Free Streaming Services You Can Use Right Now

Streaming services are a dime a dozen nowadays. It seems like a new streaming service comes out every year. Keeping track of what movie is on what, for how long, and how much each streaming service subscription costs can get difficult fast. The last thing anyone wants is to be billed for a streaming service they’ve barely even used, especially for months. Fortunately, the age of content hasn’t only brought paid streaming services to the masses but also free streaming services.

In this blog post, we are going through the best 10 free streaming services that you can use to watch feature films, TV shows, documentaries, and short films right now. Some of them have commercial interruptions built into them and surprisingly, some of them don’t. This list is in no particular order.

10 Free Streaming Services To Make Your Life A Little Easier

Crackle

Crackle is an entertainment network that has plenty of feature films, TV shows, and Crackle originals to watch for free. When it comes to feature films, you won’t find anything too new on Crackle but they have a diverse library of blockbusters, independent films, and obscure films you probably haven’t heard before. When it comes to TV shows, there isn’t anything mainstream on Crackle but their library is full of hidden gems to discover. Of course, in return for being a free entertainment service, Crackle adds commercial breaks to every viewing experience.

Crackle is available to stream on…

• Amazon Fire TV
• Android and iOS
• Android TV and Apple TV
• Chromecast
• Smart TVs: LG TV, Samsung TV, Vizio TV
• Playstation and Xbox
• Roku

Popcornflix

Popcornflix is a free streaming service that offers both movies and TV shows to watch. They also have a wide variety of Popcornflix originals you can use to discover new programming. You don’t even need to have an account to watch content on Popcornflix, all you need is the platform itself. The content on Popcornflix is lesser-known and there aren’t a lot of mainstream movies or TV shows on there. There are, however, many Asian action films on Popcornflix you can check out. Like most free streaming services, Popcornflix has commercial breaks inserted into every stream and from what I’ve seen, there is no indicator for how many commercial breaks there will be while streaming content.

Popcornflix is available to stream on…

• Apple TV
• Xbox
• Android and iOS
• Roku
• Amazon Prime Video

Plex

Plex is a media service that allows you to access media on your own server as well as 20,000+ free movies, shows, and documentaries. Plex partners with major studios such as Warner Bros, MGM, and Lionsgate to offer well-known movies and TV shows. Plex also partners with Crackle and Popcornflix to host some of the free content on those two platforms. Plex has many forms of content such as live TV, movies, TV shows, web shows, podcasts, and music. Lastly, Plex partners with TIDAL to allow free users to preview 60 million tracks and with a premium Plex subscription, you would have full access to all of those tracks.

Plex is available on…

• Android and iOS
• Smart TVs: LG, Samsung, Hisense, VIZIO, and Roku TV
• PlayStation and Xbox
• Amazon Fire TV
• Android TV
• Apple TV
• Chromecast
• Roku
• Amazon Alexa

Kanopy

If you’re a student or have a membership at your local library then Kanopy may be available to you. Kanopy is a free streaming service that partners with universities and local libraries to allow users to stream feature films, short films, TV shows, and documentaries without any advertisements. The fee for libraries to partner with Kanopy can be hefty so many libraries choose not to. There is also a limit on how much content you can watch each month. For example, through my local library, I could only watch content 4 times a month and that included TV episodes. The limit on watching content varies per library but don’t expect to use Kanopy as frequently as other streaming services. The library on Kanopy is impressive. There are thousands of high-quality titles and even award-winning titles. The signup process is also very simple. All you need to do is sign in through your university or enter the number on your library card.

Kanopy is available to stream on…

• Roku
• Apple TV and Android TV
• iPhone and iPad
• Android
• Chromecast
• Amazon Fire TV and Fire Tablet
• Samsung TV

Reveel

Reveel is a free streaming service that gives audiences an alternative to the predictable sequels, remakes, and reboots coming out of Hollywood. The service focuses on empowering independent filmmakers by only being filled with 100% original content. Reveel is different from any other streaming service out there. They are completely free and yet, they do not insert commercial interruptions into any of their streaming experiences. Reveel makes their audience’s viewing experience their number one priority and promises to never have disruptive ad breaks. Reveel has a variety of original movies, TV shows, short films, and documentaries. It’s the perfect place to discover up-and-coming storytellers or find unique ideas you have never seen before. You do have to make an account but the process is as easy as name, email, and password.

Reveel is available on…

• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV
• Android TV and Apple TV
• Android
• iPhone

The Roku Channel

The Roku Channel is a streaming service that offers either a free or premium subscription. The channel is one of the best free Roku channels available with a diverse range of content. The platform contains Hollywood hits, classic TV shows, live news, and reality TV. From Hell’s Kitchen to Fight Club, you’ll be able to find something of interest to watch on The Roku Channel. If you remember Quibi and the original content that the platform created, The Roku Channel was able to acquire all of Quibi’s content before the platform’s unfortunate demise. You can watch Quibi content for free on The Roku Channel. The downside to The Roku Channel is the advertisements. When watching a feature film, there can be as many as 10+ commercial breaks. You can, of course, get rid of the commercial breaks by joining their premium subscription.

The Roku Channel is available to stream through…

• Roku
• the Roku mobile app
• Samsung Smart TVs
• Amazon Fire TV

Pluto TV

Pluto TV is a free live television and on-demand streaming platform. Similar to satellite television, Pluto TV gives you the option to watch television live or watch specific movies and TV shows immediately by using on-demand. Pluto TV has hundreds of channels available from networks like BET, AMC, Paramount, Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central. On-demand, Pluto TV has a library full of thousands of movies, TV shows, and documentaries. You won’t find the latest releases in their library but you’ll find lots of mainstream content. Much like regular TV, there are commercial breaks inserted in live television and on-demand.

Pluto TV is available to stream on…

• Android and iOS
• Android TV
• LG Smart TVs
• Samsung Smart TVs
• Vizio Smart TVs
• Roku
• Playstation and Xbox

Tubi

Tubi is a free streaming service supported by major studios like Fox, MGM, Paramount, and Lionsgate. They have a wide selection of popular movies and TV shows you can watch from major studios without even signing up for an account. Tubi also has an assortment of classic 20th-century movies like His Girl Friday and Night of The Living Dead. As far as advertisements go, Tubi has fewer commercial breaks than most other free streaming platforms. In one viewing of an animated movie, the viewer experienced only 5 commercial breaks. That’s fewer commercials than what you’d experience watching regular cable.

Tubi is available to stream on…

• Android and iOS
• Smart TVs
• Roku
• Apple TV and Android TV
• Amazon Fire TV
• Playstation and Xbox
• Chromecast
• TiVO
• Xfinity X1
• Cox Contour

Peacock

Peacock is a unique streaming service in that it has two tiers of available content. The first tier is free and ad-supported. The 2nd tier is paid and has the option to be free of ads. The two tiers of content are combined in the streaming service. Some content will be off-limits for free users while paid users get access to everything. I couldn’t find a pattern to what content is paid and what is available to free users but there is a lot of free content available. Notably, Peacock is popular for providing free users with the first 5 seasons of The Office. Along with movies and TV shows, Peacock has sports, WWE, news, and Spanish content for free users. Peacock also has live television streaming that free users can access. There are commercial breaks on Peacock but they aren’t any worse than when watching regular cable.

Peacock is available on…

• iOS
• Android
• Android and Apple TV
• Chromecast
• Xbox and Playstation
• Vizio and LG Smart TVs
• Xfinity X1 and Flex
• Cox Contour

IMDb TV

IMDb TV is a free streaming service attached to the IMDb website. It has an impressive selection of TV shows and movies but, of the two, their library of TV shows impressed a little more. The streaming platform has television shows like Mad Men, Lost, Scream Queens, etc. They also have an impressive library of feature films such as Black Swan and Snowpiercer. Of course, commercial breaks are inserted into every viewing experience except most of the IMDb TV originals. The commercial breaks are usually 70 – 90 seconds long and consist of 3 to 4 advertisements in feature films. In 30 minute episodes, there will be 1 to 2 commercial breaks. You also have to make an account with IMDb to stream on IMDb TV which does not take that long.

IMDb TV is available on…

• Amazon Fire TV
• Roku
• Amazon Prime Video
• Android and iOS
• Xbox and Playstation
• LG Smart TV
• Android TV

Alternatives To Paid Content

With each major studio creating their own streaming service, it can be hard to keep track of the fees and content on all of them. It’s a waste of money to pay for a subscription you barely use. After a few years those fees could add up to hundreds of dollars. These 10 free streaming services will help you minimize your subscription fees while at the same time providing valuable content.