Best film streaming services, compared

Amazon Prime

It's not just next-day delivery anymore – retail titan Amazon has been nurturing its film output, as Prime Video has cemented itself as a major streaming contender.

During the festive season, Amazon's selection of Christmas films is far richer than the variety on Netflix. The rest of the year is just as enjoyable, as the platform offers a wide range of recent award-winning films, including Moonlight and I, Tonya, as well as all-time classics like Paris, Texas and the Before trilogy.

Past its streaming options, Amazon have also been distributing films in cinemas in recent years. Manchester by the Sea, Beautiful Boy and Suspiria are all Amazon titles – and for 2019, the Emma Thompson-starring Late Night is on the cards.

Best for: Amazon customers hungry for wide-reaching cinema in magnanimous quantities

BFI Player

'Greatest global cinema on demand' is the tagline for the BFI's streaming counterpart, the BFI Player. While Amazon boasts a wide range of free films for members that are often new, the BFI Player is more rental-focused when it comes to newsworthy movies.

However, BFI members can also enjoy 1000s of films as part of the Player archive. The selection is geared towards global, lesser-seen cinema, with prestige titles like Derek Jarman's Caravaggio and an impressive selection of early 1900s short films.

Best for: Curious cinephiles keen to discover archival, experimental hidden gems

Curzon Home Cinema

Working in tandem with their outposts around the big smoke, Curzon Home Cinema offers an on-demand service to keep up-to-date with the latest releases in real time, but without leaving the house.

Past the rental service, the platform offers a brand new Curzon12 each month – 12 handpicked titles to balance out widespread new films, refreshed on the 12th day of every new month.

Artificial Eye, the sister company of Curzon, has also been releasing a number of exciting titles. Next up, At Eternity's Gate and Vox Lux – so now's the time to sign up to get all the latest news.

Best for: Fans of the arthouse penchant of Curzon cinemas, looking for a small collection of titles

MUBI

MUBI seems like Netflix's closest rival – in part due to the price, but also the playfulness of the platform. It's also the service Netflix should have to fear the most in the world of independent and art house cinema, as MUBI prides itself on a carefully curated selection.

A new Film of the Day is introduced every day, while one is also taken away. So at any given time there are always 30 hand-picked films to watch on the site.

MUBI also runs an editorial platform, MUBI Notebook, and distributes films in cinemas, similarly to Amazon. Up next, Under the Silver Lake, a neo-noir thriller that fascinated Cannes last year, starring Andrew Garfield.

Best for: Fans of arthouse cinema who are looking for simplicity, away from wide releases or rental obligations