11 Best Apps to Watch Documentaries on Roku in 2025

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.

Curation: The amount of shows on-demand are limited to 67 series, so if you easily get overwhelmed by choice, Sundance Now offers more focused curation of high-quality movies and documentaries.

Exclusive streams: According to Sundance Now’s ‘Exclusive’ category it is the only streaming platform to offer the movies Jonestown: Terror in The Jungle, Liar, Motherland, Public Enemy, Sanctuary, and Wisting.

Viewing quality: All CuriosityStream titles are available in either HD or 4K.

Niche programming: For factual content, CuriosityStream is unrivalled thanks to its regularly updated library of high-quality documentaries, 900 of which are exclusives. 

High value: For a pretty low price, CuriosityStream offers 3,000 titles and has plans to upgrade to 11,000 premium titles within five years.

Flexible: There are no regional or device limitations either so you can stream on as many devices at once as you want, from anywhere in the world.

Sling's "Orange" plan will get you channels like ESPN and Freeform, while the"Blue" plan will get you channels like TBS and Lifetime. If you get the "AMC+ extra", you sign yourself up for one of the most cost-efficient bundles of the cord-cutting era. For $7, you will get AMC+ (which costs $6.99 as a standalone service), plus Shudder ($4.95 standalone), plus Sundance Now ($6.99 standalone), plus IFC Films Unlimited ($5.99)

Name a better bundle deal. I'll wait.

Unique programming: From high-budget documentaries to lower-budget indie films, the content available through Ovid.tv is far from mainstream, making the library is truly unique compared to other streaming platforms Amount of content: With 900 titles at the time of testing, not only is the programming unique, but it’s also varied and abundant.

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.

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.

Discovery+ has an incredibly big catalog, which the service estimates at 55,000 episodes. But then again, it's not any type of catalog, it's very specific stuff. So before you subscribe, go on their website, browse their programming, and if some of it speaks to you, great! Otherwise, there is little use to having access to so much TV without being interested in it.

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.