The Best Free Streaming Services In 2023

The best streaming services have more than proved their usefulness in entertaining everybody at home. But signing up for all of them is just not financially feasible for most people. That’s where the best free streaming services come in. They can provide hours of bingeing pleasure at no cost. You will have to watch ads, but that’s no different than what you get through an expensive cable package. Again: They’re free! And since they cost $0, you can sign up for all of the best free streaming services on our list. Oh, and while YouTube isn’t what we’d think of as a streaming service, our list of the best free movies on YouTube will surprise you with the high-quality content on offer.

What are the best free streaming services?

The best free streaming services aren’t meant to compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus. They don’t have the latest TV series, blockbuster movies or high-quality originals. And that’s fine since, well, they’re free! In order to see which is right for you, we actually sifted through the stacks and stacks of shows and movies they offer, as well as tested how they work on some of the best streaming devices. We even went as far as to only watch free TV services for a week; that was an interesting seven days! All of the best free streaming services are ad-supported. They play 30-second to 60-second commercials, generally at the same rate as a cable network. Peacock Free, however, provides access to dozens of episodes of The Office, as well as other shows from the NBCUniversal catalog. For live and linear (aka on a schedule, but not always live) channels, Pluto and Sling Free are great options. And The Roku Channel just got 13 free channels.

The best free streaming services right now

Freevee has an impressive library of free on-demand content. The TV selection consists of the typical free shows like Hell’s Kitchen but also past hits like Lost, Desperate Housewives and Mad Men. Plus, Freevee also makes originals, like the revivals Bosch: Legacy and Leverage: Redemption and courtroom docu-series Judy Justice. The movie lineup is better than competitors, with recent titles including Deadpool, The King of Staten Island, Spy, Emma and The Invisible Man. Watch Freevee here (opens in new tab) NBC’s Peacock TV is a behemoth, with over 13,000 hours of content available in its Peacock Free tier. That content is top-notch, too. You’ll find titles like The Office, 30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica, Cheers, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood and Parks and Recreation. And there are a lots of older movies to watch, from Harry Potter to Jurassic Park. When we used Peacock, to see what it’s like, we found that the free tier is definitely a sort of gateway drug. It’s nice that the first episodes of big-name original shows such as Girls5Eva are available for free, but we get that NBCUniversal doesn’t want to give whole shows away — that’s what the $4.99 Peacock plan is for (although it might come in a little less with the right Peacock TV promo code). Peacock Free didn’t require us to to enter our credit card info, but you must create an account to watch — something that Pluto, Xumo and others don’t enforce. There are also “live” channels, based on brands like Saturday Night Live and the Today Show. If you don’t know what to watch, channel surf and check out what’s playing at the moment. All in all, we’d call Peacock Free a steal — but it doesn’t cost anything! Check out our full Peacock review to learn more. Watch Peacock TV here (opens in new tab) The Viacom-owned Pluto TV has a decent selection of on-demand movies and shows but where it really shines is in live TV streaming. Viewers can browse live channels in a grid, similar to the cable TV guide experience. The lineup draws heavily from Viacom’s other properties, so you can tune into TV Land Drama, BET Her, MTV’s Jersey Shore and VH1’s I Love Reality. They also offer other recognizable brands, like CNN and Fox Sports — though those run curated clips, not the actual live broadcast you’d see if you watched them on cable. We’re still waiting for Pluto to add dedicated channels for shows that we really care about — recent editions include Baywatch, Stargate and Degrassi — but we do know people who love those shows, and keep going back to Pluto to binge-watch. For more modern content, check our Peacock. As we poked around Pluto, we noted its interface is clean and simple, making it easy to toggle between live and on-demand. Both are organized into categories, making it easy to find the kind of content you want to watch. Yes, there are ads, but no more than what you’d get watching cable. And Pluto TV doesn’t even require registration, though users can special features if they do sign up for an account, such as the ability to designate favorite channels and resume watching a program on a different device. Watch Pluto TV here (opens in new tab) The Roku Channel app comes automatically with any Roku TV or device, but it’s also available for download on mobile phones and tablets. You can also access it on the web. The Roku Channel doesn’t force you to register for an account (you can watch as a guest) but signing up allows you to continue watching content on another device. Like the other services, it offers on-demand movies and TV shows. The Roku Channel also rolled out a Roku Live TV Guide, so viewers can channel surf. The best part of Roku Channel is that it often streams the first episodes of premium cable shows, like Game of Thrones, Billions, Outlander and Watchmen. But when it comes to having whole shows, you don’t have series of that caliber, but stuff like This Old House instead. Some of our staff lit up at that news, while others, well, we kept clicking around in Roku looking for something else. And remembering that Peacock is better for more-recent content. The Roku Channel has risen in our free streaming service rankings after adding all the originals from the now-defunct Quibi. That includes some really good series, like #FreeRayshawn and #Reno911. Plus, they get our thanks for saving the NBC-canceled series Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist with a Christmas special. Watch The Roku Channel here (opens in new tab) Think of Tubi as a free version of Netflix, with an on-demand library of over 20,000 movies and TV shows. Of course, Tubi doesn’t have the newer, high-profile titles that a subscription platform boasts, nor originals. But their catalog is still impressive for a free streaming service. Tubi (now owned by Fox Corporation) was able to build it by partnering with over 250 providers, including Hollywood heavyweights Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM. Recent available titles include The Terminator, Foxcatcher, Kill Bill, The Craft and Fruitvale Station. Personally, our streaming media editor Henry T. Casey loves Tubi for one show and one show only: Lucha Underground, a stylized wrestling show on El Vez. When asked for another reason to watch Tubi? Casey didn’t have anything on the tip of his tongue. That said, this is the only free streaming service that he watches, as he notes that Pluto, Roku and the rest don’t have anything exclusive that draws his eyes. Tubi has a clean, streamlined experience. When we tested Tubi, we saw that its home page is organized into sections like Recently Added, Family Movies, Action and Black Cinema. Clicking the menu for even more genres and curated collections, we saw the clever and cheeky Not on Netflix area. While you don’t have to sign up to use Tubi, registering for an account gives you access to parental controls, a queue and viewing history. Watch Tubi here (opens in new tab) Crackle is a pioneer in the free streaming space, launching in 2004 — back when Netflix was still shipping DVDs. Owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Crackle houses free movies and TV shows and even original programming, which sets it apart from many of the other free streaming services on this list. Crackle doesn’t require registration, though an account lets you add favorites and save progress while watching a movie. The movies library is much bigger than the TV one and much more interesting. Crackle is one of the best free streaming services because it goes further than most, with originals featuring top actors including Martin Freeman, Bryan Cranston and Rupert Grint. It’s just that these are their lesser-known titles, and while we’re open to discover new projects, we’re also wary that there may be a bad reason why we don’t known about these shows. Unlike Peacock, Crackle doesn’t require signing up for a service to watch content. You can just open their page, click on a show or movie, watch and ad and then see the thing you want. Watch Crackle here (opens in new tab) The Walmart-owned Vudu is a digital marketplace where you can purchase the latest movies and TV shows but also stream free content. To use Vudu, you will have to sign up for an account (or use your Walmart account). Once you do that, you can access over 10,000 free movies and TV episodes. None of them are new blockbusters but the selection is superior among free streaming services. The movies area is better than TV, with recent titles including Troy, The Prestige, All Is Lost, Hoosiers, Four Weddings and a Funeral. And unlike other free services, Vudu is planning to produce original shows, like the sci-fi series Albedo with Evangeline Lilly. Testing Vudu out, we found that its interface is easy to use. Free content is clearly marked and you can filter for just free titles. The ads are about as frequent as other free services, but they tend to be more repetitive (and sometimes annoyingly interactive, requiring you to choose an option). Poking around Vudu’s free section, though, we couldn’t help but notice multiple titles that seemed a bit risque for the top of the stack — titles that we’d have a hard time explaining to kids. That’s not a problem on most of the above services, as Peacock, Pluto, Roku Channel and other services don’t promote that content as highly. Watch Vudu here (opens in new tab) Sling is one of the best live TV streaming services in the market at $30 per month for 50-plus channels. Recently, they rolled out a free area with live and on-demand content. There aren’t a ton of free live channels and aside from ABC News, most of them aren’t recognizable names. We love Sling, as multiple TG staffers used it to cut the cord, but we don’t find ourselves going to the free section when we use it. The on-demand area has more content, though you’ll find a lot of the same TV titles that are found on other free services, like Forensic Files, Hell’s Kitchen, Unsolved Mysteries, Roseanne and 3rd Rock From the Sun. The movies section is even less exciting; recent titles include Crocodile, Howl, The Illusionist and Double Identity. Sling Free seems like more of a way to get people interested in the paid subscription plans. In that way, it’s just like Peacock — though we’d argue that Peacock boasts a stronger library. Watch Sling Free here (opens in new tab) Xumo is another free streaming service with live and on-demand content. The app comes on several major smart TV brands and can also be downloaded on Roku, iOS and Android. No registration is required. Xumo offers more than 190 channels, including top brands like NBC News, Fox Sports, Funny or Die and TMZ. Xumo’s main experience is a grid-type guide, just like you’d get with cable TV — and Pluto and Peacock. You can watch live as you channel surf. The on-demand area lists all the channels, broken down by genre. The interface doesn’t make it that easy to see what TV shows are available, though. It looks like Xumo has the usual free fare: 21 Jump Street, Forensic Files, Family Feud and Unsolved Mysteries. The mobile app at least has a movies tab that you can browse. Watch Xumo here (opens in new tab)

How we test the best free streaming services

Shows and movies on free streaming services come and go with the frequency of Spinal Tap drummers, red-shirts on Star Trek and roses on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. So, first and foremost, we check these services frequently to make sure they’re still providing some good content (specific shows and movies are subject to the whims and contracts we’re not privy to). On top of that, we also look at these services on the best streaming devices to make sure that everyone gets a quality experience. This is how we know that Freevee is more prominent on Fire TV hardware than elsewhere. Lastly, we do the hard work and actually watch the shows and movies, to make sure these apps actually work well. We don’t expect them all to function as well as paid services, but we love it when they have the same high-quality apps.

How to choose the best free streaming service for you

Luckily, since they are all free, you don’t need to choose just one of the best free streaming services. However, you may find it difficult to balance a bunch of different apps and want to focus on just one or two. The first consideration should be whether you want to be able to watch live channels. If that’s the case, you may want to use Pluto TV, Sling Free, Xumo, Peacock or the Roku Channel. If you only care about finding movies and TV shows on-demand, then try Freevee, Peacock, Crackle, Tubi or Vudu. Content selection is the other major thing that distinguishes the free streaming services from each other. Aside from Peacock, with its library of name-brand content, almost all of them have the same core of free TV shows, like Hell’s Kitchen and Roseanne. But some, like Freevee and Crackle, have more robust movie libraries. Others provide access to top past shows, like Peacock and the Roku Channel. So, peruse the available titles and see if the streamer has options that appeal to you. After all, even if these services are free, doesn’t mean they have stuff you want to watch.

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