- Updated on: May 26, 2024
- by Ernie
If you are an anime addict like me, you probably would have already heard about at least one of these two sites, if not both. When deciding what to watch, one might find themselves thinking about where to watch it. What’s better than a paid anime streaming site? A semi free one! What’s better than a free one? The one that pays you to watch the anime!
Okay, that went a bit too far but for real, which site is better out of two Crunchyroll or Funimation? In this article, you’ll find everything you need to know what site you prefer in order to watch anime.
Table of Contents
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Table of Content
What is Crunchyroll?
A site formed in 2006, Crunchyroll is one of the most famous streaming sites for anime with almost 100 million registered users and 4.5 million paid subscribers. In over 200 countries, Crunchyroll provides its service with both classic and current anime as well as many mangas, movies and games too.
Crunchyroll provides its great content in 480p for free and if you want more than that, you’ll have to buy one of its packages
Most of the content on Crunchyroll is for free which means you won’t have to upset your pocket and instead use that money to buy a snack to eat while enjoying your favorite anime show on Crunchyroll!
However, in order to get more benefits from the site, you can be a paid subscriber and the fees are also very reasonable!
What is Funimation?
Funimation is an American entertainment company created by Gen Fukunaga, specifically for East Asian media, mostly Japanese animation. Where this site provides tons of anime, it is specifically famous for its dubbing.
However, the Funimation Now’s app and the website are currently available in only a few of the places including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. If you live elsewhere, you’ll have to use VPN to have access to this site. Such a downfall isn’t it?
For the site, Funimation is famous for the large collection of Japanese animation who prefer English dub over English sub. Disgusting. Just kidding! Yes, I am familiar with the sub vs dub war but just because someone doesn’t like English sub doesn’t mean they are not the real otaku.
Maybe they just don’t like to watch anime, like a chameleon. One eye on the screen and one on the subtitles.
Funimation was created in 1994, making itself the senior of Crunchyroll but is “old is gold” true in all cases? Maybe not. The only way to find out is to compare both sites side by side.
Funimation Vs Crunchyroll: Dub
Crunchyroll:
Crunchyroll has tons of anime, with a few of them having dubs and English voice-overs including Durarara!!, Blue Exorcist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Funimation will literally steal the spotlight with the majority of its anime being presented with English dubbing
Funimation:
Funimation specializes in dubs and its library is filled with hundreds of anime with English dubbing, shortly after the release of new episodes. It will be heaven for people who prefer dub and dub only, as the site wasn’t licensed for sub rights. So only a few of the anime could be found on Funimation with English subtitles but it’s not really a problem for a dub watcher.
Funimation provides English dubbing after almost a week of the release of a new episode in Japan. So it is not only the biggest platform to provide dubbed anime episodes, but this site also does it in a short time.
WINNER:
So in the battle of dub, Funimation has punched down the Crunchyroll!
Funimation Vs Crunchyroll: Sub
Crunchyroll:
As in the previous round, Crunchyroll was the one receiving the punch but one drawback doesn’t mean it won’t be able to get back up. When it comes to sub, Funimation didn’t license for the sub rights which means it will not be the best choice to go to Funimation for watching your next anime with English subtitles.
Moreover, the subtitles for the anime present in Funimation are displayed with a close caption which irritates the user as the dark background behind subtitles can’t be removed and it ruins the visuals.
However, Crunchyroll has over a thousand anime shows present with original Japanese voice over and English subtitles. Not only that, but Crunchyroll also displays subtitles without using the background that is customizable and not as distracting as the black background one.
WINNER:
So the winner of this round is clearly Crunchyroll and the anime sub watchers are cheering for its victory!
Funimation Vs Crunchyroll: Catalog
Depending upon what you are looking for, both Funimation and Crunchyroll have a good variety of anime. However, when it comes to who has the bigger anime collection, Crunchyroll wins easily over Funimation.
Crunchyroll has enough anime to keep you busy for the rest of your life. It has over 1200 anime and not only that but also Japanese dramas and live action movies with English subtitles. Crunchyroll also has manga and apparel stores making it a more tempting place for otakus.
Whereas Funimation is famous for its dubbing but unfortunately, it doesn’t provide as much variety of anime as Crunchyroll. Of course, you can find some classic anime as well as some live actions with more information about them but it’s not always enough for crazy anime lovers. Sorry Funimation, you will have to stand a step back from Crunchyroll on this one!
But what about QuoteTheAnime?
Funimation Vs Crunchyroll: Price comparison
Although, both of the sites provide free service to the fans who want to enjoy the movie but don’t want to pay for it. Now of course, you won’t be offered the seat in the front row nor will you get the popcorn.
What I meant to say is that you are free to use both sites without any membership but you’ll have to put up with a few restrictions like not having fast access to the new episodes and having to deal with some advertisements even in the middle of episodes.
However, both the sites offer different packages with a lot of advantages. Let’s compare which one is more pocket friendly with more advantages.
Crunchyroll:
Crunchyroll’s standard fan subscription starts at 7.99 dollars and provides better resolution than the free service. It contains no ads and a wider catalog. The Mega fan subscription can help people watch anime episodes offline and have 4 concurrent user options for only 9.99 dollars per month. Ultimate membership provides 6 concurrent users for 14.99 dollars.
| Starter Price | Basic Price | Premium Price |
| $7.99 | $9.99 | $14.99 |
Funimation:
However, Funimation premium starts at 5.99 dollars where you can watch anime with better resolution and without getting any irritating ads. For the Funimation premium plus, you’ll have to pay 7.99 dollars per month and for ultra plus, it will be 99.9 dollars per year and you will be able to get two rentals and an anniversary gift every year.
So if we compare both sites, Funimation hands out its membership starting at the price lower than Crunchyroll. Even though Crunchyroll is only a tiny bit more expensive than Funimation and provides a much more diverse library.
| Starter Price | Basic Price | Premium Price |
| $5.99 | $7.99 | $99..9 |
WINNER:
However, in terms of comparing prices, Funimation is the winner of this round!
Funimation Vs Crunchyroll: Popularity
Where did you watch your first anime? Chances are that most of you guys must have their first anime experience on either of these sites. Do you remember your first experience? Who forget about their time though?
Chances are that you must have tried one of these sites after knowing about them from other otakus all around the world. Let me predict. Crunchyroll was the one you heard about first right? How did I know? Because I am a magician! I know about your first anime site just like I know about the monsters that are hiding behind the curtain of your room.
Just kidding. Crunchyroll provides its services in almost 200 countries with more anime titles while Funimation is only legal in some countries like the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, New Zealand, Ireland, and Mexico. People who live elsewhere and have no access to VPN won’t be able to use Funimation. So it’s only a fair guess that you must have heard or even used Crunchyroll before you moved to Funimation.
Even though Funimation doesn’t provide its services to as many countries as Crunchyroll but the site is still considered as a tough competitor of Crunchyroll because of its vast variety of well known anime that has been dubbed in English including Attack On Titan, Code Geass, Black Butler and One Piece.
But in terms of popularity, Crunchyroll takes the lead!
WINNER:
Crunchyroll is the winner in terms of popularity!
Crunchyroll Vs Funimation: Comparing Experiences
After testing both sites, a few of the differences have been noticed by anime lovers. When we talk about the enormous library of anime offered by Crunchyroll, have you ever wondered what it would be like to try to find a specific fish in the entire sea?
Crunchyroll has different categories including popular, simulcast, updated, Alphabetical, genre, and seasons. However you can also search for your desired anime by searching the anime title in the title bar, however, sometimes it can prove daunting.
In comparison, Funimation is much easier to use and search for your desired anime. It arranges its shows in different categories including All shows, genres, simuldub, Comedy, Sci-fi, Drama, Slice of life, Psychological, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen, Shoujo, Action or adventure and Horror.
WINNER:
So the winner of this round is: Funimation!
Crunchyroll Vs Funimation: Device compatibility
In this round, both of the anime streaming sites stand side by side as Crunchyroll as well as Funimation’s apps are available across most major devices. However, one will always have something the other doesn’t.
Yes, you heard it right. One of the sites has a sneak attack which can make it a winner over the other! Can you guess which one?
Funimation apps are compatible with Amazon Fire TV, Android devices, Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, iOS, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, Roku, Smart TV, Xbox 360, Xbox one.
Wow. Sounds like a winner to me. But wait, What does Crunchyroll have in its hands? It’s the Nintendo Wii U ! Yes, that’s right. Crunchyroll is compatible with all the same devices as Funimation and moreover, it also provides service on Nintendo Wii U.
Sorry, Funimation. You did great but Crunchyroll did better in this round.
WINNER:
So the winner of this round is: Crunchyroll!
Crunchyroll Vs Funimation: Regional Availability
We have been through this discussion before but for the sake of another round, we will count the countries that have access to both anime streaming sites.
Crunchyroll provides its service in around 200 countries including the Philippines, Singapore, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United States, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, El Salvador, Norway, Costa Rica, Mexico, Chile, Sweden, Finland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Denmark, Peru, Dominican Republic , Ireland ,Colombia and many more.
However, Funimation is a bit shy and doesn’t visit many countries! By that I mean its service is restricted to only a few countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. That sounds way less than Crunchyroll right.
WINNER:
So the winner of this round is: Crunchyroll!
Crunchyroll Vs Funimation: Anime fandom
When people all around the world love the same thing, it’s natural that they will want to communicate and share their ideas with each other as well. In this regard both of the sites, Funimation and Crunchyroll provide an online active forum for the Japanese anime fans to communicate, comment regarding the anime episode and also show their anime cosplays to each other.
Funimation attends almost nine or ten conventions per year from Ohayocon to New York Comic. And includes anime booths, giveaways, merchandise, and screenings of pre-release anime as well!
However, Crunchyroll stands one step ahead of Funimation in this round too. This anime streaming site not only allows members to comment on the specific anime episodes and share views but every year it also hosts its own annual conference called Crunchyroll Expo.
It lasts for almost 3 days where approximately 16,000 anime fans gather for the event and get to see the pre-screening of anime shows and hear from guests.
WINNER:
So the winner of this round is: Crunchyroll!
Crunchyroll Vs Funimation: Features
Crunchyroll:
One benefit of the membership is that you won’t have to encounter annoying ads (even though we have ads on our site QuotetheAnime too lol). All subscribers of Crunchyroll will be able to watch the latest episodes of new anime earlier than those who don’t have a membership. Moreover, the subscriber will also have access to an online catalog of Japanese manga. With more advanced packages, you can have access to multi device streaming as well!
Moreover, with a Mega fan and as an ultimate fan subscriber, you will get free shipping for merchandise in the US and special community perks.
Funimation:
Funimation also provides simultaneous streaming but it contains fewer devices as compared to what Crunchyroll provides. A subscriber of Funimation can have two device streaming options with a premium package and five devices with the other plans.
Besides that, you can watch offline anime videos with Premium plus and Premium plus ultra support. You can also get free shipping and discounts on merch as well.
WINNER:
So the winner of this round is: Funimation!
Funimation Vs Crunchyroll: Which is best for
non-Americans
As anime is originally Asian animation, it is not a wonder that there will be a lot of non-americans otaku out there. All other countries speak their own native language and have to learn English in order to watch anime. However, for a non-native speaker, it is easier for them to read English rather than to listen and understand it.
So most of the time, they prefer English sub. But that might be a little different for a native English speaker, specifically one living in America. As they speak English in their everyday life, watching anime with dub will be easier for them. In that case, Funimation is the best option for them.
So if we compare both anime streaming sites in terms of which is better for non Americans, Crunchyroll takes the lead again.
WINNER:
So the winner of this round is: Crunchyroll!
Funimation Vs Crunchyroll: Quality
Funimation is cheaper than Crunchyroll but with a smaller library of anime. However, you can find high-quality dubbed anime with titles on this site. Overall performance of this site is good however sometimes it goes down.
Crunchyroll provides a good amount of anime in 480p for free and it’s subtitles are also present without any background which makes it easier for the viewers.
WINNER:
So the winner of this round is: Crunchyroll!
Crunchyroll Vs Funimation: Simuldub
When it comes to dubs, There is no better site than Funimation. It’s like the site’s strongest weapon.Funimation has a wider range of anime that are dubbed but it also has a fast simuldub. For the people with membership, they can get the dubbed version of the new episode in just a week! Salute to the hard working dubbing team.
On the other hand, Crunchyroll has only a few of the anime that have been dubbed in English and it doesn’t have as fast of a simuldub speed as Funimation.
WINNER:
So the winner of this round is: Funimation!
Which App are you going to try?
Both anime streaming sites have negative and positive points and depending upon what you are looking for, you can choose one of the sites. However, for the people who prefer sub over dub, Crunchyroll is the one for them but if you live in one of the countries where you have legal access to Funimation, you might want to use that site and get benefits at its fullest.
