Disney Now vs Disney Plus: Can You Still Get the Former as of 2023?

Streaming services indeed provide countless movies and TV shows to millions of users. Who knows what else the industry can do, now that DisneyNow and Disney Plus have entered the competition? Fans of Disney anticipate new shows and movies, as well as classic Disney films that are always loved and watched. But do you know what is the difference between DisneyNow and Disney Plus? This article got you covered.

Section 1: About DisneyNow

1.1. What Is DisneyNow?

DisneyNow is a TV Everywhere app for Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Radio Disney, and Disney XD programs, owned by the Walt Disney Company. It was first launched on September 29, 2017, replacing the individual "Watch" apps that debuted for these networks in 2012, as well as their respective official websites. The app offers a combination of content like live TV, movies, shows, on-demand, games, and music, all under one roof.

What's also interesting about the new app is that it provides a preview of Disney's upcoming streaming service. For example, in DisneyNow, each user can create a profile and choose from over 180 Disney Emoji avatar character poses to associate with their account.

Kids can then personalize their experience by selecting their favorite characters and shows, and they will receive recommendations on what to watch next. The app will also remember where users stop watching, so they can continue where they left off at a later time.

However, with the launch of the Disney Plus in November 2019, Disney began to remove content from DisneyNow, such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, That's So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Phineas and Ferb, Gravity Falls, The Proud Family, and Andi Mack, as well as older seasons of shows such as Raven's Home, Bunk'd, Big City Greens, DuckTales, and Coop & Cami Ask the World, in order to encourage subscription to the new streaming service.

1.2. TV Shows On DisneyNow

DisneyNow provides various qualified shows that can be enjoyed by its fans. Among those are as listed below:

• Andi Mack
• Raven's Home
• Bizaardvark
• Stuck in the Middle
• Tangled: The Series
• Vampirina
• Elena of Avalor
• Mickey and the Roadster Racers
• The Lion Guard
• Puppy Dog Pals
• PJ Masks
• DuckTales
• Star Wars Rebels
• Walk the Prank
• Mech-X4
• Milo Murphy's Law

1.3. Top Movies On DisneyNow

• Top Gun
• Jurassic World
• The Bad Guys
• Top Gun: Maverick
• No Time To Die
• The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
• The Northman
• Spider-Man

Section 2: About Disney Plus

2.1. What Is Disney Plus?

Disney Plus is the official name for Disney's new streaming service, owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company's Media and Entertainment Distribution. It was first launched in November 2019. Although Disney Plus is still a relatively young service, it's quickly become one of the most popular streaming services on the market.

One significant advantage of Disney Plus is that it has a massive library of content from which to draw movies and TV shows, to immediately fill its service while it continues to add to the mix with new Disney Plus movies and TV shows. Other than the enormous library of older content, Disney Plus is now the home of a number of exclusive movies and TV shows that are only available on the streaming service.

2.2. TV Shows On Disney Plus

• Runaways

Marvel's Runaways is about six superpowered teens banding together to fight their criminal parents. Eventually, the team escapes their parents as well as Morgan le Fay and other villains. Despite its occasional reliance on standard superhero storytelling over the course of three seasons, this strong ensemble, along with the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe references and exciting general action, will grow on you.

• Big Shot

This sports dramedy starring John Stamos hits all the right notes. At the heart of the story is a basketball coach, Marvyn Korn, whose bad temper leads to his dismissal from the highest level of college basketball. His next assignment is with a team at a private girls' high school.

• Lizzie McGuire

This Disney Channel classic is about the misadventures of teenager Lizzie McGuire and her friends Miranda and Gordo. The two-season show, which features creative soliloquies from a cartoon version of Lizzie, allows you to peek inside its hero's mind as she discovers her identity and grows up.

2.3. Top Movies On Disney Plus

• Jungle Cruise

Join fan favorites Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure down the Amazon with an amusing skipper Frank Wolff, and fearless researcher Dr. Lily Houghton on Disney's JUNGLE CRUISE.

Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle, where she hires Frank's debatable services to guide her downriver on La Quila, his rickety but charming boat. Lily is determined to find an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities that have the potential to change the course of medicine.

• The Nightmare Before Christmas

This stop-motion animated musical, based on a story by Tim Burton and informed by the look and feel of his offbeat gothic fantasies, has aged into a holiday favorite, not least because it straddles two different holidays at the same time.

Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon) is renowned as the "Pumpkin King" of Halloweentown when he stumbles into a portal leading to Christmas Town and returns with exciting new ideas for reinventing Halloween.

Section 3: DisneyNow vs Disney Plus

Even though Disney Plus and DisneyNow are products owned by the same company, the Walt Disney Company, there is a slight difference between the two.

3.1 What Are The Differences Between Disney Now and Disney Plus?

DisneyNOW is not a mainstream streaming service with a large selection of shows and movies. DisneyNOW functions differently. Even though DisneyNow is not designed to be an over-the-top streaming service, it's a free TV app that you can watch anywhere, but to enjoy it, you must sign in and have a cable TV subscription.

Besides, DisneyNow is an ad-supported streaming app specific to and allows you to watch Disney Junior, Disney Channel, and Disney XD shows. Its programs are primarily aimed at and designed to offer kid-friendly content, targeting children from the ages of 2 to 14 years old.

As a result, parents do not need to be concerned about inappropriate content. It's free and allows you to watch cable shows on any device from anywhere. In addition, parents can enable a "Disney Junior Only" mode to keep the app focused on preschool-appropriate programs.

In contrast, Disney Plus offers ad-free streaming and on-demand service that includes everything from classic movies to new Marvel shows that are suitable for both adults and children.

Disney Plus includes nearly everything in the DisneyNow library, hundreds of animated films from Disney and Pixar, as well as some original programs aimed at older audiences. The main thing is that Disney allows you to watch cable TV shows from anywhere with DisneyNOW, and it also offers a large selection of movies and shows with Disney+.

3.2 Which Is Better Between Disney Now vs Disney Plus?

So, since we've been discussing these two, we might as well try and decide which is the better one. DisneyNow indeed has a good selection of kid-friendly content. It combines a wide range of content for children, including movies, shows, games, music, and even live performances.

Elena of Avalor, The Lion Guard, Stuck in the Middle, Puppy Dog Pals, PJ Masks, DuckTales, and Vampirina are among the shows available on the network. Despite the fact that Disney Now is not an over-the-top streaming service like its counterpart, it still contains exceptional programs that will keep your children entertained all day.

For children under the age of seven, DisneyNow is a better option because it is entirely focused on kid-friendly programs from channels they are likely familiar with. If your child prefers something more interactive than just watching a show, DisneyNow also has a selection of free browser games for them to play online.

Disney Plus, on the other hand, is ideal for the entire family and caters to both children and adults. Furthermore, it provides more variety and content than its counterpart. Despite the subscription fee, Disney Plus is the superior streaming service, and it is still affordable for the vast majority of people.

Although Disney Plus contains more mature content, such as Marvel movies and Star Wars, parental controls can be set to prevent young children from viewing anything inappropriate. Hence, it all lies in your preference to choose which is more suitable for both your kids and family.

Section 4: Can You Get DisneyNow in 2022?

Yes. Since DisneyNOW provides a free service available to customers of participating television providers, like "Spectrum", "DirectTV", "DirectTV stream", "Verizon", "Xfinity", "Cox", "Optimum", you can still watch a select list of full episodes and clips on DisneyNow, even if you don't have a participating TV provider. And if you are a subscriber to one of our participating TV providers, you will not be charged an extra cost for the additional features, as it is a special benefit for you.

With that in mind, DisneyNow is more likely to stay for a while and coexist with Disney Plus. If you already have Disney Plus, it includes almost everything on DisneyNow, so you can watch the same shows and movies for $8 per month.

Section 5: How to Watch Both DisneyNow and Disney Plus Offline

Other than watching DisneyNow or Disney Plus with a cable subscription or streaming, there is another way how you can watch your favorite movies and watch them offline. This third-party Disney downloader tool, StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader, makes it possible for you to download your movies and shows in bulk, and you can watch them later.

Here are the steps of how to use StreamFab for your guidance:

• Start the StreamFab Disney Plus downloader and navigate to the Disney Plus streaming site.

Double-click StreamFab, then select the "Disney Plus" site from the "VIP Services" menu on the left panel.

• Search for and play a video you want to save and watch offline.

• While the video is being played, a window appears with a "Download Now" button. Click it to start the downloading process.

FAQs

1. Does DisneyNow Cost Money?

Fortunately, for Disney fans, Disney Now is a free service as long as you have a cable subscription. Even if you don't have a participating TV provider, you can watch a few full episodes and videos on Disney Now. There will be no additional charges for this as well.

2. Is DisneyNow Free with Disney Plus?

It's apprehensible that when a new service is introduced, there's some confusion about what's available and what isn't. Disney Now is a free service from Disney that specializes in content for children aged 2 to 14. Disney Plus, on the other hand, is a streaming service that requires a subscription. Because Disney now and Disney Plus are two separate platforms, you cannot access one directly on another or vice-versa. But some DisneyNow shows do available on Disney Plus.

3. What Does Disney Plus Include?

Marvel Studios, Star Wars, Pixar, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, and National Geographic are among the companies represented by Disney Plus. With all of these production companies, it provides hundreds, even thousands of TV show episodes and movies. Disney Plus also intends to add more and more content to the platform.

4. Is DisneyNow App Available on Most Streaming Devices?

Yes. Most streaming devices, including Apple, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Kindle, Roku, and Samsung smart TVs support the DisneyNow app. It is also available via the DisneyNow website.

Wrap-up

Both DisneyNow and Disney Plus, owned by the Walt Disney Company, are services that indulge their fans with qualified movies and shows. Apart from programs that are kid-friendly for ages 2-14, which can be watched through DisneyNow. Disney also provides content that can be enjoyed by both children and adults through Disney Plus.

However, to be able to watch all of their programs offline, you will need a tool, StreamFab Disney Plus Downloader, which you can use to download your favorite content from both DisneyNow and Disney Plus in bulk, and then watch them offline.

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