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- But you can still slim your streaming budget by choosing from the dozens of free services that let you stream movies and TV shows in exchange for watching ads. You can access these services through most streaming devices and smart TVs, as well as laptops, smartphones, and tablets. The number of ads you see will vary by service.
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5 days ago · The best free streaming services let you watch popular movies and TV shows, often current and recent, without paying a dime.
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By Andrew Hayward
published 12 April 2020
Tubi is a free Netflix alternative with surprisingly good shows and movies
(Image credit: Tubi)
Tired of paying monthly for Netflix or Hulu? If so, then you might want to give Tubi a shot – like Crackle and Pluto TV it's a totally free, ad-supported streaming video service that you can access on loads of devices.
Truly, it's nothing: you won't hit a paywall at any point, nor can you toss in a credit card to eliminate ads or access premium content or perks. Tubi is 100% ad-supported, which means you'll see commercials before and also during content.
Luckily, the ads are usually pretty short and innocuous, and pop up inconsistently within and around the content. When watching an episode of a TV show, you'll probably see a short (30-second) commercial beforehand, and maybe a 15-second or 30-second ad in the middle. It varies, though: We watched Cowboy Bebop and didn't see any ads beforehand, but then it had two commercials for a total of 45 seconds at the middle point.
With movies, we've encountered different results, as well. A viewing of Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Running Man via the PlayStation 4 app began with a single short ad, but then continued uninterrupted for the next 45 minutes or so. There would also be an ad any time that I resumed the film after stopping, though.
On the other hand, Oldboy on the iPad app began without an ad, but then it played one every 12-15 minutes over the course of the flick. That's a little awkward, since the ad break won't always come at an opportune pause in the action, but overall the ads seem less prevalent than with Crackle.
Luckily, Tubi is pretty much everywhere in terms of platforms and devices. You can watch it via the website on your computer or elsewhere, while native apps are available on smartphones and tablets, not to mention set-top boxes and game consoles.
You'll find iOS and Android apps, for example, as well as apps for Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV boxes. The PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 have native Tubi apps, too, and they're all pretty easy to use and navigate through.
As mentioned before, Tubi is totally free and accessible from nearly any modern device you're likely to wield – so it has both of those things going for it.
More importantly, Tubi has a lot of free content available – quite a bit more than Crackle, based on browsing the extensive listings. According to the company, Tubi has more than 50,000 titles in its library, with key partnerships with Lionsgate, Paramount, MGM, and Starz helping to keep its content coffers full.
Granted, you might not be compelled to watch everything on Tubi, and that's about more than just preference. Tubi has a fair amount of random junk filling up its listings, with straight-to-DVD movies and a lot of other generic-looking fare that you've never heard of before. It's not anywhere near as curated for quality as premium services tend to be, and you'll have to dig around to find the good stuff.
But it does have a lot of stuff, and there are some solid gems in the mix. In terms of feature films, the selection as of this writing includes picks like Young Adult, Oldboy, True Grit (2010), School of Rock, Mulholland Drive, and Glengarry Glen Ross.
Tubi doesn't have a lot of high-profile TV shows, unfortunately, unless you're into Alf ... and why wouldn't you be? It has some cult favorites, too, like The IT Crowd and Spaced, plus Tubi's anime selection is pretty stellar, with series like Cowboy Bebop, Naruto, and Revolutionary Girl Utena available as of this posting.
Tubi seems to add new movies and shows gradually throughout the month, as well, so it's worth checking back and having a browse from time to time.
It's all about the money, really, or the lack thereof. Netflix's monthly subscription fee has gradually risen over the years, particularly as the company pours billions into original shows and movies, and you're paying for exclusive content and a strong selection of newish movies and TV shows from elsewhere.
Tubi TV offers no high-profile exclusives, and the vast majority of the noteworthy content is at least several years old at this point. But Tubi TV has a surprisingly large library on offer, and it's all completely free – with a totally reasonable amount of video ads along the way.
Cowboy Bebop: One of the most beloved anime series around, Cowboy Bebop follows a ragtag bunch of space bounty hunters. It has wonderful characters, brilliant animation and music, and a potent blend of action, drama, wry humor, and emotional punch.
Spaced: Do you like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz? If so, then don't miss Spaced, another UK cult favorite from director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg. Like their flicks, this sitcom is endlessly quotable and packed with pop culture adoration.
Battle Royale: Haven't seen the original Japanese film that inspired everything from The Hunger Games to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds? Well, this tale of a class of students all trying to kill each other is delightfully ultra-violent, and it's free on Tubi.
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Watch amazing movies and TV shows for free. No subscription fees, and no credit cards. Just thousands of hours of streaming video content from studios like Paramount, Lionsgate, MGM and more.
Apr 11, 2023 · Tubi is an ad-supported free streaming service that many people are curious about, especially after Fox bought Tubi for $440 million. Tubi offers over 20,000 free TV shows and movies to...
- Lifehacker Staff
- Kanopy and Hoopla. Streaming services Kanopy and Hoopla both have a large selection of high-quality movies—Kanopy even carries The Criterion Collection—but they’re only available if your local library system has a subscription, which also means you’ll need a valid library account to log in.
- PBS. PBS is home to shows like PBS Newshour, Antiques Roadshow and This Old House. While many titles are restricted to paying members, some of PBS’s online selection (taken from its TV programming) is available online for free, including a series of film school shorts.
- Tubi. Free streaming site Tubi offers movies and TV shows from several major studios with minimal (sometimes zero) advertising. The catch is that—judging by a spot-check—desktop streaming is limited to SD resolutions.
- Vudu. Paid streaming service Vudu has a free section offering an assortment of recognizable movies floating among less familiar titles. You’ll need to sign up for a free account and sit through some ads—and some movies are only available in SD, which isn’t great—but you’ll get access to more than 5,400 movies on your computer, phone or streaming device.
Sep 10, 2024 · Savvy movie and TV fans know that there are plenty of free streaming services available online, and we'll help you find a list of all the ones worth knowing about, so you don't need to pay for tonight's movie night.
Aug 16, 2024 · Consumer Reports highlights the best free streaming video services. They provide TV shows and films free of charge, but you'll probably have to watch commercials.
