Where Crunchyroll Ranks Among the Biggest Streaming Platforms After 21 Million Milestone

Following the recent announcement of Crunchyroll surpassing the 21 million monthly subscriber milestone on May 8, 2026 (via Sony Press Release), it has become one of the largest streaming services worldwide. Interestingly, among anime streaming platforms alone, Crunchyroll now ranks at 6th.

The figure has gone up by 4 million paid users in just one year. Back in May 2025, Crunchyroll reported around 17 million subscribers (via Sony). By 2026, that figure has surged to 21 million. Crunchyroll now offers a massive catalog of more than 50,000 episodes. Here’s more info on its global standing.

Listing Major Anime Streaming Services by Subscribers

In recent years, many global streaming services that originally didn’t start as anime streaming platforms have been adding more and more titles to their catalogs. Now, as per their official company reports and earnings releases, here are the platforms that currently offer a vast collection of anime, along with their monthly user counts (via FlixPatrol):

• Netflix ~ 325 million
• Amazon Prime Video ~ 200 million
• HBO Max ~ 140 million
• Disney+ ~ 131.6 million
• HULU ~ 64.1 million
• Crunchyroll ~ 21 million
• HIDIVE ~ less than 10.4 million

Now, for hardcore anime fans, this list might not be ideal, as apart from Crunchyroll, most of the other sites here mainly focus on live-action movies and series as well. Anime is just one small part of their streaming catalog, which simply adds to their monthly revenue.

However, Netflix recently reported that 50% of its global viewers watch anime (via Netflix). This revelation alone stands as proof that Crunchyroll still faces considerable competition. Although Crunchyroll has a bigger collection of anime titles, along with all the new seasonal anime releases, it still lacks the foundation that Netflix and some other platforms have built over a long period of time.

Crunchyroll’s Future: How It Could Grow Even Bigger

Although Crunchyroll ranks 6th among the other major streaming platforms, it remains the go-to platform if you wish to consume only anime content. At the pace it is evolving each year, Crunchyroll even has the potential to keep growing bigger, possibly crossing 50 million users or more within this decade.

While it’s important to note that, no matter what, Crunchyroll might never surpass Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Even if anime becomes more popular in the coming years, the fact that those platforms stream both anime and other forms of media alongside it will likely keep Crunchyroll below them.

Behind this rapid growth in just one year, though, a big portion of the credit must go to the theatrical releases of films like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. Since Crunchyroll is now part of Sony, it has boosted the company’s revenue severalfold. Therefore, they have gained more funds to acquire streaming rights for more seasonal anime.

Crunchyroll has also announced that it’s going to hold the anime industry’s first global summit in New York on October 7 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, named Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum (via THR).

Big names and creators from anime, gaming, music, film, and tech will be present there. The event will dive into topics related to anime, under the theme, “Designing for Anime’s Future”.

So, doesn’t it hint at a bright future for this anime streaming platform? What are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments below.