Funimation vs Crunchyroll: Which is the better anime streaming service?

If you are into Anime then you must have come across Funimation and Crunchyroll as both are arguably the behemoths among anime streaming sites. Crunchyroll was started in 2006 as a service to start streaming East-Asia content but soon it turned into one of the biggest Anime streaming sites along with Funimation. 

But ever since Sony’s Funimation acquired Crunchyroll for $1.2 Billion and that could potentially lead to the end of Crunchyroll or maybe not. There could be two ways Sony can go about this, one is where they merge Crunchyroll into Funimation and have a premium price tag for it, or two is where they still allow Crunchyroll to run under Funimation’s Administration. 

This could be something like what Facebook did when it bought Instagram. Yes, Insta is owned by Facebook but their apps are still different and its users are too.

So since both the companies are now under Sony, it made us wonder: Which one is better? That’s why I have created a detailed comparison of Funimation vs Crunchyroll two and see who comes out on top. 

Funimation VS Crunchyroll: What to expect

We’ll be comparing the two in different categories and then we’ll declare the final winner.

Crunchyroll vs Funimation: Features

Winner: Tie

Funimation vs Crunchyroll: Availability 

Crunchyroll – Crunchyroll is available in a total of 170 countries. Although the quality of the video will vary from country to country.

Funimation – As of March 2021, Funimation is only available in 8 countries that are, U.S.A, Canada, UK, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Brazil & Mexico

Winner – Crunchyroll

Funimation vs Crunchyroll: List Of Anime Shows

Crunchyroll – Crunchyroll claims to have over 1000 Anime Shows which are included in its Free and Paid Plans. They seem to have the biggest library when it comes to streaming Anime.

Funimation – Funimation on the other hand also has an amazing library with over 900 Anime Shows. Some are available for free, others in their paid plan.

Winner – Crunchyroll. Although one must point out that no individual wouldn’t be unsatisfied with 900+ shows as well, if you watch 900 shows and are still not satisfied then you need a life (sorry).

Funimation vs Crunchyroll: Comparing Subbed and Dubbed content

Crunchyroll – Crunchyroll is famous for having subbed anime as a lot of hard-core Anime watchers do like to watch the show in authentic language. Also sometimes the dubbing of the Anime isn’t great and can hamper the mood of the scene. You can also go through this Crunchyroll review to know more in detail about the anime dubbing quality. 

Funimation – Funimation on the other hand prefers dubbed anime over subbed and this can bother some people but also please some. Because a lot of people have trouble concentrating on either reading the subs or watching the scene, this especially happens when you are watching a foreign language. You can find a more detailed view of this Funimation review for the same. 

So a dubbed show is much easier to understand.

Winner – Tie. This is a really subjective category as different people have different tastes, so you pick what suits you best.

Funimation vs Crunchyroll: Compatibility 

Crunchyroll – Crunchyroll is available on all leading platforms of streaming 

Funimation – Same as Crunchyroll, Funimation is also available on all leading streaming platforms.

Winner – Tie

Funimation vs Crunchyroll: Free trials

Crunchyroll – Crunchyroll free trial lasts for 14 days long period after which the users have to pay for the subscriptions plans or enjoy some limited content with numerous ads.

Funimation – Funimation free trial also goes for a period of 14 days after which the users can purchase one of their three subscriptions plans.

Winner – Tie

Funimation vs Crunchyroll: Pricing comparison

Crunchyroll – Crunchyroll has 3 paid subscription plans:- 

Fan Plan: $7.99/month

Mega Fan Plan: $9.99/month

Ultimate Fan Plan: $14.99/month

Funimation – Funimation also has 3 paid subscription plans:-

Premium Plan: $5.99/month

Premium Plus Plan: $7.99/month

Premium Plus Ultra Plan: $99.99/ year ($8.33/month)

Winner – Funimation

Funimation vs Crunchyroll: Website Interface comparison

Crunchyroll – Crunchyroll packs a lot on its streaming website and that shows. It is laggy and looks very old.

Funimation – Funimation on the other hand has a very modern and classy website that streams well and looks good with fewer bugs.

Winner – Funimation.

Funimation vs Crunchyroll: App Interface comparison

Crunchyroll – The application is available for both IOS and Android devices but has a lot of ads present in it. I get it that the company needs to make a profit but 4 Ads with a duration of more than 10 seconds being played back to back and then have 2 Ads after a break can get on your nerve. 

Plus the video lags and freezes in between as well. So it is not the best app available to watch Anime on.

Funimation – Funimation is no less when it comes to its app. Although it is available on both Google Play and App Store, the app suffers terribly when it comes to streaming. The video keeps on lagging, there is a 1-second delay between the audio and the video, Casting the video on Chromecast is also a hassle and sometimes it downright doesn’t even play anything.

Winner – Tie in terms of how poor their apps are. 

Funimation vs Crunchyroll: Alternatives

Crunchyroll – Crunchyroll alternatives are a lot present but they are mostly pirated and illegal to use.

Funimation – Funimation alternatives are also there and offer the same line of content that it offers. But the only difference is that Funimation is legal, but the same cannot be said for its alternatives

Winner – Tie as both streaming services are the best alternatives for each other.

Are Funimation and Crunchyroll the same?

Sony’s Funimation has officially announced the acquisition of Crunchyroll via a press release. However, both streaming services have continued to run separately. But as per reports, there are plans for launching one membership plan for both Funimation and Crunchyroll in the near future. So in conclusion it is only a matter of time before both the top streaming services merge into one.

Final note: Funimation vs Crunchyroll: which is better?

If you look at the scores then it is a tie. I genuinely didn’t plan it out like this, it happened. But that should also tell you about both the platforms.

Yes, many would definitely prefer Crunchyroll over Funimation because of its superb content library and also its own Originals which Funimation doesn’t make. But Funimation is also isn’t any regular streaming site.

There is a reason why it is considered as a competitor to the best Anime Streaming site. With its really modern website interface, compatibility on many popular devices, great pricing plan all these factors make Funimation a great competitor.

But it is Crunchyroll which takes a slight edge over Funimation with its 1000 shows, its own originals, mangas on Crunchyroll, and some little nuances that Funimation lacks that make it a winner of this round.

So what do you prefer, which would you watch your Animes on Crunchyroll or Funimation or a new app that includes the best of both of them and has a slightly higher price? Tell us down in the comments below.