Disney Plus vs Vudu

There are a lot of great options available for cord cutters these days. Some of the biggest names in media are in the streaming business these days. Disney has multiple services available, the latest being Disney+. Vudu, on the other hand, is owned by Fandango — another big name in the media industry. So which of these services better fits your needs?

Disney+ and Vudu both have their unique advantages, and we are here to help you decide which is right for you.

Disney+: A subscription video-on-demand service with only Disney’s kid-friendly content

Vudu: A service for renting or buying digital movies and shows — with some free options, too

What's the Difference Between Disney+ and Vudu?

Disney+ and Vudu offer very different ways to experience digital media content.

With Disney+, you pay a monthly fee that gives you access to all of their content. There are no further restrictions, and there are no add-ons. The monthly fee gives you access to everything. If you’re familiar with Netflix, then you already know how this sort of service works.

Vudu has no monthly fee. Instead, you rent or purchase whatever content you want to enjoy. Even before you purchase anything, Vudu provides you with over 5,000 free movies and several TV shows for free. Not surprisingly, these are mostly older or less popular movies and shows. If you want the more popular titles, you will have to rent or buy them. The free content on Vudu has ads.

You may already have Vudu content if you have purchased any DVDs or Blu-ray discs at Walmart in the past several years. When purchased at Walmart, many physical copies of movies came with a free Vudu digital copy, something that Vudu brands as “InstaWatch.” (This is because Walmart used to own Vudu. Walmart sold the business to Fandango in 2020.)

Your DVDs and Blu-rays may also qualify for Vudu’s “Disc to Digital” service, which allows you to take a picture of the movie on your phone and purchase a digital copy at a discounted price of between $2 and $5. This service is available for movies from several — but not all — major studios.

Both Disney+ and Vudu allow you to stream simultaneously on multiple devices. Disney+ lets you stream on up to 4 devices at once, and there’s no way to upgrade that. Vudu has no limit on the number of devices you can stream on at once, but each device must be playing different content. In other words, the same purchased or rented movie or TV episode cannot be played simultaneously on more than one device with Vudu.

Both services are available for a wide range of devices, including Roku, Apple TV, and Chromecast products. Both are also available on iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as in your web browser. Vudu is not readily available on Fire TV, but Disney+ is. Disney+ works on just about every device we love, but it is missing support for some older smart TVs and some video game systems, most notably the Nintendo Switch. We’re expecting to see a Disney+ app for the Switch in the future, though.

What You Can Watch on Disney+ vs. Vudu

Disney+ only has Disney-owned content, but that includes a lot of great movies and shows. Disney owns Star Wars, Marvel Studios, Pixar, and National Geographic, and all of those brands have movies and TV shows for you to watch on Disney+. The content is all appropriate for kids, so don’t expect anything R-rated.

Vudu has a range of popular TV shows and movies available. Vudu typically gets new movies as soon as they are available on DVD and Blu-ray, and this applies to popular titles like Trolls World Tour and Bill & Ted Face the Music. Some movies are even available while still in theatres. Vudu’s free selection, while more limited, does have well-known titles like Roseanne and Leverage.

Both Disney+ and Vudu have original content, but Disney+ has the edge here. Disney+ has hits such as The Mandalorian and will continue to add new content from Marvel Studios, Pixar, and other Disney production studios in the future. Vudu’s original content has never been quite as popular, with Mr. Mom and Adventure Force 5 being two of their best-known titles.

How Much Will You Spend on Disney+ vs. Vudu?

Disney+ will set you back $6.99 per month, and there aren’t any additional add-ons or upgrades to worry about. Disney+ has no free trial and no free content. But, unlike Vudu’s free content, all of Disney+ is ad-free.

You also have the option to bundle Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+ at a discounted rate.

The cost of Vudu will depend on what content you want to rent or purchase. You can stick with the free content and pay nothing. With the paid content, newer movies and TV shows will typically be more expensive. In some cases, higher-quality videos (HDX, UHD) will also cost more. Movie prices on Vudu range from $3.99 to 24.99 to buy or $0.99 to $4.99 for a 30-day rental. TV show prices are in this same range for a single season, and episodes can also be purchased individually.

Disney+ vs. Vudu: Which Should You Choose?

So which option is better? That’s up to you, but let’s walk through the decision.

The biggest part of the decision will be choosing between a monthly subscription (Disney+) and a pay-as-you-go rental and purchase marketplace (Vudu).

If you are a frequent consumer of Disney content, Disney+ has the edge — especially if Disney+’s original content appeals to you. The simple monthly fee will ensure that you know exactly how much the content is costing you each month.

If you want more than just Disney content, then Vudu may be a better option. If you mostly find yourself taking advantage of their free content and only occasionally buying or renting paid content, you may be able to keep Vudu in a price range comparable to Disney+’s. If you frequently rent or purchase DVDs or Blu-rays and are looking to switch to more digital fare, Vudu may also be a convenient and comparably expensive replacement for your physical movie collection.