Everything You Need to Know About MUBI, the Film Buff’s Netflix

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Most movie streaming services compete with each other based on how many movies and TV shows they have in their library, but MUBI’s a little different. Created as a response to the overwhelming amount of content that’s accessible on our devices, MUBI tries to bring back the curated experience of physically going to a cinema.

“The thing that makes MUBI different, and keeps it special, is that we hand-pick every single film.” MUBI founder Efe Cakarel said in an interview with Issimo, “Because our films are so human-driven – no robots or algorithms – we aren’t led by popularity or trends, or anything else. We just find the films that truly speak to us…and bring them to more people.”

MUBI’s slowed-down approach to distributing content makes it a rarity in a world where “on demand” is the name of the game. So, is MUBI worth it? That depends on what you like. As a fellow In the Mood for Love fan, I’d like to think I’m part of Cakarel’s target market so I bought a MUBI subscription and stuck with it for three months. Here’s what I’ve learned about MUBI.

What Is MUBI?

MUBI is a subscription-based streaming service that can best be described as Netflix but for people who like art house movies. The app was initially called The Auteurs, but this was eventually changed, giving it a more intuitive name. Its unique selection of films alone makes the app worth it for a lot of people since the films in MUBI’s library typically aren’t available on Amazon Prime Video or Netflix. 

MUBI was founded in 2007 by Efe Cakarel, a Turkish businessman, who got the idea in an ‘aha!’ moment he had in Tokyo. 

Cakarel told Issimo that he was trying to watch In the Mood for Love in a Tokyo cafe when he realized there was no way for him to watch it online.

“This was 2006, but still!” Cakarel explained, “This experience gave the idea of a platform akin to an online cinema –  a place to showcase and celebrate the great range of movies and provide access to masterpieces to audiences around the world.”

MUBI puts a strong emphasis on its curated aspect. The service has a constantly-updated selection of films with its Film of the Day section. It also has curated sections of award-winning films and films made by directors from underrepresented groups. The app also has a relatively consistent library of cult classic films like, well, In the Mood for Love and The Color of Pomegranates. 

How Do I Get MUBI?

Like its more mainstream competitors, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, MUBI is available in virtually every region, making it accessible to all lovers of film. The MUBI app can be downloaded to any Android device with Google Play and Apple device with the Apple App Store. 

Once you get a MUBI subscription, you can even watch your favorite films on the MUBI website. Just make sure to log in with the account you made your subscription on. 

How Much Does MUBI Cost?

MUBI is billed at $6.99/month, but it can be much cheaper if you get an annual subscription. If you opt for the yearly price, the cost goes down to $59.88 or exactly $4.99/month. 

Sounds like too much commitment? You’re free to cancel anytime and you’ll get a refund for the months you didn’t use, as long as you time it before the next billing cycle.

Can I Watch MUBI for Free?

Unfortunately, you can’t watch MUBI for free, but you can get discounts. The regular subscription comes with a 7-day free trial, but there’s also a Student subscription plan that lets you start the first 30 days of your subscription entirely for free. The Student subscription comes with another perk: it only costs $3.99/month.

To get a Student subscription with MUBI, you’ll have to sign up with your university email address and fill in your graduation year. 

MUBI vs. Criterion: How Does MUBI Compare to Criterion?

Criterion and MUBI are often compared to each other since they both cater to an audience that prefers niche films. The kicker here is that MUBI makes Criterion look more mainstream by comparison. There are tons more movies on Criterion with a library boasting over 2,000 films (2,817 to be exact) as of the time this article was written. The classics in Criterion’s selection also tend to be more familiar, even for the least cinematically inclined viewer, with titles like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Mulholland Drive being part of the catalog.

Criterion also has a more granular search system that lets you sort movies by their country of origin, director, and years. There are also filters that let you pick certain genres and tropes as well as the decade a film was made in – the perfect filter for people who want to spot trends in a particular decade.

Given those facts, it almost sounds like Criterion is the superior version, but that’s not really the case. The two apps are worthwhile in their own right and there are some glaring drawbacks to Criterion.

• Unlike MUBI, Criterion is region-locked so you may not be able to watch your favorite films if you’re not in the U.S.
• Unlike MUBI, Criterion doesn’t have ultra-rare and unique films from every corner of the globe like MUBI does.
• Unlike MUBI, Criterion is expensive, costing subscribers $10.99 a month – nearly double what MUBI charges its subscribers. 

MUBI’s Drawbacks

MUBI is great, but it’s not perfect. Over the years, fans of the streaming service have had complaints about it that have kept me on the fence for a few months before I decided to sign up and try it. Here’s all the things that make MUBI not so great.

Confusing Search Categories 

Search should be straightforward and it typically is, which is why we normally don’t notice whether search is working effectively in a streaming service. In MUBI, you’ll notice the imperfections of search. Remember the whole curated film schtick that the app has? That means the movies come in and out of rotation so they sometimes won’t be available for viewing. The bad news is that unavailable films will still show up in your search results even if you can’t watch them on MUBI that month.

I know what you’re thinking, “Just learn how to read!”, but that doesn’t make the search interface less confusing for users who are used to more conventional streaming services. Plus, it has the added effect of making you feel bad because now you know there’s an awesome movie out there that you can’t watch on the service you paid for.

Another thing that stands out about its search is how few features it has compared to Criterion’s search filters! You can sort by year, country of origin, or decade, though you can still search 

The Curated Format

MUBI’s curated format can be pretty divisive. Some subscribers love it because it encourages you to be more mindful and present with the media you consume. Some subscribers hate it because it defeats the point of video on demand. I fall into the latter camp. This doesn’t make MUBI inherently a bad streaming service, what I mean to say is that you may find yourself a little frustrated with MUBI if you have a busy schedule that doesn’t let you play tag with the curated movie format all the time. 

A Limited Selection of Films

MUBI’s curated format makes the limited selection of films even more obvious. For subscribers who want to have a lot to choose from, this can be a bummer.

Inconsistent Video Quality

MUBI’s video quality can be inconsistent sometimes. Streaming quality may drop from high definition to standard and back again or stop to buffer for long periods of time. I’d love to say this was just a me problem, but this issue with MUBI was reported by other users, and with a download speed of 180.27 Mbps and 5-second ping, I really doubt the problem is my connection.

Is MUBI Worth It?

With all that said, the end question is still: Is MUBI worth it? After three months with the service, I can personally say that MUBI is worth it. It has an interesting selection of films that will keep you coming back for more, an affordable monthly subscription price, and a really nice series of categories that come off as Pinterest mood boards but for films. In some ways, that’s a more effective way of recommending films to an audience than simply classifying them by genre.