These Websites Fix A Streaming Problem You Didn't Even Know You Had

Finding something to watch by flicking through titles on streaming alone can be a long and thankless task. Especially if you already have something in mind to watch. In that case, you can spend so long looking through all the different streaming services you have to find it, that you're put off by the time you get there. Whether you're looking for a friend's recommendation, trying to finish off your Letterboxd Watchlist, or hoping to rewatch something after years gone by, figuring out which platform is home to what you're looking for can take a long time. That is, unless you use a platform that does almost all the research for you.

That's where sites like JustWatch come in. JustWatch is a streaming guide that aggregates information on where to stream different TV shows and movies. You can use it to browse the top releases in your area to find out where to tune in and what the cheapest way to stream them is. It also has a built-in search engine that you can use to look up whatever you want to find, from major blockbusters down to niche releases. You can grab it as an app for your smart TV, streaming stick, or Xbox One, negating the need to grab your phone and search for it yourself.

Online streaming guides are useful tools for tracking down what you want to watch without having to trawl through pages of search results, or keeping perfectly on top of your watchlist for each service you subscribe to. Other streaming guides include ReelGood and Yidio, which each offer their own services and features. Even Plex can pull double duty as a streaming guide and media-oriented social media platform.

Besides being an asset for looking up where to watch different shows and films, JustWatch also has a few other key features that make it a solid choice for improving your streaming experience. First up is the option to filter individual titles by country, to see which areas they're available to stream in and on which platforms. This is great in a pinch when you're not sure if a title has landed on streaming in your local area yet. Similarly, it also lists what audio tracks are available on each service, and whether or not closed captioning is available. 

Another one of JustWatch's most useful features is actually right there on its homepage. The site pulls together popular and trending titles across all kinds of different streaming services, giving you the lion's share of what's out there. This is an improvement on only being able to flick through films on any specific platform at a time, as it gives you the choice of a much wider range of titles than a single streaming service could. You can also create an account to filter titles to only those on the streaming services you have subscriptions for, so you can refine your research to only what's relevant for you.

There is a drawback to some of JustWatch's best features, though, and that's that some of them are hidden behind a paywall. Premium subscribers have access to a lot more when it comes to content filtering, including IMDb vote count, runtime, and whether or not something is leaving streaming services soon. You can also make up to 100 lists, hide watched titles, and remove adverts. A JustWatch Pro subscription is around $4.70 a month at the time of writing, with no minimum contract length.

Not feeling JustWatch's interface, or looking for some different features? You have a few other options to choose from. JustWatch isn't the only purpose-built streaming guide out there. There are several alternatives kicking around the internet like ReelGood, Plex, and Yidio, each with its own features and integrations. 

Both Yidio and ReelGood are fairly similar to JustWatch. Both platforms pull together data on where to watch all kinds of different TV shows and movies, which you can browse through based on what's trending and genre. You can also use their built-in search engines to find up-to-date information on where to stream specific titles without leafing through pages of search results in your browser. You can also grab them as apps and create personalized profiles to focus on your subscriptions and get recommendations on what to watch next.

As well as offering server hosting capabilities, Plex also works as an online streaming guide. This could be the best choice for you if you already use it to access your personal media library or to watch its catalog of free ad-supported movies and TV, since you won't need to download another app. As well as working as a catalog of what's out there to choose from on different streaming services, you can also use it to create a watchlist of films and TV shows, regardless of where they're hosted. You can then share it with friends like a built-in social media platform.