Streaming prices keep climbing. Netflix, Hulu, Max — the bills add up fast. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to pay anything to watch great TV.
Free ad-supported streaming services have grown a lot in recent years. Today, you can watch live news, full movie libraries, original shows, and 24/7 themed channels — all without touching your credit card. The only price you pay? A few commercials here and there.
Let’s walk through the best free options available right now.
Tubi: The Best All-Around Free Streamer
Tubi is the platform most people should try first. Fox owns it, and they’ve built something genuinely impressive.
The on-demand library leans heavily toward movies, but TV shows are there too. You’ll find reality staples like Hell’s Kitchen and Dance Moms alongside international drama like the Australian series McLeod’s Daughters. Plus, Tubi has its own original programming — so you get content you can’t find anywhere else.
Live channels round things out nicely. Tubi streams local and nationwide news, sports, weather, and entertainment channels. And there’s a dedicated Tubi Kids section for younger viewers.
One small catch: you can only create one profile per account. Also, the live channel selection is smaller than some competitors. But for pure on-demand depth, Tubi is hard to beat.
You don’t even need an account to start watching. Sign up if you want to save favorites or pick up where you left off on another device.
Pluto TV: Best for Channel Surfers
If you miss the experience of flipping through cable channels, Pluto TV was made for you. Paramount owns the platform, and it shows — you get hundreds of live and linear channels organized by category.
News, reality, comedy, sports, movies — Pluto has a full grid layout that feels like cable TV. You’ll spot familiar names like CSI, Star Trek, America’s Funniest Home Videos, and CBS News. Because of the Paramount connection, shows like Criminal Minds and Survivor pop up too.
The on-demand section lets you browse by genre, including drama, documentaries, travel, crime, and anime. For movies, popular titles cycle through regularly.
There is one weird quirk worth mentioning. When you’re watching a livestream, you can’t pause it. You can mute it, but that’s your only option. So if someone calls during a tense scene, too bad.
Roku Channel: Best for Roku Device Owners
Already using a Roku streaming stick or Roku TV? The Roku Channel is essentially built for you. It works on phones and tablets too, and you can stream it from a browser — but the experience really shines on Roku hardware.
More than 500 live channels are available, including news and lifestyle options. On-demand content spans Roku originals (including a Weird Al Yankovic biopic), reality TV favorites like Hoarders and Kitchen Nightmares, popular series like 2 Broke Girls and Castle, and a solid movie lineup.
Anime fans get both live and on-demand options. Kids get their own dedicated section. And if you want to add paid services, you can subscribe to things like Paramount Plus directly through the Roku Channel — similar to how the Apple TV app works.
A fair warning: the mobile app experience isn’t as smooth as watching on a TV. Stream from a browser or Roku device when you can.
Sling Freestream: Best for DVR Fans
Sling is mostly known as a paid live TV service. But Sling Freestream is completely separate — and completely free.
The numbers here are genuinely impressive. Over 40,000 on-demand titles. More than 600 live TV channels. That covers news, entertainment, sports, and kids programming. You’ll find channels for ABC News Live, The Walking Dead Universe, and Bon Appétit, plus on-demand titles like Kim’s Convenience and The Dark Crystal.
The standout feature is DVR. Sling Freestream gives you 10 free hours of recording space. That’s something most free streamers skip entirely. So if you want to record a show and watch it later without ads interrupting a live broadcast, this is your service.
You can create up to five profiles per account too. No payment information required, ever.
Prime Video Free Tier: Best for Originals
Amazon used to run a separate free streaming app called Freevee. That’s gone now. But the free content didn’t disappear — it moved into the main Prime Video app.
You don’t need an Amazon Prime subscription to access this content. Just open the Prime Video app and look for titles marked as free with ads. The selection includes popular movies like Sing 2, the Lethal Weapon TV series, and multiple seasons of Project Runway.
The genuinely exciting part? Full seasons of Prime Video originals like Homecoming and Upload are available for free. So you get premium-quality shows without paying a dime. The catch is that not every Prime Video show is included — some series only offer a single free episode before asking you to subscribe.
Plex: Best for Extra Features
Plex started as a way to stream your own personal media collection from a home server. It’s grown far beyond that. Today, Plex offers more than 600 free live TV channels alongside a solid on-demand library — and you don’t need to set up a server to use any of it.
Just download the app, and you’re in. Channels include Stories by AMC, Hallmark, and niche 24/7 streams dedicated to shows like MythBusters and Duck Dynasty. On-demand picks include American Psycho, Weeds, and Kitchen Nightmares.
Movie fans can browse by title, genre, or themed rows like “Most Watchlisted” and “That’s So 90s.” It’s a fun way to stumble across something you’d forgotten existed.
The honest truth? Tubi and Pluto TV tend to have stronger movie libraries. But Plex’s additional features — like personal media management and music streaming — make it a compelling all-in-one option for certain users.
Hoopla Digital: Best for Library Card Holders
This one is genuinely special — and most people don’t know it exists. If your local library has partnered with Hoopla, you can borrow movies, TV shows, ebooks, and more completely free. No ads. No credit card. Nothing.
You “borrow” a title, and you have 72 hours to watch it. Your library sets the monthly borrowing limit. The TV selection is a bit eclectic — think Ken Burns documentaries, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Chewing Gum, and instructional content from The Great Courses. You’ll also find Acorn TV content that would normally require a paid subscription.
The film catalog rotates regularly, so check back often for new additions. And seriously — no commercials. That alone sets Hoopla apart from every other option on this list.
So Which Service Should You Pick?
Honestly? Try more than one. They’re all free, so there’s no financial risk in exploring several platforms before settling on a favorite.
That said, if you want a single recommendation, start with Tubi. The library is deep, the interface is clean, and the Tubi Kids section makes it useful for families. Pluto TV is the better choice if you love browsing live channels. And if you already have a Roku device, the Roku Channel integrates so seamlessly you’ll wonder why you ever paid for cable.
For library card holders, Hoopla is the hidden gem worth checking immediately. An ad-free streaming experience with real content — for free — is a genuinely rare thing.
The streaming landscape keeps shifting. Prices on paid platforms keep rising. But these free services keep improving too. Right now, there’s more great content available for free than at any point in streaming history.
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