Most channels that used to be only on cable are now available for less money through the Internet streaming services below.
You can watch most of these on your computer or phone with an Internet connection, or on your smart TV or streaming player like Roku or Amazon Fire TV.
Some streaming services have a subscription model, while others let you purchase or rent individual movies or shows. Some stream live TV while others let you choose from a library to view any time you want.
If you want a personalized recommendation of what streaming TV services are best for you based on the channels you want, check out my Streaming Service Finder:
Or, if you prefer to read about the most popular ones, continue on below!
My Favorite Free Streaming Services
My philosophy is to first try to pay zero dollars for TV, especially if I am watching commercials! Here are some of my favorite free streaming services to check out. Click the services below to expand.
YouTube (the original free version)
I personally watch a lot of stuff on YouTube.com (the original free website, not the pay version). It’s a great source of free older TV shows, concerts, documentaries, and quality original content.
For example, I was able to watch a good number of some older full episodes from the Discovery Channel just by searching YouTube. All of the episodes of the vintage sci-fi series, “Space:1999” are on YouTube. For product reviews and “how-to” videos, I turn to YouTube. You never know what you will find.
You can watch it on your TV using Apple TV, most modern Roku devices, Chromecast, or Amazon Fire TV. For more hints on what to find on YouTube, check out this article. I highly recommend YouTube as a source for totally free video! It’s my favorite streaming service.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV is one of the best free streaming TV services, offering both an on-demand and a live-TV-like viewing experience. You can watch on their website or on a your streaming device. The movies are older, of course, but they’re better quality than what many other free streaming services offer. Since this is free, there are commercials though.
The Network Websites
Let’s not forget full episodes available free on the major network websites (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, PBS). Be careful to distinguish between “full episodes” and “clips”. Also, more and more sites are requiring “cable TV login”, which means you have to have cable TV to view some of the shows, unfortunately. But, there are still a good number of current shows available for free on the networks’ sites (I usually watch the Big Bang Theory that way).
You can find links to free video on the ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, PBS and much more at my Free Internet Video Links page.
Peacock
Peacock is NBC’s online streaming service. It has a free tier (which requires creating an account) with some good NBC shows and movies with commercials (they claim no more than five minutes of commercials per hour). The premium plan for $4.99/month gives you more content still with commercials. For an additional $5/month, you can get rid of most of the ads.
I think the free Peacock service is well worth adding to your free streaming library. Peacock is now available on most streaming devices and some smart TVs
Sony Crackle
Sony Crackle is a source for free (and legal) Hollywood movies and TV shows. The selection is mostly older stuff, more more modern B and C-level stuff, but there are some gems in there. You can watch on your computer from the website, or on your TV; all of the major set-top boxes have a Crackle app built-in. Check it out!
Popcorn Flix
Similar to Sony Crackle, Popcorn Flix offers older movies for free, both on their website and in their Roku app (also available on other platforms).
The Roku Channel
Roku is getting into the media business with The Roku Channel, offering free older movies and TV shows on their website and Roku app. It’s not bad and definitely worth checking out.
Vudu Movies on Us
Vudu, formerly a video-rental-only service, now offers a selection of free movies! Navigate to the “Movies on Us” section to find a bunch of movies that are “free with ads”. Okay, these aren’t recent releases, but you might be able to find an oldie that you like, and there seems to be a better selection than the other free movie sites.
For more free streaming services, check out my page with links to free online TV and movies:
Paid Live TV Streaming Services
If you want to watch TV in real time, just like you did with cable or satellite TV, but you’re not able to use an antenna to get free broadcast TV, check out these streaming services. Click below for more information on any of these services:
Philo TV – Great if you don’t watch sports
Philo TV is a great streaming service available for most set-top boxes and mobile devices for those who are not into sports. Since sports channels cost disproportionately more than other channels, this can save you a lot of money!
Cost is $25 per month for 63 channels, which is a great deal. Includes unlimited DVR to save shows for up to a year. There is a 7-day free trial. See channels below.
Bottom line, if you don’t need sports channels, Philo might be a good choice for you!
Sling TV – Great if you have an antenna for the major networks
Sling TV is an ideal low-cost solution if you already get the major network stations (CBS, NBC, ABC, etc.) using a broadcast TV antenna, or if you just don’t want those channels.
The “orange” plan is geared towards sports fans and families. It is $35/month.
The “blue” plan is geared towards news and entertainment. It is also $35/month.
You can get both plans together for $50/month.
Each plan offers 50 hours of DVR included, expandable to 200 for $5/month. Overall, Sling TV is a good deal and many cord-cutters use it. It’s available for all of the major set-top boxes and mobile platforms. Click the button below for more information:
frndly – Good for family-friendly content like the Hallmark Channel
If you love the Hallmark Channel, then frndly is for you. They also offer A&E, History, Lifetime and other family-friendly channels. Unlimited DVR included. All for $6.99/month. Try for seven days free.
Paramount Plus – Great if you can’t get CBS with an antenna or want Star Trek
You can watch CBS and other television shows live and on-demand with Paramount Plus starting at $4.99/month with limited commercials or $9.99/month for no commercials. This could be useful if you can’t get free broadcast TV. If you subscribe for a year at a time, you get a 15% discount.
There are some shows, like “Star Trek: Discovery”, and “Star Trek: Picard” which you can only watch on Paramount Plus and not on broadcast TV.
Paramount Plus also has some Viacom channels including MTV, Smithsonian, Nickelodeon, BET, and Comedy Central, so it’s not a CBS-only streaming service!
Fubo TV – For sports lovers
Fubo TV started in 2015 as a streaming service specializing in soccer channels but they’ve added mainstream channels to become a legit all-around streaming service. They’re still heavy on sports with the recent addition of ESPN.
Starting cost is $69.99 per month for 118 channels and $79.99 for 173 channels, which is in the same ballpark as cable TV, so you should really think about whether you need all of these channels. If you’re into sports and need local channels (i.e., you can’t use an antenna in your area), it may be worth it.
Hulu with Live TV – Expensive
Hulu with Live TV is the traditional Hulu streaming service plus a selection of over 50 live TV channels including the major networks and cable channels It’s only available in “select markets”, which probably means major cities but not rural areas. Cost is expensive, starting at $69.99 per month but may be OK if you need sports and the networks. 50 hours of cloud DVR storage is included. There is a one-week free trial period.
You also get Hulu’s inventory of streaming TV shows like “The Handmaid’s Tale” and movies. This was a good deal, but with the cost increase, it starting to smell more and more like cable TV.
YouTube TV – Expensive
YouTube TV offers live streaming TV of the major networks plus some cable channels like AMC, along with DVR capabilities at additional cost. The base cost has increased significantly to $64.99/month which is approaching the cost of cable TV. But, if you love live sports, you might want to consider this. Otherwise, there are cheaper options. There is a one-month free trial.
YouTube TV is available throughout the U.S.
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My Recommendations
With so many choices, which one is the best? Well, the decision depends on which channels you want to get. But I would say, if you are able to get the major network stations (ABC, CBS, etc.) using an antenna, I would go with Sling TV or Philo TV if you don’t watch sports.
If need your local network stations, I would recommend using an antenna.
YouTubeTV offers a ton of channels, but the cost is almost as expensive as cable TV! I would steer clear unless you really need those channels.
On-Demand Subscription Services
These are not live-streaming services like cable or broadcast TV. Rather, these have libraries of videos that you can watch any time as a subscriber. These have monthly fees but you can cancel any time.
Netflix: Good for Original Content and Movies
Netflix offers a great selection of movies and hit TV shows like the global movie hit, “Squid Game”. Unlimited streamed programming starts at $9.99 per month for SD quality (only get this for viewing on a phone), $15.49 for HD on two screens at the same time, and $19.99 for 4K (Ultra HD) content and four screens at the same time.
To save cost, I subscribe for a month or two max, watch all of the good stuff, then cancel. Netflix does not have a free trial.
Hulu: Good for TV Shows, Movies
Hulu (the regular non-live TV version) is a very popular streaming service featuring a catalog of TV shows and movies for $6.99 per month with limited commercials and $12.99 per month with no commercials.
Hulu is increasingly investing in original programming like “The Handmade’s Tale”. I also enjoyed the story of one-time James Bond actor George Lazenby in “Becoming Bond”. They have a one-month free trial so there’s nothing to lose to try it.
Disney+: Great for Disney classics, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars
If you’re a fan of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, or Star Wars, the Disney+ streaming service is a no-brainer, at least until you’ve watched all of the movies from these studios on your list. It also offers all seasons of The Simpsons and Muppets Content. For a Star Wars fan, “The Mandalorian” series is a must-watch.
Disney+ is only $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year, an amazing price point compared to the competition. If you want to throw in Hulu and ESPN+, the price is $13.99 per month with ads or $19.99 with no ads.
Of course, Disney+ is available on all of the major streaming devices. Unfortunately, the free trial for Disney+ went away when Hamilton came out.
Amazon Prime: Original Series and Movies
Amazon Prime is extremely popular for giving you free 2-day shipping on Amazon, but it also gives you access to thousands of movies and TV shows on Amazon. Cost is $14.99/month or $139/year. If you’re a student, you can be a member for $69 per year or $7.49 per month, a good deal! Standout original Amazon TV series include “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, “The Man in the High Castle”, and “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”. There are also some moves, but they tend to be older ones than you’d find on Netflix.
It’s a good deal if you use what it has to offer. Many people I know swear by this service.
Starz: Lower Cost, Good for Movies
Starz is a good value at $8.99 per month. They offer a seven-day free trial. Starz is owned by Lionsgate films but offers movies by other major studios as well.
SHOWTIME: Movies and Original Series
HBO Max: Movies on the Same Day as Theatrical Release
HBO Max is making waves by offering Wonder Woman ’84 and all of the 2021 Warner Bros. movies on the same day as theatrically release, at no additional cost! You can now watch HBO Max on all of the standard streaming devices, including Roku for $9.99 with ads or $14.99 per month without (I recommend paying a bit more to avoid ads). There is no free trial, but that’s not a big surprise given the number of new movies coming.
Apple TV+: Original series and movies
Apple TV+ has the Emmy-award-winning hit TV series, “Ted Lasso”, which we really enjoyed. We also like “The Morning Show”. Definitely worth utilizing your free three-month subscription when you buy an iPhone, or even buying a one-month subscription at only $4.99. I would only keep it for a month or two, then move on and return maybe in a year when the content is completely new again, especially since there are not a lot of shows on Apple TV+ compared to other streaming services.
My Recommendation
Of course, if you subscribed to a more than few of these services all the time, your costs would start to approach or exceed that of cable TV. Instead, I recommend subscribing for only short periods of time to watch specific shows. When you’re done, cancel your subscription and try a different service. All have free trials so you can save some money, at least initially, by rotating through all of the services (and there are many!)
I personally never subscribe to more than one service at a time, and I cancel when I’m done watching the show I wanted to watch on that service.
Video Rental/Purchase – No Subscription Fees!
These are online stores where you can rent or purchase moves and TV shows a la carte. There’s no subscription fee.
Amazon Prime Video Rental
Amazon Prime Video offers tons of movies and TV shows for rent or purchase as opposed to a subscription. Movies range from 99 cents to $4.99 to rent. I personally use Amazon Video and like being able to occasionally watch paid content without a monthly subscription fee.
Apple iTunes
If you own an Apple device, you know about iTunes. TV shows are $2.99 to buy and movies are $4.99 to rent. This is about a dollar more than other services like Amazon. Selection of recent movies and shows is pretty good. You can watch them using your Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, or computer.
All of these options are good if you only watch movies occasionally and don’t want to subscribe to a service.
As you can see, there are tons of streaming services available, both free and paid. If you want to save money but still watch the latest releases, I recommend utilizing the free trials of as many of the paid services as you can, and jumping around to maximize your viewing content while not being permanently subscribed to any of them. – Brian
Summary
For a personalized recommendation on which streaming TV service is best for you, check out my Streaming Service Finder:
Question!
hubby watches MSNBC, Me TV and music choice channels. We pay a lot for gazillion cable channels never watch. Any suggestions?
Hi Liz,
If you live in or near a big city, you should be able to get Me TV for free using a TV antenna. Check the Station Finder for that:
https://www.disablemycable.com/station-finder/
For MSNBC, the cheapest service that offers that is Sling Blue.
If you can’t use an antenna for some reason, use the Streaming Service Finder to find the cheapest service for the channels you want:
https://www.disablemycable.com/streaming-service-finder/
Best,
Brian
CBS is available on DirecTVNow. The article says it is not, but that must have been some time ago. NBC can be a problem but it is appearing in more markets all the time. We started with DTVN a couple of months back and at first did not get NBC but a few weeks in it was added to our lineup.
Hi Joan,
Thank you for the correction and info! Yes, they must have added it. I’ll fix the article.
Best,
Brian
I recently saw ads for swoop tv. Is this a legal service
Hi Paul,
This looks like a very new service as there isn’t much info on it. But, usually if it seems too good to be true, it is illegal. This doesn’t look like a legit service like the ones on this page to me.
Thanks,
Brian
BRIAN,
JUST WANTED YOUR OPINION ON WHICH ROKU DEVICE WOULD BE THE BEST FOR MY INTENDED APPLICATION. IT APPEARS THE WORLD OF ROKU HAS SO MANY DIFFERENT VERSIONS TO OFFER–I THINK I HAVE THE CORRECT TYPE PICKED OUT; HOWEVER, I’M NOT THAT CONFIDENT. I CURRENTLY HAVE A VIZIO HDTV, MODEL: E390i-B1E, 3 HDMI PORTS, 1080P. I WANT TO GET A ROKU BOX TYPE THAT ALLOWS FOR AN ETHERNET CONNECTION. I ALSO HAVE 2 OTHER HDTV’S THAT AREN’T “SMART” AND IN THE NEAR FUTURE BE ABLE TO BROADCAST TO THEM FROM MY MAIN TV. WHAT MODEL OF ROKU WOULD BE THE BEST TYPE TO GET. APPRECIATE ALL THE ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER.
WILLIAM
Hi William,
I would recommend the Roku Ultra since it has Ethernet connection. More info here:
https://amzn.to/2EJ08zo
You can’t really broadcast from one TV to another, but you can add Rokus to your other TVs to stream shows independently.
Best,
Brian
There are some websites out there (suppose.tv for instance) that will help you pick a streaming service by having you pick the channels you want. I was wondering if one or more of those sites might be a worthy addition to this page? I’ll try to update with a few more links if I can find them.
Yes, that is a great site! Thanks for sharing! – Brian
The one I was actually trying to remember (thanks to Roku Rocks on Facebook) was https://mybundle.tv/. You don’t have to enter an email during the initial setup.