16 Best Discovery+ Alternatives Right Now

When it comes to documentaries and reality programming, it's hard to beat Discovery+. Aside from a growing slate of originals, the streaming platform also licenses titles from partner channels History, A&E, Lifetime, TLC, Animal Planet, and OWN, among others, to present us with a packed lineup of non-fiction shows. 

If you're looking for similar streaming services to add to your cordless TV, we've gathered the best Discovery+ alternatives available below. Many of them lean heavily on documentaries, but we've also included niche streamers that focus on genres like reality, true crime, and horror, which are favorites on the Discovery+ platform. 

Our recommended five best discovery+ alternatives right now:
Philo $25 Watch
Magnolia Selects $4.99 Watch
Tubi free Watch
Mubi $10.99 Watch
SUNDANCE NOW $6.99 Watch

A sure treasure trove for history buffs, History Hit TV is a dedicated service featuring original documentaries, series, dramas, interviews, and films spanning all sorts of time periods and eras. It was founded by renowned historian Dan Snow, who hosts a hit podcast of the same name and whose other content can be found in the streamer. History Hit TV also claims that 10% of its profits go into history education projects around the globe.

Price: $6.99/month

Free Trial: 14 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Website, Xbox One

Features: annual subscription, offline downloads, on-demand content, unlimited simultaneous streams

GuideDoc is a global online streaming and distributing service for documentary films.

The service is currently available for US$7.99 per month and can be accessed from anywhere in the world. 

GuideDoc apps exist for iPhone, iPad, Android phones, Android Tablets, Google TV, Apple TV, ChromeCast and Airplay. At the time of writing, GuideDoc does not offer an app for other services like Roku, Fire TV and game consoles. 

Price: $7.99/month

Features: annual subscription, on-demand content

True to its name, Documentary+ is a free ad-supported service that streams documentaries as well as non-fiction shorts and series. It has a straightforward interface that has categories like "award winners," "true crime," "festival darlings," "women stories," and "Black stories," as well as films from renowned directors including Werner Herzog, Spike Jonze, Kathryn Bigelow, and Terrence Malick. 

Interestingly, the service also has a live channel you can put on anytime. It’s compatible with all major streaming devices, but you can also access it as a channel on live TV services like Amazon’s freevee and Sling’s freestream.

Price: free for channels available

Device availability: Android, Apple TV, iOS, Plex, Rakuten, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Stremium, Sumo, TCL, VIDAA, Vizio

Features: ad-supported option, free, live tv streaming

Docsville’s focus is on documentaries sourced from around the world, originally launched by award-winning documentarian Lawrence Elmen and his business partner, Nick Fraser, who worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation. This streaming service is for those doc junkies who can’t get enough of real-world exploration and have a thirst for knowledge about many different aspects of our planet and the human race. Topics include climate change, inequality and racism, inspiring real-life tales, and true crime. Most of the documentaries offered are independent films.

Price: $4.99/month

Free Trial: 3 days

Device availability: Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, iPhone, Roku TV, Website

Features: annual subscription, on-demand content, unlimited simultaneous streams

CuriosityStream is an American streaming services that focuses on documentary movies and shows and is available in more than 175 countries.

In the US, pricing starts at $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year for the basic plan, with an upgrade to the 4K Monthly plan available for $9.99 per month or $69.99 per year. 

CuriosityStream can be accessed via web browser as well as Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, and has a mobile app that is compatible across Apple and PC computers, and Android and iOS phones and tablets. 

Price: $4.99/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox

Features: 4k-compatible, annual subscription, likely to work with a VPN, offline downloads, on-demand content, parental controls, up to five concurrent streams

Criterion Channel is a curated movie-streaming service that offers ad-free and on-demand access to films from The Criterion Collection in HD. It is currently only available in the US and Canada. The subscription costs $10.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Like Netflix, the Criterion Channel also offers a physical rental service. The number of movies you can rent each month, for a flat monthly rate, depends on how quickly you can return them. You don't need to subscribe to The Criterion Channel to buy or rent physical media on DVD and Blu-ray, but subscribers may get discounts.

Price: $10.99/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox

Features: annual subscription, likely to work with a VPN, on-demand content, up to three concurrent streams

Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 14 live TV streaming services that offer a free trial.

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The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors. If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.

That's all from us for the 18 Best Discovery+ Alternatives Right Now!