Almost every college student can relate to passing time by indulging in some form of streaming for entertainment. With the variety of expenses from the college itself, it is understandable that students would not want to spend money unnecessarily. In recent years, an increasing number of networks have begun producing their own streaming services, many of which offer deals for students attending college. While many do provide deals, perhaps the biggest competitor of them all, Netflix, does not. A survey done in 2017 by LendEDU showed that 92 percent of college students have access to Netflix. While Netflix does have a variety of shows and movies that appeal to students, there are also other platforms that are worth trying and are also more economical. 

Spotify Premium:

For students in college, Spotify has a plan that not only provides Spotify Premium for half the price ($4.99) but also Hulu and Showtime with no additional cost. This student plan has to be renewed yearly, for a maximum of four years. It is very convenient for students who use Spotify but don’t want to pay the full price for premium, as well as for the additional benefits of gaining access to Hulu and Showtime.

Apple Music:

If you’re not a Spotify person, Apple Music also has a pretty beneficial deal as well. For first-time users, Apple Music provides a six-month free trial. After this period, students pay half the price ($4.99) monthly. With this subscription, students are able to skip songs as many times as their heart desires and have unlimited listening to the millions of songs Apple Music includes. Along with this, users are also  able to enjoy Apple TV+ with no additional cost.  

Amazon Prime:

Amazon Prime provides its subscribers with a variety of perks, such as two-day shipping on orders and access to different streaming services. These include Prime Photos, Prime Instant Video and Prime Music. After a free six-month trial for all new users, Amazon Prime Student offers a discount of $6.49 per month. The student plan contains the same benefits as the original subscription, but, during the free trial, students aren’t able to access Prime Video and Music. An additional benefit of Prime Student is the referral system that gives $5 both to the person referring and the person being referred. While slightly more expensive than the other services, Amazon Prime includes an abundance of options for its members.

YouTube Premium:

With the number of people who use this site, it was almost inevitable that YouTube would too come out with their own premium plan. They offer both YouTube Music Premium, which costs $4.99, and Youtube Premium, which costs $6.99. The perks of both are very similar, such as streaming offline, no advertisements and the ability to keep playing videos in the background outside of the app on mobile devices. However, YouTube Premium does offer a bit more.