Imagine Netflix, but free. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 best streaming services that are absolutely free to use.
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00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 best streaming
00:09 services that are absolutely free to use.
00:17 We're kicking things off in the library.
00:19 Well, sort of.
00:20 That's because Kanopy is free to use for those who currently own a library card, or
00:24 to attend college or university, with much of its programming geared towards education.
00:34 Kanopy has lots of informative PBS, HBO and Paramount content, but it also has some straight-up
00:39 classic and current movies on tap too, including an excellent Kanopy Kids collection.
00:44 This ad-free streaming app is available across a wide variety of platforms, including Android,
00:48 Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku, and it supports an unlimited number of simultaneous users per
00:53 account.
00:54 Simple, easy, what's not to love?
01:00 Another library card-to-ride service, Hoopla has a similar offering to Kanopy, with tons
01:05 of academic content, and lots of general TV and movies as well.
01:12 Like Kanopy, Hoopla is somewhat hit and miss when it comes to popular shows, with many
01:15 series having partial availability on the platform.
01:18 So are Hoopla and Kanopy basically the same thing?
01:21 Well, not quite.
01:22 Although they both follow near-identical access requirements, Hoopla allows you to download
01:27 content and watch it offline on your laptop or mobile device, something Kanopy doesn't.
01:37 If you're looking to ditch your cable TV but still want to have a wide selection of
01:40 TV shows at your fingertips, Sling is definitely worth a look.
01:47 Although Sling has an extremely comprehensive premium service, its free stream offering
01:51 is still mighty impressive, with a wide variety of classic TV shows on demand, as well as
01:55 live stream news, sports and kids content.
01:58 We're talking 335 live channels and 41,000 on-demand titles.
02:03 And you don't even have to create an account, maybe you don't want to?
02:06 Yes, you do have to put up with ads, but aside from that, you'll likely feel like you've
02:10 found a loophole in the system with this one, like you've hired your own personal cable
02:14 guy to hook you up.
02:22 The free content on this streaming service is far from all-encompassing, like Sling,
02:25 but it offers up a great catalogue of TV shows, and especially movies, for you to dip into.
02:30 Much like other free services, Voodoo has a lot of pay-to-view titles, but there's
02:33 loads of free ad-supported ones as well, with everything from La La Land to Starship Troopers.
02:41 You won't get any brand new releases for free, and you might have to do a bit of dumpster
02:45 diving to find some of the classic titles, but that does come with the free-to-watch
02:48 territory.
02:49 We're big fans of Voodoo's interface too, with easy-to-read at-a-glance menus.
02:57 Plex sits in somewhat of a grey area in the streaming world.
02:59 Some might just associate the platform with hosting content they already have access to,
03:03 legal or otherwise.
03:06 While Plex is still a flexible hosting platform, it's also started to move quite rapidly
03:10 into what we would consider standard streaming.
03:12 Thanks to a partnership with Crackle - more on that streaming service later - it has added
03:16 thousands of popular film and TV titles from the likes of Warner Bros and MGM to its catalogue.
03:21 Like we said, it's not as straightforward a set-up as Netflix or Disney+, but if you've
03:24 got a technological mouse, it can be so much more.
03:52 As always, keep in mind that if you do subscribe through one of the links below, it won't
03:55 cost you any more, but we might earn a small commission as a result.
03:58 Which helps us make more videos like this, so thank you in advance.
04:02 Anyway, back to the video, and this next streaming service is on another planet.
04:08 Similar to Sling, Pluto is an amazing alternative to traditional cable TV, being particularly
04:12 impressive when it comes to its live TV selection.
04:15 You even get a familiar cable TV-like grid view to browse your live shows on.
04:19 Pluto's backlog of movie and TV titles is fairly niche and retro, which would be great
04:30 for some and not so much for others, but they still help add a nice rounded package to a
04:34 fairly solid free streaming service.
04:36 Pluto is littered with ads, although no more than regular cable.
04:39 And while we wish there were more traditional cable TV channels available on here, it's
04:43 still well worth a look if you're wanting to save money on your TV bill.
04:52 If you're after original shows with big actors that nobody's ever heard about, then
04:56 you'll probably like Crackle.
05:02 This streaming service is one of the only free ones that does its own original programming,
05:06 and while those titles may be rather niche, they still present a unique package that's
05:09 absolutely free.
05:10 Crackle doesn't require you to sign up either, and while it has face criticism for
05:13 its heavy ad content and somewhat lacklustre TV title selection, its movie library is impressive.
05:19 So too is the reliability of its streaming performance, something that can be a bit hit
05:23 and miss with free platforms.
05:30 This streaming service is almost a perfect combination of every single one we've mentioned
05:33 so far.
05:34 It's got great movies and TV shows, 300 live channels, original programming and a
05:38 killer user-friendly interface.
05:40 Perhaps its biggest quirk, however, is that it streams first episodes of big title TV
05:44 shows like "Game of Thrones" and "Billions", so you can sample them and see whether you
05:48 want to explore them further on other platforms.
05:50 Roku originals are getting added more and more, so it's definitely a service to keep
05:53 an eye on.
05:54 And don't worry, this free service isn't just available on Roku devices.
05:57 You can also access it on Android and Apple phones and tablets, and also on your web browser.
06:08 Right off the bat, we'll say that 2B doesn't have super recent TV and movie titles, but
06:13 regardless, this is a platform that doesn't feel cheap and free.
06:16 It arguably feels right up there with Netflix, with a gigantic library and a slick interface.
06:20 2B has partnered with over 250 popular providers, from MGM to Paramount, to concoct a frankly
06:26 awesome catalogue of entertainment.
06:28 2B also has some solid live TV capabilities too.
06:31 But the main reason we like 2B is because it feels familiar, like a regular subscription-based
06:36 streaming service, but it's free.
06:38 It's also constantly updated with new titles to keep you entertained.
06:51 You have the option to be notified for occasional videos, or all of them.
06:54 If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
07:03 While 3V may not be as traditional as 2B in terms of its interface and feel, 3V gets our
07:08 vote for the top spot on this list for two very important reasons.
07:11 One, it has lots of recent titles, and two, it has its own original programming.
07:16 3V is Amazon's free alternative to its subscription-based Prime Video service, and it was formerly known
07:21 as IMDbTV, a big reason its catalogue is so impressive.
07:27 3V has a colossal library, live TV channels, and is available on pretty much any device.
07:33 Its movie line-up is where it really trumps competitors though, and it really is one of
07:37 those "I can't believe I'm not paying for this" kind of platforms.
07:46 So have you used any of the free streaming platforms we just mentioned?
07:49 If so, let us know what you think about them in the comments below, and don't forget
07:52 to browse the links in the description.
08:04 Thanks for watching.
08:15 (upbeat music)