Video Streaming Services for Cord-Cutters
VIDEO STREAMING SERVICE REVIEWS
Looking to save money on your cable bill but want to keep live news, sports and other channels, read our best video streaming service reviews. We have a list of the Best FREE Video Streaming Services you can test drive:
- The Roku Channel
- Pluto TV
- Vudu - Free Trail
- Tubi TV
- IMDb TV
- Peacock
- Check our Video Streaming Deals
THE BEST VIDEO STREAMING SERVICES IN 2020
SOMDWISP picks for the Best Video Streaming Services and Cable Alternatives
Stuck at home social distancing? Use this info to find the best sources for movies and your favorite TV series.
People who are hunkered down at home to limit the spread of the coronavirus may be looking for more options for streaming video. It turns out that many months into a pandemic, you can actually binge your way through everything worth watching on Amazon Prime.
If you haven’t researched what other streaming services are available recently, you may be surprised by the abundance of choices. Giants such as Hulu, Netflix, and Prime have been joined by dozens of other services, such as Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, and Peacock (from NBCUniversal).
Some services, such as Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV, offer live TV channels just like cable TV, while many others, such as Acorn and BritBox, provide niche movies and television series.
Almost all the streaming video services offer free trial periods, and a number of companies have extended these in 2020. Just make sure to cancel if you don’t want to continue with a service; charges start automatically once free trials are over.
A bunch of other streaming services are just plain free.
This is also a good time for Netflix customers to check out the company’s Netflix Party extension for the Chrome browser. It allows you to watch movies in sync with friends and families stuck in their own homes, while messaging back and forth in a chat window.
If you don’t want to sign up for any additional monthly service, even on a trial basis, you can buy one movie at a time through a pay-per-view service such as Amazon Video, FandangoNow, or Vudu.
This guide to the major video streaming and pay-per-view services should help you sort through the many choices. (We have advice on choosing a smart TV or a streaming media device, too.)
We’ll be adding new services, new pricing, and updates to content lineups as they emerge, so keep checking back.
The best streaming services are here to make it so you don't need to worry about any cord cutting issues. On-demand shows that drop in bunches have flipped the TV industry on its head on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, while two of our other picks have made it super-easy to follow the new NFL season and watch LeBron and AD thrive in the NBA Playoffs.
SOMDWISP picks for the best streaming services have one important feature in common: breaking from the status quo of annual contracts. All of these streaming services, whether they offer exclusive original programming, live streaming TV or massive libraries of films and TV shows, are billed in month-to-month subscriptions (though some offer annual rate discounts), making them all viable cable alternatives that you can turn off and on as you wish.
BEST FREE VIDEO STREAMING SERVICES
These services are all FREE and legal. Find hundreds of TV shows, and films with some commercials
When it comes to streaming services, the first names that come to mind probably include Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO, Hulu, and Netflix, which offer hundreds of titles, including recent releases, original movies, and TV series.
One thing they have in common is that you have to pay a subscription fee—and just about all of them have been raising prices.
But budget-conscious consumers can also stream movies free from services that are usually supported by ads. The best options include Crackle, Kanopy, Peacock, Pluto TV, the Roku Channel, Tubi TV, Vudu, and Xumo.
Like Netflix and Hulu, these free services are available on most streaming devices, making it easy to watch on your smart TV, streaming media player, laptop, or tablet.
In most cases, you’re out of luck if you want ultra-high definition, or 4K, shows. Instead, they provide regular HD video, just like cable TV companies.
You’re not likely to find recently released movies. And, of course, you won’t be able to watch original shows, such as HBO’s “Watchmen,” Hulu’s “The Handmaid's Tale,” or Netflix’s “Glow,” although some free services are now developing their own original programming.
The Best FREE Video Streaming Services
- The Roku Channel: Most frequently updated content
- Pluto TV: Best for live TV
- Vudu: Most on-demand content
- Tubi TV: Best for nostalgic content
- IMDb TV: Best for popular content
- Peacock: Best for Binge
THE ROKU CHANNEL
The Roku Channel
What to like
- On-demand content and live channels
- Limited ads
- Don’t need to create an account
Live channels and regularly updated on-demand content
The Roku Channel gives you both live TV channels and great on-demand content that you can watch any time of the day.
Some of the live channels you can watch with the Roku Channel:
- ABC News
- USA Today
- Newsy
- Comedy Central
- BET
- MTV
- Cheddar News
Movies on the Roku Channel include A Walk to Remember, Crazy Stupid Love, High Fidelity, and Hidalgo. And you can enjoy series such as Succession, The Sopranos, Cold Case Files, The Wire, Ballers, and Silicon Valley.
PLUTO TV
PLUTO TV
Pluto TV: Best for live TV
Perfect for entertainment, news, and kids
What we like
- Live TV streaming
- On-demand content
What we don’t like
- Lots of ads
Free live TV cable channels
First of all, similar to The Roku Channel, you don’t even need to sign up or create an account for Pluto TV. You can just start watching TV when you open the website or app.
Pluto TV is the best free service for live TV with more than 250 channels. It’s a cable-like streaming service with the following channels:
- BET
- CBS News
- CMT
- CNN
- Comedy Central
- FS1
- History Channel
- MTV
- NBC News
- Nickelodeon
- Nick Jr.
- Stadium
Also, there are channels dedicated to one particular TV show, such as Tosh.O, COPS, Forensic Files, and Doctor Who.
And perfect for Spanish speakers, there is a Latino section with Peliculas, Telemundo Telenovelas Clásicas, and Nickelodeon Latino.
Tons of on-demand content
The massive amount of content Pluto TV offers includes 70 different movie genres. Anyone will find something to watch when you’re waiting in the long line at the grocery store or when you need to kill some time at home.
Movies include Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, What Lies Beneath, Bull Durham, and all of the original James Bond movies.
VUDU TV
VUDU TV
Vudu: Most on-demand content
Watch content for free, rent, or buy on Vudu.
What we like
- Loads of movies and TV shows
- Rent movies
- Ads are minimal
Over 10,000 movies and TV shows for free
Vudu’s free titles are well-known. But keep in mind, they seem to exist in the late ’80s to early 2010s.
Download the Vudu app to watch Black Hawk Down, Mr. 3000, King Arthur, Magic Mike XXL, and Road House.
There are also lots of movies and TV series your kids will enjoy, such as Escape from Planet Earth, Norm of the North, Pokemon, and My Little Pony. If you want to find more streaming services for your children.
Rent movies for a few dollars
Rent newer movies from $1.99–$5.99 like Trolls, Ford v. Ferrari, Jumanji: The Next Level, Knives Out, and Joker.
They also have a “Theater at Home” section that has all of the brand new movies you can rent for $19.99, including Trolls World Tour, The Call of the Wild, The Way Back, and The Invisible Man (but if you wait a little longer, you can buy the movie on Vudu for the same price).
Ads aren’t placed in the middle of your movie
Ads aren’t inconveniently in the middle of a sad scene or the middle of an actor’s sentence.
When you watch a movie, a 30-second to one-minute ad will pop up at the beginning, and that’s it. (Thank you, Vudu.)
Vudu summary
- Good: Vudu has lots of on-demand content, and you can rent or buy videos anytime you want.
- Bad: Yes, there are ads, but luckily they’re placed at the beginning of your show to avoid a frustrating interruption.
TUBI TV
TUBI TV
Tubi TV: Best for nostalgic content
Return to the past every day for free.
Tubi TV detailsStreaming serviceMonthly priceDetailsTubi TVFreeView Site
What we like
- Movies dating back to the late ’80s to early 2000s
- Lots of genres
Solid content of its time
Tubi TV has all of the nostalgic content you need from Alf and The Dick Van Dyke Show to The Bachelor and Hell’s Kitchen.
You’ll also have movie choices such as Barber Shop 2, Shrek Forever After, Boondock Saints, and Donnie Darko.
And when we watched Into the Blue, there were no ads throughout the entire movie. Now that’s a super big bonus.
Visit the past by streaming Tubi TV on your Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Xfinity X1, Xbox, Samsung Smart TVs, Sony Smart TVs, PlayStation and online.
So many movie types to choose from
The big list of genres and categories on Tubi TV goes on and on. Everyone (I mean everyone) will find a category they like.
There are categories such as Crime TV, Family Movies, Preschool, Sports Movies & Shows, Good Eats, and Movie Night.
This free streaming service is worth checking out, but you’ll have to sign up for an account before you can view all of its nostalgic content.
Tubi TV summary
- Good: Tubi TV gives you lots of free content of different genres that will remind you of the old days.
- Bad: Arguably, most of the content is not for the younger generations.
- Full review: Speaking of nostalgia (if you want more), check out our review of Disney+, a streaming service that has all of the movies you watched when you were a kid.
IMDB TV
IMDb TV
IMDb TV: Best for popular content
Search through solid content with little fluff.
What we like
- Only popular content, no fillers
- Awesome app
Solid content, free of fluff
Although IMDb TV may not have as much on-demand content as other free streaming services, IMDb is free of filler content.
IMDb doesn’t feel the need to say “over 500,000 hours of content.” They just want to deliver content everyone will want to watch including the following series:
- Schitt’s Creek
- White Collar
- The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer
- Chicago Fire
- Psych
- Fringe
- Friday Night Lights
- Desperate Housewives
- Heroes
- Revenge
- Lie to Me
- Almost Human
IMDb also has great movies, including the following:
- Paddington
- Eat Pray Love
- Failure to Launch
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- The Big Short
- Spiderman
- Nightcrawler
- Monsters vs. Aliens
- Gremlins
- Elf
- The Neverending Story
- Megamind
IMDb app is perfect for movie buffs
Before IMDb TV came to fruition, the IMDb was an app that gave you information about movies, author bios and filmography, and a place to rate movies.
Now, you can also watch movies and TV shows, as well as create a watchlist (some free streaming services don’t have a watchlist option).
It’s also worth mentioning here that IMDb TV has a lot of ads.
Similar to Pluto TV, when we watched Schitt’s Creek, there were three ads (ugh!). But again, we can’t complain too much about a free streaming service.
IMDb TV summary
- Good: IMDb TV has great content with little to sift through.
- Bad: Prepare for quite a few ads, and just remember it’s free.
- Full review: If you love the IMDb app, you’re likely to be a big movie fan. Check out Amazon Prime Video, a streaming service where you can rent and buy movies.
PEACOCK TV
PEACOCK TV
What to like
- On-demand content and live channels
- Limited ads
- Don’t need to create an account
Live channels and regularly updated on-demand content
The Roku Channel gives you both live TV channels and great on-demand content that you can watch any time of the day.
Some of the live channels you can watch with the Roku Channel:
- ABC News
- USA Today
- Newsy
- Comedy Central
- BET
- MTV
- Cheddar News
Movies on the Roku Channel include A Walk to Remember, Crazy Stupid Love, High Fidelity, and Hidalgo. And you can enjoy series such as Succession, The Sopranos, Cold Case Files, The Wire, Ballers, and Silicon Valley.