Funimation vs Crunchyroll, Which One to Choose?

When it comes to anime streaming, there are not many platforms to choose from. Meanwhile, for the mainstream anime-watching people, there are two most widely used anime libraries to choose from. They are Funimation and Crunchyroll.

For some people, it's not easy to differentiate and choose between the two streaming platforms considering they both have a good catalog of anime to watch. However, if you really need to choose one from them, we can help. In this article, we'll compare Funimation and Crunchyroll and help you choose one to use.

Compare from the Content Angle

The first thing you should consider when choosing a platform is the content it offers. While Crunchyroll's humongous anime library is hands down the winner, there are more choices on the anime on Funimation. And we know that both Funimation and Crunchyroll have their exclusives; however, when it comes to individuality, Funimation tends to focus on English anime dubs.

Coming to another major difference between the two, Crunchyroll's massive catalog isn't restricted to just anime, but the platform also hosts a number of Manga and J-dramas. We will talk more about this in the content after.

Compare Based on User Experience

Crunchyroll's interface isn't the most user-friendly. And when it comes to finding specific titles, Crunchyroll's filtering tool isn't terribly effective. Yes, you can search its enormous library by category, including Popular, Simulcasts, Updated, Alphabetical, Genres, and Seasons. However, when you're searching through a sea of titles with its Alphabetical filter, it can prove daunting.

By contrast, Funimation is much simpler to navigate. It sorts its shows by All Shows, Genres, Simuldub, and Popular. And its genres includes Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Live-Action, Romance, Shounen, Shoujo, and Fan Service. 

Compatibility of the Two Platforms

Crunchyroll and Funimation's apps are available across most major devices. The biggest difference is that Crunchyroll has an app for Nintendo Wii U, while Funimation doesn't. Let's see which devices are supported specifically for each platform below.

Crunchyroll is compatible with a Web browser, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.

Funimation is compatible with a Web browser, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Chromecast.

You may check which platform your devices are compatible with and based on that. You can choose the one you want.

Comparison of Dubs

Anime usually can be a good way to practice and pick up phrases if you are interested in learning the language. But for those people who like their anime dubbed, Funimation is the clear winner.

Crunchyroll might also have some dubs and voiceovers, but this is only for a specific list of works. Therefore, if you take dubs very seriously as a necessity, you may find Crunchyroll boring.

Although on Crunchyroll's FAQ page, they did mention that they're working on providing more dubs soon, the majority of their works are still in Japanese with English subtitles. So, it's wiser for you to choose another platform.

On the other hand, Funimation specializes in dubs. Their library includes hundreds of anime titles with an English voice-over which are often available after the release of an anime episode.

However, as is the case with most creative industries, Covid has slowed down its dubbing activities in some way, so you may need to wait for some time if you are waiting for a new anime.

Comparison of Subs

If you do not use dubs usually and prefer the original Japanese, note that there's a difference in the way Crunchyroll and Funimation display the English-translated text: Crunchyroll uses normal subtitles without the background that are customizable and generally not distracting, while Funimation uses closed captions instead.

Those who use the Funimation app might be particularly irritated about this because the captions' distracting, dark background can't be removed within the app. Visuals are very important in anime, so being unable to see a stripe of the screen due to a dark background can be annoying. If you value the visual effects, you'd better not use Funimation.

Compare Simulcasts

As for simulcasts, Crunchyroll offers a decent amount of them, which works that air on Crunchyroll at the same time as the original in Japan, which means it shows between 4 and 10 daily, depending on the day of the week. Of course, there's no such thing as a flawless simulcast, but Crunchyroll simulcasts will often air within an hour after the anime has been the first broadcast in Japan. This is not a long time, though in some cases, you need to allow up to seven hours.

Funimation also has a large number of simulcasts which are available within hours from the original release. What makes Funimation competitive in this category is its own unique feature, called SimulDub. We've already established that Funimation is the best choice for you if you are only interested in dubs. The SimulDub feature takes this one step further by ensuring that the dubbed content becomes available within weeks of the original Japanese broadcast. This feature is available to premium users of Funimation. Not open to the free version.

Some people may think that "a few weeks later" is not the same as "simultaneous". But being able to provide the voice-over on such short notice is already quite impressive, so this can be an advantage of Funimation.

Compare Catalog

Whatever anime you are looking for, both Funimation and Crunchyroll have a good variety of anime, even with some exclusives. But some people might argue that when it comes to the streaming services' catalogs, Funimation's focus on dubs might work against them. After all, Crunchyroll boasts over 1200 shows, while Funimation has much less.

Another major difference is that Crunchyroll isn't limited to anime. They have a range of live-action TV shows, such as the Death Note live-action, as well as J-dramas and others. But as Funimation doesn't leave live-action fans entirely without options, and it is still a good place to watch classic anime such as Cowboy Bebop, Crunchyroll may tend to focus on newer, trendier titles. Moreover, Funimation tends to have more information about each of their anime.

Still, in many spaces where anime fans discuss and exchange opinions, such as Reddit, Crunchyroll is often listed as the preferred streaming service due to its diverse and abundant content. Besides, Crunchyroll also has a manga and apparel store, making it the ideal place for fans of Japanese culture as long as they don't need dubs, so it definitely wins.

How to Record an Anime Platform

If you have chosen one platform to use, you may watch the animes on it and record the moments you like to share with your friends. Then you need a screen recorder. EaseUS RecExperts is such a Windows screen recorder to record the fragment you like in an anime. With this software, you can record the full screen, record internal audio, record microphone, and even record the gameplay with one simple click. Now, let's see how you can use this tool to record the screen playing an anime. To use it, you need to first downlosd it by clicking the button below.

Step 1. Run EaseUS RecExperts on your device and you will see two recording modes. You can choose "Full Screen"to record the whole screen or choose "Region" to select the recording area manually before recording.

Step 2. After that, you can choose to record the webcam, system sound, microphone or record none of them as you like. You can also set auto split, auto recording with various functions on the interface.

Step 3. Then, you can click the red "REC" button to start recording. Here will be a menu bar on your screen. To pause the recording, click on the white double vertical bar; to end the recording, click on the red square sign.

Step 4. After recording, you will be led to the list interface. Here you can view or edit your recordings. To start a new recording, just click on the "REC" button on the top of the interface.

Conclusion

These two anime platforms have their own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the choice between Crunchyroll and Funimation is eventually based on the experience you're looking for. If you're primarily interested in a large anime content library, Crunchyroll is the right fit for you. But if you'd prefer dubs to subtitles and would like to enjoy anime offline, then Funimation is your best choice. Both services offer a free plan and a free 14-day trial. Just have a try on them and make your choice. To record an anime, you may download and use EaseUS RecExperts.