Cord cutting used to mean paying for one or two streaming services and hoping that it covered most of what you wanted to watch. Now it also means you can stack your lineup with free apps that actually have things worth watching, or even run the whole setup without spending anything at all.
These services are free because most of them are supported by ads. In exchange, you get large content libraries and a mix of live and on-demand content. They're not meant to replace every paid service, but they can fill in the gaps as long as you remember that free still comes with strings attached.
How free streaming works and why these apps made the cut
Free streaming comes in two flavors
There are two main forms of free streaming apps. First is Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV, or FAST. These apps are similar to cable with live-style channels plus on-demand movies and shows. Second are library-based apps. If you have a library card, you can stream movies and TV shows with no ads, but with monthly limits set by your local library.
Of course, both forms come with their own tradeoffs. Ads pay the bills, and catalogs rotate. Some apps want an account. Not every service runs on every device.
We picked these six using three rules:
- The catalog has to be worth watching.
- The app has to work on the major platforms.
- Each app needs a clear job (like live channels, on-demand movies, or ad-free library access).
If you only install two, grab one live channel app and one on-demand app. That covers most of what people actually watch without spending a dime.
Pluto TV
The closest thing free streaming has to old cable, minus the bill
Pluto TV is the closest thing free streaming has to old cable. It's built around live-style channels with a schedule you don't control and an on-demand library you can dip into whenever you feel like it. You open it and something is already playing. I miss those days of strolling through the channels.
I use Pluto TV when I want some background noise or when I'm doing a themed marathon and don't want to think too hard about what to watch. Just pick a channel and let it run. That simplicity is the whole appeal.
Pluto TV runs on just about everything that can show a video. That includes Fire TV, Android and Google TV, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, smartphones, and web browsers. That makes it easy to drop into almost any cord-cutting setup.
Tubi
A deep bench of movies and TV shows
Tubi offers one of the largest free on-demand libraries out there. Its catalog focuses on movies and older TV seasons, along with a selection of news channels and live streams. You can browse by genre or search directly without needing to subscribe.
This is the app you open when you already know the kind of thing you want to watch. The layout is nice and simple; nothing is locked behind a subscription wall, and you're not pushed into creating an account just to see what's available. You pick a title and hit play.
Tubi runs on almost everything, including Fire TV, Android and Google TV, Apple TV, Roku, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, iOS and Android phones, and web browsers. Perfect for a cord cutting setup.
The Roku Channel
A free app with a nice balance of live channels and on-demand shows (and tolerable ad breaks)
The Roku Channel is one of the most balanced free streaming apps out there. It mixes live-style channels with an on-demand library of movies and TV shows. The icing on the cake is that it has a reputation for running fewer ads than most of its competitors.
That said, this is the option to pick if you want free streaming without feeling like you signed up to watch commercials with brief breaks for the actual entertainment. You can switch between live channels and on-demand titles without much friction, and the catalog is broad enough to cover casual viewing most nights.
Even though it's built into Roku devices, The Roku Channel isn't locked to Roku hardware. It also runs on iOS and Android devices and through web browsers. That makes it an easy choice even if your main streaming platform isn't Roku.
Plex
Free streaming now, personal media empire later
Plex is useful even if you never touch its media server features. You can watch free movies, TV shows, and live-style channels right out of the box, which makes it a perfectly good streaming app on its own.
Plex can grow with you, though, which adds a lot of value. If you ever decide to keep your own collection of movies or shows on a computer or drive, Plex can turn that into a private streaming service inside the same app. One place for free content and your own library.
Plex is supported on nearly every major platform, including Fire TV, Android and Google TV, Apple TV, Roku, game consoles, smart TVs, iOS and Android devices, and web browsers. That makes it easy to treat Plex as a central hub in your cord-cutting setup.
- OS
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Individual pricing
- Free, $6.99/month, $250/lifetime
Hoopla and Kanopy
Library cards turned into ad-free streaming passes
Hoopla and Kanopy are different from most free streaming apps because they don't use ads. Instead, they work through public libraries, so if you have a library card, you already have access to a catalog of movies and TV shows without paying or sitting through commercials.
The catch is that libraries set monthly limits. You can watch on demand, but you can't binge forever. You should think of it as borrowing films instead of renting them, just in streaming form.
Both apps offer solid catalogs, but Kanopy often focuses more on documentaries, independent films, and classic cinema. Hoopla tends to have a wider mix of movies and TV shows. They're definitely stronger together, which is why I combined them here.
Amazon Prime Video (Freevee content inside)
A free streaming service hiding inside an app you already use
Amazon Prime Video hides a large free catalog inside an app a lot of people already have installed. The Freevee section offers ad-supported movies and TV shows sitting right next to the paid Prime content. This is a good way to get into free streaming without adding yet another app to your home screen.
The library includes licensed movies and TV shows along with a small but growing group of originals. Again, everything is ad supported, but it turns an app you probably already use into a second, free streaming service.
A quick cheat sheet for choosing the right app
Pick based on your mood
Here's a shorter version of everything we listed if you don't want to overthink it:
- I want live channel surfing: Pluto TV
- I want on-demand movies and shows: Tubi or The Roku Channel
- I want one app that does a bit of everything: Plex
- I want free with no ads: Hoopla or Kanopy (requires a library card)
- I want the easiest default option: Amazon Prime Video's Freevee section
The smart cord cutter stack
An app for each style of viewing
The simplest setup covers most of what you want to watch. One FAST app like Pluto TV for live channels, one on-demand app like Tubi or The Roku Channel for picking a movie, and one no-ads option like Hoopla or Kanopy for when you want to watch something without commercial breaks.
