Since its 2019 launch, Apple TV Plus has taken a rather different approach to its streaming rivals. While the likes of Netflix, Prime Video and Max boast considerably bigger content libraries, Apple has opted for a more selective approach, investing heavily in prestige content.

That investment is clear in the level of talent Apple TV Plus has attracted to its movies and TV shows, whether it's Harrison Ford starring in Shrinking, Tom Hanks headlining Finch or Martin Scorsese directing Killers of the Flower Moon (the latter will debut on the platform in the near future). The streamer has few equals when it comes to telling spectacular sci-fi tales – from the underground intrigue of Silo to the epic space opera of Foundation – and it's also the main destination for fans of Major League Soccer.

This guide lays out all you need to know about Apple TV Plus, including details of pricing, the movies and TV shows available to watch, and compatibility across multiple devices. For even more, check out our Apple TV Plus review. 

Apple TV Plus: how to sign up

Signing up for Apple TV Plus is easy. Just head over to the Apple TV Plus website and you'll see options to subscribe – including a seven-day free trial for new users.

You can also check out Apple One, which gives you the option to bundle Apple TV Plus with other services including Apple Music, Apple News Plus and Apple Arcade for a single monthly fee.

Apple TV Plus cost: the price of the service

Apple TV Plus costs $9.99 / £8.99 / AU$12.99 per month, or $99.99 / £89.99 / AU $129.99 annually. If you buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV you can get three months of Apple TV Plus for free, though terms and conditions apply.

Soccer fans can also watch Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and every other Major League Soccer team in action with an additional MLS Season Pass. It'll cost you $14.99 / £14.99 / AU $22.99 per month to subscribe. 

Following Apple's price increases in October 2023, “with ads” tiers offered by Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and Disney Plus are all cheaper than the standard (ad-free) Apple TV Plus subscription. (However, those other services come with the caveat that you'll have to sit through the occasional commercial break, and probably won't be able to enjoy your favorite shows and movies in 4K, as you can on Apple TV Plus.) 

Max's Ad-Lite tier costs the same as an Apple TV Plus subscription, though – like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and Disney Plus – it boasts a larger content library.  

So, having stood out as one of the lower cost streaming options on the market just a few months ago, an Apple TV Plus subscription isn't quite as appealing as it once was – though it does still boast a library stacked with quality movies and TV.

Apple TV Plus free trial: how to get one

Apple TV Plus has a seven-day free trial, and after that period, you'll be automatically set to recurring billing for a monthly fee. It's easy to grab a trial – just download Apple TV, which contains all the Apple TV Plus content, and you'll be greeted with an ad for the service, as well as an invitation for a free trial. 

The free trial gives you access to everything on the service during that seven days, so make the most of it – especially as you only get one free trial for Apple TV Plus. 

Apple TV Plus devices

Apple TV Plus is accessible on almost all devices in 2023, including: iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, Samsung Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, LG Smart TVs, Sony Smart TVs, Vizio, Roku devices, desktop browsers, Android TV, Google TV, PS5 and Xbox Series X. 

This article contains a complete list of supported devices.

The best Apple TV Plus shows

Despite being only four years old, Apple TV Plus has managed to churn out an impressive roster of high-quality original TV content. Our guide to the best Apple TV Plus shows contains a comprehensive breakdown of what's out there, but below, you'll find a whistle-stop tour of the series worth tuning into right now:

• The Afterparty
• Bad Sisters
• Black Bird
• The Changeling
• The Essex Serpent
• Five Days at Memorial
• For All Mankind
• Foundation
• Hello Tomorrow!
• Hijack
• Invasion
• Lessons in Chemistry
• The Morning Show
• Mythic Quest
• Pachinko
• Physical 
• Platonic
• Schmigadoon!  
• See
• Servant
• Severance
• Shining Girls
• Shrinking
• The Shrink Next Door
• Silo
• Slow Horses
• Surface
• Suspicion
• Ted Lasso
• Trying

The best Apple TV Plus movies

Apple TV Plus may not be able to boast the vast quantity of films available on many of the best streaming services out there, but it certainly doesn't skimp on quality. In fact, when Apple's CODA won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2022, it became the first movie made by a streamer to walk away with the big prize on Oscar night. 

Apple have since bankrolled Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon – the latest movies from Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott, respectively – proving their commitment to investing in prestige projects.

We've got a quick rundown of the films currently available on the platform below, and for a more in-depth look, check out our guide to the best Apple TV movies.

• The Banker
• The Beanie Bubble
• Causeway
• Cha Cha Real Smooth
• CODA
• Emancipation
• Finch
• Ghosted
• The Greatest Beer Run Ever
• Greyhound
• Hala
• Luck
• On the Rocks
• Sharper
• The Sky is Everywhere
• Spirited
• Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
• Swan Song
• Tetris
• The Tragedy Of Macbeth
• Wolfwalkers

Apple TV Plus: what’s coming soon?

Apple TV Plus has some major new TV series on the horizon, starting with Kiefer Sutherland-narrated documentary John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, released on December 6. 

Early in 2024, Band of Brothers and The Pacific producers Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman will reunite for new World War II drama Masters of the Air. The show – which stars Elvis's Austin Butler, The Banshees of Inisherin's Barry Keoghan and new Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa – debuts on January 26. Soon after, Secret Invasion's Ben Mendelsohn will team up up with Juliette Binoche and John Malkovich for Christian Dior biopic The New Look, set to debut on February 14.

In terms of movies, Mark Wahlberg will headline The Family Plan, released on Apple TV Plus on December 15. And after debuting in theaters, Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon and Ridley Scott's Napoleon will be making the move to Apple TV Plus in the near future (dates TBC). 

Argylle, the latest film from Kick-Ass / Kingsman director Matthew Vaughan, will turn up on the platform some time after its theatrical release in February 2024.  

So, Apple TV Plus is like Netflix?

Apple TV Plus doesn't currently offer large quantities of licensed content in the way Netflix, Hulu, Max or Prime Video do with the likes of Seinfeld, Frasier, I May Destroy You and Fleabag. 

As TechRadar reported in November 2022, the platform has experimented with adding third-party movies to its offering, and you can also watch a few vintage TV shows, such as ’80s puppet show Fraggle Rock and classic Charlie Brown cartoons. But generally speaking, if you want to watch anything beyond Apple TV Plus's library of originals, you'll have to purchase them through iTunes or via other services in Apple TV Channels.