Netflix keeps increasing its prices. Live TV cord-cutting services cost almost as much as cable. It's all getting kind of out of hand.
The cheapest on-demand streaming services are the ad-supported ones like Tubi and Vudu, which are completely free. Then, there are services that cost around $5: Apple TV+, Hulu with ads, Funimation, Topic, and a few others. In this list, we count down the cheapest on-demand streaming services.
Peacock is a streaming service owned by NBC, with options for paid subscriptions as well as a free plan. The free plan offers about 13,000 hours of ad-supported content, with the option to upgrade to premium for more access to content. The premium options include two plans: $4.99 a month or $50 a year for ad-supported; $9.99 a month or $100 a year for ad-free. With both premium plans, you'll get access to the full catalog of 2,000 movies and shows, including every episode of the original NBC series. You'll also get next-day access to all the new episodes of ongoing NBC shows, and early access to talk shows such as Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on the air night. You can stream Peacock on Apple devices like the iPhone and Apple TV, Google devices like Android phones and Chromecast, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. But there is still no app available for Roku or Amazon platforms.
Magnolia Selects can be accessed via an array of iOS and Android phones and tablets as well as desktops and Roku devices. It is also available as a channel through Sling TV and Amazon Prime Video.
Subscriptions with unlimited access to Magnolia Selects cost $4.99 per month or a discounted $49.99 per year.
Another plan is available for “sub-genre subscriptions” that gives access to specific genres (action, comedy, horror, documentary) for only $2.99 per month.
FXNow is an on-demand app available in the US and Canada, featuring content from the FX, FXX and FXM channels. You can also access it via web browser (fxnow.fxnetworks.com).
It’s free if you're a subscriber of FX or a participating TV provider, but it is supported by ads.
You can also use it as an add-on to other on-demand subscriptions including Paramount Plus, HBO Max and Disney Plus, at varying prices depending on the platform.
The FXNow app is also available on all major platforms, mobile devices including Android and iOS, and media streaming devices including Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV Chromecast, and Android TV.
Price: $5.99/month
Epix On Demand is a streaming platform from the Epix television network that offers on-demand content from the channel. It’s offered to subscribers of the Epix television channel at no extra cost.
Otherwise, the cost varies depending on your TV provider, though it averages at about $5.99/mo. whether you subscribe directly through Epix or via a third partner.
You can subscribe to Epix via supported providers including Comcast xfinity, Cox, DISH, DIRECTV, Spectrum, Verizon FIOS. It can also be used an add-on with Amazon Prime Video Apple TV, AT&T TV NOW, Sling TV, YouTube TV and EPIX NOW.
Price: $5.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV
Cinemax is a video-on-demand streaming service and cable network available in the US.
Signing up to Cinemax costs $5.99 a month as a Hulu add-on, with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it as an add-on package for $9.99 a month on Amazon Prime.
Cinemax can be accessed via a full range of services including Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Xbox One and is compatible across devices Apple and PC computers, and Android and Apple phones and tablets.
Price: $5.99/month
Britbox is a streaming service born out of an alliance between two British broadcasters: BBC and iTV. If you like British humour, British detective shows, or anything British TV, it's the place for you. You won't be the only one, by October 2020, the platform had 1.5 million subscribers, a number that's growing.
Price: $6.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV
Watch all you can with your family and friends with Yip TV! For only $49.99 per year, Yip TV offers a more affordable annual subscription than an additional international package to your standard cable plan. Access your favorite 44 Live TV shows and on-demand content simultaneously with 5 different devices so everyone in the family can watch what you want. Yip TV offers Spanish content, which is not typically offered by other streaming services.
Price: $14.99/month
Device availability: Android, Apple TV, iOS
Channel lineup: ¡Hola! TV, 360 Tune Box, Antena3, Arirang TV, Atreseries, BizTV, Bloomberg TV, Bolivia TV, Canal 52 MX, Canal Sur, CB24 Noticias, Centroamérica TV, Cine Sony, CubaMax TV, Destinos TV, Dominican View, El Financiero Bloomberg TV, FashionBox Live, FilmBox Art House, FilmBox Russia, France 24, Kino Polska International, Kino Polska Muzyka, Latin Angels, Mi Gente TV, Mis Películas, NTN24, Pasiones, RCN Novelas, Show Business TV, Sony Movie Channel, Supercanal, Tele El Salvador, Teleformula, Telesur, Televisión Dominicana, TV Chile, Video Rola, WAPA América, YouToo America
With titan subscription-based streaming services in the market, XumoTV reels streaming back to its roots –the audience, with its free ad-supported platform. It is steadily gaining momentum in the streaming landscape with its free live and on-demand content from over 190 channels on its roster. Access Xumo TV using Smart TVs, browse the web or download their app if you’re on the go. Take the hassle of monthly subscriptions and access Xumo TV even without signing up.
Price: free for 13 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, iOS, Panasonic, Roku, Samsung TV, Visio TV, webOS, Xfinity Flex
Channel lineup: ABC News Live, AccuWeather Now, Bloomberg, CBC News, CBSN, Check with Xumo for the full channel lineup, Cheddar News, Fox Sports, NBC News Now, NBCLX, PGA Tour, Today, USA Today
Topic is an online streaming service operating in the US and Canada.
In the US, a monthly subscription currently runs at $5.99 per month or $56.99 per year.
Topic can be accessed via Apple iOS, and AppleTV, Android, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku, in addition to Amazon Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, Roku Premium Channels, and Bell Fibe.
Price: $5.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, Roku
The Film Detective is a streaming service dedicated to showing classics of all kinds, from beloved films and silent pictures to B-movies and epic musicals. It offers most of its 3,000+ hours of titles for free, but it also has a premium tier that starts at $3.99/month. With this subscription, users can access original content as well as stream titles on multi-platforms. The Film Detective refreshes its library every month, and it has all sorts of lists curated and updated by a dedicated staff of movie buffs.
Price: free for channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Website
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.