For those looking to watch major anime titles, Crunchyroll is one of the leading streaming platforms. Beyond its extensive anime catalog, it also offers access to a large manga library, games, and drama.
To take advantage of all of these, however, you need to pay for a Premium membership. If you're trying to decide whether to move beyond a free membership, here's an in-depth view of Crunchyroll's tiers.
What Are Crunchyroll Premium Tiers?
With Crunchyroll Premium, there are three tiers of membership. You can choose to either be a Fan, Mega Fan, or Ultimate Fan based on your watching preferences and how many Crunchyroll exclusives you want access to. Prices scale accordingly with a Fan membership costing $7.99 per month, Mega Fan costing $9.99 per month, and Ultimate Fan costing $14.99 per month.
For those looking to test out the Premium experience, Crunchyroll does offer a 14-day free trial. However, some membership exclusives won't activate until you swap over to a paid membership.
Overall, you can experience the majority of Crunchyroll's flexible viewing and content for free.
So, let's explore the differences between a free and paid membership in detail.
1. No Adverts
A free Crunchyroll user can expect to watch numerous ads per episode. Across all of Crunchyroll's Premium tiers, there are no ads.
When you consider there are over a thousand anime shows on Crunchyroll, ads greatly increase watching time. So if you're looking to catch up quickly, a Premium membership offers an affordable quick-pass.
2. Simulcast the Newest Anime
When not paused by ads, free users also have to wait for a week before getting access to the latest anime and dramas.
On the other hand, all Crunchyroll Premium members can watch shows the same day they air in Japan. In fact, new episodes can be accessed as little as one hour after the Japanese premiere. Crunchyroll helps keep this neatly organized via its simulcast calendar.
3. Extensive Online Manga Library
For all Premium members, a major advantage is access to Crunchyroll's extensive online manga library. So whether you're using Crunchyroll's website or browsing manga via Crunchyroll's manga app for Android or iOS, there are flexible options for viewing.
If you're a free user, however, you won't be able to access any of the digital manga.
4. Stream Across Multiple Devices
While all of the perks we've discussed so far are available on every Premium tier, let's explore how membership differentiates.
If you're just a Fan member, you can only stream on one device at a time. Meanwhile, the Mega Fan tier allows for streaming on four devices. Ultimate Fans can stream on up to six devices.
So, if you're looking to share a membership, the later tiers can be sized to your household and device usage.
5. Offline Viewing
If you want to watch anime on the go, especially in places where streaming isn't ideal, Crunchyroll also has the option to download episodes for offline viewing. However, you need to be either a Mega or Ultimate Fan to access this feature. If you're using the Crunchyroll app, it's easy to build a watch list and begin stockpiling episodes as needed.
When syncing for offline viewing, there are also a few options to customize it to your liking. You can choose first to either sync an entire series or download individual episodes. There's also the option to disallow syncing using cellular data.
If you're running low on space, Crunchyroll will pause the syncing process and allow you to resume later once you've either cleaned up or deleted previously downloaded episodes.
6. Exclusive Access and Discounts
In the past, Crunchyroll would offer free items like enamel pins, large bags, and posters to Premium members at on-site locations like anime conventions.
Nowadays, Both Mega and Ultimate Fans receive first access to Crunchyroll Expo events and lotteries. However, every three months Mega Fans receive $15 off a $100 purchase in the Crunchyroll Store, whereas Ultimate Fans will receive $25 off. Ultimate Fans will also receive access to an annual swag bag and a limited-run of the Crunchyroll mascot figure.
Ultimate Fan subscribers also get access to a free snack pack and Right Stuff anime coupon. With all these options, it's no surprise that Crunchyroll is one of the best anime streaming services.
Should You Purchase Crunchyroll Premium?
With Crunchyroll Premium, its value lies in offering accessible anime streaming with tiered options for your devices and lifestyle. Beyond its main goal, there's additional support for related content, discounts, and additional promotional offerings.
If Crunchyroll is streaming the content you want, there's little reason not to consider it. However, streaming platforms do have their exclusive titles and offers, so you should always compare and consider what suits your anime preferences beforehand.