Funimation vs Hulu: Which Is Better For You? [2024]

Funimation vs Hulu – Japanese anime has only grown and movies and shows like Your Name, Naruto, One Piece have made millions of dollars. So, what is the best streaming service to watch anime series or movies?

A lot of streaming services including Amazon Prime and Netflix have become the standard source when it comes to watching your favorite anime series or films, thus, changing the distribution of anime.

Because of this, there has been a lot of confusion among many people who want to watch anime. In this article, we’ll be talking about such popular anime streaming services, namely Funimation and Hulu, which will help you choose a perfect service that meets your needs.

Funimation vs Hulu : Overview

Funimation: Funimation is an American company that specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese anime. It is one of the top distributors of anime and other popular foreign products in North America.

Its extensive library of HD, ad-free anime features OVAs, the hottest, movies, extras, and top trending shows like Fruits Basket, Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, and Black Clover.

So, start watching the huge collection of English-dubbed anime and hundreds of subtitles shows from Japan on Funimation, anywhere and anytime!

Hulu: Hulu is another American streaming service that offers a library of films and television series from networks like ABC, FX, CBS, NBC, and Hulu Original Content.

Explore and watch movies, stream TV shows, get news updates, watch sports, and many more on your device. You can browse episodes and watch shows with a plan that meets your requirements.

You can enjoy your own personalized TV experience and streaming library and even get tailored recommendations of movies and series exclusively for you.

Funimation vs Hulu: Pricing

Here is the complete breakdown of Funimation and Hulu’s pricing;

Funimation

Funimation offers three types of paid subscriptions to choose from – Premium, Premium Plus, and Premium Plus Ultra. Below, you’ll find more information on the Funimation Paid plans.

Funimation Premium

• Costs $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year
• Ad-Free access to complete Funimation catalog anywhere and anytime
• Both Subs and Dubs
• Two simcultaneous streams

Funimation Premium Plus

• Costs $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year
• Comprises everything that Funimation Premium has to offer
• Five simultaneous streams
• Download for offline viewing on supported mobile devices
• Exclusive members-only events
• Early access to special Funimation shop sales
• Free shipping on Funimation Shop orders over $20
• Members-only offers

Funimation Premium Plus Ultra

• Costs $99.99 a year
• Offers everything that Premium and Premium Plus includes
• Additionally, you’ll get two free rentals per year
• Shipping is entirely free on all orders without any minimum purchase value
• Annual anniversary gift

Hulu

Hulu offers the following plans for you to choose from:

Hulu (Ad-Supported)

• Costs $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year
• Gives you access to its ad-supported library
• Eligible students can sign up for this plan for just $1.99 per month
• A wide selection of add-ons, such as SHOWTIME, STARZ, HBO, Cinemax, and ESPN
• Every add-on gives you access to premium shows and movies
• Access to thousands of hit movies, shows, and more from its huge catalog

Hulu (No Ads)

• Costs $12 a month
• Includes everything that Hulu ad-supported plan has to offer
• Gives you access to its ad-free library
• Ability to subscribe to one of its Hulu (No Ads) plans with The Disney Bundle
• Access everything from Hulu's library
• Get a preview of the movies and shows before signing up
• There might be promotional content before some videos to promote other shoes and movies that you can access with the add-ons

Hulu + Live TV (now with Disney+ and ESPN+)

• Costs $69.99 a month
• Access to everything from Hulu’s streaming library along with 75+ channels you can watch at home.
• Ability to access Live TV add-ons like enhanced cloud DVR, entertainment networks, sports add-on, unlimited screens, and Español networks  for an extra monthly charge.
• Watch breaking news, live sports, daytime soaps, weather forecasts, award shows, primetime dramas, the latest Hulu originals, and many more.
• Record up to 50 hours of live TV and with the Live guide
• View what’s airing now and what’s coming up over the next two weeks.

Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV (now with Disney+ and ESPN+)

• Costs $75.99 a month
• Stream almost all videos from its streaming library
• Can take advantage of everything its Live TV plan has to offer along with extra content on ESPN+ and Disney+
• Get more channels and upgraded features like unlimited screens, Espanol Networks, enhanced cloud DVR, and entertainment networks.
• Enhanced Cloud DVR add-on will only let you fast-forward through the ad breaks in recorded videos.
• Watch everything like the latest episodes, full seasons, subbed or dubbed anime, award-winning series, documentaries, movies, plus live and on-demand content from over 75 channels.

Hulu Free vs Premium Comparison [2022]

Free Trial

Funimation: Every Funimation paid plan has a 14-day free trial. All you need to do is to sign up with your email and enter your credit card information. If you choose to continue to use its service after the free trial is over, Funimation will charge your card.

Hulu: With Hulu (No Ads) or Hulu (Ad-Supported), you’ll get unlimited access to its huge catalog for 30 days. You just have to sign up for a Hulu plan and enter your information.

Funimation vs Hulu: What Can You Watch?

Funimation

Funimation is a top player in the world of anime dub production. It has over 600 shows and mostly all of them are dubbed.

Funimation’s content is organized in different categories, such as comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, drama, psychological, shounen, action, adventure, fan service, romance, and a slice of life.

One of the main attractions of Funimation’s content catalog is Dragon Ball, which follows the story of adventures Goku as he battles villains and searches for seven orbs – Dragon Balls.

Other popular series on Funimation are Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Yuri on Ice, Tokyo Ghoul, Assassination Classroom, How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You left, That Time I Got Reincarnated as A Slime, Fruits Basket, and many more!

Moreover, it also features a good selection of classic anime shows, including Akira, Neo-Tokyo, Fairy Tail, and Overlord. It makes it easy for its users to discover new shows through a dropdown menu at the top of its homepage.

So, Funimation is the best service with SimulDubs, which are accessible in the same time frame, despite the more time-taking process of adding dubs.

19 Best Romance Anime on Funimation to Binge!
16 Best Isekai Anime on Funimation to Binge! [2022]

Hulu

Hulu's on-demand library offers hundreds of movies and thousands of series episodes from major networks. For animation fans, there are shows like Bob’s Burgers, Archer, Futurama, Adventure Time, and many more.

Similar to other streaming platforms, Hulu also creates original content. Some of Hulu’s best originals are The Handmaid’s Tale, Marvel’s Runaways, Veronica Mars, Helstrom, High Fidelity, Little Fires Everywhere, Castle Rock, and Harlots.

Moreover, its Live TV has a deep lineup of content across the entertainment, news, and sports categories. Besides the live feed, you also get to watch on-demand content from different networks that it offers. 

And addition to local channels that you get in your zip code, its lineup comprises CBS Sports, ESPNEWS, BTN, ESPN, ESPN2, Golf Channel, and Olympic Channel.

As for anime, it has an incredible collection of TV simulcasts, including JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Cowboy Bebop, Kimi Ni Todoke, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, THE Heroic Legend of Arslan, Hunter x Hunter, Mushi-shi, Ouran High School Host Club, Kaguya-Sama: Love is War, and more.

Besides, it also shares some shows with Funimation, such as Cardcaptor Sakura and Yu Yu Hakusho. So, we can say that Hulu is a great resource for anime fans as you can choose from a wide range of anime shows and movies.

Here is everything that you want to know about Funimation and Hulu:

Compatible Devices

Funimation: You can access Funimation on a lot of devices, including Apple TV, iOS, Android, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Kindle, Roku, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Chromecast, LG TV, Samsung TV, Sony TV, iPad, and tablets.

Hulu: You can access Hulu on supported devices. These include iPhones, iPads, Android smartphones and tablets, Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV, LG TV, Samsung TV, Fire tablets, Xbox One, Vizio Smartcast TV, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, and 4, Xfinity Flex, and X1 set-top boxes.

Interface

Funimation: Funimation’s interface is really easy to browse. For instance, each show’s page shows user reviews, links to other episodes, items from that specific show on the shop.

You also get a skip, forward, or back ten-second button. And the setting comprises adjusting the resolution up to 1080p, switching between language options, and turning on subtitles.

Similar to the show page, every episode page also allows you to leave comments and ratings, add them to your queue, share links on social media, follow the show, and watch related material.

Moreover, you can also inquiry about new releases and view the calendar for not just for upcoming shows, but also for events and products.

Hulu: Once you log in for the first time, you get to see some personalized choices from which you have to choose genres, channels, and shows of your interest.

From the home page, you can scroll through the category of My Channels, News, Live Now, Sports, and Hulu Originals or scroll through the available genres like comedy, international, adventure, cooking & food, science fiction, and documentaries.

You also get to track shows and channels in the My Stuff section and if you want to add anything to this section, you can simply click on the “+” icon next to the programming.

From your account settings, you can manage your account and billing details, and your subscription add-ons. You also get to add and edit user profiles.

Hidive vs Crunchyroll vs Funimation: Comparison

Video Quality

Funimation: You can stream Funimation’s content in 1080p across all devices. But, it is not popularly known for having the best quality.

Hulu: Stream Hulu content in various high-definition video qualities like 720p, 1080p, 4K Ultra HD, and 60fps high-definition video qualities. But note that the quality will automatically adjust based on your available bandwidth.

Watching Hulu’s Streaming Library: Stream selected content in Standard Definition (1.5Mbps), High Definition 720 (3Mbps), High Definition 1080 (6Mbps), and 4K Ultra HD (16Mbps).

Watching Live TV:  You can stream your favorite live TV broadcasts and Cloud DVR recordings in up to 720/60fps or 1080p/60fps, on a compatible device, if you are a Live TV subscriber.

Hulu With 4K Ultra HD: Hulu’s library of 4K Ultra HD supported content is endlessly growing and typically comprises Hulu Originals.

Hulu with HDR: Stream selected Hulu Originals in HDR, HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision on select devices, such as Vizio, Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV 4K, Roku, Fire TV Cube devices, and Chromecast Ultra. If you need more information on Hulu’s video quality, you can visit this page.

Number of Streaming Devices

Funimation: It allows users to stream on various devices simultaneously, but this capability entirely depends on your subscription.

In other words, the inexpensive Premium plan lets streaming on two devices at once. However, it doesn’t let you download content to watch it offline.

On the other hand, Premium Plus and Premium Plus Ultra let you stream on five devices simultaneously, and it even allows you to download content to watch it offline. Yet, it is restricted to a maximum of 13 downloaded videos per device.

Hulu: Although you can download the Hulu app on as many devices you want, only two of them can be streaming simultaneously. Still, if you try to stream from an additional device, you’ll get an error message.

If you are a live TV subscriber and want to stream more than two screens, you can choose to get the Unlimited Screen Add-on. This lets you stream on all the devices that are connected to your home network at the same time.

And if you happen to subscribe to Cinemax, Showtime, HBO, or Starz, there is also a limit of five screens on the number of simultaneous streams. Again, if you try to exceed this limit, you’ll get a too many streams error message. 

10 Best Anime on Funimation That You Shouldn’t Miss! [2022]

Summing Up: Funimation vs Hulu!

So, now the question comes whether Funimation or Hulu is better. Well, to start with, Hulu is a bit more expensive, and you’ll need to pay extra to get rid of commercials.

For instance, Hulu’s basic plan costs $9.99 a month. On the other hand, you can get the Funimation Premium plan for just $5.99 a month. So, Funimation is more cost-effective.

Moreover, if you specifically or only want to watch anime, Funimation is a perfect app for you as it is entirely dedicated to subbed anime. Besides anime, Hulu has on-demand, originals, and Live TV services.

Hopefully, the above article on Funimation vs Hulu has helped you to choose a perfect streaming service that meets your requirements.

FAQs