When you think of streaming TV shows and movies, there's a good chance that Netflix comes to mind first. Though competition from rivals like Disney Plus and HBO MAX is fierce, it's still the best choice for streaming entertainment, even with Ads.

Netflix includes a wide variety of familiar network shows and more original series, films, documentaries, and specials than any of its myriad competitors. Despite challenges with retaining customers, Price bumps, and adding an ad-based plan, the world's first primary streaming service remains our favorite choice, thanks to its vast library of constantly refreshed content and easy accessibility across different devices. In 2022, Netflix won 26 Emmys, with Squid Game making history as the first-ever non-English series to win (or be nominated). Netflix should be your top pick if you're looking for something new to watch.

·       Strong recommendation engine

·       Easy to use across different devices

·       Extensive list of movies and shows

·       Massive selection of original programs

·       Cost for premium plans is on the higher end

·       Can't watch shows as they air on other networks

·       Missing titles on ad-based plan

How Netflix started vs. how it's going

Between 2012-2013, Netflix premiered its first original TV shows, including Lily hammer, House of Cards, and Orange Is the New Black. Today, it has a catalog of over including global hits like Stranger Things and Emmy winners such as Bridgeton, The Queen's Gambit, and The Crown. Oscar-nominated films such as The Power of the Dog, Tick, Boom! And The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Though the company's been known for its commercial-free streaming experience since its inception, the ad-supported tier launched on Nov. 3 for $7 per month with one stream. Additionally,  Netflix aims to crack down on password sharing by charging a fee for extra users on an account. The days of crowdfunding your Netflix subscription are ending in 2023.

As of 2022, Netflix has over 220 million paid subscribers across 190 countries. Unfortunately, a dent in its subscriber base caused numbers to drop and then rise again, but there are still reasons to keep the service, with the main draw being its content.

What shows and movies does Netflix have?

Netflix may have had the first-to-market advantage in the world of streaming services. Still, it's kept its momentum with its increasing number of original shows and movies many of which have won critical acclaim and major awards and nominations.

Compared to other streaming platforms, you can't beat Netflix's slate of original TV shows that are now considered among the best of the modern era of television, including those mentioned above plus many more, such as The Witcher, Ozark, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Money Heist and Cobra Kai.

Outside of TV shows, Netflix's original programs include a wide range of comedies, dramas, foreign films and shows, documentary series, anime, stand-up comedy specials, and reality dating and competition shows. Not all of them are runaway hits, but many are, and there's enough to explore interesting exhibits that may not have found a home on traditional network TV. And when going to the movies is more fraught than it once was, Netflix offers a place to find new films: In 2022 alone, Netflix aimed to release over 100 new movies, at least one per week. The selection spans genres and geography, including K-dramas, animated features, and fantasy book adaptations.

Netflix typically adds its shows an entire season at a time, though not while a show is airing on network TV so if you don't have cable or another platform like Hulu, you'll have to wait to watch for a few months to watch seasons in total.

One complaint: Netflix content sometimes can come and go without warning. The only way to tell if something is leaving the service in the next 30 days is if you tap on the details page for the show or movie -- or search online for everything coming and going in a month.

Another potential content issue to flag: In recent years, Netflix has lost some of its most popular content (such as The Office, which moved to NBC's Peacock, Daredevil, which moved to Disney Plus and Friends, which moved to HBO Max) as other networks created their streaming services. While it started as an online video store that was trying to offer every movie and TV series online, it may be slowly becoming more akin to the old HBO -- mainly featuring its original programming, complemented with some things it licenses from other companies.

What's it like to use Netflix?

I first subscribed to Netflix back in the first streaming days of 2007, so using the platform feels like second nature. Even if you're new to it, it's pretty user-friendly: Open the app and tap on your profile (if you have one set up), and you'll see a homepage. You'll see Popular on Netflix, Continue Watching, Trending Now, Top Picks for you, and a number of (sometimes oddly specific) other categories based on shows you've watched before. Mine include Critically acclaimed Witty TV Comedies and Suburban-dysfunction TV Comedies, for example.

Netflix's design encourages scrolling there are so many categories to look through, and then shows and movies within those categories to continue scrolling into. You can create a watch list to help you cut down on this, but the vast, colorful library makes it easy to spend more time looking through options than watching a show, so be careful.

The Netflix app operates similarly across various devices. My home page on the web browser is nearly identical to that on my Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV Stick, both in content and layout. It's more condensed on the smaller iPhone and Android phone screens but still follows the same format and has a clear "Downloads" tab to find content to save to watch offline on your device.

Rows and rows of content on Netflix can keep you busy.

One difference between devices is voice commands: You might find it more or less challenging to fire up a Netflix show from your device's home screen, depending on which voice-capable device you're using.

For example, when you say "Watch Stranger Things" on the Apple TV and the iOS app on iPhone, it will first have you click which specific show (Stranger Things or Beyond Stranger Things) and then will take you to an Apple TV page for the show, and there it will give you the option to open Netflix and start episode 1. On Amazon Fire TV Stick, you can say, "Watch Stranger Things," and it will open Netflix automatically if you're logged into the app. On the Roku 4K stick, if you say, "Watch Stranger Things," it will take you right to the first episode in the app. Those are more hardware-side concerns, but they are interesting to note.

Once you're in the Netflix app, voice commands work the same across devices: Go to the Search tab, hold the microphone button to dictate, and say the name of the show you're looking for.

When you select a show or movie to watch, you can fast-forward, rewind, add subtitles and change your audio settings. If you have a Premium account and a big enough 4K TV, watching in Ultra HD makes for a very cinematic experience. The show or movie you choose will appear in your "Continue watching" section at the top of your homepage for easier access.

What features do you get on Netflix?

Outside of streaming, if you have the Standard or Premium plan, you can create different profiles for different users and find your list of personalized recommendations.

Netflix's recommendation game is strong, from "Because you watched" carousels that have been improved by the new two thumbs up feature, to the option to remove content from your home page, to its part Play something or when you're unsure what to stream. Indecisive Netflix viewers have a new way to find something to watch. The streaming platform has created a feature called Play Something.

"You'll be instantly met with a series or film we know you'll love based on what you've watched before," the company said Wednesday in a blog post. And if whatever pops up doesn't suit your fancy, the Play Something Else option will surface either Something new, Something you're in the middle of watching, something you never finished, or something on your list to watch.

Netflix said you could find Play something in three ways: under your profile name, in the 10th row of the Netflix homepage, or in the navigation menu to the left of the screen.

The platform also has a particularly appealing kid's section, with a solid content catalog including Co-Co melon, Pokemon: Master Journeys, and Trolls: The Beat Goes On! And a much more kid-friendly user interface including the mystery box feature added earlier this year.

If you subscribe to the Premium plan, you can watch certain shows and movies in 4K Ultra HD on 4K TVs. You'll need a steady internet connection speed of at least 25 megabits per second and streaming quality set to Auto or High.

Netflix has more than 4K content than any other streaming service, and many of its 4K shows and movies are also available in HDR. The high dynamic range provides an even more substantial improvement in image quality than 4K, according to CNET's tests, with better contrast and color. The difference is especially apparent on large, high-end televisions. Netflix supports the two major HDR formats, generic HDR (HDR-10) and Dolby Vision. If you have a device that handles Dolby Vision, Netflix will play content (if available) in that format by default.

You can search for a selection of 4K TV shows and movies on the service with the Premium plan.

All subscribers can download TV shows and movies on the Netflix app on mobile devices for offline viewing, though specific titles aren't available to download.

Netflix remains my favorite streaming platform of the increasingly large bunch. It has many movies and TV shows, old and new, tons of high-quality original programs, and an easy-to-navigate interface.

Even though it no longer offers a free trial, it's worth trying Netflix for a month if you want something new to watch.