16 Best Services to Watch Indie Movies on Roku

cord-cutting › best services to watch indie movies on roku • April 16, 2024 • The Staff

Blockbusters and popcorn movies are wonderful sources of entertainment, but when it comes to smart, tender, and illuminating works of art, nothing beats a great indie flick. Whether it's a searing documentary or a small-budget but big-hearted dramedy, there are many hidden gems out there just waiting to be discovered.

A good place to start is your Roku device; the nifty player is compatible with a good number of platforms that specialize in independent content. Below, we've listed the very best of these platforms.

Indie movies on roku on Flix Premiere

Flix Premiere is a subscription-based service that streams underrated and hard-to-find independent films. Founded in 2015 by Martin Warner, Flix Premiere is a treasure trove of fresh but forgotten gems—movies deemed too small or unprofitable are finally given a fighting chance here. The company states that it sources much of its content from prestigious festivals like Berlinale, Cannes, TIFF, and more.

The streamer, currently available in the US and the UK only, is for hardcore cinephiles and anyone who prefers films over TV shows. The subscription is at $6.99/month, and the service offers a 30-day free trial.

Go to Flix Premiere

Price: $6.99/month

Free Trial: 30 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Website, Xbox

Features: annual subscription, on-demand content, trial

Indie movies on roku on Fandor

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.

Go to Fandor

Price: $5.99/month

Free Trial: 14 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku

Features: ad-supported option, offline downloads, on-demand content, trial

Indie movies on roku on DOCUMENTARY+

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.

Go to DOCUMENTARY+

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

Indie movies on roku on Curia

With its curated lineup of over 100 hand-picked, top-quality independent films every month, Curia indulges viewers with seasonal and permanent film collections for only $3.99 a month. The service ensures an experience less reliant on the impersonal algorithm that has dominated the likes of Netflix, and more on the personal recommendation setup where friends and experts help you pick out the next best watch. Aside from thoughtful curations, signing up also gets you unlimited access to award-winning feature-length and short films from beloved festivals around the world, all in the comfort of your home.

Go to Curia

Price: $3.99/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Website

Features: on-demand content, trial

Indie movies on roku on Criterion Channel

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.

Go to Criterion Channel

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

Indie movies on roku on Arrow Player

Arrow is a streaming service for cult cinema, with a particular focus on horror and classics. If you love niche films and hidden gems, then this is for you. You'll also appreciate Arrow Player if you're into hand-picked content as it boasts a highly curated and carefully refined selection of titles.

Quentin Tarantino has recommended the service a few times!

Go to Arrow Player

Price: $4.99/month