BINGE vs Foxtel Now: Which streaming service offers more value?

Foxtel is Australia’s ultimate pay TV provider, offering enviable TV shows, movies and sports all in one place. The rise of streaming with the launch of Netflix, Stan, and Amazon Prime Video in the country, however, affected Foxtel’s entertainment dominance in every Australian household.

From a viewer’s standpoint, it’s only right. Streaming TV services don’t require satellite installation or any cable connection. They’re more flexible with no lock-in contracts and the content available is just as good.

While Foxtel Now remains to be a solid alternative to Foxtel, the launch of sister product BINGE in the streaming market, which also offers most of Foxtel’s content except sports, only makes choosing between seemingly similar services from the same company harder.

So, which one is better for streaming TV – BINGE or Foxtel Now? Check out the comparison details below.

BINGE vs Foxtel Now Price Comparison

The more veteran streaming service, Foxtel Now, costs from $25 per month for its Essentials base package and up to $104 per month for its All Packs, which includes all Foxtel Now channel packs – Essentials, Sports, Movies, Drama Extra, Kids and Docos – or a total of 76 channels.

These bundles can be purchased separately alongside Essentials, which lower the costs: Essentials + Sports at $54 per month, Essentials + Movies at $45 per month, and Essentials + Drama Extra for $35 per month.

It’s worth mentioning that you need to purchase the essentials package first before you can add premium channel packs like the Sports HD. The Kids and Docos packs, on the other hand, are part of the All Packs bundle and cannot be purchased as standalone packages.

BINGE, meanwhile, offers competitive streaming plans with three different price tiers. Its pricing structure resembles that of Stan and Netflix albeit a bit cheaper at $10 for Basic, $18 for Standard, and $22 for Premium, but just like Netflix, BINGE also has an ad-supported tier with the Basic plan.

As of this writing, Foxtel Now has nearly 200,000 subscribers while the BINGE service has already reached its one-million mark. But with BINGE switching their cheapest Basic Plan into an ad-supported selection from 30th March, the discrepancy between Foxtel Now and BINGE price for ad-free streaming isn’t as huge as it used to be.

So how many ads can you expect on the Basic tier? BINGE Basic subscribers can expect to see a few minutes of ads per hour of on-demand content viewed. This varies depending on the content you’re watching. Later on you can expect for ads to stop showing when watching movies and kids content.

Free trials: Foxtel Now or BINGE?

Now for something that customers like before signing up for a service – free trials. Streaming giants Netflix and Disney Plus have retired their free trial offers, so when it comes to accessing major shows and movies for free, Australians still have Foxtel Now and BINGE to go to.

Foxtel Now is currently offering its usual 10-day free trial to new customers. With the sports season ongoing in Australia, Foxtel Now’s Sports pack, which includes Fox Sports and ESPN, can be had through a subscription.

More than sports, Foxtel Now also offers Foxtel’s 11 movie channels, including Movies Premiere. There’s also a lot of blockbusters that are launching on the platform this month, which include John Wick 4, Fast X, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and many others. You can find more of the best movies on Foxtel Now here.

If it’s just TV and movies you want to binge-watch and you’re fine with no sports, BINGE’s 7-day free trial can give you free TV shows and films for the first week. You can watch every trending show right now along with heaps of other box-office hits free with BINGE’s free trial offer!

However, it’s also worth noting that not all series and movies launching on Foxtel get added to BINGE. Some Foxtel originals like the top favourites Selling Houses Australia and Grand Designs Australia are only available on Foxtel Now, as well as those 20th Century Studios movies (Amsterdam, West Side Story 2021) that stream both on Foxtel Now and Disney Plus but not on BINGE.

Content comparison: Foxtel Now vs BINGE

Both BINGE and Foxtel Now’s content largely come from Foxtel, which means both platforms have the biggest shows like House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Westworld, and more. Of course, there’s a notable difference on how they’re presented. Foxtel Now has channel packs and the content you can access depends on the packages you’re subscribed to.

What can I watch on Foxtel Now?

Most HBO shows air via Fox Showcase, which is available as part of Foxtel Now’s Essentials package. For more drama channels like BBC First and Fox Crime, you’re going to have to add Drama Extra (check out what’s streaming on Foxtel Now this month). Documentaries and other factual content also come from the Docos pack, which you can access as part of the encompassing Ultimate Bundle. Moreover, Foxtel Now has sports channels for watching live and on demand sports.

What can I watch on BINGE?

If you’re curious as to what’s streaming on BINGE this month, the service doesn’t have these segregations of channels – all of its three streaming tiers offer the same quantity of content. The only difference between these plans are the video quality and the number of devices for simultaneous streaming.

Overall, Foxtel Now and BINGE share the same content, at least most of the time they do with some exceptions. For instance, BINGE doesn’t have any music or news channels, and more notably, sports. 

Features Comparison: Foxtel Now vs BINGE

The BINGE app has more features designed to make your streaming easier and more enjoyable: Surprise Me! so you won’t have to think about what you want to watch; BINGE Centre to feed your curiosity on the shows and movies you want to know more about; BINGELists so you can keep track of TV series and BINGE movies you want to watch for later; Discover to offer more ways to search for the right content like searching by mood, theme, events, and others.

Foxtel Now Features

As for Foxtel Now, it lets you register your account on up to five devices and stream at the same time on two devices. Just like with Foxtel, a Foxtel Now subscription includes the Foxtel Go app for streaming on the go.

Its improved and personalised interface also makes it easier to navigate, allowing users to continue watching across Foxtel Now applications. Subscribers can also pick a WatchList, plus customers can easily search and discover Foxtel’s live and on demand programming (more on this Foxtel Now review).

Moreover, it’s also worth noting that while Foxtel Now doesn’t have 4K streaming yet, BINGE recently added 4K on the ad-free Standard and Premium plans. Offline viewing, however, is still not available for both BINGE and Foxtel Now.

Features	Description
Improved and personalised interface	Easy navigation that allows you to continue watching across Foxtel Now applications.
WatchList	Conveniently add shows and movies in WatchList if you’d like to watch them later.
Search and Discover	Search Foxtel’s live and on demand programming with ease.

BINGE Features

As part of your BINGE service, you’re guaranteed to have an ad-free viewing for all content with the exception of the Basic plan. For a complete breakdown on how BINGE compares in terms of features, you can refer to the table below or check out our BINGE review page.

Features	Description
Surprise Me!	Don’t know what to watch? Start streaming right away with Surprise Me! You can always hit ‘Try again’ for other Surprise options.
BINGE Centre	BINGE Centre lets fans go in-depth about a show or a movie, including production stories, cast interviews and more.
BingeLists	Busy to finish a show or a movie? Simply save content to watch for later with BingeLists.
HD or 4K + Dolby	Enjoy watching in High Definition (HD), 4K streaming on selected content, and Dolby Digital, included in BINGE Standard and Premium plans.
Discover	There are more ways to search content with the Discover feature. Even if you’re a crime thriller fiction fan, you’d want to watch something else based on what you feel like streaming. That’s why Discover lets you search by mood, theme, events, and more.
Ad-Free On Demand	Over 25,000 hours of on demand TV shows and movies at your disposal ad-free (for BINGE Standard and BINGE Premium only).
Closed Captions	Users can choose to switch on the Closed Captions feature by going to your MyBINGE settings. While it’s not available on all content, BINGE is increasing the number of shows and movies to use this feature on.

Device accessibility comparison: Foxtel Now vs BINGE

BINGE initially launched with only a couple of compatible devices for streaming, however, the platform has since improved in this area. You can stream BINGE TV shows and movies on several devices such as on mobile, PC, selected Smart TVs, Apple TV, Telstra TV, gaming consoles (PS4 and PS5), and many more.

Foxtel Now is also compatible on numerous devices from mobile and PC to streaming boxes and smart TVs. For watching Foxtel Now on the big screen, subscribers can also opt to purchase the Foxtel Now box for a one-off price of $99. You can check every compatible device on BINGE and Foxtel Now below.

The Verdict: Foxtel Now or BINGE?

While BINGE and Foxtel Now are both owned by Foxtel, they are two very different services. Foxtel Now’s pricing and the fact that there are channel packs to choose from makes the platform more similar to that of Foxtel. BINGE, on the other hand, is designed to be a full-on streaming service that’s comparative to how Netflix and Stan are structured in terms of BINGE pricing and streaming tiers.

But which one offers more value? It depends on what you exactly need. If it’s just TV, movies, docos, and other entertainment, you save in the long run with BINGE from just $10 per month. However, if watching sports is part of your day to day, then Foxtel Now is a cheaper alternative to Foxtel, providing the very same sports channels that Foxtel offers.

Both services intend to be proficient in what they do and what they can offer. But if you think about what’s really important, then you can decide which one between BINGE or Foxtel Now is the better streaming service for you.

What is the best streaming service in Australia?

Aside from BINGE and Foxtel Now, there are other streaming options for every true TV and movie fan to try. Featuring a unique set of exclusive content, features, and pricing, the best streaming service, ideally, is one that meets your preferences and budget.

You can also check out other streaming TV apps you can try below.

Compare streaming services: Comparison guide

If you want to explore more and find amazing streaming services available in Australia, here are some helpful comparison guides that you can use as references:

FAQ: Comparing Foxtel Now and BINGE

How is BINGE really different from Foxtel Now? Which one offers more value? Below are the most commonly asked queries about BINGE and Foxtel Now to help you decide.