Crunchyroll vs Funimation: Compared In 5 Different Ways

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Couple stuck with Crunchyroll issue on TV

Are you having a hard time comparing Crunchyroll vs Funimation?

You’re not alone! One would think that having many options to choose from would be a good thing. But sometimes, it can be confusing and overwhelming.

Whether you’ve already tried both or are looking into subscribing to either one for the first time, it’s only natural that you’re wondering which one will be the best bang for your buck.

Below, I’ve prepared a list including some of the most important concepts to take into consideration when trying to determine which platform is better. Rest assured that, by the end of it, you’ll have a clear picture of where to place your bets.

The 5 different concepts we’ll use to compare Crunchyroll vs Funimation are:

  1. Price
  2. Supported platforms
  3. Benefits
  4. Stability
  5. Shows

Read on to make the right choice!

#1 Price

Let’s start off by talking a little about the price differences between each one, as this tends to be the critical factor for driving purchasing decisions.

In this regard, you’ll be happy to know that both platforms offer friendly monthly prices that should satisfy your anime needs. When compared with other services like Netflix, for example, both options are very accessible.

Starting with Crunchyroll, this platform has 3 subscriber tiers: Fan, Mega Fan, and Ultimate Fan, which cost $7.99, $9.99, and $14.99 respectively. All three tiers are ad-free and allow you to stream in 720p resolution, which is then upscaled to 1080p (HD upscaled to Full HD).

Funimation, on the other hand also has 3 tiers, which are Premium, Premium Plus, and Premium Plus Ultra, going for $5.99, $7.99, and $8.33 ($99.99 per year) respectively; however, the Premium Plus Ultra plan must be paid upfront for the whole year, as opposed to the other two tiers.

Now, at first glance, I know it seems like Funimation is the way to go, as it’s cheaper and looks like it has a wide catalog for you to choose from, but we’re just getting started. There are many more elements we need to evaluate before you can make an informed decision as we keep comparing Crunchyroll vs Funimation.

#2 Supported Platforms

Next, let’s move on to where you can watch both services on, as portability and options are also critical to a proper streaming experience.

In most countries, both Funimation and Crunchyroll are supported on the most popular streaming devices and operating systems, such as Android, iOS, PC, Mac, Roku, etc. There are, of course, some exceptions to this rule in some regions of the world, but they’re few and far between.

Just to mention one, users in Latin America are somewhat restricted by Funimation, as there’s no iOS app available at the time of writing of this article, and offline downloads seem to be blocked as well.

This might not sound like something that affects you if you live elsewhere. But if you ever travel to any of the beautiful Southern American countries, you’ll experience these restrictions, as any network you connect to will belong to that area.

… unless you have a VPN, of course. But that’s a story for another day.

#3 Benefits

Moving on, let’s cover another critical factor to consider when comparing Crunchyroll vs Funimation – the benefits each of their tiers will give you.

As I mentioned earlier, both platforms have three different types of memberships and the features available increase with each one. It’s really important that you analyze what you’re being offered adequately, as you might otherwise end up paying for extra bells and whistles you don’t need or want.

To give you a clearer view of what belongs where, here’s a little table I prepared for you:

Crunchyroll vs Funimation benefits
Use this table to get a clearer perspective of which plan is best for you

#4 Stability

Next, let’s talk about how stable each platform is, as there’s nothing more annoying than wanting to relax, only to encounter several issues while streaming.

In this regard, I’d be lying if I told you one has the upper hand, as they’re both apps at the end of the day, and as such, are prone to server errors, casting issues, and many other technical difficulties.

A while back, I would have probably told you that Crunchyroll was more reliable due to the size of the platform and the amount of titles they have. But since 2017, Funimation has been part of a large Tech giant (which I’ll discuss later on), so it now has a greater infrastructure for stability.

At the end of the day, there are more factors that could come into play, such as a bad internet connection, outdated devices, or corrupted cache & cookies that are external to either app. In order to guarantee the best streaming experience you can possibly have, I’d recommend taking a look at these first.

When everything is working properly in your home, streaming services are bound to as well.

#5 Shows

Last, but not least, let’s discuss the catalog each platform has, as it’s one thing to pay a certain monthly fee for a subscription, but a very different one to do so for little to no content.

When comparing Crunchyroll vs Funimation in this regard, the former blows the latter out of the water, as it boasts a catalog almost twice as large. At the time of writing of this article, Crunchyroll has over 1,000 titles available, which are split into movies, and shows.

Funimation, on the other hand only has 600 (which is still a lot, but merely a little over half of what the competing platform has to offer).

Now, it’s not always about the numbers. More often than not, quality matters more than quantity; however, even in this regard, Crunchyroll wins. Not because Funimation has bad shows or movies, but rather because it doesn’t have as many exclusives.

At the end of the day, the platform you subscribe to doesn’t have to be the one with the most content, but rather the one that fits your watching needs best.

Sony Purchase

As a nice little bonus, I’d like to cover this, as it might not be something everyone knows.

In 2021, Tech giant Sony purchased Crunchyroll for the staggering amount of 1.175 billion dollars. This might seem like a steep price to pay for a streaming service, but when you consider that the anime market is expected to grow to an incredible 56.39 billion dollars by 2030, it’s actually a great investment.

Now, why am I telling you all this? After all, you’re not reading a Marketing lecture!

Well, the simple answer is that with Sony purchasing Crunchyroll, the platform joins a wide portfolio of anime-related streaming services which includes Funimation. Yes, that’s right. Sony is also a major stakeholder in Funimation since 2017.

This means that now, a single company owns both platforms, and that can bring about many advantages and disadvantages. Usually, large corporate purchases like these tend to take a while before changes can be implemented.

But rest assured that eventually, we’ll see price differences and even content shifts within each service to avoid market cannibalization (when two sibling companies “eat” each other’s market share by offering the same product).

Who knows? Maybe soon you’ll find Crunchyroll exclusives being relocated to Funimation or vice versa.

Conclusion

Comparing Crunchyroll vs Funimation is no easy task. Both platforms offer wonderful services, exclusive content, and attractive perks for subscribers. Choosing between either one can give anyone a proper headache.

I hope this piece has helped you see the main differences between them and highlighted what you’ll find useful and what you don’t really need. As I said before, at the end of the day, what works for other people doesn’t matter. It’s all about what works for you.

Luckily, both platforms offer budget-friendly plans with lots of perks so all you have to worry about is enjoying your favorite anime. Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll will bring about many changes, but most of them (if not all), are for the best and will surely take your streaming sessions to the next level.

Thank you so much for sticking with me all the way to the end. If this article piqued your interest and was helpful to you, it’ll make you very happy to know that we upload new content every week. While we put the finishing touches to our latest work, please check out our other resources below to become a Tech Detective yourself.

Have a great week!