Amazon Prime Video Review

What's great about Amazon is that you can find pretty much anything for sale there, including a streaming service! For Amazon devotees,

is just another reason to love the retail giant. The streamer has a vast library of original and popular titles to stream on-demand, plus you can add even more channels on top of it. And, if you already have Amazon Prime for shopping, Amazon Prime Video is built-in, so some people don't even notice the cost. That makes it perfect for movie fans who want another streaming option on the table!

Amazon Prime Video Highlights

Pros	Cons
You can rent and buy movies right on the platform	Limited live TV options
Access to Thursday Night Football	Fewer blockbuster and popular titles than competitors
Award-winning original content

Amazon Prime Video compared to other TV streaming services

Amazon Prime Video Comparison

	Prime Video	Hulu	Netflix	HBO Max
Starting monthly price	$9/mo.	$7/mo.	$10/mo.	$10/mo.
Free trial length	30 days	30 days	None	None
DVR storage hours	0 hours	0 hours	0 hours	0 hours

*Streaming service package information accurate as of 1/24/2022.

The most appealing part about Amazon Prime Video is that if you already have an Amazon Prime membership, you automatically have access to Amazon Prime Video. However, it's a bit cheaper to just subscribe to Amazon Prime Video, while it's also slightly less expensive than most competitors with similar on-demand libraries, such as Netflix or Hulu. Plus, it has a much better free trial than any of its competition.

How much does Amazon Prime Video cost?

If you want to simply get Amazon Prime Video without getting a full Amazon Prime membership, you can pay just $9/mo. However, access to Amazon Prime Video comes with a Prime membership, which costs $13/mo. 

If you want to save a little more money, an annual membership goes for $119/yr. -- which makes this the most cost-efficient option instead of going monthly. This breaks down to just $10/mo., or $1/mo. more than if you only subscribe to standalone Amazon Prime Video. 

Amazon also offers a student discount that includes Amazon Prime Video. Prime Student gives you the first six months of Amazon Prime free before going to the current Prime Student rate of $6/mo. The current deal will get you each of the channel add-ons for just an additional $1/mo.

There is also a discount for people on government benefits to get Amazon Prime at a lower price, and it also includes access to Amazon Prime Video. It is half the price of regular Amazon Prime, which puts it at $6/mo., but you have to qualify for EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) to access this price.

Meanwhile, Amazon's streaming service is ad-free for on-demand titles, but you may encounter some commercials from time to time while watching live TV.

Amazon Prime Video content and add-ons

Amazon Prime Video streaming options are quite vast. The streamer has a number of original titles available to watch that you won't find anywhere else, including the award-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, as well as other popular original series like Carnival Row, The Boys, The Wilds, and The Wheel of Time. 

The streamer also has a wealth of reality shows, documentaries, and movies that span genres -- including comedies like Napoleon Dynamite, dramas like Joe Bell, and romance like Under the Tuscan Sun.

Amazon Prime Video offers more than 100 channels to stream, some of which cost an additional fee. Some of them also grant you access to live viewing, but it's sparse. Some of Amazon Prime Video's most popular add-on channels include:

• NBA League Pass -- starts at $14/mo. to stream live out-of-market games

• ScreenPix -- $3/mo. for movies

• Showtime -- $11/mo. for exclusive titles and blockbuster movies and shows

• Paramount+ -- $10/mo. for exclusive titles and select live TV viewing, including CBS News and NFL games

• Starz -- $9/mo. for exclusive titles and popular shows and movies

Amazon Prime Video features

Thursday Night Football

Though Amazon Prime Video doesn't offer much in the way of live TV, football fans are happy to see that there are some NFL games available. Each week during football season, viewers are able to tune in in real-time at 7:30 p.m. ET for pregame and at 8:20 p.m. ET for the game. 

Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video offers its own football commentary show on Tuesday evenings as well. And if that's not enough, the NFL Wild Card game for the playoffs is also hosted on Amazon Prime Video, so fans can stay on top of who's grabbing that playoff spot.

Offline Viewing

You can download Amazon Prime Video titles for easy viewing when you're not connected to the internet. Simply download them while you're still online and view them on a compatible device. You need to have the Amazon Prime Video app on iOS or Android or a Fire tablet to watch the videos. The only caveat is that you can't watch downloaded content on Apple Airplay or Google Chromecast. 

Included With Amazon Prime

We cannot stress this enough, but if you currently have Amazon Prime, you already have Amazon Prime Video. If you view the cost of an Amazon Prime subscription as fair, then how much better does that make the price of Amazon Prime Video? Amazon Prime is $13/mo. at most, which isn't much more than the competition. 

Netflix and HBO Max both start at $10/mo. but they don't give you the wealth of free two-day shipping, discounts at Whole Foods Market, exclusive deals, and other membership benefits you'd get with Amazon Prime. If you look at it that way, consider the $10/mo. standard streaming price, which makes free shipping and other perks just $3/mo. All in all, it's a great price for everything that you get (if you frequently use Amazon). 

Amazon Prime Video supported devices

Amazon Prime Video is compatible with a number of devices, including handhelds and stationary ones. Amazon even has its own collection of devices specifically designed for Amazon Prime Video in its Fire line. You can watch Amazon Prime Video on any of the following:

• Fire TV/Fire TV Stick

• Echo Show

• Echo Spot

• Fire Tablet

• Fire Phone

• LG Blu-Ray Player

• Panasonic Blu-Ray Player

• Samsung Blu-Ray Player

• Sony Blu-Ray Player

• PlayStation 4

• PlayStation 5

• Xbox Series X/S

• Xbox One

• Android smartphones and tablets

• iPhone

• iPad

• iPod Touch

• Amazon Prime Video for PC or Mac

• Google Chromecast

• Comcast X1

• Cox Contour

• Dish Network

• Nvidia Shield

• Roku

• Amazon Prime Video VR for Oculus

• Tivo

• Apple TV

• Android TV/Google TV

• Xiaomi

• Sony Smart TV

• Samsung Smart TV

• Panasonic Smart TV

• LG Smart TV

• Vizio Smart TV

• Hisense Smart TV

• Philips Smart TV

• Sharp Smart TV

• JVC Smart TV

• TCL Smart TV

• Insignia Smart TV

Is Amazon Prime Video worth it?

is a pretty well-rounded streaming service, especially for TV and movie fans. Though there are some sports options available, it's definitely better suited for those who just want to watch their favorites. Amazon Prime Video is especially enticing if you're already an Amazon Prime subscriber -- because it's built into the subscription itself. 

However, if you don't have Prime and you're deciding if

is worth it, the fact that it's already well-stocked with titles and allows you to rent new ones for reasonable prices makes it a good choice to add to your streaming deck. What is if not an easy way to watch more TV every day?