Top 8 Affordable Streaming Services for Students on a Budget

Studies are expensive — which is why it’s so important for students to grab hold of special discounts and deals whenever the opportunity arises.

According to Statista, students are one of the demographics most likely to stream music and movies every day — with 70% of people aged between 18 and 34 having subscribed to a streaming service in 2020.

As such, it’s unfortunate that many streaming services are too pricey for a student’s pocket.

Not to worry. We’ve got you covered!

This article will give you a list of the eight best affordable streaming services so that you can enjoy the latest movies and music while in college.

Top 8 student streaming services

Here’s a list of the best movie and music streaming services that offer student discount plans.

1. Spotify bundle

If you’re looking for a streaming service that offers both music and TV streaming options, then the Spotify Premium, Hulu, and SHOWTIME bundle is perfect for you.

With this $4.99 bundle, you’ll get ad-free access to millions of shows and music. Furthermore, you’ll also get one month absolutely free when you sign up for the one-month free trial.

Note that this plan needs to be renewed annually, and you’ll only be able to use it for up to four years while you’re studying.

Get the deal here.

Looking for other ways to save money as a student? Discover effective ways you can save money and budget effectively while in college.

2. Hulu

Hulu is an excellent TV streaming service offering tons of movies, shows, animated content, and original programming. In fact, this streaming service is so popular that it had over 45 million paying subscribers in quarter one of 2022.

graph depicting the number of paying subscribers that hulu has

As a student, you can enjoy all its movies and shows at a massive discount. Its ad-supported plan will only cost you $1.99 per month. Even though you’ll still need to watch a few commercials, the price is extremely low, which makes it worth it.

Get the deal here.

Enjoy even more savings when you make use of our Hulu coupon codes.

3. Discovery+

In addition to a seven-day free trial, eligible students can stream Discovery Plus with limited ads for $2.99 per month.

The student plan gives you access to over 55,000 episodes of classic and current shows from channels such as Food Network, Lifetime, Discovery Channel, and more. The plan needs to be renewed annually.

Get the deal here.

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4. TIDAL

TIDAL offers a 50% discount for college students. This Norwegian-American music, video, and podcast streaming service is excellent if you’re looking to listen to high-quality music with high-definition music videos.

You’ll get to choose between the Student Hifi plan at $4.99 per month and the Student Hifi Plus plan at $9.99 per month.

Get the deal here.

5. Paramount+

Paramount Plus is an amazing video-on-demand streaming service that many of its users enjoy every single day. In May of 2021, 25% of U.S. Paramount Plus subscribers used the service every day, while a further 31% used it several times a week.

image showing the frequency at which people in the U.S. watch paramount plus

The streaming service has a 25% off student discount for its monthly subscription plans, where you’ll get more than 30,000 movies and shows on-demand, including originals and live sports. Note that this plan is ad-supported — meaning that you’ll have to watch commercials.

Get the deal here.

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6. Apple Music and Apple TV+ bundle

If you’re a student enrolled in a degree-granting university and are studying toward a bachelor’s degree, post-graduate degree, or equivalent Higher Education course, then you qualify for Apple Music’s student subscription.

For the price of $4.99 per month, you’ll get access to Apple Music as well as Apple TV Plus for up to 48 months (depending on your student status).

This means that you’ll not only get access to 50 million songs, but you’ll also get to watch original movies and TV shows.

Get the deal here.

7. YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium has seen a massive growth spurt over the past few years and is predicted to continue its growth in the future. In fact, the number of paying YouTube premium subscribers is estimated to grow to 27.9 million in 2024.

image showing the number of youtube premium subscribers

If you’re a student, you can get a YouTube premium subscription for $4.99 per month, which includes ad-free viewing, background play, download ability, and YouTube Music. You’ll have to renew your subscription every year while studying.

Get the deal here.

8. Amazon Prime

Amazon offers students the Prime Student subscription that gives you a whopping six-month free trial. After the trial, students will only be expected to pay $7.49 per month for the following months instead of its standard price of $14.99.

Included in the Prime Student program, you’ll get Prime Video and Amazon Music, which give you access to thousands of popular movies, songs, TV shows, and Amazon Originals.

Aside from Prime Video and Music, the discounts also extend to Amazon itself with numerous additional benefits such as Prime Delivery, early access to deals, exclusive deals, Prime Reading, and more.

Get the deal here.

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Ready to choose your ideal streaming service?

By using one of the streaming services listed above, you can save money every single month — and have a lot of extra dollars in your pocket at the end of the year.

Are you a student looking for different ways to make money? Here’s a list of 100 legitimate ways you can make money while you’re in college.

about the author

Marc Mezzacca
Founder and CEO, CouponFollow
As the Founder and CEO of CouponFollow, Marc has a passion for helping consumers save time and money while shopping online. He’s been a bargain and deal hunter since the early 2000s.