Streaming apps are the primary means of entertainment for many people. The paradigm shift toward streaming content rather than buying physical copies has given birth to various apps with numerous categories so that you never run out of interesting things to watch. However, some apps require a subscription fee which you may not want to pay, but there’s no shortage of free streaming apps and here are the best ones you can use in 2024.
1. Tubi
Tubi needs no introduction. The streaming platform has grown immensely over the past few years and offers a wide range of content to watch, including lots of free content ranging from TV Shows to documentaries, and different categories of movies. The catalog of free stuff is quite comprehensive and the user interface of the app is clean and actionable.
Speaking of the app, it’s available on iOS, Android, Roku, and Amazon Fire. It allows you to browse from different genres including Classics, Comedy, Drama, Sci-FI, and TV Dramas. One of the other best things about Tubi is there are foreign categories that house popular movies from around the world. The app also has Live TV! Overall, Tubi is a great free streaming service that we recommend.
Pros Cons Lots of free content Content is a bit dated Excellent user interface Live TV Lots of Genres
2. Peacock TV
Peacock TV is yet another streaming platform that’s worth checking out. It has a snappy user interface and lots of free content to watch, including Live TV, originals, and various TV series and movies. The TV shows are the main highlight of the platform. However, Peacock is free only for those who previously signed in for a free account. The platform has stopped giving new accounts free access to content.
Besides, you need to register to start watching content. There are many popular titles to watch, including Harry Potter and Jurassic Park. Overall, Peacock is easily one of the best free streaming services in 2024.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Unending free content | New registrations won’t get free content |
| Great user interface | US-only |
| Lots of Genres | |
3. Pluto TV
Pluto TV is free with movies, Live TV streaming, and an excellent user interface. It’s well organized into different categories but has ads which are expected from a free service. The best part is, that Pluto doesn’t require registration. From the Terminator franchise to Popeye and Sonic The Hedgehog, you’ll find all sorts of free movies and TV shows on Pluto TV, making it a versatile streaming service.
However, one of the major cons of the service is that most of the content on it is dated. This could be a pro for those who want to watch old content but most sign up to watch fairly new content. Still, we believe Pluto TV is one of the nicest free streaming apps you can use.
Pros Cons Lots of free content Content is dated Great user interface Lots of Ads Lots of Genres Not feature-rich Many channels, shows, and popular movies
4. Roku App
Roku Vs Google TV is a hot debate, and an area where Roku excels is the sheer number of channels, apps, and content you can watch on the fly. The Roku Channel comes with a Roku device and is also available on other platforms. There’s no need to register to start watching content and there are tons of movies and TV shows to watch for free.
Unlike Pluto, The Roku Channel’s content is not dated and it often streams popular movies and TV series like Game of Thrones. It also has a few originals that you can watch. Overall, if you’re looking exclusively for TV channels and a few free movies to stream, The Roku Channel will serve you well.
Pros Cons Free content + TV Limited customization options Slick user interface Lack of originals Decent number of genres Ads No registration required
5. Plex
When we visited Plex, we were pleasantly surprised by the sheer amount of content on it, including movies, TV shows, and live TV. Moreover, the user interface is excellent and the app is available across all major platforms. Plex claims it has over 20,000 free movies and shows, and while there’s no way to confirm that claim, we did find a significant number of movies across different genres.
This includes some of the old series and movies like the Robocop series, To Kill a Mockinbird, and even the popular Amazon standup series of Jimmy O Yang. There’s also Plex Pass which for $5 a month, lets you download shows, movies, and music. Overall, while the movie library of Plex might be dated, it has a comprehensive selection of TV shows and Live TV channel that makes it one of the best free streaming apps for 2024.
Pros Cons Free content + TV Ads Great user interface Poor movie selection Decent number of genres Lacks original content No registration required Integration with paid streaming services
6. Crackle
Crackle is yet another US-only streaming website that lets you stream movies and TV shows effortlessly. Unlike Plex which has pretty dated stuff, Crackle has slightly recent content across different categories like Action, Adventure, Drama, and a lot more. There’s also an Anime section with some of the latest Digimon series and Yu Gi Oh but that’s about it.
Some of the popular TV shows on Crackle include Hasan Minhaj’s Meditate with me, Farscape, House of cars, and Dennis the Menace. The overall interface of Crackle is pretty good and the movies across categories are divided cleanly. Crackle is definitely one of the best free streaming services you can try in 2024.
Pros Cons Free content + TV Ads Great user interface No live TV stremaing Good selection of content No registration required Originals
7. Popcornflix
If you love action and disaster movies or series, Popcornflix has plenty of them. This includes 2013’s popular Atlantic Rim, CODE, and RAMPART. It also has decent collection of entertainment, crime, and biography movies such as Puncture, The Paperboy, and Life of A King. In mood for edgy comedies? Formula51, DOLEMITE, and Deep Murder are waiting for you.
Sadly, that’s where all the fun ends in Popcornflix. The library, although not old, is extremely limited. Similarly, the TV series catalog is very weak with only a handful of decent options. And as you may have guessed, the platform has lots of ads and innteruptions.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free content + TV | Ads |
| Decent selection of content | No Live TV |
| No registration required | TV series are dated |
| Decent interface |
8. Amazon Freevee
Free movie streaming services without an Amazon product? Cannot happen. Freevee is a part of Amazon Prime Video and has an interesting selection of content to watch. For starters, some of the content includes the popular The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel TV series and The Twilight Zone. If you’re looking for something new, there’s Amazon Originals like The Boys, Jack Ryan, Coming to America.
Similarly, there’s decent selection of comedy movies like Hotel Transilvania, The Other Guys, and EMMA. Freevee also offers lots of free TV channels to watch content on, most of them being Warner Bros channels, CNN, FOX, and abc News. With Freevee’s comprehensive library, combined with lots of live TV stations, Amazon Freevee is easily one of our top pics for the best free movie streaming services for 2024.
Pros Cons Movies, shows, and TV Ads Lots of free content Requires sign up Great user interface Wide range of Live TV channels
9. Kanopy
If you love classics, Kanopy is for you. The platform houses some of the popular classic movies like the Paper Moon, Howards End, Harold and Maude, and The Bookshop. Besides, there are popular documentaries like The Mask You Live In, my personal favorite Kedi. There’s also tons of storybooks and shows for children, classic tales, and funny cartoons.
One of the cons of Kanopy is that you can’t start watching right away and need a public library card or university login. If you do manage to login via the same, you can enjoy an unlimited, ad-free experience. As mentioned earlier, Kanopy mostly has classics, so if you’re someone who wants to watch mainstream content, there isn’t much for you on the platform.
Pros Cons Free classic content Requires a library card Lots of content for kids. Documentaries. No mainstream TV shows or movies Great user interface No ads
10. Sling Freestream
Sling is another popular streaming provider in the US. Now, Sling Freestream could be great if you’re more into TV than shows and movies, although it has those as well. TV shows like The Walking Dead, American Dad, and Family few are a few examples. Then there’s movies such as Donnie Darko, Survivor, and To Kill a Mockingbird. There’s no shortage of kids content either with The Adventures of Super Mario Bros and Dino the Dinosaur.
While Sling Freestream is free and you can skip the sign up process, creating an account gives you 10 hours of DVR storage which could come in handy. Overall, Sling Freestream is easily one of the best free streaming apps you can download in 2024.
Pros Cons Movies, shows, and TV Ads Lots of free content Great user interface Wide range of Live TV channels
Best Free Streaming Apps: Beebom’s Choice
All the apps mentioned above serve a wide range of content, including live TV, TV shows, and movies. However, if we had to pick a few, we’d go with Amazon Freevee to watch mainstream content, Plex, Kanopy, and Crackle for relatively old content, and Tuvi, Peacock, Roku, and Pluto TV for watching content on the fly, regardless of the genre.
What are some of your favorite streaming apps? Is there an app we missed that deserves our attention? Let us know in the comments.
