Is Netflix worth it for you?
Not a review — a method. How to work out whether Netflix earns its place in your subscriptions using your own viewing rather than someone else’s opinion.
The short answer
Whether Netflix is worth it depends on cost per actual viewing hour, not on the catalogue size. Divide what you pay per month by the hours you genuinely watched last month — if that figure is comfortably below what you would pay for the equivalent entertainment elsewhere, it earns its place. Most people who feel unsure have not watched in weeks, which is itself the answer.
Leutrim Miftaraj
Founder, SubTracker · Updated August 8, 2026
Reviews of Netflix tell you what is in the catalogue. That is not the question — the question is whether it is worth it *for you*, and that depends entirely on your own use.
The calculation that settles it
Take what you pay per month and divide it by the hours you actually watched in the last month. Not the hours you intended to watch, and not what the catalogue could theoretically provide.
Compare the result against what the same entertainment would cost otherwise — a cinema ticket, a rented film, a book. For most regular viewers the figure is comfortably favourable. For people who watch a couple of hours a month, it is not.
Catalogue size is the wrong metric
A large catalogue is what marketing emphasises, and it barely correlates with value. What matters is whether *you* find things you want to watch, and enough of them to fill the time you actually have.
Someone who watches one series a year is not getting more value from a bigger library — they are paying twelve months for one series.
The stacking question
Netflix is rarely evaluated alone, and it should not be. If you also pay for two or three other streaming services, the real question is not whether Netflix is worth it in isolation but whether all of them together are.
A common and effective pattern is rotating rather than stacking: keep one at a time, watch what you want, then switch. Streaming services are month-to-month precisely because this is possible, and most people never use that flexibility.
When the tier matters more than the service
Before deciding to cancel, check which plan you are on. Households frequently pay for a tier supporting multiple simultaneous streams and higher resolution than they use.
Downgrading often captures most of the saving with no loss you would notice — a better first move than cancelling outright.
Signals that it is not worth it for you
You have not opened it in a month. You keep it for one specific show that has not returned. You cannot name anything you watched recently. You feel mild relief imagining it gone.
Any of these is a reasonable basis for cancelling — and since it is month-to-month, resubscribing later when something you want appears costs nothing extra.
Signals that it is worth it
You watch weekly, you regularly find things you enjoy, and the cost per hour is low compared with alternatives. In that case it is straightforwardly good value and worth keeping without further deliberation.
The practical step
Whatever you decide, record what you pay and when it renews. Streaming prices rise regularly, and the version of this calculation you do today will need doing again after the next increase.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do I decide if Netflix is worth it?+
Divide what you pay per month by the hours you actually watched last month, then compare that against what equivalent entertainment costs. Catalogue size is the wrong metric — what matters is whether you personally find enough you want to watch.
Should I cancel Netflix if I barely use it?+
Probably, and it costs little to try. Streaming is month-to-month, so you can resubscribe when something you want appears. If you have not opened it in a month or keep it for a show that has not returned, that is a reasonable basis for cancelling.
Is it better to downgrade than cancel?+
Often, yes. Many households pay for a tier supporting more simultaneous streams and higher resolution than they use. Downgrading usually captures most of the saving without a loss you would notice.
Should I keep multiple streaming services at once?+
Consider rotating instead. Keeping one at a time, watching what you want and switching uses the month-to-month flexibility that most people never exercise, and typically costs far less than stacking three simultaneously.