Rik Henderson
We're living in the big streaming platforms' world now – there's no escaping the allure of an evening in front of your TV catching up on the latest and greatest shows and movies from around the world. In fact, the biggest difficulty most of us face nowadays is in picking the platform we want to explore – which is where T3 comes in.
Across the team, we've got thousands of hours of experience in using all the biggest and best streaming platforms, and that's all fed into the ranking that you'll find below, compiling the best UK streaming options right now. The US is another world, but many of these platforms are available globally.
They often offer exclusive shows and movies, and with the highest quality pictures and sound – often in 4K with Dolby Vision or HDR 10+ and Dolby Atmos audio. It's hard for conventional TV channels to compete.
Read on to find out which streamer we think is best overall, and the best of the rest according to what you're looking for.
Max has been writing about streaming non-stop since he joined T3 – and, in fact, as a freelancer well before that point. He's an avid cinema fan and also has experience testing TVs and soundbars, all of which places him perfectly to judge which streaming services are best for which people.
T3's top 3 streaming services
Want to see our top three recommended streaming services without checking out other alternatives too? Here are our quick and easy suggestions.
Apple TV may not have as big a library as rivals, but the quality of its content is top-notch. Just about every TV show and film on the platform is a winner.
Amazon Prime Video is uber-reliable if you're looking for a movie night, with a huge library augmented by its excellent originals.
Netflix is perhaps the best-known streaming service and for good reason. Many of the most-talked about TV series can be found on the platform.
The best streaming services we recommend in 2025
The best streaming service overall
Apple TV (very recently renamed from Apple TV+) has come on enormously since Apple first launched it, and we think it clearly stands as the best-value streaming offering on the planet right now (and it won a T3 award in 2025, as such)
With generations of superb hardware under its belt, Apple has shown that it can build up a streaming empire impressively, too, and now churns out hits throughout the year, from crowdpleasers like Ted Lasso and Slow Horses to critical darlings like The Studio – and it was the first streamer to win a Best Picture Oscar with CODA.
Picture performance is superb, with 4K HDR visuals on just about everything, including Dolby Vision for those with a compatible TV, while Dolby Atmos audio elevates the immersion further.
To crown things nicely, the app experience is also superb, whether you're accessing it through a streaming device or on a native Apple product. Streams are easy to access on TVs, but also get superb spatial audio immersion if you're watching on iPad or iPhone – great for a commute.
Finally, while price hikes in the last 18 months have been unwelcome, Apple TV remains under £10 for the full experience in the UK. Given you'll pay nearly twice that for 4K streaming from Netflix, the value is self-evident.
The best streaming service for movies
Amazon's Prime Video service is fairly unique in that it is available at no extra cost as part of Prime membership. So, those getting free delivery from Amazon might already have access without realising it.
Like Netflix and Apple, Amazon also makes a lot of original programming and movies, which are exclusive to its platform. This includes massive hit shows, such as Fallout, The Boys and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. It also has some live sports broadcasting.
Also like Apple, you can purchase and rent additional content from Amazon's Prime Video app. However, it can be a little confusing as to what is included with your subscription and what requires an additional fee. So, you do need to be a bit careful about what you click on.
Quality is superb though, with up to 4K HDR and Dolby Vision on offer, plus Dolby Atmos audio (on some devices). However, you do have to pay £2.99 / $2,99 extra per month to get the Dolby support. Still, it's well worth it for both picture and sound performance, plus the removal of adverts.
It might cost a touch more than it used to, but Amazon has really upped its game in recent times, and has earned its spot near the top of our list.
The best all-round streaming service
Netflix is arguably the best-known paid streaming service and continues to provide a superb experience, even though it isn't spending as crazily on new TV and movie projects as it once did. It is a fantastic resource for many hundreds of shows and films, including some of the most talked about.
Highly-rated series, like Beef and Baby Reindeer, are exclusive to the platform, as well as The Witcher, Vikings: Valhalla and Cobra Kai. You can also catch up with Netflix Original classics such as Narcos, Squid Game, and The Crown.
However, Netflix can't sit still on pricing, and seems to raise its rates almost annually. A cheaper option that's supported by adverts is available, but the real shame is that you have to subscribe to its most expensive Premium tier to get the best picture quality, up to 4K HDR, with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos supported.
Another quibble for us is that Netflix has a tendency to cancel seemingly popular TV series and remove others from the platform with relatively little notice. That means you might invest time in something that doesn't come to an obvious conclusion.
Still, it remains near the top of the best streaming services, for the sheer breadth of its offering, and the depth of content it has to offer.
The best streaming service for families
Disney+ came along at just the right time – shortly before the pandemic – so it gained a huge amount of members in a relatively short time. In the years since, it's managed to retain plenty of them with an expanding library of content.
Split into sections, the service satisfies viewers of all ages, whether they be young children who love Disney and Pixar movies, Star Wars or Marvel fans, or those looking for real-world programming from National Geographic.
Those in the UK, Ireland and Central Europe also have the Star section, which includes an extensive library of more grown-up programming and films, such as the Die Hard movies and the entire run of Grey's Anatomy. Meanwhile, in the US, you can now get it bundled with Hulu, to similarly add extra programming for older viewers.
Sadly, as with many of its peers, Disney+ is now a multi-tiered service, with an ad-supported plan, a standard plan without ads, and a premium service now available.
Only the latter now has access to 4K HDR and Dolby Vision video, plus Dolby Atmos audio. The standard services can still access all the content, but at a maximum of 1080p and 5.1.
Previously called Now TV, Now is Sky's standalone streaming service that gives you access to programming from the satellite broadcaster without needing to sign a long-term contract.
Instead, it offers different packages of channels and on-demand catalogues that you can subscribe to on a month-by-month basis. There is an entertainment package that includes Sky Atlantic for HBO programming in the UK, Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, and Hayu for reality TV.
Sky Cinema is particularly interesting as it provides access to movie releases long before they hit the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The Sports membership gives you every Sky Sports channel, so it includes live Premier League football, F1, cricket and much more. Almost everything is also available to catch up with on demand.
This all means a huge amount of top-quality content is on offer, with HBO in particular being hard to get elsewhere right now in the UK. There are a couple of caveats, though. To begin with, Now can be expensive if you want everything it has to offer - Sky Sports can cost £34.99 per month on its own. Plus, the service currently maxes its video at 720p by default, with 1080p, multi-streaming and 5.1 sound locked behind a Boost payment at £6 a month, with 4K streaming even pricier at £9 monthly for Ultra Boost.
Still, if you want live sports and some of the best programming available in the UK, but don't want to be tied to a contract, this is a great option.
The best streaming service for Star Trek
One of the newer UK streaming platforms, but having been around a lot longer in the States, Paramount+ is the home to a whole host of TV shows and movies made by Paramount and its offshoot studios. This includes Star Trek and Yellowstone.
Both make up a large portion of the content on the platform, when you take into account the main shows and all of the spinoffs in both franchises. In addition, you get the Halo TV series, the Quantum Leap remake, and programming from Showtime, including Billions and the entire run of Dexter.
Like with Disney+, Paramount often adds some of its movies to Paramount+ soon after they've been in theatres – this previously included Top Gun: Maverick, which was added to the service at the same time it appeared for purchase on digital storefronts.
UK Sky TV subscribers with Sky Cinema get Paramount+ included at no extra cost, which is great, and while the overall offering is niche, it's a great option to get for a month or two at a time, when a binge is on the cards.
The best streaming service for documentaries
As with its Stateside version, Discovery+ predominantly offers reality TV, including documentaries and nature programming, plus real crime TV shows and the like. However, due to a partnership in the UK between owner Time Warner and BT, it also shows live and on-demand sports coverage from TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport).
This means you can watch live Premier League and Champions League matches, WWE, and a host of other live and on-demand sports coverage alongside paranormal investigations and lifestyle series. That said, the pricing on its sports coverage is pretty steep.
If you're not a sports fan, you can still subscribe to Discovery+ without the TNT Sports add-on, and its prices start at just £3.99 per month.
Subscribers to TNT Sports on Sky or BT TV get access to the coverage through the Discovery+ app at no extra cost, while the main Discovery+ programmes are available to all Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream for free.
It's worth noting that Discovery+ in the US is quite different to the UK version.
How to choose the best streaming service for you
Decide on a budget
Perhaps the first thing you should think about when choosing a streaming service is how much you are willing to part with on a monthly basis. They each range in price, depending on what you're looking for and often come with different payment tiers.
If you're a sports fan, for example, you might have to stretch your budget further to get live broadcasts. And, as some sports are spread across multiple services (such as live Premier League football on Now, Amazon Prime Video and Discovery+) you may even find yourself pushing your subscription fees higher.
However, if you are just after general entertainment, you shouldn't have to spend too much per month to get access to hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of shows and movies.
What are your tastes?
Some streaming services are more specialist than others. Discovery+, for example, favours documentaries and non-fictional programming, whereas Paramount+ is crammed with sci-fi shows.
It might be that you've heard a family member, colleague and/or friend talking about a specific show that you "must watch". If so, we advise asking them which service it is on and then checking back here to see how much it costs, etc.
Consider your device
Most streaming services work across multiple mobile and home entertainment devices, but not all. Some might not have a native application on PlayStation 5, for example.
That's why we've listed the most common devices that are supported by each service. However, the best tip is to boot up your phone, TV or streaming dongle and double check that there's an app for the service before you subscribe.
Think about your broadband speeds
Another thing to remember is that the best picture and audio quality may require faster internet connections. Netflix, for example, suggests you have at least 5Mbps broadband for HD streaming, 15Mbps for 4K HDR.
So, if you opt for the most expensive Netflix tier but don't have the internet connectivity to cope, you'll just be wasting money.
How we tested all the streaming services
How we test the best streaming services
The T3 team has extensive knowledge of streaming services. We subscribe to them all and will often use them professionally and in our personal lives.
We test the performance and picture quality across multiple devices too, including Smart TVs, tablets, phones, and dedicated streaming devices.