Paid subscriptions have become the standard for popular streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Hulu. These platforms offer a wide range of excellent movies and TV shows. However, there are also free alternatives available that provide plenty of entertainment. We have conducted extensive testing and research to identify the best free streaming services for you.
Many of these services rely on advertising to support their operations, which means you may encounter commercials that cannot be skipped. The content on these platforms often consists of older shows and movies, similar to what you might find on basic cable reruns. Some network websites, like ABC, may restrict streaming access to certain shows unless you have a paid cable or satellite subscription. However, there are services like Peacock and Sling that offer both free and paid plans.
Here is a selection of the top free streaming TV apps, all of which are legal options to satisfy your couch potato cravings. If you prefer movies, we also have a list of 10 free alternatives to Netflix that you can explore.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV is notable for providing not only on-demand and free streaming of movies, but more than 250 linear and live channels available on the platform, which include BBC Food, CSI, Minecraft TV, Star Trek and CBS News. As a brand owned by Paramount, Pluto also has episodes of Criminal Minds, South Park and Survivor.
Pluto has a huge variety of live channels that are categorized into categories such as news and reality, sports comedy, and more in grid-like format. On-demand TV content is divided into TV dramas such as sitcoms, crime shows action as well as sci-fi, among others. The layout isn’t as smooth as live channels, however there’s an array of genres. A nagging issue: If you’re streaming live you can’t stop it. You’re only able to muffle it.
Tubi TV
Tubi TV attention-grabbing Super Bowl ad put the service in the spotlight. It provides a lot more streaming of movies for free as compared to TV, however it is still growing its library of movies and live channels. This ad-supported platform doesn’t require a login but the process of signing up allows users to save their favorite movies and re-play them when you switch devices.
Tubi offers local and nationwide livestreams of local and national news as well as live entertainment, weather, and sports channels. The TV channel on the streaming site includes the reality series that we’ve grown accustomed to including Hell’s Kitchen and Dance Moms and also oddly-themed additions like The Australian show McLeod’s Daughters. The 2023 season of the site will add programming by HBO as well as Warner Bros., with titles like Westworld, The Nevers, Raised by Wolves and The Time Traveler’s Wife.
To stream TV shows on demand, browse the catalog by name or genre, as well networks with genre, such as a Tubi Kids category. There aren’t all shows with complete seasons, but you can discover Quantico, Columbo and 14 seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation among the options. There’s also a few of Tubi Originals as well as feature films like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rambo: Last Blood.
Peacock
Peacock Peacock is the subscription service offered by NBCUniversal. It includes a wide selection of NBC content, along with films and original programming. It is not like Netflix, Hulu and competitor Paramount Plus, however, Peacock comes with an unpaid premium tier. There’s also a the $5 Premium and $10 Premium Plus tiers, as well as certain customers of cable can get Premium for no cost. However, there is a catch. In January 2023 it is required to be a Premium Peacock subscriber in order to access the free level. Premium subscribers can choose to upgrade their accounts.
The streaming version for free has hundreds of hours of TV shows movies, news skit-style clips, and high-end original programming. If you use the free version, you will not be able to access each episode from the series that is original, as well as be missing many of the other programming Premium subscribers can access. Alongside NBC shows, Peacock has content from owned by NBC, such as Bravo, E, Syfy and USA in addition to soap operas on the daytime including talk shows, sports and. The cost of paying for Peacock gives you access to the entire 80,000-hour library. However, with the free version, you’ll receive about half the.
Roku Channel
Roku Channel Roku Channel an online streaming service that’s free intended for users who own Roku’s streaming equipment and TVs. However, it’s also accessible via Roku’s apps for smartphones and tablets, as well as on the internet.
The Roku Channel offers 300 live channels, including a channel guide and a selection of streaming content. The linear TV offers shows that are live, such as lifestyle and news channels. The content on demand includes everything from Roku Originals (like the Weird Al Yankovic biopic) as well as television shows that are reality ( Hoarders, Kitchen Nightmares) to well-known series such as House, 2 Broke Girls and Downton Abbey. Also, you can find the Anime (live and on demand) as well as crime-related shows.
However there are some exceptions. Not all TV show is available in its entirety (Bewitched for instance) The service has only a single episode in certain cases. There’s plenty to enjoy with the dedicated children’s section. Also, there’s a good selection of classic films, such as Jumanji along with King of New York. You can also sign up for premium services like HBO similar to what you can do with the Prime Video channels or the Apple TV app.
Freevee
Previously known previously as IMDb formerly known as IMDb TV, Freevee is Amazon’s streaming service with ads which has a collection of lore about movies and TV. Alongside TV shows and movies, you are able to stream Freevee Originals as well as a variety of live streaming channels that are available 24/7.
Although the initially focus was on streaming movies however, it’s now packed with TV shows as well. The most popular films such as Red Sparrow are available, along with the entire seven seasons of the AMC famous Mad Men and all eleven seasons of The X-Files. Other shows like MacGyver (the reboot), Desperate Housewives, Good Times, Freevee Original Judy Justice and nine seasons of the Gen X classic Little House on the Prairie with Michael Landon.
Sling Freestream
Although that Sling’s Live TV plans begin at just $45 per month, Sling Freestream offers more than 40,000 titles for free streaming TV and movies as well as more than 250 TV live channels.
The streaming service of Sling TV offers livestreams of news entertainment children, sports, and much more. There are channels like ABC News Live, The Walking Dead Universe, Bon Appetit, Barstool Sports and On-demand options such as Ryan’s World, Brother vs. Chopped Junior, and Brother.
There is no need to sign up for an account while you watch Sling Freestream, but if you have one, it makes it simpler to customize the content you watch, make profiles, or utilize parental controls. The service is accessible to stream on any web browser or via the Sling application. Payment information is not required to view.
Crackle
Crackle is a ad-supported streaming service that primarily offers movies, however it also offers some TV shows, including original content. It does not require you to sign up for an account, but this allows you to save your favorites, receive suggestions and resume playback when you switch devices.
Crackle’s collection of commercial-supported content has grown to include more than 300 shows. The majority of them consist of old releases like Sherlock (with Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch), Alf and Highway to Heaven. Like other free services it is not the case that every television show is fully-fledged. You may only get two or three seasons, or even a fraction of a season. There are movies from the 1940s through the present day, such as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series as well as Sophie’s Choice.
Plex
The initial purpose was to allow users to stream media stored on their computers, Plex has evolved to include other sources like OTA streaming, Tidal and streaming television that is free. There is no need to set up or install the Plex server to stream content, just stream it using the standard Plex application. If you’d like to create an account.
The streaming service of Plex is similar to Pluto. The service began with a small selection of ads-supported content, mainly films, however Plex has since entered into a partnership with Crackle and is now offering thousands of movies and TV shows from the company’s service. In addition to streaming programming such as Hannibal as well as Kitchen Nightmares, Plex also provides the live streaming of channels such as Stories produced by AMC, Hallmark and niche streaming of certain series that is available 24/7 like The Walking Dead.
Film lovers can search by genre and title. You can also browse themed collections like Cheap Thrills or Take Me to Your Leader.
Hoopla Digital
Do you have an account at your library? Make sure to check whether your library is a partner in Hoopla. The digital media service lets users to access every kind of item that ranges from ebooks to films to TV shows. If you “borrow” one of these, you’re given 72 hours within the time to watch it. The library decides on the number of titles that you can borrow every month. Another benefit of this service is that there are no advertisements interfering with your viewing experience.
Hoopla’s television selection is somewhat of a hodgepodge. It has some well-known programs along with plenty of documentary, self-help and family-oriented programming. You can, for instance, see the two seasons of Chewing Gum, both seasons of The Jim Gaffigan Show as well as a plethora of Ken Burns documentaries. Hoopla also offers educational videos of The Great Courses series, numerous PBS Kids shows and plenty of Acorn TV content that would otherwise require an Acorn TV subscription. The films are rotated between the platforms so make sure you monitor the content regularly.
How do we test streaming services?
With over 150 streaming services on the market across the globe, it can be difficult to sort through all the brands and their services. We narrowed down this list by evaluating several aspects like accessibility, user-friendliness and on-demand content as well as reliability, live channels and on-demand content. We tested each one using a TV and mobile device to examine its user interface as well as the channel lineup.
The apps can be accessible on any device, including a smart TV web browser, or mobile device. They provide a wide selection of content that can be adapted to tastes in genres or ages. Since they’re free, they’re also worth the money for the ones that have original programming as well as live channels. In our tests of such services, we did not encounter problems with crashes or lag time, or choppy live broadcasts. However, the results may differ.
FAQs about streaming services and free streaming.
What about apps that are free for broadcast networks such as ABC, NBC, PBS, CW and others?
There are other alternatives. You can view shows on your preferred networks through their own apps, but we decided not to include them in this list because certain (like ABC) require you to sign up with a TV or cable provider in order to access the latest programming. Network apps generally allow you to view fresh episodes of the favorite shows on the next day or during the week, via their website or app. In certain cases you may also be able to watch live news broadcasts or repeats of TV shows.
Do I have to watch through advertisements on these services?
Yes. The disadvantage of getting streaming content for free is that you will have to endure commercials. When you watch streaming live or on-demand video, these services will display ads throughout your experience. To ensure the content remains free, they need to pay for their services with ads. The only exception to this list is Hoopla.
Which app offers the most suitable content for families?
If you’re looking to find age-appropriate films and shows there are plenty of shows and movies that are available through Tubi, Peacock, Roku Channel and Freevee for children as young as teens and tweens. Pluto also has dedicated children channels featuring shows that comes from Nickelodeon, Lego, Garfield and many more.
