If you enjoy watching TV shows and movies, chances are you already subscribe to two or three video streaming services.
Starz, which is primarily known as a premium channel along the lines of HBO or Cinemax, is another service to consider.
Starz's large catalog of movies distinguishes it from the pack, but its small library of original content does not compare well to what the best of the competition offers.
In testing, we also encountered some reliability issues with its apps and interfaces.
Consider Editors' Choices Netflix for on-demand content and Hulu or Sling TV for a cable alternative.
Honest, Objective Reviews
Daxdi.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
What Can I Watch With Starz?
You should choose video streaming services that offer programs you enjoy watching.
For instance, some people prefer live news and sports programming.
Others may only want to watch the latest trending shows on their own schedule.
Still, others may want a bit of both.
Starz offers a mix of original shows and on-demand movies and is most similar to HBO Now and CBS All Access.
Starz features all of the premium channel's current and past original programs.
Episodes from on-air shows go live at the same time as they do on cable, and you can stream entire series and seasons of past shows on-demand, too.
Original shows currently available for streaming include America to Me, American Gods, Boss, Counterpart, Liberty City, Outlander, Survivor's Remorse, and The White Queen.
This list of original programming is not nearly as extensive as those of Netflix, Amazon Prime, or HBO Now, nor does it feature as many well-known titles.
A show can still be excellent without being popular, but getting enough exposure to attract people to subscribe will always be an issue.
Starz also offers a selection of children's and Anime programming.
Some examples include Digimon, Garfield and Friends, Ghost in the Shell, Inu Yasha, Naruto, Madeline, Paddington Bear, and Jim Henson's The Storyteller.
Comedy series are also available, among them Martin Lawrence's 1st Amendment Stand Up, Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud series, New York's Funniest, Night Train with Wyatt Cenac, and Party Down.
A major appeal of Starz is its extensive movie catalog; after all, prolific film studio Lionsgate owns the channel.
At the time of this review, Starz offers an impressive catalog of 1,263 movies.
That's especially noteworthy when you consider that many video streaming services are turning away from this movie-centric model.
Some examples of movies on the service include 2012, 27 Dresses, Borat, Independence Day, Juno, Jumanji, Law Abiding Citizen, Office Space, Spiderman: Homecoming, The Proposal, The Social Network, and Zombieland.
Kid-specific titles include Casper, Charlotte's Web, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Like Mike, RV, Surf's Up, The Karate Kid, and Up.
This is only a small sampling of the available titles; you can check out everything available on the Starz website.
Also note that the movie and TV series lineup may change at times, much as shows arrive and leave on the other video streaming platforms.
Pricing and Platforms
Starz costs $8.99 per month, which is reasonable for an on-demand streaming service.
You can save some money by switching to an annual plan, which costs $74.99 per year.
Starz's pricing falls right in the middle of other cabled-channel-turned-streaming-service options.
For example, CBS All Access' (7-Day Free Trial at CBS All Access) base plan is cheaper at $5.99 per month; at the other end of the spectrum, HBO Now costs $14.99 per month.
Starz allows you to stream on up to four devices simultaneously, which compares favorably to most services.
Unlike the way that HBO splits cable and on-demand subscriptions into HBO Go and HBO Now, all Starz services have the same name: Starz.
As for subscribing, you can either add Starz to an existing cable subscription or purchase it outright.
Users can also sign up via the mobile app and manage their subscription from there; a free seven-day trial option is available here, though it does require you to enter a payment option and cancel on your own before it expires.
Starz is available as an add-on to other video streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, DirecTV Now, Hulu, Sling TV ($35 per Month for Blue or Orange Plan at Sling TV) , or YouTube TV for the same price.
The Starz streaming service works on a wide range of platforms and streaming media devices, including phones and tablets running at least Android 4.1 or iOS 8.1.
It's also available on Android and Apple TVs; Amazon Fire tablets, Fire TVs, and Fire TV Sticks; and Roku devices.
Additionally, you can watch Starz on the Xbox One and One S; select Smart TVs from Sony, Samsung, and LG; and the Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari browsers.
Starz's Web Interface
Starz's web dashboard is functional and looks fine, but it's not as sleek as what some competitors offer.
Occasionally, this interface also lagged a bit in my testing.
Across the top, Starz displays a list of horizontal menu items: Home, Featured, Series, Movies, My List, Schedule.
The categories work as you expect; each shows various sliders of noteworthy content broken down into categories such as Originals, Popular, Just Added, or a specific genre.
The My List section organizes everything that you are currently watching, want to watch, or have downloaded in one place.
The Schedule interface is an easy way to see everything set to air on any of the Starz channels.
A Live TV option for the main Starz channel is also available on some platforms.
On the right-hand side of the screen, you can switch profiles, search for content, or access the settings.
Starz offers a wide range of content across the rating spectrum (including NC-17 and TV-MA), so I appreciate that Starz includes parental controls.
It's pretty simple to set up as well.
Just enter a PIN and select a maximum rating that each profile is allowed to view for both the TV and Movie sections.
From the settings menu, you can also view and manage subscription information, access the FAQs, or get in contact with Starz directly.
Notably missing, however, are accessibility options, as I discuss a bit later.
Mobile App
I installed Starz's Android app (there's also an iPhone app) on Nexus 5X running Android 8.1 and signed into my account without any issues.
The app looks bland and lifeless compared to those of competitors, especially Hulu ($5.99 Per Month at Hulu) and Netflix.
It also stutters a bit more often than I would prefer.
That said, I do appreciate the dark theme and the occasional light-hearted language in some sections.
The app's homepage shows a slider with a few featured shows going across the top.
Below the slider, users have three selections to choose from: Featured, Series, and Movies.
You can swipe from the left to reveal a hidden menu with additional options.
Here, you get the same options as on the main screen, along with My List.
One missing section is the Schedule option from the desktop, which means you won't be able to watch the Starz channel live on mobile.
That said, the vast majority of the titles you see in the schedule are available for streaming anyway.
Tap on the Settings to access app and account preferences.
In addition to managing account and subscription information, you can launch a FAQ section right from within the app or contact Starz directly with a form email.
The Application Preferences area is where you set streaming rules for cellular connections and edit parental control settings for different profiles.
Back on the home page, clicking on any of the main content categories leads to a more vibrant content view, similar to what you would find with Netflix or Prime Video.
For reference, during my testing period, some categories included Starz Originals, Julia Roberts, Halloween, and The Bald and the Beautiful.
The Series and Movies sections also break down into various sections, including Action, Comedy Just Added, and Popular.
These categories are consistent with what you will find on the web interface.
Selecting individual show and movie titles gives you more information about the content.
You get the option to play, download, share, or add it to the My List section.
The ability to watch shows offline is always a great feature to have for long distance travelers, commuters, or even people who are just away from home or a reliable Wi-Fi network.
Starz was one of the first streaming services to offer this functionality, and it works similarly to those that have since followed.
You can download most movies and shows, but note that titles will self-delete two weeks after you initially download them and may also be removed due to expired licenses.
Performance and Accessibility
I tested Starz's web and mobile app streaming performance over a variety of Wi-Fi connections, including Daxdi's corporate Wi-Fi (50Mbps download).
Starz launched streams consistently and the app didn't lag when I scrubbed to various parts of the video.
For reference, over the same internet connection, it took around a minute and a half to download an hour-long episode of Power in high quality.
Make sure you are connected to Wi-Fi before you commence any downloads so you don't end up paying cellular data fees.
Annoyingly, Starz plays a pre-roll ad at the beginning of a show or movie.
These clips highlight content from Starz library, so they are not quite as bad as traditional cable ads, but it's still not an ideal user experience.
Amazon Prime Video (30-Day Trial of Ad-Free Streaming at Amazon) and HBO Now are also guilty of this self-promotion practice.
Starz says most of its streaming content is available in 1080p, which is fine, but not up to the technical prowess of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
Both of those services offer a respectable amount of 4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR) content.
Starz recommends network download speeds of at least 6Mbps for the best experience, which shouldn't pose a problem for the majority of users.
While the playback screen does include a Closed Caption toggle, Starz is missing some of the customization options (including text size, font, positioning) that other services, such as Hulu and Netflix, build into their players.
You can also forget about robust accessibility features such as Amazon Prime Video's Audio Descriptions.
This option adds contextual audio notes about scene changes and character movements for select shows.
Starz and VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) is an excellent tool for securing your activity online.
However, many video streaming services simply won't work if you are connected to one.
One potential reason for this policy is that the video service's content may be region-locked or subject to other licensing restrictions.
Starz, for example, is limited to US residents.
Blocking the use of VPNs and proxies prevents people outside the country from spoofing their location and bypassing this rule.
Finding a VPN that works with all of your favorite video services is no easy task, especially when you consider the fact that most streaming services actively try to thwart common workarounds.
Some VPNs do offer dedicated streaming servers for specific services, but this should not be your main concern when choosing a VPN.
Data privacy and sound security practices should be your top priorities.
Starz: Movies and More
Starz stacks up moderately well against on-demand streaming services, mostly thanks to its extensive movie library and decent, but not exceptional, line up of original shows.
Still, the mobile and desktop apps are not quite as slick as those of other services and it lacks some high-end accessibility options and technical capabilities.
If you do particularly enjoy Starz's content, you shouldn't hesitate to sign up; it's priced moderately and includes conveniences such as offline downloads on mobile.
Otherwise, we recommend some combination of Editors' Choices Netflix, Hulu, and Sling TV.
If you do go that route, you can always buy Starz's original shows when they release on iTunes, if you're an American Gods or Outlander fan.
Cons
Not as many quality original shows as other services.
Mobile apps and web interface sometimes stutter.
Limited accessibility options.
The Bottom Line
Starz offers an expansive movie library and a moderate sampling of original shows, but its app experience doesn't feel as premium or stable as the competition's.
If you enjoy watching TV shows and movies, chances are you already subscribe to two or three video streaming services.
Starz, which is primarily known as a premium channel along the lines of HBO or Cinemax, is another service to consider.
Starz's large catalog of movies distinguishes it from the pack, but its small library of original content does not compare well to what the best of the competition offers.
In testing, we also encountered some reliability issues with its apps and interfaces.
Consider Editors' Choices Netflix for on-demand content and Hulu or Sling TV for a cable alternative.
Honest, Objective Reviews
Daxdi.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
What Can I Watch With Starz?
You should choose video streaming services that offer programs you enjoy watching.
For instance, some people prefer live news and sports programming.
Others may only want to watch the latest trending shows on their own schedule.
Still, others may want a bit of both.
Starz offers a mix of original shows and on-demand movies and is most similar to HBO Now and CBS All Access.
Starz features all of the premium channel's current and past original programs.
Episodes from on-air shows go live at the same time as they do on cable, and you can stream entire series and seasons of past shows on-demand, too.
Original shows currently available for streaming include America to Me, American Gods, Boss, Counterpart, Liberty City, Outlander, Survivor's Remorse, and The White Queen.
This list of original programming is not nearly as extensive as those of Netflix, Amazon Prime, or HBO Now, nor does it feature as many well-known titles.
A show can still be excellent without being popular, but getting enough exposure to attract people to subscribe will always be an issue.
Starz also offers a selection of children's and Anime programming.
Some examples include Digimon, Garfield and Friends, Ghost in the Shell, Inu Yasha, Naruto, Madeline, Paddington Bear, and Jim Henson's The Storyteller.
Comedy series are also available, among them Martin Lawrence's 1st Amendment Stand Up, Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud series, New York's Funniest, Night Train with Wyatt Cenac, and Party Down.
A major appeal of Starz is its extensive movie catalog; after all, prolific film studio Lionsgate owns the channel.
At the time of this review, Starz offers an impressive catalog of 1,263 movies.
That's especially noteworthy when you consider that many video streaming services are turning away from this movie-centric model.
Some examples of movies on the service include 2012, 27 Dresses, Borat, Independence Day, Juno, Jumanji, Law Abiding Citizen, Office Space, Spiderman: Homecoming, The Proposal, The Social Network, and Zombieland.
Kid-specific titles include Casper, Charlotte's Web, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Like Mike, RV, Surf's Up, The Karate Kid, and Up.
This is only a small sampling of the available titles; you can check out everything available on the Starz website.
Also note that the movie and TV series lineup may change at times, much as shows arrive and leave on the other video streaming platforms.
Pricing and Platforms
Starz costs $8.99 per month, which is reasonable for an on-demand streaming service.
You can save some money by switching to an annual plan, which costs $74.99 per year.
Starz's pricing falls right in the middle of other cabled-channel-turned-streaming-service options.
For example, CBS All Access' (7-Day Free Trial at CBS All Access) base plan is cheaper at $5.99 per month; at the other end of the spectrum, HBO Now costs $14.99 per month.
Starz allows you to stream on up to four devices simultaneously, which compares favorably to most services.
Unlike the way that HBO splits cable and on-demand subscriptions into HBO Go and HBO Now, all Starz services have the same name: Starz.
As for subscribing, you can either add Starz to an existing cable subscription or purchase it outright.
Users can also sign up via the mobile app and manage their subscription from there; a free seven-day trial option is available here, though it does require you to enter a payment option and cancel on your own before it expires.
Starz is available as an add-on to other video streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, DirecTV Now, Hulu, Sling TV ($35 per Month for Blue or Orange Plan at Sling TV) , or YouTube TV for the same price.
The Starz streaming service works on a wide range of platforms and streaming media devices, including phones and tablets running at least Android 4.1 or iOS 8.1.
It's also available on Android and Apple TVs; Amazon Fire tablets, Fire TVs, and Fire TV Sticks; and Roku devices.
Additionally, you can watch Starz on the Xbox One and One S; select Smart TVs from Sony, Samsung, and LG; and the Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari browsers.
Starz's Web Interface
Starz's web dashboard is functional and looks fine, but it's not as sleek as what some competitors offer.
Occasionally, this interface also lagged a bit in my testing.
Across the top, Starz displays a list of horizontal menu items: Home, Featured, Series, Movies, My List, Schedule.
The categories work as you expect; each shows various sliders of noteworthy content broken down into categories such as Originals, Popular, Just Added, or a specific genre.
The My List section organizes everything that you are currently watching, want to watch, or have downloaded in one place.
The Schedule interface is an easy way to see everything set to air on any of the Starz channels.
A Live TV option for the main Starz channel is also available on some platforms.
On the right-hand side of the screen, you can switch profiles, search for content, or access the settings.
Starz offers a wide range of content across the rating spectrum (including NC-17 and TV-MA), so I appreciate that Starz includes parental controls.
It's pretty simple to set up as well.
Just enter a PIN and select a maximum rating that each profile is allowed to view for both the TV and Movie sections.
From the settings menu, you can also view and manage subscription information, access the FAQs, or get in contact with Starz directly.
Notably missing, however, are accessibility options, as I discuss a bit later.
Mobile App
I installed Starz's Android app (there's also an iPhone app) on Nexus 5X running Android 8.1 and signed into my account without any issues.
The app looks bland and lifeless compared to those of competitors, especially Hulu ($5.99 Per Month at Hulu) and Netflix.
It also stutters a bit more often than I would prefer.
That said, I do appreciate the dark theme and the occasional light-hearted language in some sections.
The app's homepage shows a slider with a few featured shows going across the top.
Below the slider, users have three selections to choose from: Featured, Series, and Movies.
You can swipe from the left to reveal a hidden menu with additional options.
Here, you get the same options as on the main screen, along with My List.
One missing section is the Schedule option from the desktop, which means you won't be able to watch the Starz channel live on mobile.
That said, the vast majority of the titles you see in the schedule are available for streaming anyway.
Tap on the Settings to access app and account preferences.
In addition to managing account and subscription information, you can launch a FAQ section right from within the app or contact Starz directly with a form email.
The Application Preferences area is where you set streaming rules for cellular connections and edit parental control settings for different profiles.
Back on the home page, clicking on any of the main content categories leads to a more vibrant content view, similar to what you would find with Netflix or Prime Video.
For reference, during my testing period, some categories included Starz Originals, Julia Roberts, Halloween, and The Bald and the Beautiful.
The Series and Movies sections also break down into various sections, including Action, Comedy Just Added, and Popular.
These categories are consistent with what you will find on the web interface.
Selecting individual show and movie titles gives you more information about the content.
You get the option to play, download, share, or add it to the My List section.
The ability to watch shows offline is always a great feature to have for long distance travelers, commuters, or even people who are just away from home or a reliable Wi-Fi network.
Starz was one of the first streaming services to offer this functionality, and it works similarly to those that have since followed.
You can download most movies and shows, but note that titles will self-delete two weeks after you initially download them and may also be removed due to expired licenses.
Performance and Accessibility
I tested Starz's web and mobile app streaming performance over a variety of Wi-Fi connections, including Daxdi's corporate Wi-Fi (50Mbps download).
Starz launched streams consistently and the app didn't lag when I scrubbed to various parts of the video.
For reference, over the same internet connection, it took around a minute and a half to download an hour-long episode of Power in high quality.
Make sure you are connected to Wi-Fi before you commence any downloads so you don't end up paying cellular data fees.
Annoyingly, Starz plays a pre-roll ad at the beginning of a show or movie.
These clips highlight content from Starz library, so they are not quite as bad as traditional cable ads, but it's still not an ideal user experience.
Amazon Prime Video (30-Day Trial of Ad-Free Streaming at Amazon) and HBO Now are also guilty of this self-promotion practice.
Starz says most of its streaming content is available in 1080p, which is fine, but not up to the technical prowess of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
Both of those services offer a respectable amount of 4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR) content.
Starz recommends network download speeds of at least 6Mbps for the best experience, which shouldn't pose a problem for the majority of users.
While the playback screen does include a Closed Caption toggle, Starz is missing some of the customization options (including text size, font, positioning) that other services, such as Hulu and Netflix, build into their players.
You can also forget about robust accessibility features such as Amazon Prime Video's Audio Descriptions.
This option adds contextual audio notes about scene changes and character movements for select shows.
Starz and VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) is an excellent tool for securing your activity online.
However, many video streaming services simply won't work if you are connected to one.
One potential reason for this policy is that the video service's content may be region-locked or subject to other licensing restrictions.
Starz, for example, is limited to US residents.
Blocking the use of VPNs and proxies prevents people outside the country from spoofing their location and bypassing this rule.
Finding a VPN that works with all of your favorite video services is no easy task, especially when you consider the fact that most streaming services actively try to thwart common workarounds.
Some VPNs do offer dedicated streaming servers for specific services, but this should not be your main concern when choosing a VPN.
Data privacy and sound security practices should be your top priorities.
Starz: Movies and More
Starz stacks up moderately well against on-demand streaming services, mostly thanks to its extensive movie library and decent, but not exceptional, line up of original shows.
Still, the mobile and desktop apps are not quite as slick as those of other services and it lacks some high-end accessibility options and technical capabilities.
If you do particularly enjoy Starz's content, you shouldn't hesitate to sign up; it's priced moderately and includes conveniences such as offline downloads on mobile.
Otherwise, we recommend some combination of Editors' Choices Netflix, Hulu, and Sling TV.
If you do go that route, you can always buy Starz's original shows when they release on iTunes, if you're an American Gods or Outlander fan.
Cons
Not as many quality original shows as other services.
Mobile apps and web interface sometimes stutter.
Limited accessibility options.
The Bottom Line
Starz offers an expansive movie library and a moderate sampling of original shows, but its app experience doesn't feel as premium or stable as the competition's.
