AurelisDesk is an independent mobile app comparison platform. We may earn a commission when you click through.
The Streaming Apps That Earn a Place on Your Phone
YouTube leads on free access, while Netflix and Disney+ focus on paid libraries; VLC handles local files without a subscription.
Quick Picks
Best overall: YouTube for free video, music, live streams, and the largest disclosed review base here.
Best paid library: Netflix for series, films, documentaries, stand-up, and games in one subscription app.
Best for local playback: VLC for Android because it plays local files, network streams, and shared drives without a subscription.
This is a mixed field, not ten direct rivals. YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video are content services; Google TV is a discovery layer; VLC is a media player; the remaining entries are companion or specialist apps. The useful comparison is what each one actually does after installation.
Comparison table
| App | Platform listed | Pricing shown | Evidence from listing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | iOS and Android | Free with in-app purchases | 4.6/5 from 421K iOS ratings | Free video and live content |
| Originals for Netflix | iPad listing | Free with in-app purchases | 4.7/5 from 27 ratings | Tracking Netflix Originals |
| Disney+ | Android | Subscription required | Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic | Franchise-led viewing |
| Netflix | Android | Subscription required | Series, films, documentaries, stand-up, games | Broad paid entertainment |
| Google TV | Android | Not disclosed | Searches 700,000+ films and episodes across services | Finding what to watch |
| Amazon Prime Video | iOS | Free with in-app purchases | 4.6/5 from 14K ratings | Prime Video content and sports |
| VLC for Android | Android | Free and open source | Plays files, discs, network streams, and drives | Local and network media |
| Netflix Playground: Kids Games | Android | Not disclosed | 4.3/5 from 3,560 reviews; 1M+ downloads | Netflix-linked games |
| Netflix | Android | Subscription required | 4.3/5 from 1M+ reviews on the listed entry | Mobile Netflix viewing |
Free viewing and broad discovery
The strongest free entry is also the most heavily reviewed: YouTube has a 4.6 rating from 421,000 iOS ratings, compared with 14,000 for the iOS Prime Video listing. That volume does not prove perfect quality, but it gives YouTube the clearest public signal in this set. It is also the only major option here that combines user uploads, music, live streams, subscriptions, and creator tools in one app.
YouTube
YouTube is the desk pick for free, varied viewing: the iOS listing records 4.6/5 from 421K ratings, and the service covers video, music, live streams, subscriptions, and creator uploads. The trade-off is focus. Its huge mix of content can feel less organised than Netflix or Disney+, and the listing confirms in-app purchases without stating a specific Premium price. Best for viewers who want one free app for short videos, music, live events, and creator channels.
YouTube
The Android listing confirms the same core proposition rather than a separate service: personalised Home recommendations, channel subscriptions, saved videos, sharing, and coverage of music, gaming, fashion, news, and learning. Compared with the iOS entry, it gives less public rating data in the supplied listing, so the iOS score is the stronger evidence point. Best for Android users who want free, creator-led viewing and cross-device access, not a tightly edited film catalogue.
Google TV takes the opposite approach. It does not primarily add another catalogue; it searches across services. That makes it more useful after you already pay for several platforms than as a replacement for them.
Google TV
Google TV is the organiser in this comparison, with the listing claiming access to search across 700,000+ films and TV episodes from connected streaming apps. That is more useful than another isolated catalogue if you regularly forget which service carries a title. The limitation is platform scope: the supplied entry is Android, and it does not disclose a separate price. Best for Android households juggling several streaming subscriptions and tired of opening each app to search.
One small specialist entry should not be mistaken for a Netflix replacement. Originals for Netflix is a tracking tool, not the streaming service itself. Its 4.7 rating looks impressive, but it comes from only 27 ratings, so the number is too thin to outweigh the much larger YouTube and Prime Video samples.
Originals for Netflix
Originals for Netflix has a narrow job: tracking Netflix Originals. The iPad listing shows 4.7/5 from just 27 ratings and labels the app free with in-app purchases, while also stating that it is not verified for macOS. That makes the headline score less persuasive than it first appears, and it does not replace a Netflix subscription. Best for iPad users who want a lightweight release-tracking companion rather than another player.
Free access does not always mean the same thing. YouTube is a full content platform with optional purchases; Google TV is a discovery layer; Originals for Netflix is a companion. The next group charges for access to a curated catalogue, so the decision shifts from price at installation to catalogue fit and household use.
Paid libraries and specialist playback
Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video are the serious catalogue contenders. Their supplied listings do not provide NZ subscription prices, so any exact monthly figure would be guesswork. The app-store labels show “Free” for some entries because installation costs nothing; the viewing service still requires a subscription or in-app purchase.
Netflix
Netflix has the broadest supplied description among the paid services: award-winning series, films, documentaries, stand-up specials, mobile viewing, and games. The Android listing also describes regular additions and personalised discovery, but it does not state the NZ plan price in the provided data. A separate listed Netflix entry records 4.3/5 from 1M+ reviews, which is a much larger sample than most apps here. Best for households that want a broad general-entertainment subscription rather than a franchise-only catalogue.
Netflix
The second Netflix listing is not a different service; it is another Android package entry with a more detailed description. It adds live events, podcasts, games, bottom navigation shortcuts, and a new discovery flow, while the supplied data reports 4.3/5 from 1M+ reviews. That makes it useful evidence of scale, not a reason to install both entries. Best for Android viewers who want Netflix’s wider entertainment mix and a mobile-first browsing layout.
Disney+ narrows the choice around recognisable universes. Netflix wins on breadth; Disney+ wins when a household already values Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and The Simpsons. Neither listing supplies a NZ price, so catalogue preference matters more than a supposed price comparison.
Disney+
Disney+ is built around franchise depth rather than Netflix-style breadth. The Android listing names Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Simpsons, exclusive Originals, and new film releases. That is a clear catalogue identity, but it also means the service is less useful if your household wants documentaries, stand-up, and unrelated international series in the same subscription. Best for families and franchise fans who will regularly use those named collections.
Prime Video sits between the two. Its listing covers Originals, films, television, and sports, and the iOS entry carries 4.6/5 from 14K ratings. That is a respectable signal, though nowhere near Netflix’s disclosed review volume. The app’s value also depends on how much of the wider Prime ecosystem you already use, something the supplied listing does not quantify.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video earns its place for viewers who want Originals, films, television, and sports in one app; the iOS listing reports 4.6/5 from 14K ratings. Compared with Disney+, its catalogue is less tied to a single set of franchises, while compared with Netflix the supplied description is less specific about discovery and games. The listing shows free installation with in-app purchases, not a NZ subscription amount. Best for Prime households that want general entertainment plus sports access.
VLC belongs in this comparison because streaming is not always subscription viewing. If your videos live on a phone, shared drive, network location, disc image, or another local source, VLC solves a problem Netflix and Disney+ do not even attempt to solve.
VLC for Android
VLC for Android is the contrarian pick: it has no subscription catalogue, but it plays most multimedia files, network streams, network shares, drives, and DVD ISOs according to its listing. It is free and open source, with audio tools including a database and equaliser. Compared with every paid service here, it gives you control over your own media; compared with YouTube, it does not provide a discovery feed or hosted content. Best for Android users with local files or network media who want playback without recurring costs.
The two Netflix-adjacent entries need careful handling. Netflix Playground: Kids Games is not a streaming app, and its 4.3/5 rating from 3,560 reviews plus 1M+ downloads supports popularity, not catalogue quality. It belongs only if games connected to a Netflix account are part of the brief.
Netflix Playground
Netflix Playground: Kids Games is the clearest outlier in the set. The Android listing reports 4.3/5 from 3,560 reviews and 1M+ downloads, but the product is a games app rather than a video player. That popularity makes it relevant to Netflix households with children, not to anyone comparing film and television libraries. Best for families already using Netflix who want the associated games catalogue on Android.
Desk verdicts by viewer type
Choose YouTube if free access, live streams, music, and creator content matter more than a tidy catalogue. Its 421K iOS ratings provide the strongest review evidence in the supplied data.
Choose Netflix if one broad paid library matters most. The service covers films, series, documentaries, stand-up, live events, podcasts, and games, though the supplied listings do not state the NZ subscription price.
Choose Disney+ if your viewing centres on Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and The Simpsons. The narrower catalogue is a feature when those franchises are exactly what the household watches.
Choose Prime Video if sports and general entertainment need to sit together, particularly in a household already using Amazon services. Choose Google TV if the real problem is finding content across subscriptions, not adding another one.
Choose VLC for Android if your media is stored locally or on a network. Choose Originals for Netflix only as an iPad tracking companion, and Netflix Playground only for Netflix-linked games. The desk’s final call is simple: YouTube is the strongest all-round free install, Netflix is the broadest paid entertainment pick, and VLC is the most useful specialist tool because it does a job the subscription apps cannot.
App availability and pricing can change. The cards above redirect to the listed App Store or Google Play pages, so check the current NZ terms before installing or subscribing. For the source listings, see YouTube on the App Store, Netflix on Google Play, VLC for Android on Google Play, and Google TV on Google Play.