More and more people are taking control of what they want to watch, when they want to watch it. The rise of numerous Subscription Video-on-Demand (SVOD) services in the market today has made it quite overwhelming to figure out which service to subscribe to. With top SVOD services like iflix and Netflix vying for your attention, which one truly deserves your time and money? Here’s a quick look.

Content

iflix – Has tens of thousands of hours of Hollywood Hits, Asian Favorites and Local content (Read: Watch the best Pinoy indie films on iflix with Maya)

Netflix – Has more international titles and Netflix original content like Stranger Things

Based on the above, it may seem that Netflix has a lot more to offer its users in terms of content.

While iflix does have the advantage of having an extensive selection of Filipino titles (including hard to come by indie flicks) from partnerships like ABS-CBN , GMA, TV5, including hard to come by indie flicks, Netflix’s advantage comes in the form of original content with originals like Stranger Things getting both critical and viewer acclaim.

Video Quality

iflix – Standard definition only

Netflix –Option for Ultra High Definition depending on your subscription plan

While technically another win for Netflix, Ultra High Definition (UHD) streaming quality isn’t exactly a priority for most users, especially when you’re more keen on watching on your mobile phone. Unless you’re streaming on a large screen TV, you won’t notice the difference in video quality.
Other things that the services like to boast include the total number of titles, the number of devices they can support at the same time, or being able to download and watch titles offline.

You don’t need to look too hard into these features because they can quickly change at any time. At the moment it’s only iflix that lets you download and watch up to 10 titles offline, but Netflix might also have the feature up live soon enough.

Price

iflix – As low as P99 a month for PLDT and Smart subs, or P129 a month standalone price for up to 5 devices

NetFlix – As low as P349 a month for 1 device

While both services offer a free 1-month trial, iflix takes the cake when it comes to pricing. PLDT and Smart subscribers also have more reason to subscribe, with iflix offering a deal of P99/month exclusive to PLDT and Smart subscribers.

So given the three major considerations listed above, which Subscription Video-on-Demand service do you think you should sign up for?

If you’re looking to catch Netflix exclusive content like Stranger Things, Narcos or Sense8 then the obvious answer is to subscribe to Netflix. (Read: Netflix is now available for all Maya users)

But if you’re not really after those shows you can be very happy with iflix’s very extensive Hollywood, Asian, and local titles at a much friendlier rate. (Read more: 10 Must-See Pinoy Indie Movies You Can Now Download or Stream!)

Whichever service you go for, have fun watching!