Get on-demand TV shows and live channels on your mobile device with the Hulu App.
Hulu is a live-streaming service from Walt Disney. In the United States, Hulu is a separate service from Disney Plus and has different offerings. However, there is no Hulu in the UK, so you can usually find titles from the on-demand on Disney Plus.
Originally a web service, Hulu released apps for iOS and Android. While it makes life easier for those who love online TV, the app has many issues. Hulu has different bundles to cater to varying budgets. But, the base bundle is so riddled with ads that watching anything soon becomes a chore.
Interestingly, Hulu evokes strong reactions from users; they either love or hate the app.
Core features of Hulu
Hulu has apps for both Android and iOS devices. You can download them from the Play Store and App stores respectively. The app is intuitive and easy to navigate with access to live-streaming content and on-demand videos.
- Watch TV series
- Content for kids
- News feature to watch news channels
- Access to Hulu Originals
- My Stuff for downloaded content
Some features are only available with the premium package.
How much does Hulu cost?
The base package costs $7.99 per month, but, it comes with several ads. The ad-free bundle costs $17.99 per month unless you are a student, the it’s only $1.99 per month. If you want to include Disney and ESPN, you can get that for $14.99 per month with ads. To get the same package ad-free costs $24.99
System specifications for the Hulu App
Hulu-supported devices include Amazon Fire tablets, Android phones and tablets, and Apple iPhones and iPads.
You can download the Hulu app on most Android devices that run Android 5.0 or later with a minimum screen size of 800x480 pixels.
The app supports iOS models running iOS 13.4 or later. This means you would need any of the following iOS devices:
- iPhone 5S or later
- iPad 5th generation or later (iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Pro, and iPad mini 2, 3, and 4)
- iPod Touch 6th generation
Hulu App Alternatives
There are several alternatives to the Hulu app and some are even free. They do not all have the same features as Hulu (some have more), but they are worth exploring.
The first one that comes to mind is Netflix, which is one of the largest online TV services in terms of subscriber base and repository size. You need to pay for a plan to watch Netflix. The other alternative is Amazon Prime. It’s free to download, but you need a Prime membership to watch some of the content. Some TV shows are on-demand, costing a fee to watch.
Free options include Stremio, which is open-source and is highly rated by users. Another is Pluto TV and yes, Apple TV. There’s YouTube TV as well, and you get fewer ads for the free package.
Conclusion
While Hulu offers a variety of TV shows and access to live-streaming content, other apps do the same. Also, their original shows, Hulu Originals, are more of a miss than a hit. You’d get better quality from Netflix, for instance. Also, the base plan comes with so many ads that it gets frustrating very quickly.
To be honest, the Hulu app is not our first choice when thinking of on-demand videos or live-streaming content. That said, it is an affordable way to get online TV on your mobile device. Also, certain TV shows are only available on Hulu. For that reason alone, downloading the app may be worth the effort.
