22 Best Online Streaming Sites to Watch Movies & TV Shows for Free

by Michael Reddy
Streaming, Top List
May 5, 2023
15 min read

Are you considering cutting the cable and moving to a cable-free, contract-free life? Or have you already moved ahead of the pack and just want to make sure you have the best possible deal? Or are you looking for a way to see the big game in your family room without reconnecting the cable? Or have you relied on torrent sites that move all the time because they skirt the law and put up with their slow download speeds because cable was just too expensive?

You’ll be delighted at the affordability and quality of the streaming services available today.

Our round-up of the current deals and free trial offers at these providers will keep you on the right path!

1. Sling

If you want access to a smaller customized group of premium channels, Sling may be the way to go. Depending on your selections, get access to popular Hollywood hits, fast-paced sports, award-winning documentaries, comedies, Starz, Encore, Showtime, EPIX, and many more, all commercial-free. International channels from the Middle East, China, Brazil, India, and Europe can be added to your selection. Sports, lifestyle, and kids’ selections are also available including Disney Junior, Disney XD, and other kid favorites.

Trial: 40% off the first month

Where: Any device

Commercial Free and the ability to fast forward through commercials

Price: Sling Orange and Blue are each $25 per month or get both for $40/per month.

Add A La Carte Channels available beginning at $3/month

Sharable? Yes

DVR for a small additional monthly cost with no duration limits; record multiple shows at the same time.

Sling to see the channel line-ups.

2. Dazn

If you like fights, you can watch people get dazed by boxing or MMA fighting on Dazn.

Trial: None currently available but they do sometimes offer free trials

Where: Any device

Commercial Free

Price: $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year

3. Netflix

Trial: 30-day trial

Watch anywhere: Smart TVs, Dumb TVs with Sony Streaming Media Player, PlayStation, Xbox, Chromecast, Apple TV, Blu-ray players, and more.

Commercial Free

Price: Begin at $8.99 – $13/month with no contract

Netflix offers a free 30-day trial and even reminds you three days before the end of the trial in case you want to cancel.

You can download shows to watch when you’re not connected to the internet. Watch on your TV, phone, tablet, or laptop.

Watch an unlimited number of movies and shows, including award-winning exclusive Netflix-produced shows, anime, documentaries, and your favorites.

Netflix Originals have avid fans. With over fifty original shows and movies, you miss out on great programming if you don’t have Netflix. Netflix Originals include Stranger Things, The Crown (Golden Globe Award), Marvel's Luke Cage, Marvel's Jessica Jones, Marvel’s Daredevil, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Grace and Frankie, House of Cards, Bill Nye Saves the World, Black Mirror, Travelers, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Sharable with up to two family members.

4. Amazon Prime

If you use Amazon to buy Prime-eligible items more than a couple of times a month, joining Amazon Prime is a no-brainer.

Trial: 30-day and 180 days for students!

Watch anywhere: Smart TVs, PlayStation, Xbox, Chromecast, Apple TV, Blu-ray players, and more.

Commercial Free

Price: Begin at $12.99/month with no contract; $119 a year unless you’re a college student. Students get a six-month free trial and $6.49/month at the end of the trial!

In addition to streaming shows and movies, your Prime Membership gets you:

FREE delivery – 1-day, 2-day, or same-day depending on the item and location
2-Hour delivery of groceries and from restaurants
You can schedule In-Home and In-Car Delivery
The opportunity to ‘Try before you buy clothes and shoes
The ability to shop with Alexa Voice
Savings at Whole Foods Market
20% off diapers, baby food & more
Amazon original shows and thousands of other movies and TV shows
More than 2 million ad-free songs
20% off unlimited Amazon Music
Free Audible Channel rotating podcasts
Free eBooks, Magazines, audiobooks, and comics
Early access to new Kindle book titles
Twitch loot and free games
Unlimited photo storage

Amazon originals include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, All or Nothing: Manchester City, Bosch, Patriot, The Last Tycoon, and Jean-Claude Van Johnson.

Sharable: You can stream Amazon Prime to up to three devices at one time and the same show to up to two devices at the same time.

5. Apple

There’s a lot of buzzes about Apple TV Plus which will begin November 1^st. They’re coming out of the gate with a low price. They only have 9 titles with more expected. As a Netflix and Prime subscriber, I was sort of blah about subscribing to Apple TV until I watched this alternative history trailer. Warning: You may feel compelled to spend money if you watch this trailer.

Apple has a $6 billion budget to create the channel and is enticing some of Hollywood’s’ greatest stars including Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, to their scripts. Other high-profile celebrities that are involved include Steven Spielberg. Oprah, and J.J. Abrams

Trial: 7-day free trial

Where: Apple devices and with the Apple TV App

Commercial Free

Price: $5/month (free when you buy a new apple gadget)

Sharable with up to 5 family members

Language: Original shows will be available either subtitled or dubbed in dozens of languages and closed captioned.

6. AMC Networks

AMC Networks is an add-on feature for customers who already have AMC on another paid service.

Who is eligible: Customers of Cable, Satellite, and Pay TV services that have the AMC channel.

Where: TV, Roku, FireTV, Xbox One, Android TV, Chromecast, iPhone, iPad, Android devices

Commercial Free

Price: $4.99/month (Requires a TV Provider)

7. CBS All Access

Provides the ability to stream more than 10,000 episodes of CBS shows as well as some original series. Also included are live sports and local news.

Trial: 7-day

Where: Android, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, PS4, Roku, Samsung, Vizio, and Xbox

Limited Commercial interruptions or no commercials

Price: $5.99 or $9.99; annual $59.99 or $99.99 (Students receive a 25% discount)

Originals: The Twilight Zone, No Activity, Strange Angel, Tell me a Story, and the Good Fight.

8. Dish Network

Dish Network is a satellite provider that is moving into streaming with 80,000 available shows and up to 2,000 hours on the DVR. Plus, 20,000 rentable titles at an extra cost.

Where: Anywhere, even offline if you download the program, airplanes, boats, trains, etc.

Commercial Free

Price: Varies by plan and add-ons

America’s Top 120 – 190 Channels $59

America’s Top 120 – 190 Channels Plus $69.99

America’s Top 200 – 240 Channels $79.99

America’s Top 250 – 290 Channels $89.99

Requires a 2-year contract and a credit check

Special benefits for Active Duty Military, Veterans, First Responders, and Seniors, aged 55 or above

Current deal: 3 free months of Showtime, STARZ, DISH Movie pack, and Playboy. Will add $46/month to the bill if you don’t cancel before the end of the first three months.

9. Disney Plus

Disney Plus is coming November 12^th with a large selection of family-friendly shows including all Disney’s blockbuster hits, Marvel originals, Star Wars, and much more plus 300 movies and thousands of TV shows.

Price: $7/month

No Commercials

10. ESPN +

Fill your family room with the excitement of the game with live events from NHL, Seri A, FA Cup, Top Rank Boxing, MLB, Grand Slam Tennis, and college football, basketball, and lacrosse. You also get the award-winning 30-for-30 library.

Trial: New subscribers only

Where: Smart TVs, computers, PS4, Roku, Play Station, Chrome Cast, Apple TV, Oculus Go

Commercial Free

Price: $4.99 per month or $49.99 each year. No contract.

Sharable: Up to three devices

Originals: The Fantasy Show with Matthew Berry, Peyton’s Places, Detail from the Mind of Alex Morgan: The Equalizer, and exciting Kobe Bryant.

Bonus: Read exclusive articles from Mel Kiper Jr., Buster Olney, and Eric Karabell.

Blackouts: Certain events may be blacked out in specific areas.

11. FuboTV

Fubo TV brings over 100 channels including pro and college sports, primetime entertainment, live news, and shows for the kids to your living room.

Price: $54.99/month Cancel anytime – there’s no contract.

There are a great many add-on costs such as Cloud DVR Plus for $9.99/month, Family Share for $5.99/month, and other add-ons ranging in price from $5 – $15/month each.

Sharable: With family Share add-on

12. HULU

Hulu provides access to classic favorites, new episodes, children’s shows, as well as original Hulu shows.

Trial: First month free, $11.99/month (no ads); $5.99 (with ads)

Where: All the usual devices

Most shows are Commercial Free

13. HULU + Live TV

HULU + Live TV is great for sports fans who want access to major pro games from the NBA, NHL, NFL, and college games including the NCAA and even the English Premier League. If something bad happens anywhere in the world, you’ll know about it with the breaking news stories with your choice of FOX News, CNN, or MSNBC. HULU also provides children’s viewing options including the Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Cartoon Network. 60 top television channels and 50 hours of DVR.

Trial: 7-days

Where: any screen

Some Commercial Free Programming

Price: $44.99/month. No contract.

Add-ons like Cinemax, Showtime, and STARZ are available for $8.99 – $14.99 a month. You can also upgrade for unlimited screens at home and 3 away from home.

Record and Watch at your leisure

14. Plex

Over the air live and recorded TV – Free. An easy way to cut the cord without cutting access to a lot of shows including sports, pop culture, food, cooking, music, home and garden, and more. This is an App. Plex connects your media across all your devices.

Where: Any device

Price:

Basic App: Free

Plex Pass subscription: $39.99/year, or $149.99 for a lifetime subscription

Requires a compatible tuner and antenna

DVR for live shows is a feature of the paid App

15. Philo

Philo currently has 58 channels and you can record an unlimited number of shows and watch them up to a month later.

Trial:

Where: Any device

Commercial Free

Price: $20/month

Sharable Up to 3 devices

Originals (if applicable):

16. Pure Flix

Pure Flix is a family-friendly program and wholesome movies and TV shows that are largely faith-based. It has the unique feature of providing a homeschooling curriculum K – 12.

Trial: 7-day

Where: Any device

Commercial Free

Price: $10.99/month or $83.33/annually. No contract. Cancel at any time.

If you homeschool your children, Pure Flix could save you tons of time creating curriculums from scratch.

17. Roku

Roku brings your old TV into the new era. If you have a TV that is still working great, but it doesn’t have wi-fi or Bluetooth capabilities, Roku allows you to access streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and others on your older television and provides better access to broadcast channels. Plug it in and you get access to 500,000+ tv episodes and movies from free and paid sources. Almost 150 sports channels although some require a paid subscription.

Trial: No because you buy a physical device, but it is returnable.

Where: Your TV – can be moved to different TVs

Price: $29.99 for the basic unit; they also offer a Roku TV.

Sharable? No, a device is required that must be plugged into the device

Content has commercials

Technical support is provided during the warranty period.

18. The Roku Channel

The Roku channel is an add-on to your Roku. It adds more than 10,000 Hollywood hits, shows, sports, news, and more. Although there are commercials, they have fewer than broadcast TV. If you have multiple subscriptions to premium channels, you’ll be able to browse all of it in a single channel instead of separately searching for movies.

Price: Plans begin at $29.99 a month. Requires a Roku device or Roku TV.

19. SiriusXM

SiriusXM provides music you can personalize using Pandora for add-free music listening pleasure. Easy to search by channel, show, or episode and reminders when your favorites are about to begin. Sync your favorites across all your vehicles.

Commercial Free

Price: Plans begin at $5/month

Sharable among all your vehicles

20. Starz

Access to the original content and thousands of movies, exclusive content, and shows you don’t want to miss.

Trial: 7-day trial

Where: Any device

Commercial Free

Price: $8.99/month; cancel anytime

Original Content: Outlander, Spartacus, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Black Sails, Power, Outlander, The White Princess, The White Queen, Camelot, Boss, The Pillars of the Earth, Magic City, Survivor’s Remorse, Party Down, Flesch and Bone, The Girlfriend Experience, American Gods, Counterpart, Da Vinci Demons, Blunt Talk, Vida, Sweet Bitter, and more.

21. YouTube TV

YouTube TV brings you at least 70 channels and, in larger metropolitan areas like Sacramento, Charlotte, Los Angeles, and New York City they have 119+ channels including local stations. Includes significant on-demand content and broadcast sports.

Trial: 7-day

Where: Any device

Some Commercial Free Content

Price: $49.99/month; no contract, cancel anytime; no hidden fees or equipment

Sharable with up to 5 household members

Unlimited simultaneous recording and store shows for up to 9 months

Click here to see the channel lineup.

22. Are You Ready to Cut the Cord?

We’ve been tethered to the cords of our cable and satellite TVs for so long that it can feel as if we’ll miss something important if we cut the cord. We cut the cord a year ago and in addition to saving a ton of money for our cable provider, we love the convenience of watching what we want exactly when we want it. We would never go back to cable or satellite.

We travel extensively and the first time we began a show we were in the middle of watching in a hotel room and it began exactly where we left off, we looked at one another and grinned. No fussing to find where we left off. We can fit our shows into our busy lives and if we don’t have time to watch until the end – no worries, we know we’ll pick up exactly where we left off.

Stop the Hassles and Hidden Fees

Cable and Satellite companies love locking you into a 2-year contract and, if you move, you’ll end up with an early termination fee if the service isn’t available where you move to. We once had a cable company charge us an early termination fee because we moved the day before our contract hit the 2-year mark. As they lose their monopoly status, they’ll be fighting for every customer but if you’re locked into a 2-year contract, you’ll be paying more than the deals they offer new customers. So, join the freedom revolution and cut the cable today!

What Risks Are You Taking That You Could Avoid for a Few Dollars a Month?

When you access the type of free sight that moves frequently to evade the authorities or torrents, you risk being named in a copyright infringement case that could end up costing you thousands in attorney’s fees, settlement fees, or tens of thousands if you’re the wildebeest chosen to make an example of to discourage others. When Cable companies wanted over $100 a month and required good credit, it might have made sense to go another route. When you can get all Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and others have to offer for less than two coffees at Starbucks each month, is it worth the risk?

Sling Channel Line-up

Sling Orange

Sling Blue

YouTube Channel Line-up

Channels:

Related

nv-author-image

Michael

Michael Reddy is a tech enthusiast, entertainment buff, and avid traveler who loves exploring Linux and sharing unique insights with readers.