While aimlessly wandering through the teenage years of the twenty-first century, one is equipped with a few things: their precious blog, the album of the latest teen pop band, and their favorite TV show streaming site. For some, it may be Netflix; for others, Amazon Prime. Both are priorities in the suburban life we all occupy, and while some prefer Netflix, others would rather receive free shipping while shopping online. But what is the real difference between the two? Is one really better than the other?

Netflix has a monthly fee of $7.99 to $8.99 for new members, while Amazon Prime has a yearly fee of $79 to $99, starting March 20. Looking at these two numbers alone, one must assume that Netflix is a better deal. But when the numbers are calculated, Netflix’s cost for unlimited entertainment is $96 for one year – only a few bucks short of Amazon’s soon-to-be yearly fee.

Although, with the cost almost exactly the same, why does one prefer the other? Tommy Blanchard ‘18 explains, “I’ve had Amazon for as long as I can remember, and even though Netflix seems great and all, Amazon has more options and my parents don’t have to worry about a monthly fee.”

Netflix meanwhile, has 44 million subscribers, while Amazon has a less than half of that at 20 million. But with fewer subscribers, Amazon offers an abundance of choices, like 150,000 videos (with 40,000 unlimited videos) available for streaming. Moreover, with an Amazon Prime subscription, one has access to a borrowing-policy where they can rent a book for their Kindle and give it back when finished. Along with free music streaming and free two-day shipping on all Amazon goods, Amazon Prime seems to offer more than what Netflix gives away.

But let’s compare the numbers.

Netflix’s content is almost triple that of Amazon’s, yet most of it is unknown or seemingly unpopular. Recently however, it has begun to add more mainstream movies such as Catching Fire, The Princess Diaries 2, and Dumb and Dumber. It is even due in January to release the entire series of the popular sitcom Friends.

But what is best about Netflix is its producing company. For example, the show Blacklist was recently added to the “New Releases” section of the site, and fans around the world were ecstatic. But did they know that each episode costs $1 million to put on? Netflix’s net worth is roughly $1 billion and with every movie and episode ever put on, how do they still have so much left over?

Netflix was one of the first streaming sites to release its own number one series within its first weeks of release. Orange is the New Black has been talked about over and over again throughout 2014. But every time Netflix buys the rights to a show that is still making new episodes, it then begins to produce it.

But what if one threw in the fact that Amazon’s net worth was $29.7 billion? How would that change the game? To tell you the truth, it wouldn’t.

International Business Times states that “While Amazon Prime has a better deal and is cheaper than Netflix and Hulu+, it is very hard to navigate the line between what comes with the Prime membership and what you have to pay for.”  Later on, it states, “Netflix is accessible, easy to use, and offers one of the largest selection of instant online streaming… You will be impressed by Netflix’s growing online collection.”

Natalia Castner ‘17 says she prefers Netflix because “my brother’s Xbox gets the app and streams it whenever I want. It’s more convenient for me.” Although, interestingly, one can play both Netflix and Amazon on a gaming device; therefore, that doesn’t necessarily make one better than the other.

What, then, is the difference between Netflix and Amazon Prime? They both have a reasonable price for the wide range of options they carry, they both are accessible from any internet device, they’re convenient for all ages, and they have obviously had a number of success in their time.

The answer to this question is very simple: nothing. The cost and subscriber number—

which are only slightly different—does not contribute to the deciding factor on which one is better. Really, at the end of the day, the choice is up to you!