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Home / Web Stream Comparisons / Disney Now vs Disney Plus โ€“ What Kids Like in 2023

Disney Now vs Disney Plus โ€“ What Kids Like in 2024

If you are looking for a direct comparison between Disney Now vs Disney Plus then get all the answers here.

Disney Now vs Disney Plus - whats the difference

Itโ€™s over a year since Disney launched its iconic streaming service Disney Plus.

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Within a short time, the service has been around, and itโ€™s safe to say that itโ€™s been a significant success.

If you think Iโ€™m wrong, take a look at the numbers because they never lie, and that should be enough proof.

By the end of the first year, the new streaming service had already gained 100 million subscribers.

The service surpassed expectations considering itโ€™s an upstart.

Before Disney Plus became a home entertainment sensation, the reigning king was Disney Now.

Some people have probably never heard of Disney Now.

Others have been using it to keep their kids entertained until Disney Plus showed up, and now they are confused.

For starters, these are completely different services, and we will get into that in a moment.

The best way to clear any doubts and confusion is to compare them head to head, and thatโ€™s exactly what we will do.

General overview

Disney Plus is the long-awaited streaming platform from Disney that was launched towards the end of 2019.

It is what the Disney fans needed, especially for airing those classical Disney movies such as Snow White.

The service launched with great hit films like The Mandalorian that kept the viewers coming back for more.

Disney plus is no small streamer, even if itโ€™s barely two years old.

It comes in with plenty of content for both adults and kids.

In fact, itโ€™s a streaming service that has been showing dust to the likes of Netflix.

That being said, there is another Disney streamer that people have welcomed into their homes for the past few years.

Disney Now was launched in 2017, and itโ€™s been the go-to platform for Disney fans as well as parents with little kids.

Disney Plus is surely the companyโ€™s most popular app for streaming videos at the moment, but itโ€™s really not the only way to access Disney content on your mobile devices.

There is Disney now, and the good thing about it is that itโ€™s a free option, unlike its counterpart.

Whatโ€™s the difference between Disney Now and Disney Plus?

Naturally, some people want to know why they should pay for the new and more popular Disney plus and ditch Disney Now.

The first thing that sets them apart is the content on each platform.

Disney Now is designed to offer kid-friendly content targeting children from the ages of 2 to 14 years old.

Here you will mainly find series and shows from channels like Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD.

You wonโ€™t find adult content on Disney Now because itโ€™s a streamer thatโ€™s meant solely for kids.

On the other hand, Disney Plus is a streaming platform designed to cater to both adults and kids.

It offers a variety of movies and shows sourced from various brands including Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, National Geographic and Disney.

Unlike Disney Plus, Disney Now is not meant to be a mainstream streaming platform.

For you to enjoy the app, you must have a cable subscription and login.

Disney Plus is essentially more suited for the people who want to ditch cable subscriptions for online streaming services.

How to use Disney Now

As a parent, you have to keep the kids busy and happy at all times.

While playing with them is one way to go about it, you canโ€™t do it all day.

Thatโ€™s why you may need platforms or apps for kids like Disney Now.

This streaming service not only entertains the little children but also nourishes them with knowledge.

Kids have an inquisitive and active minds, always exploring and seeking answers.

Disney Now enables them to feast on shows and videos that they like.

Letโ€™s now unravel how to use Disney Now:

  1. Download the Disney Now app from either the Apple App store or Google Play Store.
  2. You will be provided with a list of Disney emojis. Pick one and then enter your first and last name.
  3. Browse through the catalog and choose what you would want to watch. Also, pick all of your favorite characters.
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Once done, let the app access your microphone.

When the app opens, you will see the selected series grouped together in one place.

Itโ€™s now time to introduce your kids to their own world of entertainment.

Comparing Price

Disney Now Cost

You donโ€™t have to pay anything to access Disney Now because itsย free of charge.

This is the one advantage the platform has over all the others.

You get access to most of the goodies from Disney without having to pay a single dime.

Though, keep in mind, that each episode you watch on the platform will consist of at least three minutes worth of commercials.

Well, you canโ€™t complain much if itโ€™s free.

Disney Plus Cost

ย 

Meanwhile, Disney Plus comes with a monthly or yearly subscription.

For a low price to pay for all the content you will access on the streamer including high-profile films.

  • The monthly subscription now costs only $8.
  • Whole year, you will be required to pay $80.
  • Three-service bundle comprising of Disney plus, Hulu and ESPN+ at a cost of $13.99 a month.

This reasonable pricing is among the reasons why Disney Plus easily made a crack in the streaming service market.

Itโ€™s affordable and still offers great content to its viewers.

Furthermore, their prices are still way lower than that of most competitors.

With Disney Plus you get a band for your back and that might be enough reason to make you switch from Disney Now.

Itโ€™s not just the kids who will be enjoying content from Disney but also the adults.

Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

The Content

The content on Disney Now is quickly dwindling and the reason for that is the introduction of Disney Plus in the streaming industry.

Most of the content on Disney Now has already been removed and added to Disney Plus in a bid to encourage people to subscribe.

Though, you will still find some great shows and movies for kids on Disney Now.

We donโ€™t know if Disney Nowโ€™s future will be addressed soon but in the meantime, it coexists with Disney+.

Moving on to Disney Plus; this streaming platform has taken over the world by storm.

You wonโ€™t lack popular titles here with the likes of the Mandalorian topping the list.

Unlike its counterpart, Disney plus has an overflowing library consisting of popular TV shows and films.

This is thanks to its ownership of the entire library of Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, the Disney signature series, and also recently acquired 20thย Century Fox.

There are hundreds of films and shows on this streamer, enough to keep adults and children alike stuck on their televisions ad tablets.

Amid the pandemic, Disney plus decided to stream some movies earlier than expected.

For instance, Frozen 2 was released for streaming on the platform earlier.

There are others set to bypass theatres and go straight to the service.

In addition, Disney has plans to fill Disney plus as well as the other streaming services it owns with lots of movies and shows.

In the coming years, the famous company has promised its viewers at least 100 new titles every single year on the new streaming service, Disney Plus.

It also announced there will be upcoming Star Wars originals and even tons of Marvel projects.

As you can see, Disney plus has everything planned out and they have intentions of creating an exhausting lineup of new TV shows and movies.

Besides having ownership of notable brands like Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel, Disney Plus is also licensing a little bit of outside programming.

The subscribers need new content every now and then if they are going to stay with the service for long.

Otherwise, they would hit the cancel button and opt for other streaming services.

Thatโ€™s why Disney Plus has some franchised content like Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

They are already streaming some of the content.

That being said, the pandemic has really delayed the release of notable movies and shows and itโ€™s still unclear if things will get better.

After Disney gained ownership of Fox, itโ€™s also integrating programming from Fox on Disney Plus.

For instance, all 30 seasons of the Simpsons were added to Disney Plus.

This was a great move considering many of the viewers are actually interested in shows such as The Simpsons.

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Aside from that, it began adding franchised X-Men films and other titles like The Sound of Music.

Basically, Disney Plus has a pretty much huge content library compared to Disney Now.

The parent company obviously does its best to fill up the catalogue of its subscription streaming service.

However, it will be a long time before Disney Plus can catch up with competitors such as Netflix when it comes to content quantity.

Features and supported formats

Disney Now is a streaming app that was created to consolidate all of Disneyโ€™s existing streaming apps into one.

It brought together content from Disney including the Disney series, live TV, Disney Channel movies and music.

It was just too cumbersome to have multiple apps installed on a single device for the purposes of accessing content from the same provider.

Therefore, the Disney Now app addressed this problem by putting everything under one roof.

There are a couple of features that were added to the app to make it easily customizable.

Besides, we all want an app that is easy to use and has great features.

Among the notable things on the app is the Disney Junior only mode.

Parents can enable it to ensure the app is focused on only the pre-school appropriate programming.

Furthermore, users can set their own profiles and then associate their accounts with one of the over 100 Disney Emoji avatar character poses.

The kids are allowed to choose their favorite characters and shows.

This way, they can receive timely recommendations on the best shows to watch next.

Itโ€™s impressive that the app actually remembers where the user left off.

Once you log in, you can resume watching from where you left off without wasting any time.

Well, this is a feature many will die for.

Though, a number of people have complaints about the app not functioning properly.

There is also the issue of too many ads.

What exactly does Disney Plus mean for Disney Now?

Before Disney Plus emerged, Disney Now was the streaming service people used to access most of the Disney content.

On that note, itโ€™s easy to wonder what the newest streaming service means for Disney Now.

We need not mention the popularity Disney Plus has gained within a few months.

It has already overshadowed Disney Now even when itโ€™s a subscription service.

Disney Now is not designed to be an over-the-top streaming service.

As previously pointed out, for you to make the most out of the app, you will require a cable subscription.

Most of the shows available on the platform are locked behind a paywall.

However, Disney Now still offers some free content regardless of whether you have a cable subscription or not.

Though, you canโ€™t possibly pay for Disney Now on its own to unlock the episodes on the app.

You will definitely need a cable subscription for that.

For some reason, it may seem both streaming platforms are marketing to the same audience.

After all, they both have content from Disney only that one is kid-focused while the other caters to all generations.

Even so, Disney Plus and Disney Now are likely going to continue coexisting with each other.

Those who want to have access to both adult and kids content can go for Disney Plus that comes at a subscription basis or opt for the mainly free content from Disney Now.

Itโ€™s as simple as that.

With that being said, much of the kid-friendly content is made available on Disney Plus.

In fact, a good number of the programming was removed from Disney Now.

Disney Plus just like any other streaming service is meant to target the cord-cutters.

It also includes the younger generation thatโ€™s less interested in cable subscriptions and instead prefers services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

We expect Disney Now and Disney Plus to coexist for a while.

Disney Now hasnโ€™t been completely neglected and continues to receive updates.

However, with the launch of Disney Plus, the new service is bound to receive the most attention.

It features a larger library of popular movies and shows and also has lots of upcoming original programming.

Rather than subscribe to another streaming service such as Amazon Prime and Netflix in addition to Disney Now.

It makes more sense to simply get Disney plus and access a library of movies and shows suitable for both kids and adults.

This means everyone in the household is covered.

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In the meantime, Disney Now will go on playing host to any new Disney Channel content but thatโ€™s not a guarantee either.

Can I Access Disney Plus through Disney Now and vice versa?

Even though you can access Disney Now through your cable subscription, you canโ€™t get Disney Plus for free.

Disney plus is an independent streaming service thatโ€™s not affiliated with any cable or satellite provider.

On that note, you must pay a separate subscription fee to get Disney plus on your streaming devices.

However, there is an exception for Verizon FiOS customers.

If you sign up through Verizon, you are awarded a full-year free subscription to Disney Plus.

Considering all the good things we have heard about Disney Plus, this is the deal of the year.

The same deal applies to the customers that are subscribed to the Unlimited plan through Verizon Wireless.

How about accessing Disney Now through Disney Plus?

Is it really possible?

Well, sort of.

Disney Now is a streaming platform that was created to host shows from all the Disney networks including Disney Junior, DisneyXD and Disney Channel.

Many of the same shows from these channels can be found on Disney Plus.

Therefore, in some way indirectly, you may be accessing Disney Now through Disney plus.

But then not all the shows aired on Disney Now are available on Disney Plus just yet.

Eventually, most if not all the shows from Disney Now will have made way to Disney plus.

Nevertheless, Disney Plus is the better platform to stream some classic shows such as Thatโ€™s So Raven and Hannah Montana.

Itโ€™s actually easier because no one will ask you to authenticate your television provider while signing into the app.

Which is better?

Since we have been comparing these two, we might as try and declare the better one.

Disney Now does have a decent library of content for the kids.

It combines all kinds of content for the kids like movies, shows, games, music, and even special performances.

Some of the shows you will find on the network include Elena of Avalor, The Lion Guard, Stuck in the Middle, Puppy Dog Pals, PJ Masks, DuckTales, and Vampirina, among many others.

Despite Disney Now not being an over-the-top streaming service like its counterpart, it includes remarkable programming that will keep your children happy all day long.

For a very long time, Disney was planning the launch of its flagship streaming service, Disney Plus.

It was eventually launched in November 2019.

The new service obviously outshines Disney now despite being offered on a subscription basis.

It features theatrical movies from big brands like Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar.

Disney Plus has plenty going for it with popular movies and shows airing on the platform like the Mandalorian and The Simpsons.

Disney Plus definitely has a larger catalog than Disney Now.

Furthermore, it features many shows and movies that are for both kids and adults.

If you are free on a Friday night, you can stream a movie on Disney plus with your kids without getting bored or feeling awkward.

As for Disney Now, it only covers the kids and no one else.

The cartoons, games, and shows are all for the children.

If you have children between the ages of 3 and 14 years old in the house and you want to keep them occupied, Disney Now is the best streaming platform for your family.

However, Disney plus is ideal for the whole family and caters to both kids and adults.

In addition, it offers more variety and content, unlike its counterpart.

Even though you pay a subscription fee, Disney Plus is really the better streaming service, and itโ€™s still affordable for the majority of people.

FAQs

Does Disney Now cost money?

Fortunately for Disney fans, Disney Now is actually a free service as long as you have a cable subscription.

Even for those who donโ€™t have a participating TV provider, itโ€™s possible to watch a few full episodes and videos on Disney Now.

You wonโ€™t incur any extra costs for that too.

Is Disney Now free with Disney Plus?

Itโ€™s understandable that whenever a new service launches, there is confusion regarding whatโ€™s available and whatโ€™s not.

Disney Now is Disneyโ€™s free streaming service that specializes in content for children from the ages of 3 to 14 years.

Disney plus, on the other hand, is a subscription-based streaming service.

That being said, you cannot access Disney Now on Disney plus because they are independent platforms.

Though some of the shows on Disney Now are also aired on Disney plus.

What does Disney plus include?

Disney plus includes content from Marvel Studios, Star Wars, Pixar, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, and National Geographic.

With all these, it offers hundreds if not thousands of TV show episodes and movies.

Disney plus also has made plans to include more and more content on the platform.

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John
John
A tech maestro with a penchant for Android systems, John is also a self-proclaimed Mexican food critic. When heโ€™s not exploring the latest tech trends, heโ€™s likely binging on the newest series on Netflix.
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