Rating all the Streaming Services in the Philippines

Note: I don’t have Paramount Plus, unfortunately. I can only rate top streaming sites including but not limited to Netflix, HBO, Prime Video, Apple Plus, and Disney Plus.

I’m here to rate all the streaming services (not including pirated websites wink wink) in the Philippines. I got really bored and I wanted to rate each site with their watchability, price, VPN range, movie lists, must watch etcetera. If you want advice about streaming services, you came to the right place.

Let’s start with the easy and the most basic streaming service that even your Lola can use: 

Netflix.

The streaming service is the first to create the subscription model. Because of it, even food, groceries, and a lot of shit now have subscriptions.

Netflix is also the home of great original shows, make it British or American.  Some good shows (in my opinion) include Stranger Things, Better Call Saul, Umbrella Academy, Sex Education, Bojack Horseman, Narcos, Queens Gambit and The End of the Fucking World. I can go on and on. 

It is also affordable especially when you share an account with other people. Sometimes Netflix also streams movies and shows that are old and not their original but are really good. 

You can also use Netflix in other countries or use VPN. I tried using my account while I was traveling else where and they offer different shows and movies there as well. It’s fucking awesome because Netflix US offers awesome shows and films. It’s kind of a great hack if you ask me.

Hidden Gems: Crashing, Beef, I am Not Okay With this, Arcane etc.

Movies: Don’t Look Up, Set it Up, Okja etc.

The downside I think is that most Netflix shows are pretty shitty or problematic. Like Riverdale, You, Emily in Paris and so on. Not judging people who like these shows tho, it’s just not really my type of series. 

Some shows are also good at the beginning but they screw it up after the third or last season. This is a huge downfall for fans and most of the time, every show just makes fanservice-y plot points.

Netflix also tends to pull out good films. I think it’s probably because they can’t pay any more or the show or film had to move to another platform. For example, Superbad, and other films that leave soon.

My overall rating is it’s pretty affordable but I guess P150 for one platform isn’t a good deal. I suggest getting the group package for it to be a bang for your buck.

Watchability: 3 stars

Price: 2.5 stars if you use solo package, 3.5 stars if you use group package

VPN range - 5 stars

Movie lists - 3 stars

Disney Plus

Next on the list is pretty new in the streaming service industry in our country. Well, pretty new here in the Philippines. Filipinos have been demanding Disney Plus since Wanda Vision began. Some would even try to watch it over pirated sites or download it from the seas. But about 2 years ago, Disney Plus was finally here. 

The truth is I was also excited. I had cable when I was a kid and I would watch tons of Disney shows and movies like Zack and Cody, High School Musical, Hannah Montana, That’s So Raven and etcetera. It was amazing to watch them again and finally have the time to sit and have a bit of nostalgia.  

Unfortunately, I felt like watching them made me feel like I’ve outgrown them. Although there were classics that I did enjoy watching again like Parent Trap, Hillary Duff movies, and a lot of others in the mix.

But the upside of Disney Plus is that it also has good and award-winning shows like The Bear, Abbott Elementary, Shogun, Mandalorian, Marvel shows, And possibly every Franchise that Disney bought.

The cons is that Disney Plus is kinda pricey. Although you can save more by buying a whole year of subscription. My advice tho if you are not a fan of Marvel, Disney movies, or Star Wars, maybe just leech off from your friend’s Disney Plus account because it won’t be worth your money if you keep subscribing annually or monthly. 

Gems: Atlanta, Fresh Off the Boat, She-Hulk, etc.

Movies: Yorgos Lanthimos movies, Star Wars movies, Marvel movies, 

Watchability: 3.5 stars

Price: 2 stars if you use solo package, 3 stars if you use annual package

VPN range - 0 (can't use VPN here unless you have a US account)

Movie lists - 2.5 stars if you don't like nostalgic movies but 4 stars if you are the type to reminisce and rewatch old movies

Prime Video

This is probably the least popular subscription service in the country. Prime Video is also the cheapest out of all the services.

However, the interface and usability are just... fucking stressful.

It's very cheap and yet you can use it on a lot of devices. However, I discovered that every time I use it, I keep getting logged out of my device. This is despite I used it for only one device. This might only happen to me but I don't know, it's kinda stressful when that happens.

I also get the ick when I am watching a show and when I am almost finished, Prime features the next season but only to find out that it isn't available. It kinda sucks and I hate it when that happens as well, especially when I am binging on that show. Netflix doesn't do this because it only displays all the available seasons on its service.

The upside tho, Prime has a lot of good originals that are popular. I noticed that they are good at making shows adapted from games or books. Also, Prime has a variety and a diverse set of films. 

I also like the added touch of showing the actors in a scene and I think even the song? I'm not sure. This is helpful for people who want to know who the actors are. Those people who go down the rabbit hole to discover new actors and their films.

However, I think the reason why it isn't very popular, the shows are not the type that Filipinos want to watch. I do see some movies and shows made by Filipino filmmakers and showrunners which is good. But I feel like when you sell something to a subscription that serves middle-class to rich people, maybe you should choose content that will interest them. Some of the films are kind of cheap so yeah that's probably why the price is also low. 

Recommended shows: Fleabag, Mr & Mrs Smith, The Office, The Good Doctor, Young Sheldon

Films: The Beautiful Boy, Bottoms Bottoms Bottoms, Sound of Metal, American Fiction, My Policeman, Challengers, etcetera.

Watchability: 2.75 stars

Price: 4 stars 

VPN range - 0 stars

Movie lists - 2.75 stars

HBO Go in the PH

I can't remember if Netflix or HBO became the first to popularize streaming service but when I hear HBO Go, I would always recall how most of the people around me would watch Game of Thrones either through VPN or through pirated sites. 

HBO Go is actually pretty decent for a streaming service. It's as good as Netflix when streaming good movies and shows. I also like how the interface looks so good on mobile. However, when I use it on my browser, it kinda looks very shitty. 

This streaming site is also awesome in its own way. It has classics like Harry Potter while also streaming new content like Succession, White Lotus, Hacks etc. HBO has really improved its streaming game and I'm here for it.

It creates the most complex shows while also sticking to its brand. When I was a kid, I always needed to stay away from HBO because of its raunchy films. I grew up with cable on my TV so I would always go to HBO when I needed to watch a random film.

The price is also flexible. You can pay monthly or save up by paying for 3 months. You can also opt for a yearly subscription. 

I actually don't have a lot of complaints about HBO. Just the layout when I'm watching on my browser but it doesn't really affect me that much.

Gems: Barry, Hacks, White Lotus, Last of Us, Rick and Morty, etcetera

Films: Am I Okay, The Holdovers, Decent DC movies, Harry Potter franchise, TMNT, etcetera 

Watchability: 4 stars

Price: 3 stars 

VPN range - 0 stars lol of course not HBO Go is Max in the US

Movie lists - 4 stars

Apple Plus

Ugh... the last on the list is Apple Plus. I am saying this because everything about Apple is fucking expensive. The storage, the phone, chargers, earphones. Everything. 

It's fucking annoying actually. 

When it comes to its subscription, it's pretty much the same. It has the most expensive subscription price out of all the streaming services out there. It is also expensive in itself because you can only watch it on Apple devices unless you stream it on a browser.

I would have to say tho, that appearance is the prettiest. But when I use it, it's kind of annoying. When I click on movies, it shows nothing and I don't really how most films can be watched unless you pay for them. Like... isn't the subscription expensive already? Only Apple Originals are free which is ok great but there is like a few good films.

But I will say, they have the most enticing and anticipating shows. You can actually see that they are putting a lot of effort into their shows and I had fun watching them. I think I used up 3 months of free subscription watching all of these unique, awesome shows.

Gems: Sunny, Severance, Loot, Ted Lasso etc.

Films: On the Rocks, Cha Cha Real Smooth etc.

Watchability: 2.5 stars

Price: 1.75 stars (I'm really not convinced)

VPN range - 0 stars because it is the same in all countries 

Movie lists - 2 stars

Rating them

I think I would label Netflix and HBO as the kings and queens of streaming. They have been in the industry for so long now and the quality of their shows be it great, good, or mediocre is pretty watchable. Plus, their services are family-friendly. I would say that people of all ages will stick to these streaming sites when they have nothing to do. 

I'll put Disney Plus and Prime Video in the middle if people are looking to watch different or new shows that are not available on Netflix and HBO. But if you're not a bored person like me HAHA Netflix and HBO are all the services you need.

Meanwhile, Apple Plus is the worst streaming service because it is very expensive but you don't get your money's worth if you subscribe to it all year.