Funimation VS Crunchyroll: Which One is Better?

Funimation vs Crunchyroll, which is a better option - or rather, a better place to find more exciting anime series and movies? Well, when you compare two things or two services, the final decision is actually left for the end-user. Yes, this is because peoples' preferences differ.

Actually, Funimation and Crunchyroll are two world-leading anime streaming services with hundreds of thousands of content and millions of daily streamers. Both services have unique features and offerings that make their distinguished fans subscribe monthly or annually.

While Funimation and Crunchyroll are not the only anime streaming services - there are even free ones, for example, Peacock streaming is free - both services are the most popular ones because they have a license to offer their subscribers access to stress some of the top-best blockbusters and classic series.

Funimation tops its game by offering manga - Japanese comic books. There is pretty a lot of interesting "stuff" to know about these two services and we have explained them below. Therefore, to know whether go for Funimation or Crunchyroll, you’d better keep reading.

About Funimation

Want to watch Attack on the Titans, Demon Slayer, and other blockbuster anime? Funimation has some of the industry’s best titles and anime shows you’d ever want to watch. The service offers over 10,000 episodes and movies from a massive library of subbed and dubbed anime. Funimation’s catalog boasts of big hits, fan favorites, and all-time classics.

Actually, Funimation is an American anime streaming service that focuses on providing dubbed Japanese anime of different categories and genres. The service has a limited free plan; if you want to explore all it has to offer, then you need to pay for the monthly $5.99 plan, which allows for 2 simultaneous streams.

You can stream in 1080p or 720p on Funimation - that’s pretty clear and acceptable. Unfortunately, the service does not support 4K UHD streams. Funimation is the most-affordable premium anime streaming service with a library that offers more dubbed anime than any other similar service.

Well, Funimation is not available worldwide; you may need a VPN before you can access and stream on Funimation. The highest subscription plan offered by Funimation is $7.99/month (Premium Plus). But there’s an exclusive annual plan that goes for $99.99 - this plan is only available as an annual plan, and it offers a lot of benefits.

Oftentimes, when talking about Funimation and Crunchyrolll, people like to compared Funimation with Crunchyroll because the two services offer similar features and content. Continue reading to find out more about Funimation vs Crunchyroll.

About Crunchyroll

Previously owned by AT&T, Crunchyroll is one of the most popular anime streaming services available in more locations than Funimation. No other anime streaming service has more content than Crunchyroll - yeah, the service reportedly has the largest library, and it holds the license to stream most all-time classics and blockbusters.

Crunchyroll is also an American company that distributes, publishes, produces anime content, manga, and dorama. If what you need is anime, Crunchyroll is practically the best place to settle with; however, it has costlier plans than Funimation and some other notable anime streaming services - the massive library compensates for the seemingly expensive subscription plans.

Well, new Crunchyroll subscribers are welcomed with a 14-day free trial, after which they choose from the available plans, the cheapest plan goes for $7.99 per month, and it does not support simultaneous stream; you can only stream on one device at a time. It’s ad-free anyways and grants you access to stream new releases (delayed 1 hour from the debut time in Japan).

With Crunchyroll, you can enjoy streaming anime in clear FHD (1080p) quality across various devices. If you want to get simultaneous streams on Crunchyroll, upgrade your subscription to the highest plan - the Ultimate Fan Plus plan, which goes for $14.99 per month. This plan allows you to stream on up to 6 devices at the same time - ad-free.

One of the reasons Crunchyroll seems to have more subscribers and users is because the service is available in more regions than Funimation. Below are the areas where Crunchyroll compares with its closest competitor, Funimation.

Funimation VS Crunchyroll: Which One is Better?

If you really want to know which is better - Crunchyroll or Funimation, you can compare them from some aspects.

1. Availability

Crunchyroll is better than Funimation in terms of availability. Funimation is not available in many countries, including India, Korea, and Dubai. You can't also access Funimation from Africa. The service is only available in the following countries: the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, and New Zealand. If you're not in any of these locations, you can only access the service using a VPN or Smart DNS.

In contrast, Crunchyroll is available in more regions - in fact, you can access Crunchyroll from any part of the world except for a very few countries, which are China, Japan, Italy, France, and Germany. The wide availability of Crunchyroll made the service incur more subscribers than any other anime streaming service. Currently, Crunchyroll has over 120 million registered users - can any anime streaming service beat that?

Winner: Crunchyroll

2. Subscription Plans and Pricing

To decide which one is better, Crunchyroll or Funimation, you can compare the price. Both services offer different subscription prices for their users. Funimation pricing starts at $5.99 per month while Crunchyroll's pricing starts at $7.99 per month. If you're on a budget and live within supported countries, Funimation is an ideal choice, here.

But on the contrary, if you’re living outside the supported regions, which means you have to pay for a VPN, maybe you should consider Crunchyroll because you’d still gain access to classic subbed and dubbed anime from Crunchyroll. There are other plans offered by the services, and each plan comes with unique features.

The basic plan ($5.99/month) of Funimation supports simultaneous streams on 2 devices but it supports commercials, while the basic plan ($7.99) of Crunchyroll does not support simultaneous streams and it is ad-free. Apparently, the winner here depends on what you prefer.

Winner: Funimation

3. Where to Watch (Supported Devices)

Where are the places where you can access these services and stream your favorite anime titles? Well, just as HBO Max, YouTube, and the other popular streaming services, Crunchyroll and Funimation are available across various devices and TVs. Yes, you can install the Crunchyroll app, or Funimation app, on your smart Android TV.

Notwithstanding, if you own any of these devices, you can stream content from Crunchyroll or Funimation.

• Smartphones (Android and iOS devices)
• Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• Google Chromecast
• PlayStation 3/4/5/Vita
• Roku streaming devices
• Computers (via web browsers)
• Wii U
• Xbox 360 and Xbox One

Yea, you can stream Funimation on any device that allows you to stream Crunchyroll; thence, there is no winner in this aspect. If you bought a smart TV, check the TV's app store and see if the Funimation app or Crunchyroll app is available there. If not available, you can cast to your TV while streaming on your mobile app or get a streaming device/smart TV box.

Winner: tie

4. Intuitiveness (User Interface and Site Design)

The Crunchyroll user interface doesn’t look that “too good.” Even though the developers are aiming to achieve an interface that loads fast and seamlessly across devices, the appearance is poor compared to that of Funimation. Notwithstanding, navigating isn’t tough on Crunchyroll - you could still easily find the anime you want to watch - the interface is just as “Fancy” as that of its competitors.

In contrast, Funimation has a better, fancier interface, which is equally easy to navigate to find the content you want to watch. You'd find it easier to use Funimation's interface than Crunchyroll's interface. Well, some people actually love the simplicity of Crunchyroll's interface, but we think Funimation is the winner here.

Winner: Funimation

5. Available Content

Crunchyroll has more anime titles and series than Funimation. If you’re looking for more content, you’d have to settle with Crunchyroll. But, Funimation has over 15,000 hours of top classics, Originals, and blockbuster anime titles. Both services actually offer Simulcast on specific plans so you can enjoy streaming content(s) premiering in Japan - the home of anime.

Funimation is the place to find old classics like Cowboy Bebop. Other notable titles you’d find on Funimation include Attack on Titan, Afro Samurai, Dragon Ball, Space Dandy, Full Metal Alchemist, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, Samurai Champloo, and more. There are several good stuff to stream on Funimation.

Coming over to Crunchyroll, you’d enjoy streaming Naruto series, 91 Days, Boruto: Naruto Next Generation, Ahiru no Sora, Hunter x Hunter, and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. There are Originals you can stream too, they include Noblesse, High Guardian Spice, Meiji Gekken: Sword & Gun, and Onyx Equinox.

Both Funimation and Crunchyroll have online stores where their users can purchase apparel, collectibles, videos, and more.

Winner: Crunchyroll

6. Subbed vs Dubbed Anime

Compare Crunchyroll and Funimation on anime types. While you can get both subbed and dubbed anime movies from both services, each service has more of one among the two categories. Typically, Funimation has more dubbed anime, while Crunchyroll has more subbed anime. Crunchyroll lets you stream anime movies with their subtitles. A lot of anime lovers find this very useful because it lets them follow up the conversations in the movie/series they're streaming.

On the other hand, Funimation provides more dubbed anime with closed captions. Closed captions are pretty distracting due to the background on the captions being displayed. Sadly, you can't turn off the close captions via the mobile app, and this can be very distracting when seeing your favorite anime episode.

“Dubbed” anime means the episodes are rebroadcasted in English with closed captions, while “Subbed” anime means the anime episodes are provided in their original language while subtitle is provided in different languages for the streamers. Well, it all points down to what you want - subtitles or dubbed English anime episodes?

Winner: You are to decide for yourself.

7. Faster Availability of New Releases

Basically, subbed anime episodes are released faster than dubbed anime episodes. This is because dubbed anime episodes need time for the "dubbed" version to be recorded and released. So, after anime episodes premiere in Japan, they typically appear faster on Crunchyroll before you may get them on Funimation.

Sometimes it takes up to 2 weeks before a newly released anime episode would appear on Funimation. If you're willing to cope with the delay for dubbed anime, you can continue with Funimation, but if you need to be among the first people to watch a newly released episode of your favorite anime series, then you can stick with Crunchyroll.

Winner: Crunchyroll

8. Quality of Streams

In an era of 4K UHD streams, an average streamer would want at least 720p HD quality when streaming any content. Interestingly, you can get up to 1080p Full HD resolution with Crunchyroll and Funimation. If you’re on a strong network, you’d stream them at 1080p quality.

None of the services support 4K streaming; if you want 4k streaming, you need to check the few anime titles you would find on Netflix. Sad as it may be, 4k streaming may take a long to arrive on either of these services.

Winner: It’s a tie

9. Offline Streaming

Offline streaming refers to the ability to download streams to watch them offline - without internet connectivity. Most premium streaming services support this feature (on their higher-tier plans), and it’s pretty useful to most people. Funimation supports offline downloads, whereby you can download an anime episode to watch it later - probably when on the go.

On the other hand, Crunchyroll does not support offline downloads. To stream any anime episode on Crunchyroll, you must be connected to the internet. So, if you’re on the go and unable to get strong internet, there’s no way you can follow up your favorite anime episodes until you arrive at an area where you can have strong internet.

The offline download feature on Funimation has supported on the Premium Plus and Premium plus ultra plans. If you're not on either of these plans, you won't find the option to download a stream for offline downloads. Well, offline downloads are limited and they expire after some days.

There is a way to download both Crunchyroll and Funimation episodes to your PC, where you can always access them at any time and watch them without limitations or connecting to the internet.

StreamFab Downloader for Downloading Crunchyroll and Funimation Anime

Have you already had a result when Funimation vs Crunchyroll? I believe each of you has a decision on your mind. In fact, no matter Crunchyroll or Funimation, it is always better to stream them offline instead of online.

StreamFab Downloader is a professional software you can run on Windows or macOS systems. It comes with a super intuitive interface that's easy to use and supports over a thousand streaming services, including Netflix, Funimation, Crunchyroll, HBO Max, Hulu, and many more.

Using this downloader would slow down your PC; it runs smoothly across systems and supports Batch Mode so you can download bulk anime movies at a go. StreamFab Downloader lets you save anime movies in HD (720p) and FHD (1080p) quality, along with high-quality audio tracks.

Interestingly, this downloader removes ads from the downloaded anime and saves it in MP4 format. It is an ideal solution for grabbing your favorite anime movies and episodes from Funimation and Crunchyroll. Below is a detailed guide on how to use StreamFab Downloader for downloading anime.

How to Download Funimation or Crunchyroll Anime

Download and install the StreamFab Downloader on your Windows OS computer or MacBook. After installation, launch the downloader and follow the steps below.

 i  Win Download     i  Mac Download  

First Step

Click on the VIP Services option on the left pane - on the downloader’s homepage. You’d be directed to a page where you’d see all supported streaming services you can download movies from. Look out for the Crunchyroll or Funimation card - whichever one you want to download from - and click on it.

Second Step:

Sign in to your account on the selected service (Crunchyroll or Funimation) and find the movie you want to download. When you see the movie, start playing it - you’d be prompted to download the movie, click on the “Download” button to view the download options/settings. Choose your download settings and add the movie to your “Download Queue.”

Third Step:

Once the movie is added to the Download Queue, it starts downloading to your local storage. You can monitor the download process by navigating to the "Downloading” tab on the left pane. Also, you can download multiple movies at the same time - simply find the movies, play them, and add them to the Download Queue.

With StreamFab Downloader, you can save every single anime you found interesting on Crunchyroll or Funimation.

What More?

Well, it should be pointed out that Crunchyroll and Funimation are not owned by Sony Entertainment. In August 2021, Sony Entertainment acquired Crunchyroll for a record $1.2b and the company is looking to merge both services to create a bigger service where anime lovers can find any single anime they’d want to watch. The merging hasn’t happened yet, so Crunchyroll and Funimation still run as separate anime streaming services.

Summary

Put simply, if you love dubbed anime and would watch to download some episodes for offline watching, then you should go with Funimation. On the contrary, if you need access to a broader library of top anime classics, Crunchyroll is pretty decent.

With the detailed explanations above, you can easily choose which one is worthy to take your bucks. If you need to download an anime episode from any of these services, use StreamFab Downloader.