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Can you enjoy Netflix with your friends without upgrading your subscription plan to support more people? Yes, there are a few ways you can make streaming a social experience without shelling out extra money. Here’s all you need to know.
Should You Consider Upgrading Your Netflix Plan?
Since Netflix’s plans are made for people who live in the same house, adding people outside your house comes with a few restrictions. With Netflix’s three tiers, the number of people you can add who do not live with you varies:
- Standard plan with ads ($7.99/month): None
- Standard plan ($17.99/month): Upto 1 extra member who doesn’t live with you, at an additional cost of $6.99 (with ads) or $8.99 (without ads) per month
- Premium plan ($24.99/month): Upto 2 extra members who don’t live with you, at an additional cost of $6.99 (with ads) or $8.99 (without ads) per month
Netflix’s plans are structured in a way that calls for an extra fee to add members to your account when they don’t live with you. Before you consider upgrading or paying extra to add someone, there are a few third-party websites, and Netflix features that you can use for free to enjoy your streaming experience with friends and family.
Use Teleparty
A must-have browser extension as part of your social streaming pack is Teleparty (formerly known as Netflix Party). It lets you sync video playback for Netflix, as well as other streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, and YouTube. You can also access a group chat while streaming.
Once you create a “teleparty” and invite friends (you can add up to 1,000 people in a single party), you can watch synced HD videos on both your desktop and mobile. If you want, you can even upgrade to a Premium plan, which allows you to stream through more platforms (such as Apple TV, Crunchyroll, and Crave), and access video/voice chat.
To get started, visit Teleparty’s website and simply click on “Install Teleparty.”
Teleparty is available to use as an extension for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
Stream Netflix on Discord
If Discord is your poison of choice for playing games or watching videos, then you might want to consider streaming Netflix titles with friends on your Discord server. As long as you have an active Netflix account and a Discord account, and access to Netflix on Windows or Netflix on Mac’s web browser, you can stream without restrictions. Additionally, while not required, paying for a Nitro subscription can help you improve your streaming quality.
This feature got me through a long period of the pandemic and also proved to be a great way to easily interact through audio/video with your friends while streaming.
Try TwoSeven
Another virtual movie night essential that you might want to try out is TwoSeven, which is a third-party website that you can start using by logging in. This service lets you stream Netflix titles with friends on auto-sync while using video, voice, and text chat to share your thoughts. I’ve used TwoSeven when I wanted a free method to stream Netflix and enjoy voice/video chat, which Teleparty only provides with a Premium subscription.
TwoSeven supports other services such as YouTube, Amazon Prime, Vimeo, HBO Max, Crunchyroll, and Apple TV for free. Other services, such as Hulu, Disney+, and Screenshare, require you to upgrade to a premium account.
Scener Works, Too
Another third-party streaming service I’ve been using is Scener. With this free browser extension for Google Chrome, you can host watch parties and stream Netflix, as well as Hulu, Disney+, YouTube, and more. Scener lets you host private and public watch rooms and participate in text chat. I find that Scener’s sync has consistently been very seamless, even if you are having a watch party with people from around the world.
Scener also has a premium subscription that unlocks voice/video chat, and gets rid of any ads.
Share Your Watchlist
Creating an organized watchlist is the best way to keep track of movies and TV shows that you want to watch. Unfortunately, Netflix is yet to introduce a feature that lets you quickly share your watchlist with a friend, which could make finding more recommendations from your social circle much easier.
But don’t fret: there is a solution. Third-party browser extensions, such as Netflix Watch List Manager, let you export and import your Netflix watchlist. This converts your watchlist into JSON files, which you can then send to a friend or simply use as a backup. This can be useful when you have a long watchlist like I do, and sharing recommendation titles by listing them out can take too much time and effort.
Cast to Other Devices
While Netflix is yet to introduce a feature that allows you to stream seamlessly across devices connected to the same network (like Spotify Connect) without losing continuity, casting is still something you can use for an in-person watch party with your friend group. With this Chromecast built-in feature, you can cast what you’re streaming on a bigger device, such as your TV screen, to make viewing much more convenient.
You can cast what you’re watching from your Android phone or tablet, iPhone, or iPad, as long as you are not on an ad-supported plan. Casting is not available from your web browser.
To cast a Netflix show or movie, start playing it on your device. Now, click the casting icon in the upper-right corner.
You will be able to see any devices (such as a Smart TV) connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone/tablet listed, which you can then click. Once connected, you can use your initial device as a remote control for playback.
Share Social Links
If you do not want to share your entire watchlist but still send recommendations to your friends beyond a title, Netflix allows you to share links to your favorite movies and TV shows.
On your mobile devices, including Android and iPhone, tablets, and iPads, Netflix allows you to share links to shows and movies directly to a social app such as Instagram. To do this, open your Netflix app on a mobile device or tablet and go to a show or movie you want to share. Tap the details (“i”) button under the title, then click on “Share.” You can now share the title through Instagram, X, and other social media platforms or copy the link to share through another source like your message app.
While this feature is not available for web browsers yet, I find it extremely useful on my Netflix mobile app when I need to share recommendations with a group chat or friend easily.
Try Interactive Titles
Whether you are streaming with a friend group virtually or hosting friends for a watch party at your home, one Netflix feature that is a staple during my social streaming is Netflix’s interactive titles. Netflix has a few Interactive Specials, such as the famous Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, where you decide how the plot progresses by making key decisions for the character. Using interactive titles in a social setting can be a great experience, and given how time-consuming titles such as Bandersnatch can be (given the multiple alternative endings), it can turn out to be an essential part of your watch party.
Netflix streaming can be a thing of joy with friends if you know which third-party watching sites or features work best for you. You can always consider upgrading your Netflix plan, but if you want to host watch parties with more than two people, then these features can come in handy.
