AMC+ Review: Is the Horror and Entertainment Bundle Worth It?

AMC+ is unusual in the sense that it is provides access to multiple different services through the one subscription. While this does help to save on the cost, the bundled approach does result in compromises along the way, and especially in the case of AMC and Shudder.

Streaming Better Rating

★★★★☆

AMC+ is a good streaming service but it won’t be for everyone. If you want access to content from AMC and Shudder, it is hard to argue with the low bundle price.

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An AMC+ subscription costs either $7.99 or $10.99 a month, depending on ads. In return for the monthly price, subscribers get access to a variety of content from AMC, BBC America, IFC Films Unlimited, Shudder, and Sundance Now.

Overall, AMC+ is worth a subscription, and we do like the annual price (which helps to save on the ad-free plan). That said, this is one of those services we do recommend taking full advantage of the free trial to see if the service is right for you.

AMC+ Full Review

If you’re still unsure of whether AMC+ is the right service for you, here’s our full review.

AMC+ Specs: What You Need to Know

Below are some of the main specs and features you might want to know about ahead of time.

Experience: What It’s Like to Use AMC+

The combining of multiple services and subscriptions into one directly impacts the design of the app and, in turn, the user experience.

The app opens to a typical home screen, with a featured title displaying one of the newest or most popular titles along with a left-side navigation menu.

One of the benefits of AMC+ is the bundling of services. However, this also makes it slightly more complicated to provide fans of each service with quick access to the content they are looking for.

AMC+ attempts to balance this out through the use of shortcuts on the Home screen.

Clicking through any of these shortcuts leads to a smaller library of content from only that service. In this sense, each of these hub sections act as standalone streaming apps within the main AMC+ app.

Of course, users don’t have to click through any of these shortcuts. Instead, they can browse through the general recommendations provided on the home screen that group content together regardless of origin service.

Recommendations are typically broken down into genre and themed-based rows rather than by service. These include Most Popular, New Arrivals, Coming Soon, Signature Dramas, Featured Original Series, and Make it A Movie Night, among others.

There’s also the option to navigate the library through the left-side main menu, which includes Home, Explore, Live, and My Stuff categories.

As to be expected, My Stuff is where everything the user has bookmarked is stored. Unlike some other streaming apps, however, My Stuff is a little on the basic side.

For example, subscribers won’t find any of their ‘continue watching‘ content here. It is simply a watchlist.

Clicking on a title opens up the option to play the title, Save (add to My Stuff), and play a trailer (if available).

If it is a series, subscribers will also be able to browse seasons and episodes.

While visually attractive, we found the design of title pages to be a little clunky, increasing the time it takes to browse episodes, and especially compared to other popular streaming apps.

In terms of device support, AMC+ is available to download on a variety of platforms and devices, so homes shouldn’t run into too many issues when looking for a compatible device.

For those that like to watch while on the go, the mobile app looks and works identical to the smart TV apps. On mobile, ad-free subscribers also gain the ability to download videos for offline playback.

Here’s a closer look at the mobile app.

While no issues in device support, we found that some devices provide a better experience than others. We tested AMC+ on different platforms and found the Google TV app be the worst.

The app is often slow to respond resulting in a loading delay on each click. This was not only when attempting to play a title but also when clicking through categories and titles, making navigating the interface a lengthier process than it should be.

This was in spite of the app working perfectly fine on Apple TV 4K at the same time, and when connected to the same network.

For those specifically considering signing up to the ad-free plan, it is also worth noting that ad-free subscribers still see previews which typically last between 15 and 30 seconds.

Although there is the option to skip a preview once it has started, the use of previews tends to be something users don’t appreciate on ad-free plans.

Overall, the experience of using AMC+ was good, but basic. There are no real premium features to speak of and the app is pretty much just a way to access content.

While not necessarily a bad thing, the end result is an experience that’s not quite as premium as what’s offered with other streaming services.

Content: What You Can Watch on AMC+

One point we think is worth making right away is that AMC+ is heavily focused on shows. While there are plenty of movies available to watch as well, they are simply outweighed by the series library.

Not a huge deal, but it does highlight that AMC+ is not a great service for those that prefer movies over shows.

Naturally, AMC+ is also home to a number of popular AMC shows, including the following:

• A Discovery of Witches
• Dark Winds
• Gangs of London
• Halt and Catch Fire
• Interview with the Vampire
• Mad Men
• Mayfair Witches
• Snowpiercer
• The Audacity
• The Terror
• The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

Although primarily an AMC streaming service, one major catch for AMC fans is that some of the network’s most popular series are actually unavailable.

Two very good examples here are Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. While heavily associated with AMC, both of these shows are currently exclusively available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

AMC aside, AMC+ combines multiple services into one and that does mean there is a variety of additional content for you to watch. That said, it can sometimes still feel like the service is overly reliant on The Walking Dead universe and the Shudder service.

AMC+ loves recommending The Walking Dead and Shudder content, and while recommendations are somewhat personalized, this emphasis on TWD and Shudder is clear to see throughout the app.

Shudder is a horror and thriller-based service so its inclusion means AMC+ subscribers get access to plenty of horror movies and shows.

Outside of TWD and Shudder, AMC+ also includes content from BBC America, IFC Films Unlimited, and Sundance Now.

BBC America unlocks access to a variety of programming from the UK, including movies and shows. We did notice a little overlap in terms of content here with BritBox.

IFC Films Unlimited is home to theatrically-released titles from IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. Basically, a selection of horror, sci-fi, thriller, and action movies, along with American independent, documentaries and world cinema.

Sundance Now offers access to a variety of original and exclusive dramas, comedies, and true crime series, along with foreign-language movies and documentaries.

With so many services included, you would think that AMC+ is packed with content. While this is somewhat true, AMC+ has far fewer exclusives than many other streaming services.

Newer titles also seem to be far and few between compared to other services, making AMC+ feel like less of a subscription you need throughout the year.

That said, if you are a fan of The Walking Dead and other select AMC shows, and/or Shudder, AMC+ can quickly feel like a must-have subscription.

Live TV — Even More Walking Dead

Similar to many other streaming services, AMC+ offers a live element. Basically, there’s a handful of linear channels available, all of which continually play content from the AMC+ library.

There is no guide or anything, so while you can’t check what’s due to start soon or later that day, you can see what’s on now, tune in, and start watching live.

These live channels can be accessed through a dedicated row on the Home screen or through the Live section in the side menu.

In terms of the channels, there’s basically one for each of the services included with the subscription. For example, subscribers can tune in to channels for AMC, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, and Shudder TV.

There are also dedicated channels for The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead.

From what we could tell, the AMC+ channel tends to mostly play content from The Walking Dead universe, so it is like having access to another TWD channel.

Overall, I didn’t find much value in the live experience offered by AMC+, but maybe that was just me. If you are a huge fan of TWD, then I can see how it would be nice to have the option of flicking on a channel and watching a random episode.

Cost: How Much You’ll Pay for AMC+

The cost of an AMC+ subscription depends on whether you’re willing to sit through ads. If so, the ad-supported plan costs $7.99 a month, which is in line with ad-supported plans from other services.

For those that prefer to stream without ads, the ad-free Premium plan costs $10.99 a month.

Here’s how the monthly price of the AMC+ ad-free plan compares to the cheapest ad-free plans from other popular streaming services.

There’s also the option to save with an annual plan. If signing up on a yearly basis, the cost is $109.99, which breaks down to around $9.16 a month.

In our opinion, AMC+ not only offers good value for money when compared to other ad-free subscriptions, but it also offers good value for money in general.

Even if ignoring all of the AMC and BBC America content for a moment, a standalone subscription to IFC Films Unlimited costs $5.99 a month, Shudder $7.99 a month, and Sundance Now $7.99 a month.

These three services alone would cost $22/mo if subscribing to them separately. As a result, ad-free AMC+ subscribers save considerably and, again, that’s without taking into consideration any of the AMC or BBC America content.

Even if signed up to the $7.99/mo ad-supported plan, subscribers still get access to all of the same content, offering even greater savings compared to paying for all of the included services separately.

That said, if already subscribed to Shudder, we do feel a lot of the value offered by AMC+ is lost. This issue is made all the worse if also subscribed to a British-focused streaming service like Acorn TV or BritBox at the same time.

Potentially, the value decreases even further if also signed up to a live TV plan that includes AMC.

While the sum of AMC+ offers a lot more than the parts, whether there’s enough additional value on top to warrant a subscription might depend on your existing subscriptions.

For some people, they may actually find that they get much better value by canceling Shudder (and any other similar subscriptions) and just signing up to this bundle instead.

If opting to go with the bundle, and especially if canceling Shudder, it is worth keeping in mind that you won’t have as much freedom as you do with an individual Shudder subscription.

For example, while AMC+ subscribers are technically Shudder subscribers, they can’t access the Shudder app. This also means they lose access to Shudder’s live channels and some additional app-specific content, like podcasts.

Is AMC+ Worth It? — What We Really Think

Yes, we do feel AMC+ is worth a subscription. However, it’s not necessary a must-have subscription.

Homes primarily interested in Shudder are probably better off with a standalone Shudder subscription.

Although a standalone Shudder subscription costs exactly the same as AMC+, the overall Shudder experience is much better through the Shudder app.

Likewise, those mainly interested in British TV might find that they get a better overall product, including access to more British content, with an Acorn TV or BritBox subscription.

That said, the variety of content on offer with AMC+ does make it worth the subscription cost. We do like the fact that subscribers get access to very different streaming services for the one low price.

While we also like that there is an annual plan, which lowers the cost over 12 months, the annual plan is only available with the more expensive Premium plan. This makes it impossible to save on the cheapest plan and that’s disappointing.

Taking all of our experience into consideration, our recommendation is to sign up to the monthly plan. While AMC+ is a good streaming service, it might not be for everyone and the monthly plan means those that don’t like it won’t pay more than they need to.

Of the two monthly plans, we would recommend starting with the Monthly with Ads plan and using the free trial to see if you find the ad experience to be acceptable for the lower cost.

★★★★☆

• AMC+
• Shudder
• Sundance Now

From $7.99/mo

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