13 Best Services to Watch Documentaries on Roku

Kanopy is an on-demand streaming service that schools and public libraries all around the US offer students and members for free. All you have to do is enter the details of your participating institution and you can start watching as you please. Because of the academic nature of the platform, Kanopy makes sure it streams only the most essential and important content available, which could mean hard-hitting films like Moonlight, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Lady Bird, Dogtooh, Memento, and Howard's End for certain viewers, or The Adventures of Paddington, Richard Scarry, and The Monster Math Squad for even other, younger viewers. There are also storybooks, documentaries, and educational programs available to watch as Kanopy makes sure to cater to every learner regardless of leaning or age.

Sundance costs $6.99 per month, with an annual subscription that goes for $59.99.

In addition to watching Sundance Now on the web, you can stream from the service’s apps for mobile, (Android and iOS) and media streaming (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku). 

Sundance Now does not offer any apps on game consoles, such as the Xbox One or PlayStation 4.

If you get the Sling TV's AMC+ extra, you're signing up for one of the most cost-efficient bundles of the cord-cutting era. For $8.99, you'll get AMC+ (which costs $4.99 as a standalone service), plus Shudder ($6.99 standalone), plus Sundance Now ($6.99 standalone), plus IFC Films Unlimited ($5.99). Name a better bundle deal. We'll wait.

Ovid.tv is an on-demand streaming platform dedicated to independent movies and is currently available in the US and Canada. In the US, Ovid.tv costs $6.99 per month or $69 per year. It used to offer a 14-day free trial, but it's since shortened the period to 7 days. You can access Ovid.tv via mobile platforms including Android and iOS, as well as media streaming devices including Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku. However, Ovid.tv does not offer any apps for game consoles at the moment.

If you lived through the '80s, you may have heard of Night Flight, the nighttime cable channel that aired punk rock music videos, low-budget monster flicks, psychedelic documentaries, and adult cartoons, among many others. It went under at the turn of the '90s but has recently returned to join the streaming wars, seemingly bigger and better than ever. As a subscription-based streaming service, Night Flight Plus gives you access to classic gems, plus new content from partner studio companies. It's basically a time capsule with extra room for all the new niche movies it could've aired during its prime. If you're looking for carefully curated nostalgic picks, Night Flight Plus is a great choice to consider.

MagellanTV’s content focuses mostly on documentaries. New movies and series are added weekly, so the library is frequently updated. This streamer is for people who love learning about science, space, and the earth. MagellanTV provides a thoughtfully curated selection of films that focus on current events and global topics of importance. A monthly subscription costs $5.99/month with a 7-day free trial, but if you opt to pay annually, your monthly cost comes up to just $4.99/month and you'll be eligible for a 14-day free trial.

The History Vault has all the best of The History channel: excellent documentaries, informative series, travel shows, and of course, historical specials. The difference is that the streamer offers all this on-demand and ad-free, with curated collections and exclusive titles to boot. Some programs that are no longer available on the cable channel can also be found in the Vault. If you're a fan of quality deep dives on everything and anything related to history and humanity, then this streamer is for you.

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.

Fandor is a paid subscription streaming service that curates independent, foreign, award-winning, and classic films, as well as documentaries from all over the world, making it a standout option for cinephiles. Depending on your location, it also offers a number of free movie titles. But Fandor doesn't only cater to fans; rookie directors also get some love as the service allows them to debut their work on the platform. It's a great option for film lovers and makers alike.

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.

Discovery+ is a streaming service from the famous mass media company that has an ad-supported plan for $4.99 a month and an ad-free plan for $8.99. This includes content from Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, Food Network, HGTV, ID, A&E, History, Lifetime, OWN, Travel, Science Network, and The Dodo. But beware, you cannot stream these channels live with a Discovery+, you can only watch their TV shows in playback.

CuriosityStream is an American streaming service 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.

BBC Select is a streaming service dedicated specifically to all things culture, politics, and ideas. It houses the best of the BBC's non-fiction content—namely, widely-acclaimed documentaries and docuseries—but it also occasionally sources titles from other channels, like the UK's Channel 4. While it can seem like BBC Select is competing with Acorn TV and BritBox, which are the go-to UK channels in North America, it's actually closer to the likes of CuriosityStream and Discovery Plus in its specialization of documentaries. The only downside is there are currently only three ways to watch BBC Select: through Apple TV, Amazon Prime Channels, or The Roku Channel.