Funimation and Crunchyroll are two of the most popular and widely used anime streaming services on the planet. Fans of anime all over the world turn to these giants for on demand accessibility to their favorite movies, shows, and more.
Making the decision may feel big, but this guide will help you determine which is going to be the best solution for you. There are plenty of other options out there, including a wee bit of anime on Netflix and Hulu.
However, what you’ll find is that they’re lacking compared to something that’s totally dedicated to anime content. And while you could use free sites, they tend to be spammy, buggy, and laggy. A lot of commercials can ruin your entire experience.
Funimation and Crunchyroll are generally the two you’ll end up with at the top of your list, so let’s take a look at how they compare.
The Main Differences Between Funimation and Crunchyroll
The main differences between Funimation and Crunchyroll are:
- Both Funimation and Crunchyroll support many of the same platforms, but Funimation also supports Android TV, Samsung TV, and Fire TV whereas Crunchyroll supports Wii U, PlayStation Vita, and Roku.
- Funimation focuses on dubbing their content so you can choose between Japanese or English on everything they offer whereas Crunchyroll has focused on beefing up their library of content, many of which have English subtitles.
- Funimation has been around since the late 90s whereas Crunchyroll has been around since 2006.
- Funimation has many anime classics whereas Crunchyroll has a bigger library of new content.
- Funimation offers a cleaner user interface whereas Crunchyroll seems a bit cluttered.
About Funimation
Funimation has been around since the late 90s. In fact, it sparks a bit of nostalgia for long-time lovers of anime. It first became popular when it dubbed over Dragon Ball Z and Cartoon Network Toonami aired it on TV.
Nostalgia isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, and we often remember things a bit differently in our rearview mirror than they actually are. Is Funimation still as great as it used to be? Or was it ever that great to begin with?
Content selection
There’s a huge variety of anime classics on Funimation as well as some new content. The best thing about Funimation is the ability to choose whether you want to watch your content in Japanese or English. They dub everything, but they also leave the original audio intact for those who prefer it.
You can enjoy all of the things you used to watch in your heyday, like Yu Yu Hakusho, Cowboy Bebop, One Piece, and of course, Dragon Ball Z. These shows offer the awesome storylines you remember with all the epic theme music you just don’t hear anymore.
If you’d prefer to watch something newer, you can catch Golden Kamuy, Assassination Classroom, or My Hero Academia.
You can watch simulcasts on Funimation and get access to new content even faster than other streaming services, or you can enjoy what Funimation calls simuldubs. These simuldubs are dubbed versions of new anime episodes the day after they air on TV. That means you don’t have to wait very long for the dubbed version to be uploaded.
You may not get all of the instant gratification of watching it when it airs, but you also don’t have to read subtitles either. Funimation focuses more on dubbing their content than anyone else does, so while you may find that their feature library isn’t quite as large as Crunchyroll, literally everything they stream is dubbed over.
User interface
You’ll enjoy the fact that Funimation’s interface is not as clustered as Crunchyroll’s. You can hover over the Shows button in the menu and sort by most popular, genre, or simuldub shows. You can also view shows alphabetically or search for exactly what you want.
When you can’t find anything to watch, go to the Discover tab to find what’s new, what’s popular, or what might fit your tastes based on what you’ve watched before.
The interface is clean and easy to navigate, so it won’t take you much time to figure out how it works and get to watching.
Along with a clean and easy interface, Funimation offers more comprehensive information about the anime you’re watching, so you can learn what you like and why you like it. It helps you understand what you might enjoy watching before you watch it and can guide you to more content you’ll love.
Availability
Funimation is available on more platforms than Crunchyroll. You can watch your anime favorites on smart TVs like Android TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV, and Fire TV. You can watch it on your mobile devices and gaming platforms like Android, iOS, Windows phone, Xbox One, Xbox360, and PlayStation 3 and 4. You can also enjoy it on your Chromecast.
Other features
You may also notice that with Funimation, you can watch anime in higher resolution. Rather than uploading content quickly, they take their time and ensure that all of the content they upload is the best it can be.
Funimation also uploads clips as a preview, so you can view the anime first before watching the entire full-length episode or feature. It’s just another way that Funimation helps guide you through your anime experience.
Problems
Just like any other app, Funimation has some bugs. It’s tough to stream content from around the world in an instant, so you may find days when you just can’t connect to the server while other days it works perfectly fine.
About Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is somewhat more popular than Funimation, likely due to their bigger library of content. They have millions of subscribers and have been around since 2006.
Content selection
Crunchyroll has 200 Japanese movies and 900 anime TV shows. Most are dubbed, but not all. The content that isn’t dubbed has English subtitles so you don’t have to learn Japanese to watch it.
While there’s some well-known anime, there are also plenty of shows that aren’t as high profile. You can watch Fullmetal Alchemist, Attack on Titan, or Naruto Shippuden, which you’ve likely heard of.
If you’d rather try something new, you could find a new niche you love like How Not to Summon a Demon Lord or Mob Psycho 100. Either way, you’ll enjoy plenty of content to last for a long time.
Crunchyroll also has a few simulcasts if you want to watch them at the same time they air in Japan.
You may also enjoy reading some Manga. Crunchyroll has plenty of that as well. You may even find some simulpubs you love.
User interface
The interface is straightforward and easy to use. You can find trending anime, sort all content alphabetically, or filter by genre. Add shows to your queue and watch later or click the Random button and have it select something for you.
The pages can seem cluttered at times because you have so many options, which is something that some users don’t like. However, with an overload of content, you’ll always have something to watch right at your fingertips.
Availability
Crunchyroll is compatible with Android, iOS, Windows phone, Wii U, PlayStation 3 and 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast.
Similar to Funimation, Crunchyroll’s apps have some gliches. You may experience lag, bugs, or crashes. On any given day, you may just decide to give up and try again tomorrow. Watching anime on the go is never an easy task.
Other features
Crunchyroll offers a great sense of community among users. They take reviews and feedback from users seriously in order to provide the best content available. User requests for classic anime and new anime projects are coming to life all the time, thanks to submissions from users.
Crunchyroll also displays a star rating system and user reviews of content prominently to help guide other users through the giant anime library to find things they’ll love to watch.
FAQ
If you’re new to anime or you’re not sure which anime streaming app to choose, here are some frequently asked questions to help you out.
Which is better Crunchyroll or Funimation?
The primary difference between the two is that Crunchyroll has manga and other foreign dramas whereas Funimation has more dubs. If you enjoy reading mango or you want to watch Japanese dramas in addition to anime, Cruncyroll is a better choice.
However, if you want to watch your anime in English, all of Funimation’s content is dubbed and you can watch it in either Japanese with subtitles or you can watch it dubbed over in English.
They’re both comparable in price and both also have a free plan, so you can choose what type of content matters to you most.
Is Funimation safe?
Funimation is completely safe. Everything you watch on Funimation is licensed and they have permission to stream it to you. There are no worries about getting a virus on your computer or getting spammed by tons of ads.
Even on the free version, all you have to do is watch a commercial every now and then to get access to licensed content that won’t put you at risk.
Is Crunchyroll safe?
Crunchyroll is the same way. All content is licensed so you can stream it legally without worrying about viruses, spam, or pop ups.
Which is better, VRV or Funimation?
VRV has a great video player and it loads fast. With VRV plus the Crunchyroll add-on, you’ll experience a much larger content library. For people who have been watching anime for a long time, this is a good way to go because you’ll get access to all the latest and you can keep up with your favorite shows.
For beginners, Funimation offers plenty of content to catch up on and all of it is dubbed in English so you don’t have to read subtitles.
Which app has the most anime?
Not surprisingly, Crunchyroll is at the top of the list. They have more anime titles than any other anime app. With over 1000 shows and movies, plus manga and other foreign drama, you’ll have content for a long time.
Funimation isn’t very far behind and has a lot of overlap with Crunchyroll. However, you’ll also enjoy popular series like Dragon Ball Z, that Crunchyroll doesn’t have. They only lag behind because they care more about dubbing all of their content than getting it up as fast as possible.
You may be surprised to find out that Netflix and Hulu are number three and four on the list with the most anime options.
Choosing the Right Anime Streaming Outlet
Funimation and Crunchyroll both have their strengths and weaknesses. It’s clear that while Funimation doesn’t have the same in-depth content library, it’s better for people who are just getting their feet wet in the world of anime because they focus so much on dubbing all content they stream.
Crunchyroll focuses more on expanding their library to include the newest and most popular anime, which means you’ll have access to nearly endless content all the time. All of it contains English subtitles, but not all of it is dubbed.
It all comes down to what you watch the most. If you want new anime content, choose Crunchyroll. If you want English dubs, check out Funimation.