Crunchyroll and Funimation are two of the best streaming services for anime fans. Crunchyroll’s Premium service works as a one-stop-shop for all things anime, including extras like e-manga and popular East Asian live-action drama series. Crunchyroll began in 2006 in the US and is now owned by Otter Media, a subsidiary of AT&T’s WarnerMedia Entertainment. Crunchyroll has over 60 million users from around the world, over 2 million of which are paying subscribers.
Funimation has been around since 1994 and has become synonymous with anime in the US. As recently as 2018, Funimation worked amicably with Crunchyroll under a partnership. The two companies shared select titles as well as subtitles and voice-dubbed content. Sony Pictures Television acquired Funimation in 2017, and a year later, its partnership with Crunchyroll ended. In 2018, Funimation made an exclusive video-on-demand (VOD) deal with Hulu to increase its catalog of subbed and dubbed content.
Plans and pricing for Crunchyroll vs Funimation
Both services offer free and premium plans. Funimation has three packages, whereas Crunchyroll offers two — free and premium. With their free plans, you can expect to see plenty of ads, and you’ll have to wait a little longer for content to become available.
The premium plans for Crunchyroll and Funimation are ad-free, and both provide various features like access to additional content and members-only extras. Funimation’s Premium Plus Ultra plan for $99.99/yr. includes an anniversary gift and 2 free rentals per year.
| Crunchyroll Premium | Funimation Premium | Funimation Premium Plus | |
| Price | $7.99/mo. | $5.99/mo. | $7.99/mo. |
| Free trial length | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days |
| Number of TV shows + films | 1,000+ titles and 30,000+ episodes | 950 titles and 25,000 episodes | 950 titles and 25,000 episodes |
| Original content available | Yes | No | No |
| Offline downloads | No | No | Yes |
| Streaming quality | 1080p/720p HD | 1080p/720p HD | 1080p/720p HD |
Comparing the Funimation vs Crunchyroll experience
User experience
Crunchyroll’s interface isn’t the most user-friendly. And its filtering tool isn’t terribly effective when it comes to finding specific titles. You can search its enormous library by category, including Popular, Simulcasts, Updated, Alphabetical, Genres, and Seasons. Unfortunately, when you’re searching through a sea of titles with its Alphabetical filter, it can prove daunting. By contrast, Funimation is much simpler to navigate. It sorts its shows by All Shows, Genres, Simuldub, and Popular. Its genres are Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Live-Action, Romance, Shounen, Shoujo, and Fan Service.
Crunchyroll and Funimation’s apps are available across most major devices. The biggest difference is that Crunchyroll has an app for Nintendo Wii U while Funimation doesn’t.
Device compatibility
Crunchyroll:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android devices
- Apple TV
- Google Chromecast
- iOS devices
- PlayStation 3
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation Vita
- Roku
- Web browsers
- Wii U
- Windows Phone
- Xbox 360
- Xbox One
Funimation:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android devices
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Google Chromecast
- iOS
- PlayStation 3
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation Vita
- Roku
- Smart TVs
- Xbox 360
- Xbox One
Personalization
Crunchyroll and Funimation make fandom an interactive experience. After you create an account for each site, you’ll be able to comment and share videos with friends. In your profile for both services, you can create an avatar, restrict mature content, adjust subtitles and captioning settings, and keep track of what you’ve watched.
Features
When compared to its rival, Funimation, there are a few key takeaways to consider with Crunchyroll. Funimation allows you to download content for offline viewing. If you want to watch Crunchyroll content offline, you’ll need a VRV Premium membership, a service also owned by Otter Media.
But when it comes right down to it, Funimation has more dubs. And not only does it have more, it provides the fastest turnaround time too. So if you prefer to watch your anime in English, Funimation may be a better bet. Now, if you’re fine with subtitles, Crunchyroll has more with its larger catalog, manga, and foreign content.
Crunchyroll’s premium app lets you and someone else in your household stream at the same time. Funimation’s $5.99/mo. Premium membership gives you 2 streams for $2/mo. less. And by upgrading to Funimation Premium Plus or Premium Plus Ultra, you’ll receive up to five simultaneous streams.
Crunchyroll content vs Funimation content
One of the biggest differences between the two streaming services is Crunchyroll’s larger catalog. If you’re a fan of old classics like Cowboy Bebop, you might prefer Funimation. Crunchyroll and Funimation both provide simulcasts from content premiering in Japan.
Some of the most popular series on Funimation include Afro Samurai, Attack on Titan, Space Dandy, Dragon Ball, Full Metal Alchemist, Evangelion, Samurai Champloo, and many more. It has a nice collection of movies, including Dragon Ball Super: Broly, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, Ghost in the Shell, and The Boy and the Beast.
Keep in mind there’s quite a bit of crossover between these two options. You’ll see shows like Bleach and Naruto on both. Crunchyroll’s immense library comes with several classics and new titles like 91 Days, Kino’s Journey: The Beautiful World The Animated Series, Boruto: Naruto Next Generation, Naruto Shippuden, Ahiru no Sora, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Hunter x Hunter. Some of the best movies include Cardcaptor Sakura 2: The Sealed Card, 5 Centimeters per Second, Captain Harlock: Arcadia of my Youth, and K Missing Kings.
Crunchyroll also has original content that’s only available in its catalog. Some of the most anticipated series include Noblesse, Meiji Gekken: Sword & Gun, High Guardian Spice, and Onyx Equinox.
Funimation owns the exclusive rights to the popular series Dragon Ball along with its many spinoffs. To stream any of these titles, you’ll need to head to Funimation. Crunchyroll has its own exclusive series that are brand new and original to its service. Funimation dubs and often time produces music for content as well.
Both streaming services have online stores that provide special perks — apparel, collectibles, videos, and more — for subscribers. You can also enjoy exclusive members-only events. Crunchyroll and Funimation both have tons of games for Android and iOS devices.
The final cut
The choice between Crunchyroll and Funimation comes down to the experience you’re looking for. These two streaming services are the elite of their genre. If you’re primarily interested in a large anime content library, Crunchyroll is the right fit for you. But if you’d prefer dubs to subtitles and would like to enjoy anime offline, then Funimation is your best bet. Both services offer a free plan and a free 14-day trial.
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