!
As a streaming service that is geared so much towards families and kids, parental controls on Disney Plus are pretty simplistic at the moment: you can set up a child's profile and set it only to allow content with a specific rating. Unfortunately, Disney's content filter works based on the MPAA and U.S. television rating systems rather than age-based restrictions. So you'll have to decide if you want your child to see only G/TV-G content or allow in TV-Y7 and TV-Y7/FV.
Disney Plus Deals
As we mentioned earlier, the most popular Disney Plus deal is the Disney Bundle. This deal gives users access to Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and ad-supported Hulu for one single payment starting at just $9.99 per month. It gets a little complicated, but the short version is that if you have separate accounts on each of the three services, you can link them together in a virtual bundle via a single email address. You pay Disney Plus once a month, and Disney Plus applies credits to ESPN Plus and Hulu for their base subscription. You can also keep the various Hulu add-ons like Hulu with Live TV and/or No Ads with the Disney Plus for an extra fee.
(opens in new tab)Get six free months of Disney Plus from Verizon
Verizon Wireless is currently offering a free Disney Plus bundle subscription to customers who sign up, switch or upgrade to the Get More and Play More Unlimited plans for as long as you stick with the plan. Users who sign up for the Do More or Start Unlimited plans will also get six months of the Disney Bundle for free.
(opens in new tab)How does Disney Plus stack up to the competition?
Disney Plus has already proved to be a worthy contender to seasoned services like Netflix and Amazon. The content available for Disney Plus is quite impressive. The pricing is even more so, with the Disney Bundle still costing less than a Netflix Premium subscription, which has made it quite easy for many to swap over to Disney's offerings.
When comparing HBO Max to Disney Plus, however, things may get a little more complicated. The ad-free HBO Max plan costs $14.99/month, one dollar more than the Disney Bundle, but it also comes with thousands of titles that are likely to entice even the most passionate Disney fans. Instead of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you'll get titles like The Batman and Justice League, not to mention Studio Ghibli films and popular series like Friends, Gossip Girl, and Game of Thrones. That being said, for kid-friendly content, Disney Plus remains a clear winner.
When comparing Disney Plus vs. Amazon Prime, it's helpful to know that Prime Video is made available as part of Amazon's Prime subscription, which costs $14.99 a month or $139 for the year and also gives you access to free shipping and cloud storage, among other perks. While you can opt for a standalone Prime Video membership, which costs $8.99 per month, Prime Video's catalog of original content isn't as varied or family-friendly as Disney Plus. Additionally, Amazon Prime Video subscribers can only stream on two devices at a time across six profiles. Comparatively, Disney Plus allows up to four concurrent streams and seven user profiles.
(opens in new tab)Now that you know everything there is to know about Disney Plus, it's time to choose something to watch. Go take a look at our list of the best movies and shows on Disney Plus so you can plan your next viewing party.
