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The 36 best holiday streaming deals: Roku, Apple music, Max, Amazon and more
New Apple Music subscribers can getWhen it comes to entertainment, streaming services are the customizable and budget-friendly way to enjoy the shows you love. But while cutting the cord was supposed to be the smart way to save on excessive entertainment and cable bills, streaming services keep raising their prices -- and with more services available than ever, you may find yourself paying over $100 a month to watch the shows you love.
Though Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, you can still score big savings for the holidays on streaming devices -- such as Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, Apple TV -- and the streaming services you love and, quite frankly, can't live without.
Also: The 110 best holiday deals: Apple products, TVs, laptops, and more
Keep reading to find the best streaming devices and services deals available right now.
Best holiday streaming device deals
- Roku Premiere: $27 (save $8)
- Roku Ultra LT Streaming Device: $47 (save $33)
- Roku 43-inch Smart TV: $230 (save $20)
- Roku Streaming Stick 4K: $40 (save $10)
- TiVo Stream 4K UHD Streaming Media Player: $25 (save $15)
- Roku Express 4K+: $29 (save $10)
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: $30 (save $20)
- Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite: $18 (save $12)
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max with USB Power Cable: $67 (save $15)
Best holiday streaming services deals
- Apple TV+: 3 months free with select Best Buy purchase
- Max: Save 20% with yearly subscription
- Paramount+: Free with Walmart+ subscription (save $5.99 per month)
- Sling Basketball Season Pass: Deal for $215 for 5 months (save $224)
- Sling Blue or Orange, half off your first month: Deal for Orange $20 (save $20) or Blue $22.50 (save $22.50) and get a FREE Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite
- Starz: Deal for $20 for 6 months (save $46 for 6 months)
Best holiday streaming VPN deals
Stream your favorite shows from anywhere in the world with ZDNET's best streaming VPNs.
- PureVPN: Deal for $1.66 per month on a five-year plan
- Private Internet Access VPN: Deal for $2.03 per month on a 2 year plan + 4 months free
- CyberGhost VPN: Deal for $2.03 per month (two-year plan + 4 months free, 45-day money-back guarantee)
- NordVPN: Deal for $4.79 per month (69% off, two-year subscription, three months free)
- AtlasVPN: Deal $1.64 per month on a three-year contract, six months free (save 86%)
- Privado VPN: $1.11 per month, two-year contract, one month free
- ExpressVPN: $6.67 per month (49% off, three months of access free with a one-year subscription)
- Surfshark: $2.69 per month, two-year plan, three months free
Best holiday music streaming service deals
- Apple Music: 3 months free for New Apple Music subscribers
- YouTube and YouTube Music ad-free: Free with a qualifying Best Buy purchase (save $10.99 for 3 months)
- Spotify Premium: 3 months free in the UK (save $10.99 for 3 months)
- Amazon Music Unlimited: 3 months free (save $9.99 for 3 months)
More holiday streaming device deals
- Current Price: $140
- Original Price: $150
If you've cut cable, a streaming device is your best bet to watch your favorite shows or movies. If having all things Apple is your thing, the Apple TV 4K will connect all your favorite devices and offer a 4K High Frame Rate HDR visual experience.
Beyond your favorite streaming services, you can download games, music, or news channels from the App Store. After a long day of work, my favorite thing is to open my Spotify app (sorry, Apple Music!) on the Apple TV and play my Unwind playlist as I cook and relax for the evening.
- Current Price: $38
- Original Price: $60
Chromecast with Google TV is a great budget-friendly streaming device that helps you turn any TV into a smart TV. Plug the tiny device into your TV's HDMI port and get access to Google Assistant and Google Play apps, or watch your favorite movies in 1080p high-definition resolution.
Review: Chromecast with Google TV
- Current Price: $25
- Original Price: $40
The Amazon Fire TV Stick has made headlines ever since its release and as a result, has become a household name. Not only is it incredibly affordable, but its slick, thin, and small design hides behind your TV, transforming it into a smart one.
You can press the microphone button to access Alexa, use your Prime membership for shopping, or simply watch the latest shows or movies on Netflix, Hulu, Max, or Disney+. Right now, you can even find the budget-friendly Amazon Fire TV Stick for an even cheaper price since Amazon has it on sale for $15 for the holidays.
Also: Amazon Fire TV Stick comparison: How they stack up to each other
More holiday streaming service deals
- Current Price: $9.99 per month with Ads
- Original Price: $15.98 per month for both with Ads
With Hulu, you save big when it comes to bundles. Currently, a Hulu account is $17.99 without ads and includes a 30-day free trial.
However, if you get the Disney Bundle Duo, you can get Disney+ and Hulu with ads for $9.99 per month or without ads for $20, saving you 37%. Or if you get the Disney Bundle Trio, which includes Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ you can get all three with ads for $14.99 per month or without ads for $25, saving you over 40% on all three services.
Additionally, if you are a student, you can get Hulu with Ads for $1.99 per month, saving you $6 monthly.
- Current Price: $60 per year
- Original Price: $70 per year
As a streaming service from NBCUniversal, Peacock offers everything from live TV and sports to blockbuster movies and award-winning shows. If you want to save with Peacock, your best bet is the annual option, where instead of paying $72 for a year, you can pay $60 for the Premium plan or $120 per year instead of paying $144, cutting down the cost by 17%.
It's also worth noting that if you are a Spectrum TV customer, you can get Peacock for free, and if you are a student, you can get Peacock Premium for $1.99 per month. There is currently no Peacock TV free trial, but you can cancel the service anytime.
- Current Price: $6.99 per month
- Original Price: $14.99 per month
Prime Video is available as part of the Amazon Prime membership for $14.99, or you can sign up for Prime Video on its own for $8.99 per month. If you sign up for the annual Prime membership, you can save $40 per year. The streaming service offers a wide range of movies, shows, sports, and even Amazon original films and series.
If you want some additional deals to save some cash, Amazon offers extra deals for qualifying users. Students can get a Prime monthly membership for $7.49 per month, which saves them $90 a year, or a $69 annual plan, which saves them $111 a year. Qualified government assistance recipients, including SNAP EBT and Medicaid recipients, can get Prime for $6.99, saving $96 annually.
Amazon also offers a 30-day free trial for non-Prime members and a Student 6-month free trial if you want to test the service before committing to it.
Also: The best video streaming services
How did we choose these holiday deals?
ZDNET only writes about deals we want to buy -- devices and products we desire, need, or would recommend. Our experts looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops.
We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we're recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing -- in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.
What is the best streaming device and service?
When it comes to streaming devices and services, it is honestly up to personal preference and budget. Most, if not all, of the tech giants offer their version of a streaming device that can turn your regular TV into a smart TV (if you don't already have one). ZDNET's pick for the best streaming device overall is the Apple TV 4K, which is also the one I own and love. But back when I was a college student, the Amazon Fire TV stick was my favorite due to its incredible value for price.
In terms of the best streaming services, picking a favorite truly depends on the shows and movies you love to watch. That is why we included the best deals available on all of the most popular services. However, if you really want to know my personal favorite, Hulu and Max are a non-negotiable must-have for me.
What are the best holiday deals right now?
ZDNET's experts have been searching for holiday deals across sites like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and more. Here are the top deals by category we've found so far.
- Best holiday phone deals
- Best holiday laptop deals
- Best holiday tablet deals
- Best holiday TV deals
- Best holiday smartwatch deals
- Best holiday headphones deals
- Best holiday monitor deals
- Best holiday robot vacuum deals
- Best holiday VPN deals
- Best holiday gaming deals
- Best holiday gaming desktop deals
- Best holiday Roku deals