Hulu vs Crunchyroll: which is better?

Along with Netflix and Prime, Hulu is one of the major streaming services that carries a surprising number amount of anime, among them, Attack on Titan, Bleach, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Naruto. But while vast, it can hardly compare to Crunchyroll's catalog. Ever since it acquired Funimation, Crunchyroll has become the ultimate resource for all things anime in the US, not only touting quantity but quality too. A lot of its episodes become available as soon as they air in Japan. So, which is better? If you're a hardcore fan interested in niche and new content, Crunchyroll is the way to go. But if you're satisfied with popular titles and the classics, we think Hulu's offerings are worthwhile, especially if you want your fair share of Western titles too. Below, we compare Hulu and Crunchyroll's features to help you figure out which is the better service for you.

Summary

Comparaison	Hulu	Crunchyroll
Price	$9.99/month	$0/month
Trial	30 days	7 days
Our rating	9/10	7/10
Number of channels
Parental controls	Yes	No
4K	Yes	No

Popularity: Hulu is more popular than Crunchyroll

Hulu has 43,000,000 subscribers whereas Crunchyroll has 5,000,000 subscribers. This means that Hulu has 38,000,000 more subscribers than Crunchyroll. That's a pretty big difference.

Why get Hulu?

If you're a fan of TV shows, then Hulu has a lot to offer, with a pretty comprehensive list of popular shows from major networks, including classic sitcoms, as well as children's programs like Sesame Street. Hulu is also acclaimed for its ace original programming, with hit shows from comedies like The Mindy Project to dystopian dramas like Handmaid's Tale.

Go to Hulu

Why get Crunchyroll?

Anime: If you prefer your anime subtitled, then Crunchyroll is the perfect alternative to competitors like Funimation (the latter of which focuses more on dubbed anime).

Go to Crunchyroll

Devices: Hulu and Crunchyroll have the same availability metric

Hulu is available on Amazon Fire TV, Android Phones, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, iOS, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Samsung TV or Xbox.

Whereas Crunchyroll is available on Amazon Fire TV, and Xumo Stream Box, Android Phones, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Roku, Xbox, Xfinity Flex or Xfinity X1. That's 0 less devices than Hulu.

Trial: Hulu offers a trial

Hulu has a trial. The trial duration is 30 days.

Find out more on Hulu

Trial: Crunchyroll offers a trial

Crunchyroll has a trial. The trial duration is 7 days.

Find out more on Crunchyroll

Hulu's specialty

The specialties of Hulu are: Action, Anime, Family, Horror, Movies, Old TV shows, Original series, Spanish-language content, True Crime, TV shows.

Crunchyroll's specialty

The specialties of Crunchyroll are: Animation, Anime, Niche content.

Hulu's accepted payment methods

Hulu accepts: Apple App Store, credit card, debit card, Google Play Store, Paypal, prepaid card, Retailer gift card, Walmart gift card.

Crunchyroll's accepted payment methods

The payment methods that Crunchyroll accepts are: Apple App Store, credit card, Google Play Store, Paypal, Retailer gift card, Roku Channel Store, Roku Payment Method (RPM).

If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.