I don’t watch too much TV. In fact I almost never watch it. For that reason I don’t even have a cable or a satellite receiver in my house. I do however enjoy a good movie once in a while and since we have two small kids all the movies we watch are rentals.
I have been contemplating for a while joining an online movie rental service. Partially to save on rental DVD’s and partially to organize and plan my movie nights. It is a rather sporadic event at the moment and sometimes we end up watching a low quality movie only because I didn’t spend enough time researching it.
Competition leveled the pricing plans
After WalMart pulled out of movie rental business in May 2005 there seem to be just two choices left: Netflix and Blockbuster. Both companies have the same pricing plans (with Netflix offering slightly more choices) and you really have to look at what other perks the companies offer.
Techcrunch covered it earlier and multiple Netflix users have recently reported that the instant movies announced by the company earlier in January are now available online. The service is free for Netflix customers and allows them to watch a selection of about 1000 movies and TV shows online on their PC’s using Internet Explorer.
Netflix puts a monthly limit on the streaming video to one hour for each $1 of service you are signed up for each month (so if you are signed up for the $14.99, 2 DVDs at-a-time plan, you get 15 hours a month).
On the other hand Blockbuster has such perks as one free in-store movie (or video game) per month and the flexibility to return in store the movies that you order online, thus reducing the turn-around time.
Extra perks make all the difference
One more thing to consider is the fact that Netflix reportedly has a better online software for organizing the movies you plan to watch. From what I heard it learns your preferences by looking at how you rank the movies you have watched. Another neat feature is that friends can share their movie lists.
Let’s summarize what we have.
Service plan pricing
| Plan | Netflix | Blockbuster |
|---|---|---|
| 2 DVD’s per month, 1 DVD at a time | $4.99 | Not offered |
| Unlimited rentals, 1 DVD at a time | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| Unlimited rentals, 2 DVD’s at a time | $14.99 | $14.99 |
| Unlimited rentals, 3 DVD’s at a time | $17.99 | $17.99 |
| Unlimited rentals, 4 DVD’s at a time | $23.99 | Not offered |
Additional factors
Netflix:
- Instant movies and TV shows on your PC
- Better movie rating/selection software
Blockbuster:
- One free in-store movie each month
- Return DVD’s in-store or by mail
Netflix vs. Blockbuster: what should I use?
Based on the information above, which service should I sign up to? I appreciate any comments and especially from someone who used both services and can compare the variety of offered titles and how fast the DVD’s come to your door after you order them.
In blockbuster online, they send movies all over your queue, even if they show as “available” It’s really fun to have a TV series in your queue and get episodes 2 and 4 to start the series with.
They(Blockbuster) say that is because they will not send anything unless it is available in you local distribution center.
Netflix always sends things in order and if a DVD comes from a distant center, they notify you about it.
That is interesting. I never thought little things like this could be so important.
I just found an great blog about Netflix and online movie rentals in general. Check them out:
http://www.hackingnetflix.com/
Also, here is an interesting debate on ConvinceMe comparing Netflix and Blockbuster:
http://www.convinceme.net/view.....hp?dib=215
And here is some humor, George W. Bush’s Netflix Queue. Make sure you are seated before you start reading.
http://www.dvddossier.com/2007.....h_w_n.html
hey
also i think netflix’s selection is much bigger if you like indie films and hard to get foreign cinema. blockbuster caters more toward mainstream blockbusters (no pun intended!) i personally refer netflix. i was actually contemplating switching to blockbuster since they offer in-store return. but if it’s only 1 movie per month, then probably not. also i have to drive to the nearest blockbuster to my house, it’s a bit of annoying.
cheers,
cindy
go with netflix. blockbuster has been playing catch-up for years, while netflix has been the innovative one.
I had this debate recently with a collegue. I like block buster for its instore exchange policy (cindy: for the 3-at-a-time offer, they have 1 instore-coupon per week. This is in addition to their current offer that you can ecxhange your online rental returns for instore movies for free). I like it a lot since I have an option to either pick up a movie in store, or just wait for one to arrive by mail depending on how busy I am. Also, I watched a lot of HBO TV series through blockbuster - I never had the problem that Mike had. They usually “bundle” the dvds that belong to a season together, and as long as you dont break the grouping, you will be guaranteed to receive it in order.
My collegue liked netflix better, because he thinks they have much more selection in their inventory.
(PS: I had no clue netflix was allowing streaming. I will wait for some more time to hear more reviews about it and then maybe switch… streaming is even better than driving to the store
).
I found Blockbuster difficult to sign-up for and their help-line wasn’t very helpful. On the other hand, I’ve been delighted with Netflix. Also, I love how if you have to cancel your account with Netflix (if you’re going away for a while), they will hold your preferences for when you sign back up.
First time commenter, although I’ve been enjoying your site for a few weeks now. I’ve been with Netflix for several years since the start of the company, and a few months ago I started using Blockbuster as well to see which I liked better. Here is what I’ve found so far…
*** Selection ***
Netflix > Blockbuster: Netflix carries more titles, especially if you’re into non mainstream stuff.
*** Availability ***
Netflix > Blockbuster: Netflix also seems to have better availability, there are very few movies with short or long waits on my Netflix queue, while Blockbuster has several short waits and a few titles that have been on Very Long Wait for more than a couple of months.
*** Website ***
Netflix > Blockbuster: In short Blockbuster’s website sucks. If you haven’t used Netflix then it might not be so terrible, but once you’re used to a logical well designed site, anything less is painful. Netflix is better in absolutely every way, review, searches, functionality, speed, etc. The only thing Blockbuster does better is that they allow ratings based on half stars up to a perfect 5 stars, where Netflix only allows whole stars up to 5. This is minor but something Netflix should have fixed a long time ago.
*** Value ***
Blockbuster > Netflix: If you watch a LOT of movies and TV on DVD like I do then Netflix can’t even come close to Blockbuster in terms of value(so long as delivery speeds are the same, for me BB is about 1 day slower). Returning the movies to the store is a bit of a hassle, but If you live within a few blocks or miles you can pretty much double the number of movies you can rent a month.
*** Community ***
Netflix > Blockbuster: This is probably another result of the terrible BB website, but the Netflix is a lot more mature. Both in terms of numbers and activity as well as quality and nature of the user movie reviews.
*** Customer Service ***
Netflix > Blockbuster: The one time in 5 years I’ve had trouble with Netflix (recently in fact) I was able to call and quickly speak with a live, knowledgeable, and helpful person on two separate occasions. When I first set up my BB trial I had a problem and it took multiple calls that went nowhere, in fact for 2 solid days their 1-800 number didn’t even work.
*** Streaming ***
Blockbuster > Netflix: I could care less about streaming. Its so-so quality, IE only, and to top it off I’ve been averaging ~$20/month for 5 years and it hasn’t been enabled on my account. I wouldn’t use it if I had it, I’d rather they took the money they’ve spent on developement and lower prices. Even so it irritates me when companies show preference to luring in new customers instead of rewarding loyal ones.
In short, I highly recommend that you simply try both, they both offer 2 week trials by default (finding coupons for full month trials is pretty easy). It mostly boils down to personal preference and the performance of both in your area. I’d say unless you plan on watching a ton of movies, or need the comfort of browsing shelves for movies instead of a website then Netflix is the better choice for most people (the BB website is that bad).
All of this being said I’m probably going to cancel my Netflix account and stick with BB for a while. I can live with all the annoyances since I can get twice the rentals for the same amount of money. I hope this helps someone!
Wow! That is something for the first comment. Great summary! I appreciate the time your have taken to write it and… don’t hold it to yourself any more. Let others learn from your wisdom!
Things start clearing up a little bit for me. Here are my considerations so far:
1) For the most part I am not much into mainstream movies and enjoy a good selection of classic or international titles ( 1 point to Netflix).
2) I don’t watch movies online but I would appreciate the Blockbuster’s extra savings ( 1 point to BB)
3) Once in a while I like watching new releases ( 1 point to BB)
4) Sharing movie lists with friends (I have a few who use Netflix) and convenient interface is important ( 1 point to Netflix)
That makes it 2 points to Netflix and 2 points to BB. I am stuck. I might just follow your advice and try both to see what works best.
But first in the true bargain hunter’s spirit I have to find a “one month free” promotion I have seen in the past.
Not a problem, sorry it was so long!
Another thing I forgot to mention that I’ve found makes BB a better value. When I was on Netflix all of those years I would still find myself renting a movie from the store every month or two. Its was inevitable that I’d have family or friends over and we’d decide to watch a movie. Most often I’d either be between batches from Netflix, or I’d currently have three obscure titles noone wanted to see. So we’d run to the store and pick up a movie or two.
With BB between the free monthly coupon, and the ability to exchange mailed movies for in store rentals I haven’t spent a dime on in store rentals. I’d say this probably saves me $3-$4 a month on average. BB really depends on having a local store that has a decent selection and isn’t inconvenient to go to often.