35 Best Free Streaming Services

cord-cutting • December 4, 2022 • Staff

Cord-cutting has brought about an interesting trend: ad-supported, free streaming. You don't pay a subscription, but you have to watch a couple of ads.

The best free on-demand streaming service is undeniably Tubi, it's full of great movies, especially smaller ones. The best free live TV service has to be Pluto TV, which carries 200 channels. Although to be fair most of those are made-up channels that repeat the same show.

If you're looking for more choices, we've also made a list of the best free trials in streaming. You can find that here.

Peacock

Peacock is a streaming service owned by NBC, with options for paid subscriptions as well as a free plan. The free plan offers about 13,000 hours of ad-supported content, with the option to upgrade to premium for more access to content. The premium options include two plans: $4.99 a month or $50 a year for ad-supported; $9.99 a month or $100 a year for ad-free. With both premium plans, you'll get access to the full catalog of 2,000 movies and shows, including every episode of the original NBC series. You'll also get next-day access to all the new episodes of ongoing NBC shows, and early access to talk shows such as Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on the air night. You can stream Peacock on Apple devices like the iPhone and Apple TV, Google devices like Android phones and Chromecast, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. But there is still no app available for Roku or Amazon platforms.

Go to Peacock

Price: $4.99/month

Device availability: Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Visio TV, Xbox

Xumo TV

With titan subscription-based streaming services in the market, XumoTV reels streaming back to its roots –the audience, with its free ad-supported platform. It is steadily gaining momentum in the streaming landscape with its free live and on-demand content from over 190 channels on its roster. Access Xumo TV using Smart TVs, browse the web or download their app if you’re on the go. Take the hassle of monthly subscriptions and access Xumo TV even without signing up.

Go to Xumo TV

Price: free for 14 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, iOS, Panasonic, Roku, Samsung TV, Visio TV, webOS, Xfinity Flex

Channel lineup: ABC News Live, AccuWeather Now, Bloomberg, CBC News, CBSN, Check with Xumo for the full channel lineup, Cheddar News, Fox Sports, History, NBC News Now, NBCLX, PGA Tour, Today, USA Today

WeTV

Tencent Video, also known as WeTV internationally, is a Chinese streaming platform that offers a wide range of Asian content, from live TV and new shows to on-demand films and Asian dramas. With more than a billion users, WeTV is reportedly the fourth largest streamer in the world, following the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. WeTV's packed library is supported by ads and comes for free for basic users, but it also offers ad-free, concurrent viewing as part of its premium package. This Chinese streamer is perfect for those interested in all things Asian entertainment.

Go to WeTV

Price: free for channels available

Vudu

Vudu is an on-demand streaming service that allows users to rent or purchase more than 200,000 new releases. Founded in 2007, it's one of the first companies to offer digital films in HD. Vudu's main strength is its ease of access and jam-packed catalog of movies and TV shows, but it also boasts free content, which they run on ads. In 2020, media and ticketing firm Fandango acquired Vudu and merged both companies' streamers into one. They decided to keep the Vudu name because of its large and loyal customer base.

Go to Vudu

Price: free for channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Chromecast, iOS, LG Smart TV, Playsation, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, TiVo, Vizio, Xbox, Xfinity Flex

ViX

ViX is an ad-supported streaming service by Univision, the largest Spanish-language content provider in the US. Spanning the usual movies, series, and telenovelas, the ViX library also boasts live TV, news, and sports programs. The latter, in particular, comes as a strong suit since the streamer covers events in conjunction with TUDN, Univision's sports arm, as well as hosts football events in many parts of South America. The free-to-watch service also has an on-demand section, meaning you can easily search for a title you want to watch instead of scrolling from the multiple channels available.

Go to ViX

Price: free for channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Website

Vice TV

VICE TV is a channel available to certain cable or streaming subscriptions. While it has yet to launch a dedicated subscription of its own, VICE TV is downloadable as an app on media players such as Roku and Apple TV and offers free episodes of its renowned documentaries via YouTube and its online site. VICE TV is a great add-on if you already have an ongoing subscription and don't want to pay extra to see relevant, cutting-edge documentaries from around the world.

Go to Vice TV

Price: free for channels available

Device availability: Android, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Sling TV

Tubi

Dubbed "The Free Netflix," Tubi is one of the best options for streaming quality movies and TV shows online. The completely free, ad-supported service has one of the most extensive title lineups, plus it's compatible with most devices, making it an extremely popular option for cord-cutters. Though it has been noted to have a less than stellar resolution, most viewers don't mind due to its easy interface, constantly updated library, and of course free titles. Parents will also be glad to know that the service has parental control features.

Go to Tubi

Price: free for channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Sony, TiVo, Vizio, Website, Xbox One

The Roku Channel

The Roku Channel can't replace Netflix or a cord-cutting service like Sling, but it's a nice added bonus if you already have a Roku device. The selection of live channels is limited, but there's something for everyone, including news, sports, and entertainment.

Go to The Roku Channel

Price: free for 1 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Website

Channel lineup: ABC News Live

The Film Detective

The Film Detective is a streaming service dedicated to showing classics of all kinds, from beloved films and silent pictures to B-movies and epic musicals. It offers most of its 3,000+ hours of titles for free, but it also has a premium tier that starts at $3.99/month. With this subscription, users can access original content as well as stream titles on multi-platforms. The Film Detective refreshes its library every month, and it has all sorts of lists curated and updated by a dedicated staff of movie buffs.

Go to The Film Detective

Price: free for channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Website

The CW

The CW has always been a major player among TV networks. Through the years, it has built up a solid reputation providing fresh titles targeted to the younger crowd. To stay in the game, The CW also now has its own dedicated streaming service, which it offers free (though not ad-free) and which contains the latest shows The CW network is airing. The latter part is what sets The CW apart from its other official streaming service, CW Seed, which only covers the network's past shows.

Go to The CW

Price: free for channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Xbox One

1 2 3 4 >

Peacock

Xumo TV

WeTV

Vudu

ViX

Vice TV

Tubi

The Roku Channel

The Film Detective

The CW

More lists