As a college student, money is not something found in excess. Funds are limited and would much rather be spent on food and going out with friends than bills. While looking for internet entertainment options, which is the best for a college student to pick: Netflix or Hulu? There isn’t one perfect answer for every person, but there are several factors that based on your TV watching habits can help make the decision.

The option of Old TV vs. New TV. Although both Netflix and Hulu have a wide platform of video options, there is one key difference. Netflix has many new titles available monthly, but they do not upload their episodes individually, rather the entire season. This means that while the rest of the world may already have seen the current season as it happened, the Netflix user will have to wait until the season’s completion to gain unlimited access to it. This makes Netflix ideal for people who don’t enjoy having to keep up with TV shows. In comparison, Hulu is the opposite. The TV shows on Hulu are available episode to episode. With some shows, they keep whole seasons or even multiple seasons available all the time, but with others, it is only the most recent five episodes. Hulu would be the perfect option for someone who loves to be up to date on TV, but can’t always watch the episodes as they air.

No Commercials vs. Limited Commercials. While watching Netflix, there are no advertisements whatsoever. The videos, regardless of length, play from beginning to end with no interruptions. At the most, Netflix will advertise new series or movies that will be coming to the site within the next few weeks, specifically spotlighting the Netflix original series and movies. In comparison, Hulu does have advertisements to interrupt videos. The ad count is still much lower than if you watched it on normal TV with around 3 commercials per hour long episode. However, in order to compete with Netflix, Hulu now offers an ad-free version if you are willing to shell out a few more bucks per month.

Shared Account vs. Single Account: to make online streaming more affordable, many families or friends decide to share accounts. Netflix is aware of this and instead of discouraging it, has embraced it. They offer the feature of multiple profiles so each person can make their own list without anyone else’s TV shows or films. They also allow account upgrades that allow multiple people to stream Netflix all at the same time. Hulu does not have profile options, so if you decide to share an account with several different people, their video picks will show up alongside yours.

In conclusion, there are benefits and drawbacks to both video platforms. One option is not always better than the other, it solely depends on your interests and intentions. Keep in mind that there are also many other similar programs out that are not as talked about, but might work better for you. Examples of these include Amazon Video, Sling, and Crackle among many others. Make sure you do your research before committing to anything and happy watching!