Short answer: Only if — you specifically want to watch one of Apple's marquee shows, or you're already in the Apple One bundle and it effectively comes included.
Worth it for: TV minimalists who want genuinely excellent drama and have the patience to wait for new seasons Skip if: Anyone who needs a full content library, families, or people currently paying for Netflix plus one other service Better alternative: Netflix (broader catalog, includes kids content, similar price), HBO Max (stronger prestige TV catalog overall)
Apple TV+ has some of the best television being made right now. The problem is "some" means four to six shows worth watching, a three-month wait between seasons, and a $12.99/month subscription that keeps billing during the eight months when those shows aren't releasing.
When It IS Worth It
Severance is on your watchlist. Severance is one of the best TV dramas in years — a premise that sounds like a workplace thriller and turns into something genuinely original. Each season generates conversation because it earns it. If you haven't watched Severance, a single month of Apple TV+ is the cheapest way to get access to something that legitimately deserves its reputation.
You watch prestige TV, not background TV. Apple doesn't make comfort rewatching shows. They make the kind of television where you need to pay attention. For viewers who watch one episode at a time and discuss it afterward, Apple TV+ is a premium experience. For anyone who watches TV while doing other things, the library is too small.
You're in the Apple ecosystem and Apple One makes sense. Apple One Individual ($19.95/month) bundles TV+, Music, Arcade, and iCloud+ 50GB. If you'd pay for any two of those individually, Apple One effectively includes Apple TV+ for free or close to it. The standalone $12.99 looks different when it's part of a bundle serving multiple needs.
You need to watch something specific. Formula 1 fans: Apple now holds US F1 broadcast rights. MLS and Friday Night Baseball are included at no extra cost. If live sports are part of why you're looking at streaming services, Apple TV+ suddenly looks more competitive than its prestige drama positioning suggests.
You got three months free with a device. Apple still bundles three months of TV+ with new device purchases. If you've just bought a Mac, iPhone, or Apple TV 4K, use the trial. Watch everything worth watching in that window. Then decide if you want to continue.
When It Is NOT Worth It
You expect a full browsable library. Netflix has 15,000+ titles. Apple TV+ has a few hundred originals and almost no licensed content. When you've finished the shows worth watching, there's no "related content" rabbit hole. There's just the back catalog and the wait for the next season of something you already like.
You have kids. Disney+ was built around family content. Netflix has a dedicated kids section. Apple TV+'s kids and family library is thin by comparison. If family viewing matters, Apple TV+ is a secondary subscription at best.
You're already paying for Netflix and one other service. The average US household now pays for 4.2 streaming services. Adding Apple TV+ to Netflix plus one other service is the choice that gets canceled and forgotten when someone audits the monthly bills. If you're looking to cut services, Apple TV+ is usually the easiest one to drop — not because it's bad, but because the catalog is smallest.
You want movies. Apple TV+ has original films, but the theatrical film strategy has been inconsistent. The streaming library for movies is not where you should be looking for Friday night options. If movies drive your streaming decisions, this isn't your platform.
Who Should NOT Buy This
- Anyone on a streaming budget — when something has to go, Apple TV+ goes first because the others have more content. Don't add it until you've decided you have room for a niche service.
- Binge-watchers — Apple's series average 8-10 episodes per season and release weekly. No drop-all-episodes binge option. If you clear a season in a weekend and feel cheated by the wait, this pattern will frustrate you.
- People who canceled Apple TV+ before — the catalog growth is slow, and the programming year hasn't dramatically changed. If you left because there wasn't enough to watch in 2023, there's a bit more content in 2026 but not a category-redefining amount.
- Android users without Apple devices — the app exists on Android and smart TVs, but the experience is tuned for Apple hardware. Not a dealbreaker, but worth noting.
Cheaper or Better Alternatives
| Alternative | Price | My Take |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | $15.99-22.99/month | Bigger library, stronger movie selection, worse for prestige drama specifically |
| HBO Max | $9.99-15.99/month | More prestige TV per dollar, also available in bundles; the closer competitor |
| Disney+ | $7.99-13.99/month | Family content and franchises (Marvel, Star Wars), almost opposite programming strategy |
| Amazon Prime Video | Included with Prime | Uneven quality but deep catalog; if you have Prime, you already have it |
See our Netflix review and Disney+ review for comparison.
What Annoys Me About Apple TV+
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The catalog is thin in a way that becomes obvious fast. Open the app, browse for ten minutes, and you'll encounter the same six shows. There's no algorithm-fed discovery rabbit hole because there isn't enough content to get lost in. This matters more on month three than month one.
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Pricing hasn't moved while the library has grown only modestly. Apple TV+ launched at $4.99/month when the catalog was tiny. It's now $12.99/month with a larger but still thin catalog. The price increase hasn't been proportional to content added.
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No offline download on all plans. Downloads for offline viewing exist, but the execution has platform-specific quirks. If travel viewing matters, test the download process on your devices before assuming it works the way you expect.
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Apple TV device required for some content features. Live sports, 4K HDR, and Dolby Atmos features work better on native Apple hardware. On a Samsung TV or Roku, the experience works but isn't identical to watching on an Apple TV 4K. This is a positioning decision, not a technical limitation, and it's mildly annoying.
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Weekly release schedule when competitors drop whole seasons. Apple's prestige showrunners prefer theatrical weekly releases. For some audiences, this creates communal viewing and discussion. For viewers who want to watch on their own schedule, it means waiting weeks for a full season that's ready to watch now.
The Honest Math
Apple TV+ has, by any objective quality measure, one of the best show-per-dollar ratios in the industry if you're measuring great shows against subscription cost. The problem is that ratio breaks down across time. Eight great shows watched over two years cost you $311.76 in subscription fees. The same budget gets you substantially more total content hours on Netflix.
The counter-argument — which holds up — is that most Netflix content is fine but forgettable, and Apple TV+ content tends to be memorable. If you value quality over quantity, Apple TV+ wins the per-hour quality metric convincingly. If you value hours of content, it loses badly.
This is why the "binge and cancel" strategy makes such obvious sense. Subscribe for one or two months during peak release periods. Cancel. Come back when a new season drops. Apple doesn't penalize this behavior — there's no loyalty program, no discounts for annual subscribers (unless bundled), and no penalty for canceling and resubscribing.
Final Verdict
Apple TV+ is a legitimately good service with a real limitation: the catalog is too thin to justify a permanent place in your streaming stack unless you have a specific, ongoing reason for it. F1 fans in the US now have that reason. Severance fans have it for about eight weeks per year.
Subscribe when something you want to watch is actively releasing. Cancel when you've finished. Repeat annually. You'll spend $25-40 per year instead of $156 and feel better about it.
FAQ
What are the best shows on Apple TV+ right now?
Severance (office drama turned psychological thriller, excellent), Slow Horses (UK spy tradecraft with Gary Oldman, exceptional), Silo (post-apocalyptic sci-fi, underrated), For All Mankind (alternate history space race, creative), The Morning Show (better than early reviews suggested). These are genuinely worth watching. The rest of the catalog is uneven.
Does Apple TV+ have movies?
Yes, but the film library is smaller than competitors. CODA won Best Picture. Killers of the Flower Moon was on Apple TV+. Fly Me to the Moon, Napoleon, and Argylle were Apple originals. The film catalog is improving but still thin compared to Amazon Prime Video or Netflix.
Can I cancel Apple TV+ anytime?
Yes, no contract or cancellation penalty. Subscription management is in your Apple ID settings. You can cancel anytime and retain access until the end of the current billing period. The "subscribe for one show, cancel after" strategy is specifically enabled by this.
Is Apple TV+ included with Apple One?
Apple One Individual ($19.95/month) includes TV+, Music ($10.99 standalone), Arcade ($6.99 standalone), and iCloud+ 50GB ($0.99 standalone). The bundle math is favorable if you'd pay for two or more components individually.