Is Hulu or VLC better?

Neither clearly leads. Hulu starts at $7.99/month and VLC at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Hulu or VLC?

VLC has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $7.99/month for Hulu and Free for VLC.

Does Hulu or VLC run on more platforms?

Hulu runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Gaming-consoles. VLC runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Ios, Android, Web.

Can I use VLC for free?

Yes. VLC has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hulu starts at $7.99/month.

What is Hulu best used for?

Hulu is most often used for tv streaming, live tv, next-day episodes, sports. Of those, tv streaming and live tv are not what VLC is typically brought in for.

What can Hulu do that VLC cannot?

Hulu covers On-demand streaming, Live TV, Cloud DVR, Downloads. VLC covers Media playback, Codec support, Streaming, Conversion. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Media & Entertainment · head to head

Hulu vs VLC

Hulu

Media & Entertainment

Stream TV and movies live and online

From: $7.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

VLC

Media & Entertainment

The free and open source media player

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only VLC has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Hulu the App Store listing states Hulu offers three plans, Hulu with Ads, Hulu No Ads, and Hulu plus Live TV, and caps simultaneous streaming at two screens at once while allowing up to six profiles per account, without stating any plan price in the visible description.; VLC vLC is completely free open source software with no paid tier, ads, or vendor support contract
They diverge on capability: Hulu covers On-demand streaming, VLC covers Media playback.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hulu and VLC actually diverge.

Attributes where Hulu and VLC differ
Attribute	Hulu	VLC
Starting price	$7.99/month	Free
Pricing model	subscription	free
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Gaming-consoles	Windows, Mac, Linux, Ios, Android, Web
Founded	2007	1998

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Media & Entertainment).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Hulu

On-demand streaming
Live TV
Cloud DVR
Downloads
Current episodes
Smart TVs
Gaming consoles
Mobile devices

Only in VLC

Media playback
Codec support
Streaming
Conversion
Plugins
Network streaming
DVD playback
Open source

Both cover

Web support
Ios support
Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Hulu

TV streamingnot VLC
Live TVnot VLC
Next-day episodesnot VLC
Sportsnot VLC

VLC

Media playbacknot Hulu
Video conversionnot Hulu

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Hulu

The App Store listing states Hulu offers three plans, Hulu with Ads, Hulu No Ads, and Hulu plus Live TV, and caps simultaneous streaming at two screens at once while allowing up to six profiles per account, without stating any plan price in the visible description.
The App Store listing states premium network add-ons such as MAX, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, CINEMAX, and STARZ are each available only for an additional monthly fee on top of a Hulu plan.

VLC

VLC is completely free open source software with no paid tier, ads, or vendor support contract

Pricing, plan by plan

Hulu

$7.99/month

Hulu (With Ads)$7.99/month
- Full library
- Ad-supported
Hulu (No Ads)$17.99/month
- Full library
- Ad-free
- Downloads
Hulu + Live TV$76.99/month
- Live TV
- On-demand
- Cloud DVR

VLC

Free

FreeFree
- All codecs
- No ads
- Open source

Which should you pick?

Choose Hulu if

You need on-demand streaming.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Gaming-consoles.
You also want live tv.

Hulu review

Choose VLC if

You need media playback.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Windows, Mac, Linux, Ios, Android, Web.
You also want codec support.

VLC review

Questions people ask

Is Hulu or VLC better?: Neither clearly leads. Hulu starts at $7.99/month and VLC at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hulu or VLC?: VLC has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $7.99/month for Hulu and Free for VLC.
Does Hulu or VLC run on more platforms?: Hulu runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Gaming-consoles. VLC runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Ios, Android, Web.
Can I use VLC for free?: Yes. VLC has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hulu starts at $7.99/month.
What is Hulu best used for?: Hulu is most often used for tv streaming, live tv, next-day episodes, sports. Of those, tv streaming and live tv are not what VLC is typically brought in for.
What can Hulu do that VLC cannot?: Hulu covers On-demand streaming, Live TV, Cloud DVR, Downloads. VLC covers Media playback, Codec support, Streaming, Conversion. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.

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Hulu vs VLC

Hulu

VLC

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Hulu

Only in VLC

Both cover

What people use each for

Hulu

VLC

Where each one falls short

Hulu

VLC

Pricing, plan by plan

Hulu

VLC

Which should you pick?

Choose Hulu if

Choose VLC if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on Hulu

More on VLC

Keep looking

Other head to heads