Video streaming services for less than R50 per month

South Africans can get access to one of several top-notch video streaming services for less than R50 per month.

Showmax, Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video all offer mobile-only subscriptions at a fraction of the cost of their plans for larger screens.

These plans provide all the same movies and TV series as their main offerings.

They are particularly applicable to the South African market, where the majority of people accessing the Internet do so through a smartphone.

Streaming companies are also sensitive to mobile data affordability concerns in South Africa.

Therefore, their mobile apps offer data-saving modes and support for downloading on a Wi-Fi network for offline watching later. 

Several of these platforms have also partnered with mobile network operators to provide discounted or free data bundles exclusive for using these services.

Prime Video offers the most affordable mobile-only membership, priced at R29 per month, compared to R79 per month for its standard offering in South Africa.

The service is also available for free for six months to new Telkom postpaid FlexOn, PureFlex, Infinite Postpaid, and Hybrid customers. 

Telkom prepaid customers can also get up to three months free when recharging with at least R99 airtime per month. 

Among the service’s most popular or noteworthy titles are The Boys, Rings of Power, The Wheel of Time, The Grand Tour, Clarkson’s Farm, Reacher, and Fallout. 

The next most affordable option is MultiChoice’s Showmax, which costs R45. This is less than half the price of its main subscription. 

For R45 per month, subscribers get access to thousands of titles available on the South African-based service.

Among its biggest draws is its extensive lineup of South African crime documentaries and various movies and series in local languages.

Showmax also boasts a wide range of highly popular international content, including movies and series from HBO, Paramount, and Warner Bros.

Showmax’s team has focused heavily on the service’s data-saving mode to make the service accessible for lower-income users.

A recent comparison by MyBroadband pitting Showmax against other streaming services found that it consumed the least amount of data per minute with fair quality.

All of Showmax’s subscriptions are also available at half price for Capitec customers through vouchers. People with Capitec accounts may buy vouchers for others.

Disney+ and Netflix charge the same R49 for their mobile-only plans in South Africa.

However, Disney+ Mobile includes a 500MB monthly bundle when subscribing through MTN.

It is also the only mobile-only plan that supports streaming at full high definition (1080p) rather than standard definition (480p).

However, MyBroadband’s tests have shown that Disney+’s data-saving mode consumes much more data than its competitors.

Netflix Mobile consumed about a third of the data that Disney+ did, while delivering a similar video quality.

Free local options

There is also a plethora of local streaming services which have no monthly fees as standard.

The SABC+ service is completely free and currently has no paid options. However, the broadcaster previously told MyBroadband it may roll out certain premium features that require a fee.

The advantage SABC+ and several other free platforms have over the other streaming services is that they can be used on large screen devices like TVs and computer monitors.

The table below provides a breakdown of all the video streaming packages available for under R50 a month in South Africa in May 2025.