Funimation Review: Is Funimation Worth It?

Update: As of March 1st, 2022, Funimation is transitioning its content over to Crunchyroll. Current Funimation subscribers that subscribed prior to 2/28/2022 will receive a 2-month premium trial to Crunchyroll. If you were thinking about subscribing to Funimation, I would consider Crunchyroll instead. Check out our review of Crunchyroll for more information.

What is Funimation

Funimation is a Japanese Anime streaming service owned by Sony that streams current and classic anime to English-speaking viewers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. While Funimation offers English subtitled anime in its original Japanese, the service focuses special attention on dubbing anime in English for viewers outside of Japan.

They even branded their dubbing process SimulDub, which delivers anime episodes dubbed in English a mere few weeks after they air in Japan. Episodes are aired almost as soon as they are done airing in Japan, and it takes mere weeks for Funimation to dub episodes in English. You can see what new episodes and dubs are available daily on the Funimation schedule.

How Much Does Funimation Cost per Month

Funimation offers 2 monthly subscription plans, Premium and Premium Plus:

• Funimation’s Premium Subscription
  • offers a 14-day free trial
  • costs $5.99 per month after the trial
  • unlocks all content on Funimation with no ads
  • watch on 2 devices at once.

• Funimation’s Premium Plus Subscription
  • offers a 14-day free trial
  • costs $7.99 per month after the trial
  • unlocks all content on Funimation with no ads
  • watch on 5 devices at once.
  • Download for offline viewing on supported mobile devices
  • Exclusive members-only events
  • Early access to special Funimation Shop sales
  • Free shipping on Funimation Shop orders over $20
  • Members-only offers

You can cancel either of these subscription plans at any time. A Funimation free trial lasts 14 days, If you cancel within the free trial period you will not be charged. To cancel your Funimation subscription, log into your account on the Funimation website and click “My Account,” then click on “Subscription.” Expand the Summary section, then click on “Cancel.”

Funimation Annual Gift

There is also an option to sign up for an annual subscription for $99. This option is called “Premium Plus Ultra” and provides all the Premium Plus Subscription features and benefits but ads in a gift every year. A year of Premium Plus paid monthly works out to be $95.88, so the Premium Plus Ultra is basically a free yearly gift for what amounts to $3 more per year. The 2020 gift was this Funimation scarf that sells for $25, so the annual plan may be worth it if you plan to be a long-term premium subscriber.

Is There a Free Version of Funimation

Aside from the 14-day free trials, there is a free version of Funimation. Unfortunately, the free plan offers only a sample of what’s available on Funimation. You may be able to watch a few older episodes of some anime, but more current and in-demand shows will require a paid subscription. You need to sign up for a free account which they do a good job of hiding. To find it, go to the free-trial page and scroll to the bottom of the page, and click “Sign up for a Free Account.”

How To Sign Up For Funimation

Signing up for Funimation is easy. Just follow the steps below

1. Go to the Funimation Sign Up Page <-Click this link.
2. You can start a free trial to any of the premium plans shown below
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3. OR you can scroll down to the bottom and choose the free plan
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4. From there, enter an email address and password of your choice. If you are subscribing to a premium plan, you will need payment information. Funimation accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, PayPal, and Funimation Gift Cards.
5. You are now signed up and can start watching Funimation.

Watching Funimation

Once you sign up for the free trial, you can watch all the anime available on Funimation by logging into the website on your supported browser or downloading the Funimation app to a supported streaming device. The Funimation app is quick and responsive and streams video in up to 1080p HD. The app doesn’t present any video or sound quality issues upon use. Streaming is fast with no buffering when using the recommended internet connection of 2 Mbps for SD and 5 Mbps for 720p and 1080p.

Supported Devices

The Funimation App is supported on the following devices:

Streaming Devices: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Chromecast
Mobile: Android, iOS, and Amazon Kindle.
Smart TV: Roku TVs, Amazon Fire TV’s Samsung smart TV, LG smart TV, and VIZIO Smartcast.
Gaming consoles: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

What’s On Funimation

Currently, there are well over 700 different anime titles available on Funimation, spanning nearly every genre from Shoujo to Shounen, including horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and more. Below are some popular anime titles available on Funimation, but I recommend checking out their show page to see what is available.

Where To Watch Cowboy Bebop

Is Funimation Worth the Price

A Premium subscription to Funimation is $5.99 per month. Considering the service is the best out there for a quick turnaround on quality dubbed anime I find that a great value for those that don’t enjoy reading subtitles. For English speaking anime fans, Funimation is a must-have streaming service.