As the long list of streaming price hikes gets even longer, free, ad-based streaming models are an oasis for the price concious consumer. Below, we count down the best streaming services available on the iPhone app store.
35 Best Free Streaming Services on iPhone
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The CW has always been a major player among TV networks. Through the years, it has built up a solid reputation providing fresh titles targeted to the younger crowd. To stay in the game, The CW also now has its own dedicated streaming service, which it offers free (though not ad-free) and which contains the latest shows The CW network is airing. The latter part is what sets The CW apart from its other official streaming service, CW Seed, which only covers the network's past shows.
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.
RetroCrush is a free streaming platform fully dedicated to vintage anime. If you're a hardcore fan in desperate search of a discontinued series, a 90s classic, or an obscure show that practically no one has heard of, chances are you'll find all of what you're looking for and more in this treasure trove of a platform. RetroCrush gives you access to a number of shows without charge, but if you want to stream even more titles ad-free, you can opt to sign up for a premium account that costs $4.99 a month, with a free 14-day-trial.
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:
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
Pokemon fans will be glad to know that hundreds of Pokemon episodes, as well as films and specials, can be streamed for free on the Japanese anime's official streaming platform, Pokemon TV. You can download titles to watch offline (though they expire after a week) and, in case you've seen them all, the platform shifts them around so you can catch anything you've missed, old and new.
You don't need even to make an account to watch Pokemon TV, much less pay for it, making it an ideal viewing option for cord-cutters on a budget. It's also conveniently available on most devices, including smart phones, TVs, and of course, the Nintendo Switch.
PBS channels around the country are free on television, and thanks to the PBS app, they're now free to stream as well. The PBS app gives you on-demand access to many of the network's famously educational shows, including Nova and PBS News Hour, as well as the nearest local station in your area. You don't need an account to start watching on the PBS app, although you might have to activate it beforehand. Again, PBS is free, but if you want to support your local PBS station and gain extended access to even more films and TV shows, then you can purchase a PBS Passport membership, which costs around $5/month or $60/year.
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:
Channel lineup: CBS local channels, Local news channels, NBC local channels
NASA+ is the space agency's official, ad-free, and on-demand streaming service. It carries original shows and movies that feature NASA's discoveries on the cosmos and beyond and intimate interviews with the astronauts and scientists behind these projects. There are also animated kids' shows and Spanish-language content for younger viewers and families to enjoy, as well as high-definition intergalactic videos set to interesting sounds, in case you're not in the mood to watch anything too heavy. The app, which can be downloaded on iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV, is completely free and requires no sign-up to access.
Remember those thrashy (but fascinating!) films that would air on TV late into the night, long after the proper programs had their run? Those titles have found a new home in Midnight Pulp, a free streaming service that lets you watch films and TV shows on-demand and live. It specializes in the weirdest content you can imagine; whether that's a 1960s Star Trek knockoff, a B-movie erotica, or a laughable monster flick, they likely have it here. Midnight Pulp also offers a live TV stream that's active 24/7 with channels that offer much of the same—with the exception, perhaps, of RetroCrush and AsianCrush, which have solid lineups of anime and dramas. Midnight Pulp also offers more titles (many of which are adult-themed) ad-free if you pay for their premium $4.99/month tier.
Price: $4.99/month
Free Trial: 14 days
Device availability:
Channel lineup: Asian Crush, AsianCrush, Crime Hunters, Midnight Pulp, Retro Crush, RetroCrush, Screambox TV, Tokushoutsu
LocalBTV is a streaming service that delivers live feeds from local TV stations around the United States. Free of charge and offering cloud DVR with up to 1 TB of storage, it's an accessible resource for those looking to cut the cord without having to cut ties with their community. As of this writing, LocalBTV has yet to stream major news networks like ABC or CBS, but it is working toward that goal. It's set to set up a paid premium version that carries nationwide networks and doubles the number of available local stations. For now, it's still a handy live TV service that covers 52 areas in the US.
Price: free for 24 channels available
Device availability:
Channel lineup: Ace, BEKSports, CMC, CMC-USA, Cozi TV, Diya, France24, GetTV, ISciFi, Kpop, Local news channels, NewsNet, Nostalgia, NTD, Quili, QVC, RightNow, ShopLC, Sidewalks, Sportsnews, TCN, TCT, TeleXitos, The Country Network
Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 14 live TV streaming services that offer a free trial.
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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.