Hidive vs Crunchyroll: Which is the better service to watch anime?

Anime streaming services cater to the needs of fans who are always on the lookout for new anime to watch. And with more and more people entering the realm of Japanese animated content to light up their daily lives sites like Crunchyroll and Hidive seem to be doing God’s work in this regard. Crunchyroll and Hidive, both are highly popular services where one can watch anime content. In fact, these platforms provide a multicolored canvas of anime from different genres for you to watch.  But if you are among one of many fans wanting to know which is the better anime streaming site then you are in the right place. 

In this article, I will simultaneously be comparing the features, pricing, plans, and other aspects of both Hidive and Crunchyroll to determine which one is the better option. So, who do you think will win this showdown between Hidive vs Crunchyroll?

Hidive vs Crunchyroll: What to expect?

1. Categories
2. Features
3. Availability
4. Number of Anime
5. Subbed or dubbed
6. Compatibility
7. Free Trials
8. Pricing
9. Website Interface
10. App Interface
11. Alternatives

Hidive vs Crunchyroll: Features

So it seems that when it comes to features Crunchyroll is better than Hidive as it provides the option for offline downloads. This feature is not available in Hidive. As for how many devices can support a Crunchyroll account, the answer is that it depends on the type of Premium Plans selected by the viewer but on average it is 2 screens. As for Hidive, it supports the usage of one account on 2 screens as well. 

Winner: Crunchyroll

Hidive vs Crunchyroll: Availability

Hidive – Hidive is available for views in 100 countries. You can watch subbed and dubbed versions of anime in a total of 100 countries like the UK, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Australia, France, India, etc.

Crunchyroll: Crunchyroll is supported in 170 countries which include the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, etc.

When it comes to availability, Crunchyroll is way ahead of Hidive in providing services for its customers spread globally. Hidive could do much better in this regard.

Winner: Crunchyroll

Hidive vs Crunchyroll: List of Anime

Crunchyroll is an example-setter in this regard as the anime streaming platform has a collection of over 1000 anime that viewers can watch on subscription to its Premium Plans. Crunchyroll’s library is diverse and they have a colossal catalog for anime that range from action, adventure, fantasy, sports, music, horror, mystery, comedy, romance, love, slice-of-life, etc.

As for Hidive, it has a comparatively smaller library with a total of over 500 titles of anime and movies. However, you can find lots of underground and less well-known anime in Hidive which is a perk. A few examples of these obscure numbers are -Sword Oratoria: Is It Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in A Dungeon, Domestic Girlfriend, Run with the Wind, etc.

It seems like Crunchyroll takes the prize home once again for this one.

Winner: Crunchyroll.

But let’s give one to Hidive too for its special color. If you ever want to be that kid who only watches “uNdErGroUnd” shows, maybe Hidive is your den?

Hidive vs Crunchyroll: Subbed and Dubbed Content Comparison

Crunchyroll has an extensive library of both subbed and dubbed anime for Premium Plus subscribers. I am someone who prefers subbed anime over dubbed versions. Because subbed versions hold more originality than the dubbed ones. But if you are a dubbed anime watcher, Crunchyroll has a variety of options for you too. Crunchyroll also offers Simulcasts shows that are broadcast at the same time as Japan.

Hidive in this case can tackle Crunchyroll. It provides high-quality, subbed, and dubbed shows as well as Simulcast episodes in subbed versions.

I think the verdict is pretty clear in this case.

Winner: Tie

Hidive vs Crunchyroll: Compatibility

The best part about Crunchyroll is that it can be streamed on almost all available platforms. The Crunchyroll app is available for streaming on Android and iOS devices also. Other than these, there’s also an online website that viewers can use to watch anime. This is a very versatile platform and smoothly runs on any leading platform.

Hidive on the other hand can be streamed on all mobile platforms, media streaming devices, and gaming consoles. It also has a website that you can access to avail of its services.

Just like Crunchyroll, Hidive is also supported on multi-platforms. Crunchyroll can be supported on multiple devices and Hidive has surely matched up to that. 

Winner: Tie

Hidive vs Crunchyroll: Pricing Comparison

Crunchyroll has 3 Premium plans available for its subscribers.

1. Fan Plan: $7.99/month
2. Mega Fan Plan: $9.99/month
3. Ultimate Fan Plan: $14.99/month

Crunchyroll also gives you a one-week free trial so that you can decide whether you want to go ahead with the subscription or not.

Hidive has only one plan for its customers.

1. $4.99 per month
2. $47.88 yearly

Hidive also gives you a 30-day free trial for you to make up your mind and check out what the site is all about.

Crunchyroll’s plans are much more expensive than Hidive’s plan. Therefore, the winner is clear in this one.

Winner: Hidive

Hidive vs Crunchyroll: Website Interface Comparison

Crunchyroll’s website interface is pretty user-friendly as it is quite easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for. All the menus and other options are arranged neatly so that you don’t have to waste a lot of time searching for the options. Crunchyroll also has an official merch store where you can find fully anime-themed content like apparel, action figures, physical copies of mangas, and other items.

HiDive’s web interface is a little scattered and messy but quite easy to find your way through it. Although Hidive provides no discussion forums unlike Crunchyroll, it lets you shop for merchandise through the Sentai Filmworks store. 

It seems like both Hidive and Crunchyroll take home the prize for this one!

Winner: Tie

Hidive vs Crunchyroll: App Interface Comparison

Crunchyroll has an app that runs smoothly on any Android and iOS device. However, the only issue is that the app comes with a lot of unnecessary ads that might ruin the viewing experience a little bit. The app’s homepage is also quite easy to navigate through and user-friendly.

Hidive’s app is quite dynamic when it comes to usage but has a lot of playback features missing. Also, the app does not provide you with the chat option that you can find on their website. The quality of videos is also not that good on the app.

In this scenario, it seems like Crunchyroll takes the cake. Not only does the app provide high-quality videos but is versatile and easy to use. Unlike Hidive, which can do a lot better in this regard, since maximum people turn to the app version of this software to watch their anime.

Winner: Crunchyroll

Hidive vs Crunchyroll: Alternatives

There are lots of Crunchyroll alternatives that you can use to watch anime but the only problem is that all of these websites are mostly illegal.

The same problem stands true for Hidive as well. There are numerous alternatives for this website but the only problem arises when it comes to legality. 

Winner: Tie

Final Thoughts: Hidive vs Crunchyroll – Which One Should You Go For?

So what is our final verdict? It seems like between Crunchyroll and Hidive, Crunchyroll is the clear winner. Not only is there a diverse list of anime on Crunchyroll, but also it has much better plans, benefits, availability, compatibility, app interface, etc. 

Yes, it is true that Crunchyroll can be a little expensive however all that money can fetch you a lifetime of benefits and I believe that that makes it worth it. I’m not saying that Hidive is bad. If you are low on budget and like watching anime from niche genres this app is your go-to.

Hidive also gives you a lot of perks and a fairly good collection of anime at a much lower price. It also has pretty good device compatibility and a web interface. The only areas where it lacks are its availability and app interface. But we can only hope that the developers of this website take into account these issues and work to fix them in the future.

So, which one is your preference when it comes to anime streaming websites? Let us know in the comments below!