In the early days of streaming, platforms like Netflix encouraged users to share their accounts with family and friends. But those days are coming to an end. Netflix is now cracking down on moochers, and other services are sure to follow suit.
So, as customers, we have no choice but to keep score. Here’s every premium streaming service that still allows you to mooch off of someone else’s account, plus some insight into the future of account sharing.
Which On-Demand Services Still Allow Account Sharing?
We’re still in the early days of Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown. And thankfully, very few of its competitors have followed along. Most major streaming services still allow you to share your account, though they may limit the number of users who can stream video simultaneously.
Here are the on-demand streaming services that still allow account sharing:
Note that these services could change their policies at any time. Also, while you can share a standard Hulu account, Hulu with Live TV subscribers are treated a bit differently. More on that in the next section.
Can You Share Live TV Subscriptions?
Most of the popular live TV services, including YouTube TV, take steps to prevent account sharing. But these preventative measures are often just an annoyance. And some live TV platforms don’t seem to care about account sharing at all.
Sling TV is the most moocher-friendly live TV service. If you get a Sling TV Blue membership, your account can stream on three devices simultaneously, regardless of their location. People outside of your household can even save video to your DVR.
A FuboTV account can be shared with friends or family, but if you’re streaming on a TV at home, people outside of your home need to use their smartphones. Note that the number of simultaneous streams on your FuboTV account depends on your membership tier.
Unfortunately, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV are much more aggressive. You can share YouTube TV with friends or family, but they must log into their profile at your designated household once a month (you can get around this by logging in for them).
Hulu with Live TV lets you share your account, but it doesn’t let you stream to smart TVs outside of your home—your friends or family are limited to mobile devices (although they can cast video to a TV).
Other Platforms Could Crack Down on Account Sharing
Most Netflix subscribers are unhappy with the company’s new account-sharing policy. Still, this policy seems to be pretty effective. A report from Antenna shows that Netflix daily signups increased exponentially in May of 2023, the month that Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown began in the United States.
In fact, Netflix’s aggressive new policy led to more daily signups than the March 2020 COVID lockdowns. If Netflix continues to garner new subscriptions, other streaming services may come to the conclusion that account sharing is bad for business.
We may see other platforms follow in Netflix’s footsteps. Even services like Prime Video, which recently mocked Netflix’s new policy, could decide to crack down on moochers. After all, most streaming services are unprofitable.
On the bright side, Netflix is a fully-matured streaming service with a massive collection of original content. Other streaming platforms, especially the small ones, may not have the leverage to take this kind of action.
Find Ways to Save Money on Streaming
Account sharing is the easiest way to save money on streaming. Instead of subscribing to a half-dozen services, you can simply ask friends and family to share their accounts. (And if you’re a nice person, you’ll subscribe to at least one service so you can share it with others.)
But things are changing, and account sharing may not be a realistic option in the future. You’ll need to save money the old-fashioned way—by cutting back. Thankfully, this isn’t too difficult.
First, you need to start rotating your subscriptions. There’s no reason to have a Netflix account if you only use it to watch the two “must-see Originals” that come out every year. Start making lists of the shows and movies you want to watch, including content that hasn’t been released yet. Then, at the end of each month, cancel one service and switch to another.
Rotating your subscription requires a bit of self-control, but it’s a huge money saver (especially if you’re offered free trials). But you can also save money by using free streaming services like Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and Tubi. They’re better than you think!
