It's been 10 years since Netflix first opened our eyes to the world of streaming movies and TV shows directly to our computers. A year later, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video officially launched similar services. Soon enough, all three also began streaming original content, which has gone on to win Emmys and Oscars and lead crucial national conversations about teen suicide, gender identity, women's rights, and abandoning best friends in the Upside Down. In less than a decade, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video have become so central to popular culture that, for many, they've replaced broadcast TV networks as the new Big Three — the core trinity of content delivery for millions of cord-cutting viewers.
The world of digital streaming, however, expands far beyond the scope of these three services. Just about every broadcast and cable network also has its own streaming service (never to be outdone, HBO has two), and the major sports leagues all have their own as well. This year, CBS even began making premium original shows — The Good Wife spinoff The Good Fight, and the first Star Trek TV show in 12 years, Star Trek: Discovery — for its subscription-only service, CBS All Access. And some outlets, like YouTube, PlayStation Vue, Sling, and Hulu, have started offering streams of live TV and à la carte access to popular basic cable networks.
All of that would provide enough #content — delivered through a sprawling technological ecosystem of tablet apps, set-top boxes, smart TVs, and USB sticks — for several lifetimes. And yet, specialized streaming services have been proliferating like cinematic universes and NBC’s Chicago shows. Tucked into just about every corner of the mainstream internet, these services offer platforms for all kinds of feature films, TV shows, and short-form series one could imagine — and many more one could not. There are services for military veterans, workout routines, and science and nature documentaries, to name a few.
There have never been more options for streaming — and making sense of where to do that has never been more overwhelming. Universal search sites like Yidio and GoWatchIt don't cover many of these services. Confusing things further, Amazon has started offering several of these streaming services separately from their respective discrete apps via its Amazon Channels option.
To help make sense of it all, here is a small sampling of services available within the current streaming landscape, along with how much they cost and what devices you need to watch them.
(Note: While some of these services are available outside of the US, all viewing and pricing options listed here are for their US versions only.)
FOR FREE
…so long as you're cool with ads running during your movie or TV show.
1. Crackle
What is it? While just about every TV network has its own streaming portal, very few movie studios have followed suit, preferring instead to use established ones like Netflix, and VOD options like Vudu. Sony is the rare exception, launching this free, ad-supported movies and TV service in 2007 that leans heavily on male-skewing content.
What’s on it? Of the roughly 200 viewing options, there's a rotating selection of TV shows, including all episodes of recent (i.e., canceled) shows like Last Resort and The Player, as well as selected seasons of classics like Seinfeld and All in the Family. There is also a limited range of classic and contemporary movies from sci-fi (2011’s Attack the Block) to comedy (1980’s Stir Crazy) to thrillers (1993’s In the Line of Fire) and prestige dramas (2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).
Crackle also includes a growing assortment of original series, including Snatch with Rupert Grint, and StartUp with Adam Brody and Martin Freeman, and original films, like Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser with David Spade and Christopher Walken.
How much is it? Free with ads
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, PlayStation TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, smart TVs (Samsung, Sony, LG, Vizio), Sprint TV (for an added fee), T-Mobile TV (for an added fee)
Where can I watch it? Including the US, Crackle is available in 21 countries.
2. Tubi TV
What is it? Tubi TV boasts that it offers "thousands" of ad-supported movies and TV shows not available on subscription-based services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon. The depth of its options draws from partnerships with studios such as Paramount, MGM, Lionsgate, and the Weinstein Company, and TV networks like Starz, Sky, and ITV.
What’s on it? A crap-ton of options: Over 5,000 movies and 1,000 TV series rotate through the site every month, pulling from an astonishing library of more than 50,000 licensed movie titles and over 25,000 total TV episodes. The options really run the gamut, from prestige films like Gladiator, Eve's Bayou, and My Week With Marilyn to long-in-the-tooth favorites like Overboard and Teen Wolf. It even includes “wait, that was a movie?” options like the 2013 caper Life of Crime with Jennifer Aniston and the 2009 horror spoof Stan Helsing. (There's also a section named Not On Netflix.)
Without the participation of most major US networks, the TV options are more rarefied, emphasizing British options like Spaced and the original versions of Queer as Folk and Shameless, as well as canceled American series like Running Wilde (with Will Arnett and Keri Russell).
How much is it? Free with ads
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, smart TVs (Samsung)
Where can I watch it? US and Canada
What is it? This is an offshoot of the DVD and Blu-ray distribution company of the same name. It offers ad-supported access to cult favorites, with a selection that strongly evokes the bygone experience of browsing through the aisles of an independent video rental store.
What’s on it? There are roughly 350 movies and dozens of TV series, including multiple episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Elvira's Movies Macabre, and the selected works of schlockmeister Roger Corman. Serious dramas like John Cassavetes' A Woman Under the Influence and the selected works of gonzo auteur Werner Herzog keep the service classy in an off-kilter way.
How much is it? Free with ads, and $2.99 for an ad-free version via Amazon Channels
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, smart TVs (Samsung)
Where can I watch it? The US and Canada, with a UK version launching soon via Amazon Channels.
FOR FILM BUFFS
A crowded and competitive subset that tout “curated” lists of often obscure titles.
What is it? A rare movie studio–based service that focuses on titles within Warner Bros.' vast library of classic (and maybe just old) feature films and TV series.
What’s on it? A wealth of 600–700 feature film options dating from the 1920s through the 1990s, including standouts like the 1933 screwball comedy Bombshell, the 1967 thriller Wait Until Dark, and the 1971 Western McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Only serious cineastes, however, would recognize many of the titles here, like the 1958 Paul Newman Western The Left Handed Gun or the 1986 psychological thriller Dream Lover, starring Kristy McNichol. The TV options are more modest, with about two dozen series available in any given month, including the '70s sitcom Eight Is Enough and the '80s primetime soap Falcon Crest.
How much is it? $9.99/month or $94.99/year
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku
Where can I watch it? US only
5. Fandor
What is it? Conceived as an online hub for hardcore film lovers, Fandor recently announced plans to expand to original programming. The service also recently shuttered its digital magazine, though its editorial division still posts regularly, including interviews and reviews of current theatrical releases.
What’s on it? Roughly 6,000 movies, over 80% of which are exclusive to the site, curated by Fandor's staff into finely differentiated subsections (Coming of Age Comedy, Chalk Animation) and special programs (Soundtracks to Live By, 30 Is the New 20). The options are deliberately outside the mainstream, like the 1975 blaxploitation thriller Sheba, Baby with Pam Grier, and the 1991 New Queer Cinema classic Poison.
About once a quarter, Fandor will also offer original scripted and nonscripted series to US audiences, including Barber Shop, a Belgian docuseries set in different international barber shops, and The Principal, an Australian limited drama series, coming this September.
How much is it? $10/month or $90/year
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Channels, Sling TV
Where can I watch it? US, Canada, and UK via Amazon Channels only
What is it? This service, part of the popular New York–based film festival, boasts a limited selection of features that are specially curated by boldface names like musician Wyclef Jean, director Cary Fukunaga, and actor Ruth Negga.
What’s on it? The service includes roughly 150 films (about a third of which refreshes every month), but many of those options should be familiar to serious movie fans, like the Pedro Almodóvar thriller Bad Education, the Eddie Murphy comedy Coming to America, the Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, and the coming-of-age classic The Graduate. (Similar to Tubi TV, there's also a section named Movies Not On Netflix Or Hulu.)
How much is it? $4.99/month
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, smart TVs (Samsung), Amazon Channels, Sling TV
Where can I watch it? US only
7. FilmStruck
What is it? This is yet another service for movie buffs, with a strong competitive edge: It draws from the deep libraries of quality cinema paragons Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection.
What’s on it? The basic package offers roughly 500 films, refreshing 10 films every week, that stretch from the 1910s to the 2010s. Certain films are broken out into special programming selections, like Coming Home (1996's Beautiful Girls, 2010's Tiny Furniture) and Tales of Revenge (1994's The Crow, 2003's Old Boy), as well as retrospectives for major filmmakers (Satyajit Ray, Ingmar Bergman).
For an additional fee, subscribers can also access most of the 1,100-plus films in the Criterion Collection — though not (alas!) Criterion's editions of Wes Anderson's filmography, or (alas?) Michael Bay's.
How much is it? $6.99/month; $10.99/month with Criterion Channel; or $99/year with Criterion Channel
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV (with the promise of PS4 and Xbox One access soon)
Where can I watch it? US only
8. Mubi
What is it? Not to be confused with Tubi TV, this service features a highly selective offering of global cinema, operating almost like the digital version of a refined international film festival. It also has its own digital-only film publication, Notebook.
What’s on it? Thirty films, with a new one added each day and lasting for exactly 30 days. Some selections are a part of a cohesive series, like recent career retrospectives for directors Mike Nichols, Agnès Varda, and Luis Buñuel, or highlights from the Cannes Film Festival.
Like Amazon and Netflix, Mubi has also moved into limited theatrical distribution for a highly limited number of films, most recently the Cannes prize-winner The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki.
How much is it? $5.99/month
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, PS4, PS3, smart TVs (Samsung)
Where can I watch it? Globally
FOR SOME SPECIALIZED VIEWING
From horror to family friendly fare.
9. Shudder
What is it? The folks at AMC Networks created this service, and as the name suggests, it focuses on horror.
What’s on it? There are a bounty of classic titles like The Wicker Man (the 1975 Christopher Lee version), John Carpenter's 1975 thriller Assault on Precinct 13, and 1986's phantasmagoric Hellraiser. All the films are separated into sanguinary sections like A Woman's Touch (2011's We Need to Talk About Kevin), Flesh Eating Frenzy (1979's Cannibal Holocaust), and School's Out...Forever (2001's The Devil's Backbone).
There are also a handful of TV shows, like the '80s horror anthology Tales From the Darkside, and shorts, like 2015's perfectly titled He Took His Skin Off for Me. But Shudder's killer feature is Shudder.TV, a 24-hour, ad-free live feed of horror that you can watch whenever you bloody feel like it.
How much is it? $4.99/month, or $47.88/year; but Shudder.TV is free
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Xbox One
Where can I watch it? US, Canada, UK, Ireland
What is it? BET founder Robert L. Johnson created this service, which focuses on entertainment made by and for black Americans.
What’s on it? Around 250 movies (roughly 60% of which are exclusive to UMC), featuring actors like Mo'Nique and Isaiah Washington (2015's Blackbird), Garcelle Beauvais and Leon (2013's And Then There Was You), and Jay Ellis (2016's Like Cotton Twines). There's also a selection of stand-up specials from comics like Kevin Hart, Gary Owen, and D.L. Hughley. And if you are morbidly curious about the disastrous Nina Simone biopic Nina with Zoe Saldana (which was released theatrically by Johnson's RLJ Entertainment), that is available here too.
There are currently just 10 TV series available on UMC, but one of them is the first season of the indelible reality show Braxton Family Values, and UMC says it plans to more than double its TV options this year as the service moves more into original content.
How much is it? $4.99/month or $49.99/year
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Channels
Where can I watch it? US only
11. Kanopy
What is it? Whereas every other option on this list is available to the general public, this service caters specifically to college students at over 3,000 campuses across the world, as well as a select (and growing) number of library card holders.
What’s on it? Over 15,000 movies, most of which fall under educational topics like Health, Science, and Global Studies, including 2,000-plus instructional films. There are more consumer-friendly options, though: Of the more than 300 TV titles, most have a PBS/BBC patina, from the 2008 miniseries Little Dorrit to just about anything documentarian Ken Burns has ever made (like The Civil War and The Roosevelts). The feature options branch out a bit further, including acclaimed documentaries like 2017's I Am Not Your Negro and 2004's Super Size Me, as well as classic features like Wong Kar-Wai's 2000 romance In the Mood for Love, David Lynch's 1978 breakout cult hit Eraserhead, and Ana Lily Amirpour's 2014 Iranian horror sensation A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.
How much is it? Free for college students and library card holders, providing their respective institutions are Kanopy subscribers.
How can I watch it? Desktop and Roku, with plans to launch for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV soon
Where can I watch it? 118 countries, including the US
12. Feeln
What is it? In 2014, this Hallmark-owned service rebranded itself to Feeln from its original name, SpiritClips. As its website says, the underlying mission remains to provide “heartfelt stories of love and togetherness.”
What’s on it? There’s a suite of soft-focus, family-friendly movie options broken out into similarly down-home sections like A Father’s Devotion (2009’s Flying By with Billy Ray Cyrus) or Unbridled Hearts (Hallmark Channel’s TV movie series Goodnight for Justice with Luke Perry). Similarly warm, fuzzy TV options range from the classic ’80s series Highway to Heaven to ABC Family’s Wildfire.
Not surprisingly, Feeln is the exclusive streaming home for the storied Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology series, and it also features some exclusive short-form series like The Eleventh (with Cloris Leachman and Ed Asner), and the Emmy-winning docuseries Wonder Women, which features trailblazing women across the world.
How much is it? $5.99/month or $35.99/year
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Windows 10, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Kindle Fire, Nook, Xbox One, smart TVs (Samsung, Sony), Blu-ray players (Samsung, Sony)
Where can I watch it? US only
FOR INTERNATIONAL POP CULTURE
Beyond American movies and TV.
13. Acorn TV
What is it? If BBC America and PBS don't quench your thirst for Anglophile pop culture, there's also this service from RLJ Entertainment, which has access to a more diverse compilation of film and TV options from the UK and Australia. You’ll have to provide your own tea and crumpets.
What’s on it? About 200 TV series and miniseries, including the Brenda Blethyn in the crime drama Vera, the Aussie period drama A Place to Call Home (touted as a "Down Under Downton"), and Walks With My Dog, a reality series that is literally just minor UK celebrities touring the countryside with their dogs.
The film selection is smaller — roughly 50 in any given month — and largely showcases actors' earlier work, like David Oyelowo in the 2013 crime thriller Complicit, Lily James in the 2012 sports drama Fast Girls, and Daniel Craig in the 1999 WWI film The Trench.
Acorn is also beginning to back original productions, like the six-part crime drama Loch Ness and the Agatha Christie adaptation The Witness for the Prosecution, with Toby Jones, Andrea Riseborough, and Kim Cattrall.
How much is it? $4.99/month or $49.99/year
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, smart TVs (Samsung)
Where can I watch it? US and Canada
14. Spuul
What is it? Most Americans think Bollywood refers to films from India, but strictly speaking that term only includes Hindi-language movies. The fullness of the country’s film industry dwarfs Hollywood in terms of output, churning out well over 1,000 movies a year. This service promises a curated selection of films in several Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Punjabi.
What’s on it? About 1,000 movies in any given month, mostly dated after 2010, often with exclusive distribution windows. Popular titles include the 2017 crime thriller Raees, the 2015 romance Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, and 2015's fantasy epic Bāhubali: The Beginning — the predecessor to this year's Bāhubali 2: The Conclusion, the all-time highest-grossing Indian film in the world.
How much is it? $4.99/month or $49.99/year
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Panasonic)
Where can I watch it? Globally
15. DramaFever
What is it? Warner Bros. acquired this eight-year-old service in 2016 to capitalize on the growing audience for Asian dramas, especially, although not exclusively, from South Korea.
What’s on it? Several hundred movies and over 1,000 TV shows from Korea, Japan, and China, often within 24 hours of airing in their home countries. Popular exclusive titles include the K-pop drama series The Best Hit, the crime thriller Stranger (Secret Forest), and the period romantic comedy My Sassy Girl. There is a small handful of telenovelas on DramaFever, which is less random than it may first seem when you consider this service's name.
How much is it? Free with ads; ad-free version is $4.99/month or $49.99/year
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox One, smart TVs (Samsung, LG)
Where can I watch it? All of North and South America, as well as Australia and New Zealand
16. & 17. Crunchyroll and Funimation Now
What are they? These separate services previously more-or-less competed for fans of anime and Japanese TV. But in September 2016, they announced a content-sharing partnership, with Crunchyroll streaming subtitled versions in at least seven languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, and Arabic) and Funimation offering English-language overdubs. The two services don't overlap completely, however. Crunchyroll offers access to a wide selection of manga, while Funimation includes a limited number of feature film options.
What’s on them? A looooot of anime and live-action East Asian TV: Over 25,000 episodes are featured on Crunchyroll, and over 18,000 episodes on Funimation. Popular titles on both services include Cowboy Bebop, Attack on Titan, One Piece, Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball Super, and Yuri!!! On Ice.
How much are they? For Crunchyroll: Some content is free with ads; $6.99/month for ad-free premium membership, including simulcasts of Japanese broadcasts, with no annual pricing option.
For Funimation: Some content is free with ads; $5.99/month or $59.99/year, for two concurrent streams; and an additional $1.99/month for three additional concurrent streams
For a separate, single-price option for both services (plus several others), see the next section below.
How can I watch them? For Crunchyroll: Desktop, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U
For Funimation: Desktop, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Kindle Fire, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Where can I watch them? Crunchyroll is available globally; Funimation is available in US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
FOR BUNDLES OF SMALLER SERVICES
Rather than a single, narrow streaming option, why not a whole bunch of them?
18. VRV
What is it? Crunchyroll's parent company Ellation launched this service last year; it's aimed at geeky audiences keen on gaming, animation, comedy, and sci-fi.
What’s on it? Along with Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Shudder, VRV's current lineup includes web series pioneer channel Rooster Teeth, gaming culture channel Geek and Sundry, general-interest geekery channel Nerdist, Adam Savage’s gearhead nerd channel Tested, and comedy channel Seeso. The service is also the exclusive home to animation-based channels Mondo and Cartoon Hangover.
Altogether, there are over 1,700 series and 750 movies available across all of VRV’s services.
How much is it? $9.99/month for the Combo Pack (Crunchyroll, Funimation, Cartoon Hangover, Rooster Teeth, Mondo, Tested, Nerdist, and Geek and Sundry), and each channel is also available à la carte, ranging from $6.95/month to $1.75/month.
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Roku, Chromecast, PS4, Xbox One
Where can I watch it? US only
19. Pluto TV
What is it? Launched in 2014, this service offers a constant stream of dozens of ad-supported channels that range from established cable networks to digital-only ventures.
What’s on it? It’s presented like a digital version of a classic basic cable service, with roughly 70 video channels and 30 audio channels to choose from. The News section offers the most recognizable channels, like MSNBC and NBC News and Bloomberg TV. As you scroll down its channel guide, the other sections are broken into a mix of generically named options — Pro Wrestling, Stand Up TV, Classic TV, After School Cartoons, Action Movies — and more distinctive digital brands, including Shout Factory TV, Awesomeness TV, the People/Entertainment Weekly Network, and Popsugar.
The most unusual section is titled Chill Out, which is attempting to expand the meaning of its name: There’s the Eye Candy channel that features women in various states of undress; the Man Up channel that promises the programming equivalent to “a roundhouse kick to the head”; The High Channel (i.e., THC), content self-explanatory; and the Slow TV channel, which includes a feed from the front of a Norwegian rail line.
How much is it? Free with ads
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, smart TVs (Samsung, Sony, Vizio)
Where can I watch it? US, with plans to launch in Europe soon
20. Go90
What is it? Verizon's attempt to capture "post-TV" audiences is mostly composed of mid-form content from a variety of independent partners, including Complex Networks, Warner Bros. Digital Networks, Vice, and (full disclosure) BuzzFeed. Rather than swimming in a discrete, walled-off pool, Go90 can be thought of as riding an inner tube in an immense ocean of content with a seemingly infinite horizon.
What’s on it? The most recent redesign of Go90 broke out its content into four networks: the geek-and-genre-driven Saga, the female-driven XO, the culture-driven Session, and the sports-driven Zone. Each of those networks quickly splinters into dozens more options, like Going Cambo from Complex Networks' "heartland millennial" channel Rated Red, and t@gged from DreamWorks' AwesomenessTV. There are also a smattering of traditional TV series scattered throughout the service, including Veronica Mars, Fringe, Babylon 5, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Additionally, Go90 has a ton of sports: There are over 25,000 hours available a year of football, basketball, and soccer.
How much is it? Free with ads
How can I watch it? Desktop, iOS, Android
Where can I watch it? US only
CORRECTION
Amazon's selection of streaming services is called Amazon Channels. A previous version of this story misstated the name.
DramaFever was acquired by Warner Bros. in 2016. A previous version of this story misstated the year.