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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Toon Goggles is an on-demand service dedicated to streaming kids' shows, including popular cartoons like PJ Masks, live-action features like Guinness World Record, and even games like Angry Birds. There are hours upon hours of content here, not to mention pre-screened ads and strict parental controls, making it a suitable service to leave the children with.
Some of Toon Goggles' shows can be streamed for free, but if you want full access and no ads, you'll have to subscribe to its premium tier, which costs $1.99 in the US and Canada and just $0.99 everywhere else.
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.
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
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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.
Philo Free is a completely free live TV streaming platform that carries more than 70 channels, including AMC Thrillers, BBC News, The Walking Dead Universe, and beIN Sports Extra, on top of on-demand films and TV shows. Like Philo's paid plan, Philo Free also offers DVR storage, though here it's limited to 30 days, as opposed to a year, and you can still create up to 10 custom profiles. You'll need an account to start watching Philo for free, as well as a compatible device, but you notably do not need to provide credit card information. In case you want more live channels or DVR storage, you can always upgrade your account to Philo Core, which is $25/month.
Price: free for 82 channels available
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Channel lineup: 4UV, All Reality WE TV, All Weddings WE TV, AllBlk Gems, AMC Thrillers, America's Test Kitchen, Anger Management, ANIME x HIDIVE, Are We There Yet?, BBC News, Bein Sports XTRA, Cheddar News, Chicken Soup for the Soul, CINEVAULT, CINEVAULT: Classics, CINEVAULT: Westerns, Cold Case Files, Comedy Dynamics, Confess by Nosey, Cowboy Way, Crackle, Crime 360, Crime Cults Killers by A&E, Crime ThrillHer, Dance Moms, Deal Zone, Drag Race Universe, Duck Dynasty, Ebony TV by Lionsgate, FailArmy, Game Show Central, GET Comedy, Growing Up Hip Hop WE tv, Gusto TV, HerSphere, Home.Made.Nation, Ice Road Truckers, IFC Films Picks, INFAST, INTROUBLE, InWonder, KIN, Love Nature, MagellanTV Now, Matched Married Meet, Modern Marvels, Movie Favorites by Lifetime, MovieSphere by Lionsgate, MSG SportsZone, Mythical 24/7, Nashville, OuterSphere by Lionsgate, Outside TV+, Overtime, People Are Awesome, PlayersTV, pocket.watch, Portlandia, RetroCrush, Revry, Ryan and Friends, Scares by Shudder, Screambox TV, Slightly Off IFC, Space Science Now, Stories by AMC, Tastemade Home, Tastemade Travel, The Bob Ross Channel, The Pet Collective, The Walking Dead Universe, Tiny House Nation, TV One Crime & Justice, UnXplained Zone, USA Today, Vevo 80s, Vevo 90s, Vevo Country, Vevo Features, Vevo Hip-Hop, Vevo Pop, Wild Oceans
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.
Price: free for 2 channels available
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Channel lineup: PBS, PBS local channels
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
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Channel lineup: CBS local channels, Local news channels, NBC local channels
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.