Apple TV Plus may not rival giants like Netflix or Prime Video in terms of content library size, but it excels in delivering high-quality movies and TV shows. By focusing on quality over quantity and collaborating with top talent, Apple TV Plus has earned its spot as one of the best streaming services available today. Apple TV Plus also won our Streaming Service of the Year for 2024 award, beating Netflix and Prime Video.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Apple TV Plus, including its pricing, the latest must-watch shows and movies, and compatible devices. For a more in-depth look at what the streamer has to offer, you can also check out our detailed Apple TV Plus review.
Apple TV Plus: how to sign up
Signing up for Apple TV Plus is easy. Just head over to the Apple TV Plus website and you’ll see options to subscribe – including a seven-day free trial for new users.
You can also check out Apple One, which gives you the option to bundle Apple TV Plus with other services including Apple Music, Apple News Plus, and Apple Arcade for a single monthly fee.
Apple TV Plus price: how much does it cost?
Apple TV Plus costs $9.99 / £8.99 / AU$12.99 per month, or $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$129.99 annually. If you buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV you can get three months of Apple TV Plus for free, though terms and conditions apply. Soccer fans can also watch Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and every other Major League Soccer team in action with an additional MLS Season Pass. It’ll cost you $14.99 / £14.99 / AU$22.99 per month to subscribe.
Following Apple’s price increases in October 2023, “with ads” tiers offered by Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and Disney Plus are all cheaper than the standard (ad-free) Apple TV Plus subscription. However, those other services come with the caveat that you’ll have to sit through the occasional commercial break, and probably won’t be able to enjoy your favorite shows and movies in 4K, as you can on Apple TV Plus.
Nevertheless, Max‘s Ad-Lite tier costs the same as an Apple TV Plus subscription and it boasts a larger content library. According to rumors, Apple TV Plus could be the next streamer to get an ad-based tier, though, which would make it a more affordable option compared to its peers if any likely ad-supported subscription is offered at a cheaper price than the platform’s only current price point.
Prime Video users can now add Apple TV Plus to their subscription. Apple and Amazon MGM Studios have confirmed that customers in the UK, Canada and Australia can now add Apple TV Plus to their Prime Video plan. It’ll cost £8.99 per month for UK users, CA$12.99 for Canadian users and Australians will pay AU$12.99 a month. Back in October, Prime Video offered this same Apple TV Plus add-on to US Prime Video customers, so it makes sense it’s rolling out to more countries now.
Apple TV Plus free trial: is there one?
Yes! Apple TV Plus has a seven-day free trial and, after that period, you’ll be automatically set to recurring billing for a monthly fee.
It’s easy to grab a trial – just download Apple TV, which contains all the Apple TV Plus content, and you’ll be greeted with an ad for the service, as well as an invitation for a free trial. The free trial gives you access to everything on the service during that week-long period, so make the most of it – especially as you only get one free trial for Apple TV Plus.
Apple TV Plus devices
Apple TV Plus is accessible on almost all devices in 2024, including: iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, Samsung Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, LG Smart TVs, Sony Smart TVs, Vizio, Roku devices, desktop browsers, Android TV, Google TV, PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Is Apple TV Plus on Android?
While Apple has made the Apple TV Plus app available on the Google Play Store for Android TV devices, there is currently no Apple TV Plus app for Android devices. That said, Android users can watch the streamer in a supported web browser – find out how in our how to get the Apple TV Plus app on iOS and Android guide.
What are Apple TV channels?
In addition to Apple TV Plus, Apple introduced Apple TV Channels, which combines cable subscription services and streaming services like Prime Video into the Apple TV app – though, annoyingly, Apple TV Channels doesn’t incorporate Netflix. Availability varies depending on your region, so read more about them in our dedicated Apple TV Plus channels piece.
Which shows are worth watching on Apple TV Plus?
It may only be five years old, but Apple TV Plus has managed to churn out an impressive roster of high-quality original TV content. Our guide to the best Apple TV Plus shows contains a comprehensive breakdown of what’s out there, but you’ll find a whistle-stop tour of the series worth tuning into right now in the below list:
- The Afterparty
- Bad Sisters
- Black Bird
- Criminal Record
- Dark Matter
- Five Days at Memorial
- For All Mankind
- Foundation
- Hijack
- Lessons in Chemistry
- Masters of the Air
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
- The Morning Show
- Mythic Quest
- Pachinko
- Physical
- Platonic
- Presumed Innocent
- Servant
- Severance
- Shrinking
- Silo
- Sugar
- Slow Horses
- Ted Lasso
- Trying
What movies are worth watching on Apple TV Plus?
Apple TV Plus may not be able to boast the vast quantity of films available on many of the best streaming services out there, but it certainly doesn’t skimp on quality. In fact, when Apple’s CODA won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2022, it became the first movie made by a streamer to walk away with the big prize on Oscar night.
Apple have since bankrolled Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon – find out where they sit in our best Martin Scorsese movies and best Ridley Scott movies guides, respectively – proving their commitment to investing in prestige projects.
We’ve got a quick rundown of the films currently available on the platform below, and for a more in-depth look, check out our guide to the best Apple TV movies.
- Blitz
- Causeway
- Cha Cha Real Smooth
- CODA
- Fancy Dance
- Flora and Son
- Fly Me to the Moon
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- On the Rocks
- Palmer
- Past Lives
- Spirited
- Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
- Swan Song
- Tetris
- The Tragedy Of Macbeth
- The Velveteen Rabbit
- Wolfs
- Wolfwalkers
- You Hurt My Feelings
Apple TV Plus vs other streamers: what’s the difference?
Apple TV Plus doesn’t currently offer large quantities of licensed content in the way Netflix and its rivals do. However, as TechRadar reported in November 2022, the platform has experimented with adding third-party movies to its offering, and you can also watch a few vintage TV shows, such as ’80s puppet show Fraggle Rock and classic Charlie Brown cartoons.
Apple TV Plus has also added a number of licensed films to its library in the US. More than 50 licensed movies landed on Apple TV Plus and another 30 classic movies thanks to deals with studios like Universal, Sony and Warner Bros. Pictures. Generally speaking, though, if you want to watch anything beyond Apple TV Plus’ library of originals, you’ll have to purchase them through iTunes or via other services in Apple TV Channels.
For more Apple TV Plus coverage, read our guides on Foundation season 3, Severance season 2, Ted Lasso season 4, and Slow Horses season 5.
