20 Best Topic Alternatives Right Now

With its selection of quality indie films, hard-hitting documentaries, and crime anthologies, Topic makes for an excellent streaming service for cinephiles and true-crime enthusiasts alike. It brands itself as an alternative to platforms like Netflix, offering little-known but well-regarded titles for only $5.99 a month. 

Topic is competitive in these regards, but its appeal and selection remain niche. Mainstream audiences may find it lacking compared to bigshots like Amazon Prime, affordable services like Philo, and free streamers like Tubi, the latter two of which showcase more content in addition to live TV channels. 

Whether you're looking to expand your selection of indies and thrillers or seeking new TV options, you might want to check out other streamers that offer more of the same. Below, we curated the best Topic alternatives available right now to help you find the platform that best suits your needs. 

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Nothing beats the price: $25 is really cheap, one of the cheapest ways out there to get Live TV. And the fact that you get unlimited DVR -if you care about that kind of stuff- on top of that is kind of crazy. Just as a comparison, Youtube TV offers unlimited DVR but it costs three times as much.

Price: $25/month

Free Trial: 7 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, iPhone, Roku, Samsung TV, Vizio Smart TV

Channel lineup: A&E, AccuWeather, AMC, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, aspireTV, AXS TV, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Bloomberg Television, Cheddar, Cheddar News, Cleo TV, CMT, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Crackle, Crime-Investigation, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, DIY Network, Food Network, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Great American Country, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, IFC, INSP, Investigation Discovery, Law&Crime, Lifetime, LMN, Logo, MotorTrend, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Live, MTV2, Newsy, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, OWN, Paramount Network, PeopleTV, REVOLT, Revry, Science Channel, Sundance TV, Tastemade, TeenNick, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, TV One, UPtv, VH1, Vice, WE tv

Hulu is an on-demand service that is currently only available on US territories. You can get access to Hulu's on-demand content library for $5.99 a month with commercials, and $11.99 without. There's also an option to pay for an annual subscription starting at $71.88.

Price: $5.99/month

Free Trial: 30 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Xbox

HBO Max is a subscription-based on-demand platform that is only available in the US. New subscribers pay $15 a month, with an annual subscription option also available.

When you subscribe, you'll get HBO’s world-class exclusives, such as The Wire and Game of Thrones but HBO MAX also functions as a bundle: you'll get content from DC, Criterion Collection, Looney Tunes, Studio Ghibli, Turner Classic Movies, and Crunchyroll.

Most mobile devices that can stream video support HBO Max, although there is yet no app for Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices.

Price: $14.99/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox

Discovery+ is a streaming service from the famous mass media company that has an ad-supported plan for $4.99 a month and an ad-free plan for $6.99. This includes content from Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, Food Network, HGTV, ID, A&E, History, Lifetime, OWN, Travel, Science Network, and The Dodo. But beware, you cannot stream these channels live with a Discovery+, you can only watch their TV shows in playback.

Price: $4.99/month

Free Trial: 7 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox

Mubi is a movie-streaming service featuring a curated selection of 30 movies on a daily rotation, as well as a large library of movies from previous rotations. The subscription costs $10.99 per month or $95.88 for an annual subscription. If you just want to browse the database before paying up front, you can sign up for a free account for access. Mubi has a Now Showing section, with the newest entries to the library on a given day (the library is updated daily), and a Library section featuring a back-catalog of other highlights and previously “showing” movies. You may see a section called 'Live' for live broadcasts once in a while. Aside from the options to stream via web browser, Mubi also has mobile apps for Android and iOS, media streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), and you can subscribe to Mubi as a Prime Video channel. While Mubi is not available on the Xbox One, you can access the service on a PlayStation 4 console.

Price: $10.99/month

Free Trial: 30 days

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

Magnolia Selects can be accessed via an array of iOS and Android phones and tablets as well as desktops and Roku devices. It is also available as a channel through Sling TV and Amazon Prime Video.

Subscriptions with unlimited access to Magnolia Selects cost $4.99 per month or a discounted $49.99 per year. 

Another plan is available for “sub-genre subscriptions” that gives access to specific genres (action, comedy, horror, documentary) for only $2.99 per month. 

Price: $4.99/month

Free Trial: 7 days

Device availability: Android, iOS, Roku

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.

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 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.

Price: free for channels available

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

Sundance costs $6.99 per month, with an annual subscription that goes for $59.99.

In addition to watching Sundance Now on the web, you can stream from the service’s apps for mobile, (Android and iOS) and media streaming (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku). 

Sundance Now does not offer any apps on game consoles, such as the Xbox One or PlayStation 4.

Price: $8.99/month

Free Trial: 7 days

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

Spamflix is a video rental service dedicated to showcasing the most offbeat and avant-garde films. The service prides itself on its absurd line-up of titles, which it claims will "surprise, shock, entertain and amaze" users. These genre films span borders and come from all parts of the world; upon purchase, which usually starts at $5, they will be available to watch for 72 hours or 3 whole days. Spamflix also offers themed film packs, online games, and for true-blue fanatics, an updated movie newsletter. 

Price: free for channels available

Device availability: Android, Android TV, Chromecast, iOS, Website

Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 12 cheapest Live TV streaming services for cord-cutting.

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The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors. If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.