Mobile-only streaming showdown — Disney+ vs Netflix vs Showmax vs Prime Video

South Africans who use their smartphones as the primary way to access the Internet or those who mainly enjoy watching movies or TV shows on the go can take up mobile-only video streaming subscriptions.

Mobile-only plans are unavailable in developed countries, particularly those with more well-established fixed networks, lower relative broadband costs, and higher average earnings.

Although fibre-to-the-home connectivity has seen substantial growth in South Africa in the past few years, including in lower-income areas, many people still rely on mobile networks and smartphones for Internet access.

South Africa’s major cellular networks, such as Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom, have all reported significant increases in mobile data traffic among their customers, with increased video consumption often being one of the significant traffic drivers.

Several mobile networks also offer discounted data bundles specifically for video streaming services.

Mobile-only plans feature all the same titles as their regular versions for larger screens but can only be accessed on smartphones or tablets.

Most are also less feature-rich, with lower maximum video resolutions, more basic audio support, and fewer concurrent streams.

However, they are less than half the price of the cheapest plans that support other devices, making them more accessible for users who cannot afford to spend R100 per month or more for a streaming service — excluding data consumption.

What is available in SA

The most affordable mobile-only video streaming service in South Africa is Amazon’s Prime Video Mobile Edition, available through Vodacom and Telkom.

After an initial 30-day free trial, the service costs R29 per month or R59 when bundled with a 3GB Prime Video mobile data package. The regular Amazon Prime Video subscription is R79 per month.

The second cheapest option is Showmax’s mobile plan for its Entertainment package.

This includes the MultiChoice-owned streaming service’s own and third-party licenced movies and TV shows for R39 per month instead of the standard subscription’s R89 price tag.

Showmax Mobile beats all the other providers in streaming quality, with 1080p Full High Definition streaming being the highest possible quality, compared with 480p Standard Definition on all the rival plans.

Showmax is also the only service with a mobile-only sports streaming option in the form of Showmax Premier League.

At R69 per month, users can access all Premier League matches live on their smartphone or tablet, including Premier League magazine shows and highlights.

This subscription can be bundled with the Entertainment Mobile plan for R99 per month.

Disney+ and Netflix’s mobile-only plans cost R49 per month and share most of the same features.

One difference is that Disney+ Mobile offers two concurrent device logins. However, both are limited to just one stream at a time.

MTN customers can also get 500MB of free Disney+ streaming data if they add the service to their MTN bill.

Disney+’s plan is substantially cheaper than its only other option — the Premium package for R139 per month. Netflix offers a cheaper large-screen subscription with its Basic plan at R99 per month.

However, its Standard and Premium plans are more comparable to Disney+ Premium and cost R159 and R199, respectively.

The table below compares the libraries, features, and monthly prices of mobile-only streaming subscriptions in South Africa.