Everyday life has changed amid the coronavirus crisis, and it can be pretty boring being on lockdown. If you don’t have access to any streaming services because money is tight, or you’ve watched everything worth seeing on the platform you do have, don’t miss this. In this Komando DIY, we have the five best free, legitimate streaming sites for you to check out. You can thank us later.
7 free streaming TV platforms
I heard a stat the other day I had to share: The average U.S. household spends $61 per month on streaming TV. Plus, you still need to pay for cable or another way to get the internet.
We’re in the midst of a streaming arms race, and prices are only going up.
- Last October, Apple, Amazon and Disney upped their streaming prices by $3 monthly.
- Netflix also nudged up its monthly basic plan rate by $2 last October.
- Just yesterday, Max raised the price of its cheapest streaming plan by $1 to $16.99 per month. Yeah, that’s with ads, people.
TL;DR: If you subscribe to only the basic plans for those services, your bills have gone up $12 per month in the past year. Wanna cut that down? I have seven streaming platforms that are completely f-r-e-e free.
Pluto TV: Pluto’s owned by Paramount, so you get over 250 free channels, including news, sports and lifestyle options. It’s got a solid selection of old TV shows, plus some movies. It’s also compatible with most streaming devices and platforms, like Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku and PlayStation TV.
Tubi: Tubi gives you over 50,000 movies and TV shows, thanks to content from big studios like MGM, Lionsgate and Paramount. You can watch it on your smartphone, laptop and pretty much any other streaming or gaming console.
YouTube: You know it, you love it, but I bet you didn’t know you can find thousands of TV show episodes and even feature films on it for free (with ads). Not to mention, creators like MrBeast have full-length, high-production shows that give regular TV a run for its money. And you get my shows for free, too.
🍿 Speaking of … Here’s a list of the 100 best free flicks available on YouTube. (“Back to the Future,” anyone?)
The Roku Channel: Get thousands of free movies and TV shows, along with over 350 live channels, on any Roku streaming device, compatible Samsung smart TVs or Amazon Fire TVs, or the Roku app. The content is constantly updated, and they have some surprisingly solid originals, too, like “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” and “The Great American Baking Show.”
Crackle: If British TV is your jam, Crackle might be your best bet. It has a lot of BBC shows, like the sitcom “Peep Show” and comedy-drama series “Shameless,” plus a big library of movies and classic TV series, including “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” The downside? Long ads before and during programming. Bollocks …
Freevee: Freevee is Amazon’s free arm, so you’ll need an Amazon Prime account for this one. But once you’re in, it has thousands of free movies and TV episodes with fewer ads than network TV. It also has some excellent original content, like “Jury Duty,” which was nominated for an Emmy last year and is wet-your-pants funny.
Kanopy: This one’s my ringer. Kanopy lets you watch thousands of films completely ad-free using your public library card. They have a great selection of classic, critically acclaimed and foreign films. Stream ‘em on your phone, tablet or almost any other TV streaming device, including Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
9 streaming service pro tips to save money
The whole streaming scene is confusing. DirecTV Now changed its name to AT&T TV Now and can’t seem to settle on plans and pricing. Tap or click here to parse the options. Disney+, Apple TV and HBO Max joined the party — and each one wants your money.
🛑 Free malware with purchase: Android TV boxes promising free streaming “forever” are filled with malware and marketed online like they’re from Google. They’re not. TV shopping? Look for the words “Android TV OS,” not just “Android TV.”
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10 ways to watch movies for free
What should I watch? This question plagues us, no matter how we watch TV. Once we’ve binged our favorite series, seen all the recommended shows and movies, and browsed every genre we could find, we still hit a wall. What’s left? we think, as we impatiently await the third season of “Westworld.”
Ad-free streaming isn't ad free
The promise: Cut the cable and no more ads. It lasted a while, but now? Not so much.
Why you should check out IMDb
Want a free streaming service? Listen to this one-minute podcast for one of my favorites.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices