Funimation x Crunchyroll: Which one to subscribe to?

Which anime-focused streaming platform is better to subscribe to? Funimation vs. Crunchyroll, see the positive and negative points of each.

Not long ago, literally the only effective way to consume anime here in Brazil was through piracy. But over time, this has changed, with more investment in open TV. In 2012, Crunchyroll arrived in Brazil, the only good option for those who wanted to watch anime officially.

Over the years, this has improved, especially with the arrival of new streaming services in the country that also include anime in their catalog. However, this is not the focus of these platforms, but now we have the option to choose between 2 different streamings, 100% focused on anime.

Funimation vs. Crunchyroll

This article aims to highlight the differences, and thus, the negative and positive points about Funimation and Crunchyroll, to help choose which one to subscribe to.

Catalog

There are several factors that make someone choose one streaming service over another, and without a doubt, the main one is related to the catalog. Crunchyroll has been in Brazil for much longer, since 2012, and has over 1,000 anime in its catalog. On the other hand, Funimation has around 700, which is a good number considering it arrived in the country in 2020.

Both have anime of all genres and eras, meaning both new and classic anime. But the big advantage goes to Crunchyroll for containing a good portion of the “essential” anime, which are those anime that everyone has heard of at some point in their life, or that when asking for a recommendation, without a doubt, one of them will be referenced. The giant shounen, Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, etc. But this is not exclusive to them; Funimation is also investing and has 2 big hits of the moment, Kimetsu no Yaiba and Shingeki no Kyoujin.

Regarding the Catalog, both are somewhat equal, with rare exceptions of some exclusive anime to one platform or another… So, it really depends on individual preferences.

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Simulcast

Both are receiving anime all the time, with a good portion being seasonal anime, the so-called Simulcast. And this is exactly a good factor for those in a hurry to choose between Funimation vs. Crunchyroll. After an anime is released in Japan, it arrives on Crunchyroll in just 1 hour! While on Funimation, this time is much longer, but it still comes out on the same day.

In other words, for those who are in a hurry to watch, or depend on watching first (content creators), the sooner they can watch, the better for production. The time difference in Simulcast is crucial.

Image Quality

Both have anime with the best available quality, with most in 1080p (fullHD). However, only Funimation provides the maximum quality for all users, including non-subscribers. Crunchyroll offers its anime at a maximum of 720p for those using the free version of the service.

Availability on Different Platforms

Since Crunchyroll has been around longer, it is literally available on all platforms you can imagine. It is available for consoles (Xbox 360, One, Series S and X, Playstation 3, 4 and 5, PS Vita, and Wii U), has mobile versions for Android and iOS, in addition to apps for Smart TVs (Fire TV, Roku, and Apple TV).

Funimation, which has just arrived, is still gaining its mobile versions, for TV and consoles. So far, Funimation is available for Android, Consoles (Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Series S and X, Playstation 4 and 5), TV (Android TV, Roku, Fire TV, and Chromecast).

Since both are available to watch in the Browser, it is up to the user to choose according to the platforms they like to use to watch their anime.

Subscription Price

Finally, one of the main factors influencing the decision on which streaming service to subscribe to is the price, which will dictate the cost-benefit. Both are different, which helps to choose based on the price. While Funimation has only one subscription model (at least for now), on the other hand, Crunchyroll has 2 different subscription plans.

Funimation Subscription Plan

Called Premium Plus, Funimation’s subscription plan allows users to watch all anime in the catalog without ads and without restrictions. In addition, it allows up to 5 simultaneous screens, in case you have many platforms at home or wish to share the cost with someone.

Price: R$ 24.99 / month, R$ 249 / year.
Trial period (new users): 14 days.

Crunchyroll Subscription Plans

As mentioned, Crunchyroll has 2 different subscription plans, actually 3, but one of them is just a one-year version of another plan. Check below what the plans are:

Fan: The most basic plan of the platform. Allows users to watch all the anime on the platform, without any ads, but can only be used on 1 simultaneous screen. Price: R$ 25.00/month.

Mega Fan: Includes all the benefits of the Fan subscription plan, but with an additional allowance of up to 4 screens and the possibility to download for offline viewing. Price: R$ 32.00/month. This is the only plan with the option to contract for 12 months, which comes with a 16% discount, totaling R$ 315.00/year.

Funimation vs. Crunchyroll: Which to subscribe? Conclusion

In short, all the major points regarding each of the biggest streaming services focused on anime have been raised, their prices, catalogs, etc. But then, which one to subscribe to? The answer is… It depends!

What you are looking to watch, both platforms have different catalogs, but at the moment Crunchyroll has a larger collection, after all, it has been in the market much longer than Funimation here in Brazil.

If you are looking for a lower-cost option, the answer is Funimation! For those who will watch anime casually and do not want to pay much to consume little, Funimation is a good choice, especially because of its anime and exclusive dubs. The price is the same as Crunchyroll (basic plan), but allows 5 screens, making it possible to share the cost with someone.

Cost vs. Benefit: the winner of the cost vs. benefit is Crunchyroll, for having a much larger collection, and the basic plan of the platform being close to the price of Funimation. Although it only has one screen in the basic plan, it has more available anime that arrive earlier on the platform, just 1 hour after the release in Japan.

There is also the option to use the Kotas site to save on your subscriptions, learn more here.

The answer to the question of which to choose is to choose the one that best meets your current needs. Both are growing, and the anime market is gaining space in Brazil.