Free cord-cutting services are multiplying, but that doesn't mean they're all worth your time. Many in fact create their own "channels"—TV shows that they have rights for and which they play on repeat.
The leading free live TV services are Pluto TV and to a lesser extent Xumo TV. In this list, we count the best free live TV services.
In response to the growing popularity of free streaming services like Tubi, Xumo, and Pluto, Sling TV has come up with Sling TV Freestream, an ad-supported version of its live TV and on-demand streaming service. Compared to its paid tier, Freestream has fewer channels and premium titles, but with more than 200 live channels and on-demand content to boot, it's certainly worth giving a try—you don't even need to sign up for an account to start watching.
Sling TV has been at the forefront of live TV for years, but it breaks new ground with Freestream, a platform designed to both entertain and entice users to upgrade to their meatier packages. Recently, Freestream also added free DVR.
Price: free for 43 channels available
Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, Cox, Google TV, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung Smart TV, Samsung TV, TiVo, Vizio, Website, Xbox, Xfinity Flex
Channel lineup: AajTak International, ABC News Live, Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera English, Always funny, Anthony Bourdain A Cook's Tour, Architectural Digest: Open Door, ARY News, Bein Sports XTRA, Buzzr: Family Feud, CBS News, Cheddar News, Defiance, Dilemma, Documentary Plus, Electric Now, ESPN On Demand, ESR, FailArmy, Fear Factor, FilmRise: Hell's Kitchen, Forensic Files, Fox Weather, France24, Fubo Sports, Glewed TV, GoTraveler, Heartland, Life OK, Maverick Black Cinema: Boxed In, Noticias Univision 24/7, Rick Steves Europe, Scripps News, SonyKal, TD Ameritrade Network, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Pet Collective, The Walking Dead Universe, TVP World, USA Today, VH1 I Love Reality, World Poker Tour, Zona TUDN
Dubbed "The Free Netflix," Tubi is one of the best options for streaming quality movies and TV shows online. The completely free, ad-supported service has one of the most extensive title lineups, plus it's compatible with most devices, making it an extremely popular option for cord-cutters. Though it has been noted to have a less than stellar resolution, most viewers don't mind due to its easy interface, constantly updated library, and of course free titles. Parents will also be glad to know that the service has parental control features.
Price: free for 78 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Sony, TiVo, Vizio, Website, Xbox One
Channel lineup: 21 Jump Street, ABC Localish, ABC News, ACC Digital Network, AFV Family, All Real, Baywatch, Bein Sports XTRA, bein Sports Xtra en Espanol, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Quicktake, Brat TV, BUZZR, Caught in Providence, CBC News, Cheddar, CINEVAULT: 80's, CINEVAULT: Classics, CINEVAULT: Westerns, Circle, Comedy Dynamics, Cosmos, Deal or No Deal, Dove Channel, El Rey, Estrella News, EuroNews English, Fear Factor, FilmRise Classic TV, FilmRise Westerns, Forensic Files, FOX, Fox Deportes, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports, Fox Weather, fubo Sports Network, Game Show Central, Gordon Ramsay, Heartland, Johnny Carson TV, live now from Fox, Lone Star, Masked Singer Channel, MLB, Moviesphere Free, My Time Movie Network, Mystery Science Theater 3000, NBC News Now, Newsy, NFL Channel, NHRA TV, Nosey, Pac-12 Insider, Pattrn, People TV, Real Madrid TV, REELZ Famous & Infamous, So Real, Sports Wire, Stadium, Supermarket Sweep, The Biggest Loser, The Bob Ross Channel, The Carol Burnett Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Grio, the NFL Channel, The Only Way is Essex, TMZ, TODAY All Day, Tubi Originals, Unsolved Mysteries, USA Today, Vice, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Weather Nation, Wipeout Xtra
The Roku Channel can't replace Netflix or a cord-cutting service like Sling, but it's a nice added bonus if you already have a Roku device. The selection of live channels is limited, but there's something for everyone, including news, sports, and entertainment.
Price: free for 1 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Website
Channel lineup: ABC News Live
Streaming services do not come cheap. But what if you can access live TV streaming services for free? Enter Pluto TV Live, a free live TV streaming service that lets you watch around 250 different live TV channels without even needing you to sign up. This Viacom-owned live TV service may not have as nearly as the popular cables you’re used to, but it’s enough to serve as a supplement to your needs for news, sports, and entertainment without spending a dime.
Price: free for 34 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Roku, Shareplay supported, Virgin Media, Vizio SmartCast, webOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Channel lineup: BBC Food, BBC Home, Bein Sports XTRA, Bloomberg Television, CBS Sports HQ, CBSN, Check with Pluto TV for the full channel lineup, Cheddar News, CNN, ET Live, Food TV, Fox Sports, Hallmark En Espanol, Hip Hop Family VH1, Love & Hip-Hop VH1, Major League Soccer, MLB, MotorTrend FAST TV, NBC News Now, Newsmax, NFL Channel, NFL Super Bowl Classics, Nosey, People TV, PGA Tour, Pluto Channels, Sky News, Smithsonian Channel, Stories AMC, TBN, Today, TV Land Drama, WeatherNation, WPT
Plex is a media management software that doubles as a free streaming service. Its main function is to organize your own library of content—that is, your own video, photo, or sound files—and make it streamable alongside Plex's offerings of 200+ live TV channels and 50,000+ on-demand movies and shows. Plex's basic package comes at no cost, but it also has a premium package starting at $4.99/month that boasts additional features, such as the ability to download content and watch them offline, among other things.
Price: free for 85 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google Daydream, iOS, LG Smart TV, Nvidia SHIELD, Oculus, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Website, Xbox
Channel lineup: 80s Party, AFV Espanol, AFV Family, AsianCrush, BAMBU, Beast Mode, Bedroom Beats, Channel With, Choppertown, Comedy Dynamics, CONtv, Cooking Panda, DarkMatter TV, Deal or No Deal, Docurama, Dove Channel, DrinkTV, EDGEsport, Electric Now, Electro Anthems, ESRevolution, FailArmy, Footballers Live, Friday Feels, fubo Sports Network, Game Show Central, Glewed TV, Gravitas Movies, Hip Hop Bangers, Hollywire, Hollywood Classics, Hometalk TV, Hot R&B, Hottest of the Hot, IGN TV, Kidoodle.TV, KidsFlix, KMTV, Law & Crime, Like Yesterday, Love Destination, Made In Hollywood, MAV TV Select, Maverick Black Cinema, Midnight Pulp, Monster Kids, Neural Focused, Nosey, Only 90s Kids Will Understand, Party, Party Tyme Karaoke, People Are Awesome, PlayWorks, Popstar!TV, Real Nosey, RetroCrush, Reuters TV, Revry, Revry 2, RevryNow, So…Real, SportsGrid, SQAD, SURF NOW TV, Tankee, Tastemade, TG Junior, That 70s Channel, That’s Hot, The Archive, The Boat Show, The Design Network, The Film Detective, The Pet Collective, Toon Goggles, Trending, TV Classics, Unidentified, Unwind, WASH TV, Wipeout Xtra, Wu Tang Collection, Yacht Rock, Yahoo! Finance, YUYU TV
Amazon Freevee, or simply freevee, is a free, ad-supported streaming service powered by Amazon. It has a notable library of licensed titles and original shows, not to mention 24/7 live channels, plus it's easy to access since it runs on most if not all available devices. Although other free streamers have it beat in terms of range and variety, freevee is still a great option for newbie cord-cutters, especially since it already comes on most Amazon platforms.
Price: free for 39 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Echo Show, Google TV, LG, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Xbox, Xfinity Flex
Channel lineup: ABC News Live, Amazon Originals, Bosch, Confess by Nosey, Court TV Live, Criminal Minds, Filmrise British TV, From Asia With Love, Hot Ones, Hunter, Judy Justice, Jury Duty, Latino Vibess, LiveNOW by Fox, MLB, Neighbours, NHL FAST, OUTtv Proud, PGA Tour, Project Runway, QVC, Real Crime, Swerve Sports, Tastemade en Español, Teen Wolf, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Price Is Right: The Barker Era, The TED Channel, The Washington Post, Top Gear, Unsolved Mysteries, Unspeakable, USA Today, USA Today Sports, Vevo, Washington Post, World's Most Evil Killers, XITE, Zona TUDN
Stirr is an American ad-supported streaming service owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. It was launched in 2019. Not only is it free, but it provides access to live local news, 120+ TV shows, and 8,000+ hours of on-demand movies. This service is for viewers who don’t want to commit to a cable fee and don’t mind intermittent ads when watching their favorite movies and shows.
All Samsung Smart TVs come with a free Samsung TV Plus app, the company's own streaming service that offers more than 200 live TV channels and on-demand content to users around the globe. There's no need to subscribe or even sign up for an account to access the app.
Aside from its TVs (specifically those released from 2016 onwards), Samsung makes its streaming platform available to all Galaxy Devices, mobile and tablet, as long as their operating systems are updated to Android 8.0 or higher. It's a worthy option for cord-cutters, especially if you want a fuss-free and cost-efficient way to watch your favorite channels.
Price: free for 216 channels available
Device availability: Android, Samsung Smart TV
Channel lineup: 21 Jump Street, 80s Flashback, 90s Throwback, ABC News Live, ACC Digital Network, ALL ACTION, All Reality WE TV, All Weddings WE TV, All-Out Reality, ALTER, Always Funny Videos, America's Test Kitchen, Anime All day, Antiques Roadshow, Are We There Yet?, Asian Crush, Backstage, BBC Food, BBC Hom, Bein Sports XTRA, Bloomberg Quicktake, Bon Appétit, Bounce XL, Brat TV, BUZZR, Canela.TV, Cars, CBS News, Cheddar News, Chicken Soup for the Soul, CHIVE TV, Cine Romántico, CINEVAULT: 80's, CINEVAULT: Classics, CINEVAULT: Westerns, Circle, CJ ENM, Clarity 4K, Classic Doctor Who, CNN Replay, CNN RESUMEN, Comedy All Day, Comedy Dynamics, Court TV, Crime 360, Crime Zone, Dallas Cowboys Cheer, Danger TV, Deal or No Deal, Degrassi, Documentary+, Dove Channel, Dr. G: Medical Examiner, Drama Life, Dry Bar Comedy, DUST, EDGEsport, ElectricNOW, Estrella News, Estrella TV, ET Live, Fail Army, Family Ties, Fear Factor, FilmRise Action, FilmRise Free Movies, FilmRise Western, Forensic Files, FOX SOUL, FTF, fubo Sports Network, FUEL TV, Game Show Central, GOLFPASS, Gravitas Movies, Grit Xtra, Gusto TV, Hallmark Movies & More, Halloween Movies, Heartland, Hell’s Kitchen, Hollywire, Home Refresh, Home.Made.Nation, HSN, Hungry, IGN, IMPACT Wrestling, INSIGHT TV, InWonder, ION, ION Mystery, ION Plus, Journy, Kidoodle.TV, Kitchen Nightmares, Law & Crime, LiveNOW from FOX, Loupe 4K, Love & Hip Hop, Love Nature 4K, Lucky Dog, Magellan TV Now, Maverick Black Cinema, MAVTV Select, MHz Now, Midnight Pulp, Midsomer Murders, Million Dollar Listing, MinecrafTV, Moonbug Kids, MOTORVISION.TV, MovieSphere, MTV Pluto TV, NBC News Now, NBCLX, NEW KMOVIES, NEW KPOP, Newsmax, Newsy, NHRA TV, Nick Pluto TV, Nosey, Operation Repo, Origin Sports, Outdoor America, Outside, Pac-12 Insider, Paramount Movie Channel, PBS Digital Studios, PBS Kids, People Are Awesome, People TV, Plated, Pluto TV Fantastic, Pluto TV Westerns, pocket.watch, Portlandia, PowerNation, PrendeTV Lo mejor de Liga MX, PrendeTV Novelas de Oro, PrendeTV Novelas de romance, PrendeTV Novelas en familia, Project Runway, Pursuit UP, QVC, Real America’s Voice, REELZ Famous & Infamous, Revry, Ride or Drive, RiffTrax, Rock On, Rotten Tomatoes, Shades of Black, Shout! Factory, Skills + Thrills, Sony Canal Comedias, Sony Canal Competencias, Sony Canal Novelas, SportsGrid, Stadium, Stingray Naturescape, Stories by AMC, SURF NOW TV, T2, Tastemade, Tastemade Travel, TED, Telemundo Al Día, TG Junior, That Girl, The Asylum, The Bob Ross Channel, The Challenge, The Design Network, The Hotel Inspector, The Jack Hanna Channel, The LEGO Channel, The Movie Hub, The New Detectives, The Pet Collective, The Preview Channel, The Walking Dead Universe, This Old House, This Old House Makers, Tiny House Nation, TODAY All Day, Toon Goggles, Top Gear, Tu Cine, TV Land Drama, TV Land Sitcoms, TYT Network, Unsolved Mysteries, USA Today, Vevo 2K, Vevo Country, Vevo Hip-Hop, Vevo Latino, Vevo Pop, Vevo R&B, Vice, ViX Grandes Parejas, ViX JaJaJa, ViX Villanos de Novela, Waypoint TV, WeatherNation, WeatherSpy, Whistle TV, Wild 'N Out, Wipeout Xtra, World Poker Tour, XITE Just Chill, Xplore, Yahoo! Finance, ZooMoo
No longer just a physical DVD kiosk, Redbox has expanded to become an online space where you can rent and purchase films and TV shows as well as watch live channels for free. Like Vudu and Amazon Prime, Redbox gives you access to a plethora of movies, including fan favorites and indie gems (these can cost anywhere from $2 to $5) and movies currently screening in cinemas (these usually cost more, around $20). Redbox also has a live TV streaming feature that you can access even without a registered account. Although most of the channels are not that notable, they cover the essential categories: news, sports, and entertainment.
Price: free for 18 channels available
Device availability: Android, Android TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG, LG Smart TV, LG TV, Roku, Samsung, Vizio, Vizio TV, Xbox
Channel lineup: America's Test Kitchen, beIN Sports Extra, Billiard TV, Bloomberg, CBC News, Cheddar, Family Feud TV, Glory Kickboxing, Hard Knocks, Johnny Carson TV, Now This News, Outdoor America, Pac-12 Insider, Scripps News, Unsolved Mysteries, USA Today, Vogue TV, World Poker Tour
NewsOn is a free streaming service that lets you access live TV newscasts from over 200 local stations around the United States. According to the platform, it has partnered with ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX and their respective local affiliates to cover up to 91% of the country (a full list of their local channels can be seen here).
You can also watch previous news, sports, and weather reports on NewsOn from up to 48 hours ago and select your favorite stations so that they appear first on the homepage. No registration is required, and it allows you to watch local channels wherever in the country you may be.
Price: free for 3 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Website
Channel lineup: CBS local channels, Local news channels, NBC local channels
Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 14 live TV streaming services that offer a free trial.
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.