Apple TV Plus: how to sign up, TV shows, movies, price, devices, and more

iPhone with Apple TV Plus logo, a pair of AirPods on top, laying on a red background with pieces of popcorn
Get out the popcorn for all the quality movies and TV shows on Apple TV Plus (Image credit: Burdun Iliya / Shutterstock)

Apple TV Plus isn't able to compete with some of the best streaming services, like Netflix or Prime Video, when it comes to the size of its content library. However, it's taken a quality over quantity approach by attracting phenomenal talent and creating some fantastic movies and TV shows. It's no surprise Apple TV Plus is one of the best streaming services you can subscribe to today.

In our guide below, we'll explain everything you need to know about Apple TV Plus., including details about pricing, the TV shows and movies you can watch right now and which devices Apple TV Plus will work with. To find out more, you can also read our Apple TV Plus review.

Apple TV Plus: how to sign up

Apple TV Plus logo on a Macbook Pro

Apple TV Plus is your gateway to some of the best shows and movies around (Image credit: Shutterstock)

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 price: how much does it cost?

Sam Nelson looks worried on a plane in Hijack on Apple TV Plus

Apple TV Plus has an impressive track record of attracting Hollywood stars to the platform – including Idris Elba in Hijack (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Apple TV Plus costs $9.99 / £8.99 / AU$12.99 per month, or $99.99 / £89.99 /  $129.99 (Australia) 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, Prime Video, and others – 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 – despite boasting a library stacked with quality movies and TV. According to rumors, Apple TV Plus could be the next streamer to get an ad-based tier. This would be frustrating if you're not a fan of ads, but could mean this tier would cost much less. We'll keep you updated.

Apple TV Plus free trial: is there one?

Dylan G, Helly R and Irving B looking at a computer in Apple TV Plus's Severance.

Super-smart office drama Severance is surely the envy of every other streaming service out there (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

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

A close up of Juliette Nichols in a field of wheat in Apple TV Plus show Silo

Mission: Impossible star Rebecca Ferguson headlines brilliant dystopian sci-fi Silo (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Apple TV Plus is accessible on almost all devices in 2024, 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. 

Is Apple TV Plus on Android?

What are Apple TV channels?

In addition to Apple TV Plus, Apple introduced Apple TV Channels, which combines cable subscription services and streaming services like Amazon Prime Video into the Apple TV app – though, annoyingly, Apple TV Channels doesn't incorporate Netflix. Availability varies depending on your region. You can read more about Apple TV Plus channels here. 

The best Apple TV Plus shows

Jason Sudeikis' Ted Lasso pointing at someone in Ted Lasso season 2

Award-winning soccer comedy Ted Lasso has been one of Apple TV Plus' biggest hits (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

It may only be five years old, but 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
  • Criminal Record
  • Dark Matter
  • Five Days at Memorial
  • For All Mankind
  • Foundation
  • Hijack
  • Lessons in Chemistry
  • Masters of the Air
  • Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
  • The Morning Show
  • Mythic Quest
  • Pachinko
  • Physical 
  • Platonic
  • Presumed Innocent
  • Schmigadoon!  
  • See
  • Servant
  • Severance
  • Shining Girls
  • Shrinking
  • Silo
  • Sugar
  • Slow Horses
  • Ted Lasso
  • Trying

The best Apple TV Plus movies

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio sitting at a table in Killers of the Flower Moon.

Apple TV Plus enticed the legendary Martin Scorsese to the platform with the Oscar-nominated Killers of the Flower Moon (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

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 – find out where they sit in our best Martin Scorsese movies and best Ridley Scott movies guides, 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
  • Causeway
  • Cha Cha Real Smooth
  • CODA
  • Fancy Dance
  • Flora and Son
  • The Greatest Beer Run Ever
  • Greyhound
  • Hala
  • Killers of the Flower Moon
  • On the Rocks
  • Palmer
  • Past Lives
  • Spirited
  • Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
  • Swan Song
  • Tetris
  • The Tragedy Of Macbeth
  • The Velveteen Rabbit
  • Wolfwalkers
  • You Hurt My Feelings

Apple TV Plus vs other streamers: what's the difference?

Demerzel and an injured Brother Day stand in the ruins of a destroyed building in Foundation season 2

The spectacular Foundation brings epic sci-fi to Apple TV Plus (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Apple TV Plus doesn't currently offer large quantities of licensed content in the way Netflix and its rivals 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. Apple TV Plus has also added a number of 3rd party films to its library in recent months, but only in the US. More than 50 licensed movies landed on Apple TV Plus and another 30 classic movies thanks to deals with studios like Universal, Sony and Warner Bros. Pictures. However, they won’t be around forever, so get watching.

Generally speaking, though, if you want to watch anything beyond Apple TV Plus' library of originals, you'll have to purchase them through iTunes or via other services in Apple TV Channels.


For more Apple TV Plus coverage, read our guides on Foundation season 3 and Severance season 2.

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Senior Entertainment Reporter

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across. Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.

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