Netflix is still the heavyweight, with the biggest content library overall. They've got solid kids' content (Nailed It!, The Dragon Prince, Gabby's Dollhouse for littles), but here's the thing: their algorithm is aggressive. Your teen watches one episode of something edgy and suddenly their recommendations are all true crime and dating shows. Their parental controls are decent—you can set up kids profiles with PIN protection—but you have to actually use them.

Disney+ is the obvious choice if you have younger kids or Disney superfans. It's Bluey, all the Pixar movies, Marvel, Star Wars, and basically everything your kids are already obsessed with. The parental controls are surprisingly good—you can set age ratings per profile. But fair warning: the content skews young. If you've got tweens and teens, they're going to find it boring pretty fast unless they're deep into Marvel or Star Wars.

Max (formerly HBO Max, because apparently we can't keep names straight anymore) has some solid family content—all the Studio Ghibli films, Cartoon Network shows, and HBO's prestige kids' programming. But it's also got Game of Thrones and a lot of mature content, so the kids profile setup is critical here.

Paramount+ has Nickelodeon and some decent family movies, but honestly? Unless your kids are specifically into SpongeBob or iCarly nostalgia, this one's skippable for most families.

Apple TV+ has a small but genuinely high-quality library. Snoopy in Space, Ghostwriter, and some beautiful nature documentaries. It's not a ton of content, but what's there is usually pretty thoughtful.

Amazon Prime Video comes with your Prime membership, so you probably already have it. The kids' content is... fine? It's got some good stuff mixed in with a lot of random filler. The interface is confusing and they're constantly trying to upsell you on rentals, which is annoying.

1. What ages are your kids, actually?

If you've got kids under 8, Disney+ is probably your best bang for buck. The content is age-appropriate, plentiful, and your kids will actually watch it on repeat (whether you want them to or not).

Ages 8-12? Netflix has the most diverse options—cooking shows, adventure series, some educational content that doesn't feel like homework. The Great British Baking Show is weirdly perfect for this age group.

Teens? They're going to want Netflix or Max for the "cool" shows their friends are watching. This is also when you need to have real conversations about content ratings and why you're setting the boundaries you're setting.

2. How much do you actually care about parental controls?

Let's be honest: some parents are very hands-on with content monitoring, others are more "eh, they'll be fine." No judgment either way, but it matters for which service you pick.

Netflix lets you set up separate profiles with PIN protection and content rating limits. You can also see viewing history, which is useful if you want to know what your kids are actually watching.

Disney+ has solid profile controls with age ratings (7+, 9+, 12+, 14+, 18+). You can also set a Kids Profile that only shows G and PG content.

Max lets you create a Kids profile that filters out adult content, but their rating system is less granular than Disney's.

The others? Varying degrees of "sure, we have parental controls" that range from adequate to basically useless.

3. What's your actual budget?

Here's the monthly breakdown (as of 2026, with ads where applicable):

You can easily spend $50-80/month if you're not careful. Most families don't need more than 2-3 services, especially if you're willing to rotate them seasonally.

Here's what smart parents are doing: subscribe to 2-3 services max, and rotate them every few months.

Keep Disney+ if you have young kids—it's your baseline. Then rotate between Netflix, Max, and others based on what shows are currently releasing. Your kids will survive not having access to every show immediately. In fact, it's probably good for them to learn that not everything is available on demand all the time.

When your kids complain (and they will), this is a great opportunity to talk about budgeting and making intentional choices. Revolutionary concept, I know.

Let's address the elephant in the room: your kids probably watch more YouTube than any streaming service combined. YouTube is free, has infinite content, and is also a complete minefield of weird algorithm-driven chaos.

If your kids are under 8, YouTube Kids is the safer bet—though even that has issues. For older kids, regular YouTube with Restricted Mode turned on and some actual conversation about what they're watching is probably your best approach. Here's more on navigating YouTube vs. YouTube Kids.

Most families with kids under 10 should start with Disney+ as their foundation. It's reliable, age-appropriate, and has enough content to keep kids happy.

Add Netflix if you've got older kids or want more variety. Their kids' content is genuinely good, and there's enough there for parents too.

Everything else? Bonus if you can afford it, but not necessary. You can always subscribe for a month to binge a specific show (The Mandalorian, anyone?) and then cancel.

The real win isn't finding the "perfect" streaming service—it's being intentional about what you're paying for and what your kids are watching. Set up those parental controls, check in on viewing history occasionally, and don't feel guilty about saying no to yet another subscription.

And remember: the best streaming service is the one you're actually using intentionally, not the one that's just auto-charging your credit card every month while your kids watch YouTube anyway.