15 Of The Best Free Streaming Services, According To Consumer Reports

When you think of streaming services, it makes sense if names like Netflix and Disney come to mind immediately — these are the big players in the streaming industry, after all. Personally, I am a regular Netflix and Prime user, and although there's a ton of content to watch, some titles are not available on these platforms, and it bothers me to subscribe to other expensive streaming services, which other people are already ditching, and pay for multiple services simultaneously. And Netflix also has some annoying issues (error 1011 and 1012) that disrupt the watching experience.

This is where free streaming services come in. Many platforms are absolutely free to watch without requiring any hidden costs. The only downside is that these free websites show ads, but otherwise everything's great. Sometimes there are even movies that you can't find on Netflix in every region, like "Good Will Hunting" or "16 Wishes." Moreover, many of these streaming services offer live news, podcasts, audiobooks, and more that are not commonly available on popular platforms. 

Here, we discuss some of the best free streaming video services, as recognized by Consumer Reports. We did not include all the services mentioned in the Consumer Reports list, but filtered for the most relevant ones that are perfect for the vast majority of users, given their vast content library.

Getting an Amazon Prime membership ($14.99) will also get you access to Prime Video, a streaming platform with many entertainment options. After Freevee was discontinued, all its content was integrated into Prime Video. Hence, the vast library has something for all ages: Tons of animated options for the kids, while the adults can pick from romance to feel-good content and more. Choosing this as your go-to streaming platform will also unlock fan-favorite Amazon Originals on your device, such as "The Boys" (rated at 8.6/10 on IMDb), which is exclusively available on Prime Video.  

In addition, you get an add-on option to include Prime Video Channels in your original subscription, which brings famous channels and their content to your fingertips, like HBO Max ($10.99/month). You can also buy specific shows — for example, if you are in the mood to watch "The Office," all the seasons are available at the time of writing. Prime Video is available on App Store, Play Store, and other major platforms.

Blkfam is a rather unique streaming platform, marketed as the first Black-focused family streaming platform, and it's completely free. Bringing over 1,000 hours of content in the form of more than 20 syndicated series, animation, and music, it is all about promoting the lives of the Black community. What makes it family-friendly is that it contains content that brings the spotlight to the diverse culture, lived experiences, and inspirational stories of Black communities in the shape of news, history, documentaries, wellness programs, and animations. 

"By curating authentic, data-backed content primarily from Black storytellers, we've built an inclusive service where Black families especially can feel holistically represented," the founder, Larry Adams, mentioned when highlighting the significance of the platform. You can download Blkfam from any major app store, like the App Store and Play Store, as well as Roku and more. As a streaming site, Blkfam's purpose is not only to entertain the audience but also to educate and inspire the young generation in the Black community to strive toward success.

Fun fact: Chick-fil-A, a popular U.S. food chain, has its own streaming service. Chick-fil-A Play, which is readily available on the App Store and the Play Store, has an arena of family-friendly content to watch during your time together with loved ones. You get activities, series, short films, animated books, music, and even recipes like Strawberry Shake Cake, that kids can create with their parents to experience a sense of familial bond and happiness. The people at this food chain know that food brings people together, regardless of age and background.

Furthermore, the app also comes with interactive e-book stories, games, and activities for the entire family to play and enjoy, as well as conversation starters to get the mood going for a memorable family time. As soon as you open the free app, you will see a simple, animated interface with options to watch, play, listen, create, and read, which will instantly appeal to kids. Plus, the app is compatible with smartphones, tablets, and TVs.

While Hoopla and Kanopy are separate platforms, they share one common feature: They are both library-based streaming services. Hoopla brings you a huge variety of audiobooks, movies, magazines, eBooks, and more, plus you can also download a large share of content on your devices. Where can you access it? Anywhere with a screen, so smartphones, tablets, and TVs are all an option as long as you have a library card. Your profile is synced across all devices, so you don't feel unfamiliar with the feed.

On the other hand, Kanopy is a massive streaming movie library that partners with public libraries and universities to offer ad-free content to eligible members. It has more than 30,000 shows and films in its catalog, including documentary and international content. The app is available on Roku, Fire TV, Samsung, and other major platforms so that you can watch your favorite movies on any device, anywhere. Compared to Hoopla, this platform offers fewer content categories, but it also provides more than 100,000 TV shows and movies, though neither produces original content.

Philo brings you a world of entertainment, offering more than 120 free channels and 14,000+ movies and TV shows without the need to enter any credit card details during sign-up. The free plan opens you up to many media properties, such as "BBC News," "Declassified," "USA Today," and more. Plus, you can watch live or on-demand content and also get the option to record titles and keep them for up to 30 days (note that the feature is only limited to specific movies and shows). On the downside, you will have to bear with frequent ads in the middle of your content when subscribed to the free plan.

Additionally, you can personalize the entire experience by creating profiles and marking your favorite channels to receive suggestions tailored to your preferences. With the free plan, you can stream shows on up to three devices at the same time, meaning multiple family members can enjoy different shows at the same time. On the other hand, upgrading to Philo Core for $33/month will unlock more than 70 paid TV channels and a year of unlimited DVR storage, so you can forget worrying about missing out on a show.

Pluto TV is a well-known name in streaming services. It unlocks a world of diverse entertainment options, from globally favorite cartoons to classics like "The Addams Family." Name the category, and you have it on Pluto TV — comedy, sci-fi, true crime, news, opinions, and more. If English isn't your first language, fret not, because Pluto streams in many languages, including Spanish, French, and German. You can switch to another language to enjoy your favorite shows in your native tongue — either watch live or go with on-demand options on your smartphone, TV, or tablets. 

There's also a Season's Greetings tab where you can view all the titles that match the theme of the upcoming festival or holiday. When Christmas or Thanksgiving is just around the corner, you will notice all the feel-good content listed here, so you don't have to search much when picking what to watch with family and friends.

Integrated with over 500 live streaming channels, along with over 1,000 TV series, movies, shows, and kids' shows, The Roku Channel is a free platform that will keep you hooked. With the Roku Channel, you will never run out of things to watch because they add new content every week, including "Along Came Polly," "Stargate," and "The IT Crowd" just this November. The good part is that you can watch all the available titles in HD quality without being asked to add any credit card details before starting a show. 

Additionally, watch your favorite sitcoms, such as "2 Broke Girls," or tense psychological thrillers, all under one platform. Like Netflix, you can also add movies and shows to favorites to access them all in one tab — it kind of acts like a quick watchlist. Also, you can stream live news at any hour of the day to stay informed on current affairs, especially during power outages when the local television stations may not be able to broadcast, even if you have power in your location. 

It's as easy as heading to the Sling website to get access to over 600 channels, ranging from news to food and travel. However, there are many benefits of making an account here. Sling offers rewards and prizes for watching free TV, lets you record content for about 10 hours, offers basic games like "Pac-Man" and "Tetris", and gives parents the ability to lock specific content to keep it out of a child's reach. The app is accessible on more than 20 devices, such as iOS, Android TV, and others. There's plenty to enjoy for everyone, such as the long-running Mexican program "La Rosa de Guadalupe." Other offerings include "Dr. Phil" to watch in your free time when you are in the mood for some laughs and drama. It also has channels dedicated to news, local entertainment, and sports. There are also popular options like "The Walking Dead", "Criminal Minds", and "MacGyver" that you can rewatch for a good old nostalgia.

Sling recommends at least 3 Mbps of internet speed for tablets and phones, while a minimum of 25 Mbps will be required if you are using multiple devices.  Although with this free option, as with many others, you will have to live with ads during programming, just like the olden days. 

Owned by the Fox Corporation, Tubi offers a range of famous titles, including "Bad Boys," "Good Will Hunting," "16 Wishes," and "Coraline." One nice thing about watching on Tubi is that it transports you into a world of diverse content, from cultural storytelling and Bollywood to K-dramas and beyond. This streaming site has it all. Apart from this, there are the cult classics, like "The Godfather" and "Titanic", that you can rewatch with your peers to relive the good old memories.

As per Tubi's official website, it offers the "largest collection of premium on-demand content" with over 275,000 movies. Unlike some free streamers, Tubi also creates its own programming. It currently has over 300 exclusive originals — garnering this website around 97 million active users every month. In addition, Tubi curates a list of holiday hits to make sure there's something to watch every night with the family during holiday get-togethers. Plus, there's a ton of Spanish cinema to binge-watch, while the cord-cutters can watch live news.  As a free service, we ranked Tubi above YouTube TV among the best and worst streaming services.

Vix is a Spanish-only streaming service where you can watch your favorite movies and shows. Everything from the interface to the captions is in Spanish, with over 100 channels, including news, to choose from. Vix offers a premium product that includes its entire catalogue, but there is plenty of content that is not locked behind a paywall — as long as you don't mind ads, of course. Watchers get access to globally acclaimed content, like "Titanic" and "Rambo," to country-specific cinema, like K-dramas, Colombian shows, and Turkish TV. Additionally, you can enjoy music, podcasts, novels, and even original productions such as "Bajo Un Vulcan" and "La Mujer Del Diablo" exclusively on this platform. 

Vix is available in 19 countries, but one problem a Reddit user mentioned in a thread is that the captions are delayed by about 10 seconds, and setting them up can be a nuisance. The problem is primarily present when watching live TV, but also occurs with on-demand content.

Consisting of over 350 channels and 15,000 on-demand titles, Xumo Play is another free streaming goldmine that you can resort to in your free time for entertainment. Head to the site, and without any sign-ups or logins, just move straight to the Play button and start binge-watching your favorite show. There's a huge collection of original movies and shows on Xumo Play, as well as peek inside the exclusives, first releases, and channels that will hook you up from the instant you start watching. 

The app analyzes the type of content you watch and then recommends newer titles that might interest you. It is rated at 4.6/5 on App Store, though it is not without its drawbacks. It is a free app, after all. Reviews have noted that the ad interruptions can be immersion-breaking, as it is not uncommon for advertisements to abruptly cut into programming. American TV compared Xumo to the cable television of yesteryear, which is not exactly a ringing endorsement. 

We have an ad-supported platform in Fawesome TV that lets you browse by genre, offering various categories like comedy, action, and sci-fi that you can start watching as soon as you enter the website, without any unnecessary subscriptions or sign-ups. Fawesome TV streams on smart devices, including TVs, tablets, and smartphones. In April 2025, the company took a step forward toward expansion by partnering with premium content partners, including Moviesphere and Ebony by Lionsgate, Sport TV Plus, and Tastemade to bring you everything from exciting recipes from food experts around the world to award-winning programming like "Wallander."

Interestingly, Fawesome divides its content by decade, allowing you to search by release date, so when you are in the mood for some nostalgia, you can head straight to the good old classics that take you back to another time.  And, with Fawesome, you will be in on a variety of exclusives, like "Tonic," plus plenty of originals, such as "Greenwood Rising" and "The Peanut Man." You can also read blogs about the hot and trending topics — find them by scrolling down on the About page. 

Plex brings you a plethora of live TV and on-demand titles across genres like action, comedy, documentaries, and more. The streaming service also currently holds popular media like "The Walking Dead," spino, "Teen Wolf," and "Nashville". You can also see what's trending on Plex and start watching it without any wait — all of them are nicely organized under the "Plex Picks" section. Another section, titled "Most Watchlisted This Week," gives you a hint about what other users have been enjoying (or planning to enjoy) lately. 

In numbers, Plex boasts more than 25 million global users, 50k+ on-demand titles, and more than 600 live TV channels. The sole aim here is to create a worldwide community of users who come to a single platform to discover and experience entertainment like never before. Additionally, Plex has partnered with Lionsgate, A24, and MGM, and more to bring a diverse range of content. 

Samsung TV Plus comes built in to your Samsung smart TV, opening up a portal of entertainment at your home without any additional costs or subscriptions. On this Samsung platform, there's something for everyone to enjoy. For example, stay updated with the latest happenings with live news, or learn a totally new dish from the Home and Food section. Then there is Comedy and Music when you want to wind down after a long and hectic day. It comes packed with over 300 live channels, and thousands of movies and shows, and you also get streaming channels such as Loupe Art + Music and Bloomberg in 4K quality.

While you don't necessarily have to log in to your Samsung account to enjoy the free content here, doing so will bring a handful of additional features, including the ability to continue watching from where you left off, edit channels, mark favorite channels, create watchlists, and set watch reminders in the app. 

"No bills, no nonsense" is how MyFree Directv likes to advertise itself. You can start watching as soon as you enter the website, instead of having to fill out your email and other credentials to get past annoying sign-ups. It is accessible on a range of platforms, including Vizio, Roku, and Amazon TV, although the app is only available in the U.S. (not including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). If you are a sports fan, this app is for you, with 24/7 live sports coverage through channels including Fox Sports, NBC Sports Now, and Golf Pass.

There are more than 120 free channels, movies, shows, and sports available within the app. Plus, it has a rotating collection of content, with titles updating regularly so you have something new to watch. Also, you can upgrade to a paid version anytime you want, grabbing subscriptions to popular channels, like HBO Max and Paramount+. Or, you can purchase a monthly subscription to genre packs (MySports, MyEntertainment, MiEspanol) that include only channels specific to the genre, starting at just $19.99.