Peacock is becoming a major player in the streaming game because it’s loaded with NBCUniversal content (and it’s cheap).
Peacock
Price: $4.99–$9.99/mo. or $49.99–$99.99/yr.
Free trial: N/A
Library: 20,000+ hrs.
| Plan | Price | Hours of content | Offline viewing | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peacock Premium (with ads) | $4.99/mo. | 20,000+ | — | View Plans for Peacock |
| Peacock Premium Plus (no ads) | $9.99/mo. | 20,000+ | ✔ | View Plans for Peacock |
Peacock is one of the cheaper big media streamers out there—that’s a fat check in the “good” column. The $4.99 a month Premium plan (with ads) gets you access to 20,000 hours of content, including many NBC, Bravo, and Syfy favorites.
Overall, we think Peacock is a worthwhile addition to your streaming apps lineup. Also, Peacock is the only place you can stream The Office—that’s a “Threat Level Midnight”-level argument (if you’re a fan, you get it).
You can save up to 17% by subscribing to either Peacock plan on an annual basis.
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Both versions of Peacock give you access to 20,000+ hours of shows and movies. This includes current NBC broadcast series and older NBCU shows and movies.
The Premium tiers offer up the entire Peacock catalog and include next-day drops of broadcast episodes from NBC series and Peacock originals.
| Service | Price | Editorial rating | Video | Streams | Compatible devices | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peacock | $4.99–$9.99/mo. or $49.99–$99.99/yr. | 4.33/5 | 1080p, 4K | 3 | 10+ | View plans |
| Netflix | $6.99–$19.99/mo. | 4.33/5 | 1080p, 4K | 1–4 | 14+ | View plans |
| Hulu | $7.99–$14.99/mo. | 4.22/5 | 1080p, 4K | 2 | 13+ | View plans |
| Prime Video | $8.99–$14.99/mo. or $139.00/yr. | 4.19/5 | 1080p, 4K | 3 | 13+ | View plans |
| Disney+ | $7.99–$10.99/mo. or $109.99/yr. | 4.61/5 | 1080p, 4K | 4 | 13+ | View plans |
| HBO Max | $9.99–$15.99/mo. or $99.99–$149.99/yr. | 4.5/5 | 1080p, 4K | 3 | 10+ | View plans |
| Apple TV+ | $6.99/mo. | 3.93/5 | 1080p, 4K | 6 | 7+ | View plans |
| Paramount+ | $4.99–$9.99/mo. | 4.07/5 | 1080p | 3 | 12+ | View plans |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Peacock’s tech specs are similar to other major on-demand streaming outlets, but it only has an ad-supported paid tier in common with Hulu and Paramount+. But, according to NBCUniversal, Peacock’s ad load is a relatively light five minutes per hour (if you believe the suits).
NBCUniversal’s library of TV shows and movies is deeper than you might think. It’s not just NBC shows on the TV side; it also includes content from cable channels like USA Network, Syfy, Oxygen, Bravo, E!, CNBC, MSNBC, and Universal Kids. There are even previous seasons of Paramount Network cable juggernaut Yellowstone (which Paramount+ doesn’t have).
Peacock also features some live news and sports, like Premier League soccer, the Olympics, and WWE Entertainment (pro wrestling is a sport—we’ll die on this hill).
On the movies side, Peacock draws from NBCU brands DreamWorks, Focus Features, and Universal Pictures.
Peacock has a growing number of exclusive originals up its feathered sleeve, like Poker Face (a Rian Johnson/Natasha Lyonne comedy mystery), Paul T. Goldman (a true-crime show that isn’t what it seems), and Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin (a Pitch Perfect spinoff with Adam Devine).
While Peacock is great for comedy, there are also some heavy dramas, like Last Light, Dr. Death, and Bel-Air. It’s still a small lineup, but Peacock continues to expand with originals like Girls5eva, We Are Lady Parts, and the critically-acclaimed Amber Ruffin Show.
Peacock dedicates a whole in-app tab to its exclusive WWE content, separate from the sports section. In addition to live events, Peacock also carries episodes of Friday Night SmackDown and WWE originals like Steve Austin: The Broken Skull Sessions and Table for 3.
Peacock offers an impressive array of live English Premier League games. In fact, almost half of all Premier League games are exclusive to Peacock, so you’ll miss out otherwise. Regardless of whether a game is a Peacock exclusive, though, you can watch any game on demand for up to 30 days after the airdate.
For more information on how to watch top-flight soccer from across the pond, check out our Premier League on Peacock guide.
NBCUniversal video apps, like those for NBC and Syfy, have always been fresh and functional—Peacock is no exception. There aren’t many bells and whistles, but it works well enough.
| Service | Streams | Upgrades | Offline downloads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peacock | 3 | None | Yes (Premium Plus plan only) |
Three simultaneous streams is the unspoken streaming standard, and so it is with Peacock.
You can also set up different user profiles on Peacock (with an actual peacock avatar) and create a dedicated “kids mode” account too.
| Device | Peacock |
|---|---|
| Amazon Fire Cube, Stick, TV | ✔ |
| Android phones, tablets | ✔ |
| Android TV | ✔ |
| Apple TV (4th gen.) | ✔ |
| Apple TV 4K | ✔ |
| Chromecast, Chromecast with Google TV | ✔ |
| Echo Show | ✔ |
| iPhone, iPad | ✔ |
| LG TVs (select models) | ✔ |
| Nintendo Switch | — |
| NVIDIA SHIELD Pro TV | ✔ |
| PC, Mac web browsers | ✔ |
| PlayStation 3, 4, 5 | — |
| Roku Ultra, Express, Premiere, Stick, TV | ✔ |
| Samsung TVs (select models) | ✔ |
| TiVo Stream | ✔ |
| Wii | ✔ |
| Xbox One | ✔ |
| Xfinity Flex, X1 | ✔ |
Data effective as of post date.
Peacock’s on everything but Nintendo and PlayStation. No Peacock for you, gamers.
Rectangles, tabs, and channels—oh my! For a largely on-demand service, Peacock’s interface looks a lot like a cable TV setup.
In addition to the usual along-the-top tabs—which include a YouTube-like “Trending” section—there’s a tab for a grid of live “channels,” which are mostly just endless loops of shows. But you can find some legit cable networks here, like Hallmark Channel and REELZ. Otherwise, Peacock features channels dedicated to NBC News, The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, and ‘80s classics, among dozens of others.
There’s not much of a learning curve with Peacock’s interface, as it’s light on features and options—which is good or bad, depending on your level of tech tolerance. On a purely aesthetic note, we’re not sold on the choice of yellow highlighting. With so many colors on a peacock, why go with the most obnoxious one?
Peacock’s audio is standard 2.0 stereo, though some shows and movies stream in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound—like megabudget action flicks, where it sounds and feels like you’re right in the middle of whatever disaster The Rock is battling against.
Like most streaming services, Peacock offers a mobile app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This app functions mostly the same as its in-browser counterpart, although the interface is adjusted to fit a smaller screen.
The app is extra handy if you pay for Peacock Premium Plus—that extra bit of cash gives you the ability to download content for offline viewing, just in case you want to get your SNL fix on the go.
The biggest drawback of the mobile app is that you can’t take screenshots like you can on a computer. As is becoming common with other streaming apps like Netflix, HBOMax, and Disney+, the content just becomes a black rectangle upon screenshotting and only the UI remains.
This decision only makes it harder for shows to gain traction since so many shows and movies thrive on word-of-mouth advertising and social media buzz. There’s no easier way to share content than just taking a screenshot, and restricting that feature only discourages organic discussions.
While the hype level for Peacock is nowhere near that of Disney+ or HBO Max, it still has plenty to offer. It’s more in-line with Paramount+: nice to have, but probably not absolutely essential (though Battlestar Galactica and The Office fans may strongly disagree).
But, for the price, Peacock is worth checking out; it offers thousands of viewing diversions, many that you can’t get anywhere else. It won’t be your sole source of entertainment (at least not yet, though the originals are getting better all the time), but Peacock is a solid addition to your app lineup.
Besides, you’re more than a little curious about what the Psych guys are up to now, right?
Peacock no longer offers its free, ad-supported tier.
There are two levels to Peacock, and both are comparable to other on-demand streaming services like Paramount+ and Discovery+.
Peacock streams live news programs from NBC, Sky News, MSNBC, and CNBC, as well as rebroadcasts and curated news briefs. You can also stream networks like Hallmark Channel and REELZ across Peacock’s premium plans, while Premium Plus subscribers can access a 24/7 local NBC channel feed.
Peacock also carries live sports, including Premier League soccer, Ryder Cup golf, WWE Entertainment, the Kentucky Derby, and the Olympics.
Like Paramount+, which live streams CBS local channels in most markets, Peacock carries NBC local affiliate stations in several areas. If your region is excluded, we’d suggest subscribing to a live TV streaming service or buying a digital over-the-air antenna.
Our experts employed hundreds of hours of hands-on testing with Peacock, rating the streaming service on bang for your buck, reliability, features, and customer satisfaction. Then we matched up Peacock with other on-demand streaming services head to head to give a clearer picture of its strengths and weaknesses. For more information on our methodology, check out our How We Rank page.
Stay updated on the latest products and services anytime anywhere.
