In this English-speaking world, back in the early days (ie today’s era), anime fans never had more options to watch their favorite shows online.
If you’re willing to pay a small subscription, several services allow you to stream endless high-quality anime shows, just like Netflix, but exclusively for anime.
VRV and Crunchyroll are among the most popular anime streaming services, But if you’re considering buying a subscription to either of them or which one is better, how do you know which one best suits your needs?
Today, we’re going to look at each service’s different strengths and weaknesses in terms of available programs, apps available, dubbing options or subscriptions, pricing, and regional differences in each service, so you can decide. VRV vs Crunchyroll – Which Anime Streaming Service is Better?
VRV vs Crunchyroll
This is very confusing because Crunchyroll Inc owns VRV. But the VRV is bigger than Crunchyroll; also, VRV leads sports, including speculative fiction and gaming-related channels.
However, both networks allow you to stream anime movies and other related content. You can get Crunchyroll with a VRV membership, but you can’t get VRV with a Crunchyroll membership. Moreover, although Crunchyroll Premium costs $7.99 per month, VRV Premium costs $9.99.
Compare Both Platforms
Content available
Each service offers a different approach to content. VRV is a great platform that provides geek-themed content in the areas of games, horror, and animation, as well as anime.
For example, in addition to anime, they have videos from nerdy channels like Geek & Miscellaneous or Rooster Teeth. VRV sources its anime content from Crunchyroll, so they have a great selection of shows available.
Crunchyroll is an anime-specific service that provides access to over 15,000 hours of Japanese anime content. A manga catalog is also available for viewing, so you can read Japanese comics online.
Apps available to watch
Those who prefer to watch cartoons on their desktop through a web browser have the most options. VRV and Crunchyroll allow you to browse your browser, and each will meet your needs.
However, if you want to watch on another device, you’ll need to check if your particular device is supported. VRV can be viewed on iOS and Android devices and Xbox One.
Crunchyroll offers support for many devices so you can watch on iOS devices, Android devices, Windows Phone, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, Chromecast, and Apple TV.
So, in terms of platform flexibility, the clear winner is Crunchyroll. You can watch on your phone, smart TV device, game console, and web browser using native apps.
Subscription or Dub?
A hotly debated question in the anime community is whether you prefer to watch your anime with subtitles (for example, with original Japanese voice acting and soundtrack, but with English subtitles added at the bottom of the anime screen) or dubbing (ie. dubbing and sometimes sound effects re-recorded in English).
Each system has pros and cons, as hard-core fans prefer subwoofers. The Japanese dub is generally far better than the English dub, with the sub better preserving the anime’s original tone and mood.
However, some people find it difficult to follow captions or often find it unpleasant to read all that text instead of focusing on beautiful images (which are characteristic of the medium), so they prefer dubbing. ,
Crunchyroll targets anime enthusiasts, retaining the original Japanese soundtrack and offering subtitles in multiple languages. A side benefit of this approach is that they can subtitle and load new anime episodes much faster, as they don’t have to wait for the dialogue to be re-recorded in English.
VRV splits the difference by offering subtitled and dubbed shows from Crunchyroll so you can choose the one you love. The better platform is a preference here, with Crunchyroll providing the more traditional anime fan experience and Funimation accessible, while VRV offers options for both.
Prices
VRV costs $9.99 per month. There are no discounts for subscribing for longer memberships; This is one price for all. A big bonus here is that because Crunchyroll runs on the VRV platform, you automatically get access to premium Crunchyroll content when you sign up for VRV.
Crunchyroll gives users free access to a certain amount of its standard-definition, ad-supported catalog. But if you want a full-catalog, ad-free high-definition experience, you can pay $6.95 per month for a premium subscription, with no discount if you subscribe for longer.
What you’re looking for depends on whether you’ve got the best value for money or not. If you want to watch a variety of geek-themed content and anime, VRV might be for you.
But if you just want anime and nothing else, you can save a little monthly money by subscribing to Crunchyroll. The Crunchyroll discount makes it the cheapest option if you plan to sign up for a full year of service.
Regional availability
A major difference between these services is the areas they support. VRV is currently available uniquely in the United States. If you are outside the United States, you will not be able to watch shows using the service.
Crunchyroll, on the other hand, is available worldwide. You can access the site and use the apps to watch your anime wherever you are. However, there are licensing restrictions, meaning that what is available for viewing in each country differs.
On Reddit, a user recently compiled a list of titles in each country in the Crunchyroll catalog. The results show a wide variation in what is available in countries around the world: Most of the programs were available in the United States (848 programs), Canada (841 programs), England (626 programs), and Ireland. (616 programs).
The fewest programs were available in India (121 programs), Singapore (121 programs), South Korea (104 programs), and Hong Kong (94 programs).
So you can see that Crunchyroll has the best regional availability in terms of service, but the exact number of shows you can access will depend on which country you’re currently in.
What if you are a fan of anime living in India and want access to the full list of shows? Fortunately, there is a way around these regional restrictions by using a VPN.
Use a VPN to Bypass Region Locks
Sites like Crunchyroll can limit the content available for viewing in different countries through region blocking. When you connect a device to the Internet, it is assigned an IP address – a unique string of numbers that distinguishes that device from others. Your ISP provides your IP address to route the relevant data to your device.
The problem is that the IP address contains information about your country. Special IP address ranges are assigned to particular countries.
So when you visit a website, that website site can see which country you are visiting from and read your IP address easily. Therefore, the site may offer a different version depending on your country, for example, only showing you a limited content list.
A VPN is a small piece of software you install on your device that encrypts all the data you send over the Internet (what you search for or anything else you do on the Internet). And the encrypted data is sent to a server owned by your VPN provider, where this data is decrypted and sent on its way to its original destination.
This advantage is that it protects your privacy by encrypting your Internet usage and making it visible to you while browsing the Internet from a different location.
When data is decrypted on the server, websites view it as if the server is the source of traffic. So, for example, if you are in India, you can connect to a server in the United States and access the US version of websites. It allows you to bypass regional blocks to watch content from any country.
FAQs
Is Crunchyroll Free?
Yes, you can remain a free Crunchyroll user if you don’t mind seeing ads as your stream. However, for a free premium experience, Crunchyroll offers a $7/month subscription package with more features, including downloading anime movies for offline streaming for users on the go.
Is VRV or Crunchyroll Better?
If you’re interested in American and independent cartoons or want to make it easier to find new shows, VRV beats Crunchyroll in both respects. It’s definitely worth the extra $2 per month. But VRV can’t compete with the amount of dubbed anime that Crunchyroll offers.
Which app has more anime?
Crunchyroll is the gold standard for anime. Anime addicts will want to see what Crunchyroll has to offer. With over 900 shows and counting, including regular updates featuring some of the latest shows from the anime season straight from Japan, you wouldn’t know what it was all to make.
Is everything Crunchyroll on VRV?
If you subscribe to VRV Premium, you can get a FREE Premium membership on Crunchyroll.com and all supported apps! The First step you have to do is Link your VRV account with your Crunchyroll account. Log in to Crunchyroll.com or the Crunchyroll app and enjoy premium membership benefits!
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