The cost of cable continues to rise, but streaming services aren't getting much cheaper, either. Before you pony up even more cash to subscribe to yet another platform, stop and consider all of the free options out there. You may be surprised at what you can get from them.
The best free streaming services let you watch popular movies and TV shows, often current and recent, without paying a dime. These free streaming services have stores of content, with both live TV and on-demand content, are some of the best places to sift through new and old gems alike, all with the added benefit of cutting your monthly expenses in half.
The best streaming services are undoubtedly some of the most useful additions to your home entertainment arsenal. It's just getting far too expensive to keep up with every single one of them –at some point, it just becomes cable with extra steps. That’s where the best free streaming services come in. They can provide hours of free TV and movies at no cost. You will have to watch ads, but that’s no different than what you get through an expensive cable package or with the cheapest plan on most subscription streamers.
And since they cost $0, you can check out all of the best free streaming services on our list.We've ranked them anyway since nobody has an endless amount of time.
The best free streaming services right now
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1. Freevee
The best free streaming service overall
Specifications
Live TV: Yes
Originals: Yes
Registration required: Yes
Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick and via the Amazon Prime Video app on Android phones and tablets, Apple TV, Apple phones and tablets, Chromecast, Playstation 3 and 4, Roku, Xbox One and 360, smart TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, web browsers
Reasons to buy
+ Easily accessible in Fire TV devices Interesting originals Great movie lineup
Reasons to avoid
- Clunky interface
Amazon Freevee, a rebrand of the service formerly known as IMDb TV, features an impressive library of free on-demand content. The TV selection consists of the typical free shows like Hell's Kitchen but also past hits like "Lost", "Desperate Housewives" and "Mad Men". Plus, Freevee also makes originals, like the revivals "Bosch: Legacy" and "Leverage: Redemption" as well as courtroom reality sensation "Jury Duty".
The movie lineup is better than competitors, with recent titles including "Deadpool", "The King of Staten Island", "Spy", "Emma" and "The Invisible Man".
2. Roku Channel
The best free streaming service originals
Specifications
Live TV: Yes
Originals: Yes
Registration required: No
Supported devices: All Roku devices and Roku TVs, Android phones and tablets, Apple phones and tablets, Samsung TVs
Reasons to buy
+ Access to first episodes of big shows Not just on Roku
Reasons to avoid
- Older content doesn't impress all
The Roku Channel app comes automatically with any Roku TV or device, but it’s also available for download on mobile phones and tablets. You can also access it on the web. The Roku Channel doesn’t force you to register for an account (you can watch as a guest) but signing up allows you to continue watching content on another device.
Like the other services, it offers on-demand movies and TV shows. The Roku Channel also rolled out a Roku Live TV Guide, so viewers can channel surf. The best part of Roku Channel is that it often streams the first episodes of premium cable shows, like "Game of Thrones", "Billions", "Outlander" and "Watchmen". But when it comes to having whole shows, you don't have series of that caliber, but stuff like "This Old House" instead. Some of our staff lit up at that news, while others, well, we kept clicking around in Roku looking for something else. And remembering that Peacock is better for more-recent content.
The Roku Channel has risen in our free streaming service rankings after adding all the originals from the now-defunct Quibi. That includes some really good series, like "Free Rayshawn" and "Reno 911". Roku is also the place for original movies like "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story". Plus, they get our thanks for saving the NBC-canceled series "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" with a Christmas special.
3. Pluto TV
The best free streaming service for live channels
Specifications
Live TV: Yes
Originals: No
Registration required: No
Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Amazon Kindle and Fire tablets, Android phones and tablets, Android TV, Apple TV, Apple phones and tablets, Chromecast, Roku, web browsers
Reasons to buy
+ Linear and on-demand content Channels devoted to popular shows and movies
Reasons to avoid
- Mostly retro content
The Viacom-owned Pluto TV has a decent selection of on-demand movies and shows but where it really shines is in live TV streaming. Viewers can browse live channels in a grid, similar to the cable TV guide experience. The lineup draws heavily from Viacom’s other properties, so you can tune into TV Land Drama, BET Her, MTV's Jersey Shore and VH1's I Love Reality. They also offer other recognizable brands, like CNN and Fox Sports —though those run curated clips, not the actual live broadcast you’d see if you watched them on cable.
We're still waiting for Pluto to add dedicated channels for shows that we really care about — recent editions include "Baywatch", "Stargate" and "Degrassi" — but we do know people who love those shows, and keep going back to Pluto to binge-watch. For more modern content, check our Peacock.
As we poked around Pluto, we noted its interface is clean and simple, making it easy to toggle between live and on-demand. Both are organized into categories, making it easy to find the kind of content you want to watch. Yes, there are ads, but no more than what you’d get watching cable. And Pluto TV doesn’t even require registration, though users can special features if they do sign up for an account, such as the ability to designate favorite channels and resume watching a program on a different device.As for the latest, a recent update to Pluto TV added a ton of free TV, including two huge channels: "Rocky" and "Sailor Moon".
4. Tubi
The best free streaming service for discovery
Specifications
Live TV: No
Originals: Yes
Registration required: No
Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Android phones and tablets, Apple TV, Apple phones and tablets, Chromecast, Comcast XFinity X1, Cox Contour, Nvidia Shield, Playstation 3 and 4, Roku, Samsung TV, Sony TV and Blu-ray players, TiVo, Vizio TV, Xbox One, Google Nest, Amazon Echo Show, web browsers
Reasons to buy
+ Some excellent films Snappy apps
Reasons to avoid
- Content is either great or not recent, with little overlap
Think of Tubi as a free version of Netflix, with an on-demand library of over 20,000 movies and TV shows. Of course, Tubi doesn’t have the newer, high-profile titles that a subscription platform boasts, nor originals. But their catalog is still impressive for a free streaming service.
Tubi (now owned by Fox Corporation) was able to build it by partnering with over 250 providers, including Hollywood heavyweights Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM. Recent available titles include "The Terminator", "Foxcatcher", "Kill Bill", "The Craft" and "Fruitvale Station". Personally, our streaming media editor Henry T. Casey loves Tubi for one show and one show only: "Lucha Underground", a stylized wrestling show on El Vez. Recently, Tubi added the former HBO series "The Nevers".
Tubi has a clean, streamlined experience. When we tested Tubi, we saw that its home page is organized into sections like Recently Added, Family Movies, Action and Black Cinema. Clicking the menu for even more genres and curated collections, we saw the clever and cheeky Not on Netflix area. While you don’t have to sign up to use Tubi, registering for an account gives you access to parental controls, a queue and viewing history.
5. Plex
The best free streaming service that also hosts local media
Specifications
Live TV: Yes (with antenna)
Originals: No
Registration required: Yes
Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, PS4, PS5, Roku, Select Smart TVs, Web browsers, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Reasons to buy
+ One of the best local media servers available Good discovery functionality
Reasons to avoid
- Integration between free streaming content and local files is awkward Doesn't offer enough unique streaming content
Plex once centered entirely around its Media Server, which allows users to organize their personal media and play it across a myriad of devices. However, the service has increasingly pivoted to content discovery and streaming over the past few years. In fact, the "What is Plex?" section on the official website doesn't even mention the media server functionality.
The main attraction of Plex for streamers is its discovery functionality. You can add the services you have to your profile and manage your watchlist for all of them in one place. You can also add other Plex users as friends to see what they're watching. Plex also offers some free programming but doesn't produce original content itself. Additionally, there is live TV functionality, but you must set up a Plex Media Server and connect a tuner and antenna to it.
Despite Plex's desire to go "legit," most people use it for the media server functionality. That's what really sets it apart from other services. If you're not interested in hosting local media, it's hard to recommend Plex over another streaming service due to its limited content.
However, there do seem to be more shows in limited numbers being added to Plex as of late, so it's still worth checking out if you're curious.
6. Crackle
A free streaming service packed with originals
Specifications
Live TV: No
Originals: Yes
Registration required: No
Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Android phones and tablets, Android TV, Apple TV, Apple phones and tablets, Chromecast, LG TV, Playstation 4, Roku, Samsung TV, Vizio TV, Xbox One, web browsers
Reasons to buy
+ Classic TV Lots of UK television series
Reasons to avoid
- A lot of stuff you've never heard of
Crackle is a pioneer in the free streaming space, launching in 2004 —back when Netflix was still shipping DVDs. Owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Crackle houses free movies and TV shows and even original programming, which sets it apart from many of the other free streaming services on this list. Crackle doesn’t require registration, though an account lets you add favorites and save progress while watching a movie.
The movies library is much bigger than the TV one and much more interesting. Crackle is one of the best free streaming services because it goes further than most, with originals featuring top actors including Martin Freeman, Bryan Cranston and Rupert Grint.It's just that these are their lesser-known titles, and while we're open to discover new projects, we're also wary that there may be a bad reason why we don't known about these shows.
Unlike Peacock, Crackle doesn't require signing up for a service to watch content. You can just open their page, click on a show or movie, watch and ad and then see the thing you want.
7. Sling Freestream
The best free streaming service for watching classic shows
Specifications
Live TV: Yes
Originals: No
Registration required: No
Supported devices: Roku, Comcast devices, LG, Samsung, Vizio and Xbox
Reasons to buy
+ Easily accessible for Sling members Some good TV shows
Reasons to avoid
- A lot of lesser content to sort through
Sling is one of the best cable TV alternatives in the market at $40 per month for 50-plus channels. Recently, they relaunched a no-cost service with the name Freestream that boasts live and on-demand content. We love Sling, as multiple TG staffers have used it to cut the cord, and a free version may be the ticket to getting more users to try the platform.
Sling Freestream launched with 210 channels and 41,000 on-demand titles across genres including news, sports, game shows, crime dramas, nature, home improvement and cooking. Some of the channels are familiar names like "ABC News Live", "ESPN On Demand", "Family Feud", "Forensic Files", 'Hell's Kitchen", "Rick Steves Europe", "VH1 I Love Reality" and "The Walking Dead Universe". Plus, users can add on premium streaming services like AMC Plus and Showtime.
Expect more channels and on-demand titles as Sling Freestream continues to build out its offering.
8. Vudu
The best free streaming service for watching popular movies
Specifications
Live TV: No
Originals: No
Registration required: Yes
Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Android phones and tablets, Android TV, Apple TV, Apple phones and tablets, Chromecast, LG TV, Playstation 4, Roku, Samsung TV, TiVo, Vizio TV, Xbox One, Blu-ray players, web browsers
Reasons to buy
+ Some great movies Offers some beloved sitcoms
Reasons to avoid
- A lot of the free content isn't family-friendly Takes a while to find the best stuff
The Walmart-owned Vudu is a digital marketplace where you can purchase the latest movies and TV shows but also stream free content. To use Vudu, you will have to sign up for an account (or use your Walmart account). Once you do that, you can access over 10,000 free movies and TV episodes. None of them are new blockbusters but the selection is superior among free streaming services. The movies area is better than TV, with recent titles including "Troy", "The Prestige", "All Is Lost", "Hoosiers", "Four Weddings and a Funeral". And unlike other free services, Vudu is planning to produce original shows, like the sci-fi series "Albedo" with Evangeline Lilly.
Testing Vudu out, we found that its interface is easy to use. Free content is clearly marked and you can filter for just free titles. The ads are about as frequent as other free services, but they tend to be more repetitive (and sometimes annoyingly interactive, requiring you to choose an option).Poking around Vudu's free section, though, we couldn't help but notice multiple titles that seemed a bit risque for the top of the stack — titles that we'd have a hard time explaining to kids. That's not a problem on most of the above services, as Peacock, Pluto, Roku Channel and other services don't promote that content as highly.
9. Xumo
The best free streaming service for live news and sports
Specifications
Live TV: Yes
Originals: No
Registration required: No
Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Android phones and tablets, Android TV, Apple phones and tablets, Comcast Xfinity X1, Playstation 4, Roku, smart TVs, web browsers
Reasons to buy
+ Live news and sports content
Reasons to avoid
- Interface needs improvement Content is more of the same
Xumo is another free streaming service with live and on-demand content. The app comes on several major smart TV brands and can also be downloaded on Roku, iOS and Android. No registration is required. Xumo offers more than 190 channels, including top brands like NBC News, Fox Sports, Funny or Die and TMZ.
Xumo’s main experience is a grid-type guide, just like you’d get with cable TV — and Pluto and Peacock. You can watch live as you channel surf. The on-demand area lists all the channels, broken down by genre. The interface doesn’t make it that easy to see what TV shows are available, though. It looks like Xumo has the usual free fare: "21 Jump Street", "Forensic Files", "Family Feud" and "Unsolved Mysteries". The mobile app at least has a movies tab that you can browse.
How we test the best free streaming services
Shows and movies on free streaming services come and go with the frequency of Spinal Tap drummers, red-shirts on Star Trek and roses on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.
So, first and foremost, we check these services frequently to make sure they're still providing some good content (specific shows and movies are subject to the whims and contracts we're not privy to).
On top of that, we also look at these services on the best streaming devices to make sure that everyone gets a quality experience. This is how we know that Freevee is more prominent on Fire TV hardware than elsewhere.
Lastly, we do the hard work and actually watch the shows and movies, to make sure these apps actually work well. We don't expect them all to function as well as paid services, but we love it when they have the same high-quality apps.
How to choose the best free streaming service for you
Luckily, since they are all free, you don’t need to choose just one of the best free streaming services. However, you may find it difficult to balance a bunch of different apps and want to focus on just one or two.
The first consideration should be whether you want to be able to watch live channels. If that’s the case, you may want to use Pluto TV, Sling Free, Xumo, Peacock or the Roku Channel. If you only care about finding movies and TV shows on-demand, then try Freevee, Peacock, Crackle, Tubi or Vudu.
Content selection is the other major thing that distinguishes the free streaming services from each other. Aside from Peacock, with its library of name-brand content, almost all of them have the same core of free TV shows, like Hell’s Kitchen and Roseanne. But some, like Freevee and Crackle, have more robust movie libraries. Others provide access to top past shows, like Peacock and the Roku Channel. So, peruse the available titles and see if the streamer has options that appeal to you. After all, even if these services are free, doesn’t mean they have stuff you want to watch.
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Kelly Woo
Streaming Editor
Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.
With contributions from
- Brittany Vincent
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9 CommentsComment from the forums
kep55 We have a Samsung "smart tv" which comes with their TV Plus service, and a LG not-so-smart tv. We have tubi and pluto on the Sammy. And we have kanopy courtesy our library. How does one get any of these on a not smart tv? We do have an amazon tv box.
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Sid23 Buy a Roku. I just bought a Roku streaming stick 4K and am using it on my old Samsung (2013) non smart tv. As long as it has an HDMI port and is within distance of good WIFI signal you can get all those apps on the Roku. I got the streaming stick because it is supposed have long range WIFI reach. It is usually $49.99 and now is on sale online only for $29.99 (Walmart) I still have cable and am using the Rokus to get rid of cable boxes. Working my way slowly to cutting the cable.
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Barefoot Mike You indicate that Tubi has no originals. Actually, they have at least one original show: "The Freak Brothers" - an animated series based on the original "Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers" comics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fabulous_Furry_Freak_Brothers#Animated_TV_seriesReply
Mikeylito I wonder whether this article is an updated regurgitation of an earlier article. Walmart hasn't owned VUDU since 6 July 2020. It's owned by Fandango Media, which is owned by WarnerMedia (25%) and NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast. Comcast also owns XUMO and Peacock Free, which are also on your list.
Some watchers like myself wonder what Comcast will do with these different services.
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ziggyff admin said:
Here are the best free streaming services, including Crackle, Tubi, Pluto TV, IMDBtv and more.The best free streaming services : Read more
Someone should "re-review" this article. Almost ALL content on Peacock requires you to be on a pay tier starting this past Summer....examples: Psych, Warehouse 13 I was about 90% through Warehouse 13, 5 episodes to go.. now I need to join
a pay version to see any more episodes... I skipped watching when SYFY re-ran this show because I thought I had free access through the Peacock website.. nah, I'm screwedReply
benny78 ziggyff said:
Someone should "re-review" this article. Almost ALL content on Peacock requires you to be on a pay tier starting this past Summer....examples: Psych, Warehouse 13 I was about 90% through Warehouse 13, 5 episodes to go.. now I need to join
a pay version to see any more episodes... I skipped watching when SYFY re-ran this show because I thought I had free access through the Peacock website.. nah, I'm screwed....and The Roku Channel is available on Fire TV too.
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mark_887797 Meh. None of the recommendations are good. Lots of OLD free content.
Your best bet is to search Reddit and use an APK on your Android device. If you want to use a PC then Kodi is what you want to use. It's free although some "channels" require you to have a Real Debrib or Premiumize.
You can also buy a Taiwanese TV box (Android) called EVPAD and Unblock Ubox for a few hundred US dollars and never have to pay for a subscription.
Reply
mark_887797 benny78 said:
....and The Roku Channel is available on Fire TV too.what's so special about Roku channels?
Reply
mark_887797 ziggyff said:
Someone should "re-review" this article. Almost ALL content on Peacock requires you to be on a pay tier starting this past Summer....examples: Psych, Warehouse 13 I was about 90% through Warehouse 13, 5 episodes to go.. now I need to join
a pay version to see any more episodes... I skipped watching when SYFY re-ran this show because I thought I had free access through the Peacock website.. nah, I'm screwedThe blog is clickbait, nothing else IMO.
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