The Best Streaming Platforms for Documentaries

For those hesitant to trust new cord-cutting companies, DirecTV Stream is a good middle ground. You get live local and national channels, and there’s no annual contract, but you're still with a staple of live TV. The basic package is comparable with other cable companies, and you have the option to bundle the service with other streamers to maximize your content access.

News and sports junkies, look away. Everyone else, listen up! Philo TV offers a cord-cutting live TV package that includes 62 live channels, unlimited DVR space, and simultaneous screening capabilities for the low, low price of $25 a month. Philo doesn’t carry sports channels, but if you can go without, a better deal is hard to find.

If you're a Sling TV subscriber looking to fortify your channel line-up, you might want to consider the Hollywood extra package—perfect if you're a movie fan and lover. It has eight channels dedicated to cinema, including SundanceTV (a treasure trove of indie gems) and Turner Classic Movies (endless classics for history film buffs). Sling Blue subscribers also get two additional channels: FXX and the FX Movie Channel, which are both subsidiaries of the Walt Disney company. Both libraries include films from 20th Century Studios, Twentieth Century Pictures, and Fox Film.

When you add the Entertainment Extra to one of Sling's plans, you make sure that you get your comedy channels on top of many basics. Also important to note that Paramount Network, home to the hit Yellowstone, comes included.

The Sling Lifestyle extra includes reality TV and lifestyle channels like We TV, DIY Network, VH1, and the Cooking Channel. When you add this extra to the Orange Plan, your total subscription will cost $41 (unless you choose to get other extras).

Sling TV has two offers: Blue, which includes over 45 channels like CNN and MSNBC, and Orange, which includes ESPN and Disney Channels. Each plan costs $40. You can combine them for $55. If you get either Sling Blue or Sling Orange+Blue, you can get a news extra which gives you access to 10 news channels plus CNBC, Fox Business, NDTV24x7, France24. If you get only Sling Orange, you get the 10 news channels plus HLN. The 10 news channels in every news extra are NewsNation, NewsMaxTV, Science Channel, BBC World News, Weather Nation, Euronews, News18, RT America, CGTN, and Law & Crime Trial Network.

Disney Plus is a streaming on-demand service owned by the Walt Disney Company available in 59 countries at the time of writing. Pricing starts at $9.99 a month in the US, while plans differ from region to region.

Peacock is a streaming service owned by NBC, with options to choose two plans: $7.99/month ($80/year) for ad-supported, or $13.99/month ($140/ year) for ad-free. It used to offer a free plan, but that went away amid the Great Streaming Price Hikes the previous year. Still, with both premium plans, you'll get access to the full catalog of 2,000 movies and shows, including every episode of original NBC favorites like Brooklyn 99, The Office, and Parks and Recreation. You'll also get next-day and early access to all the new episodes of live NBC shows like Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. 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.

FuboTV’s comprehensive Starter Plan gives YouTubeTV a run for its money. $79.99 a month gets you over 100 channels, a huge amount of DVR storage space, and since Fubo is a sports-focused live streamer, all the main sports channels are included. As an added bonus, the package includes simultaneous streams on up to three screens.

Movies, acclaimed TV shows ready for binging, your favorite current series — and more than 75 live channels at your fingertips. For $75 a month, Hulu with Live TV lets you have it all. The package’s 50 hours of DVR storage sounds smaller compared to its competitors, but with Hulu’s content library included, it’s a trade off that ensures you won’t be left wanting more.

Hulu is an on-demand service that is currently only available in US territories. You can get access to Hulu's on-demand content library for $9.99 a month with commercials, and $18.99 without. There's also an option to bundle it with Disney+ for $10.99 a month with ads.

Starz is a cable TV network in the US with an on-demand streaming service of the same name. Currently, Starz on-demand has a monthly price of $10.99 ($3/month for the first 3 months). Starz is available as an add-on channel to Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Roku platform. For a similar subscription price, you can also access Starz as an add-on via a variety of online streaming services including YouTube TV and Hulu Plus Live TV, among others. Alternatively, the Starz on-demand app is available for Android, iOS and most other mobile devices.

At $60 a month, subscribers to Sling TV Orange and Blue treat themselves to the best of both worlds. You can live in the moment with 51 live channels, or tune in whenever you want, choosing from a host of on-demand content. If you’re hesitant to cut the cord completely, this package definitely eases the transition.

Good news for Verizon mobile customers: you're eligible to bundle two of streaming's powerhouse players, Netflix and Max, for just $10/month. Verizon's Netflix + Max bundle includes both of the streamers' ad-supported plans, which go for $7 and $10 respectively, and shaves more than 40% off their usual price. Not only is this package a steal, it's also a rare move on Netflix's part, which isn't usually too keen on bundles. The Netflix + Max is also stackable, meaning you can pair it with another $10-bundle from Verizon (we suggest the Disney-Hulu-ESPN bundle to get the most out of the discounts). This bundle is available to Verizon customers on the Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, or Unlimited Ultimate plans (which start at $75/month), just don't forget to enroll in the provider's myPlan subscription first.

Frndly TV is a streaming platform focused on family-friendly live TV channels, with an attractive price starting at $6.99. There are three plans, Basic, Classic and Premium, which respectively cost the $6.99 starting price, $8.99, and $10.99. The Basic plan only allows for SD streaming, but both other plans allow for HD. The basic plan doesn't allow for DVR recordings, but the other plans allow for 3 months and 9 months respectively. And lastly, the basic plans allows for only one simultanious stream, but the Classic allows for 2 and the Premium allows for 4.

Apple TV+ is an ad-free on-demand stream from Apple that costs $9.99 per month and is accessible in about 150 countries. The Apple TV+ app is accessible via Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac) and Apple TV. While Android phones and tablets are not supported, you can access Apple TV+ via Android-powered TV devices like Chromecast. It can be accessed via web browser and supported by PC, as well as Roku devices, Amazon Fire TV devices, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Dubbed "The Free Netflix," Tubi is one of the best options for streaming quality movies and TV shows online. The completely free, ad-supported service has one of the most extensive title lineups, plus it's compatible with most devices, making it an extremely popular option for cord-cutters. Though it has been noted to have a less-than-stellar resolution, most viewers don't mind due to its easy interface, constantly updated library, and of course free titles. Parents will also be glad to know that the service has parental control features.

Amazon's premium membership program is an all-in-one bundle that includes access to the streaming platform Prime Video, more commonly referred to in this publication as “Amazon Prime.” A subscription entitles you not only to Amazon Prime's thousands of films and TV shows, but also to Amazon's delivery benefits, which include discounted fees, free shipping, and same-day delivery on select items. The membership bundle costs $14.99/month, but you can access the streaming service as a standalone for just $8.99. Depending on where you live, access to Amazon Prime might differ. If you live in the US, UK, or Germany, you have the option of paying a yearly or monthly subscription fee for an Amazon Prime account. Users from the US, UK, France, and Brazil likewise have access to Amazon Prime's sports content which, depending on the season, may include live and on-demand coverage of basketball, football, and baseball events. Meanwhile, people in countries where Amazon is not operating may only be able to access it from a browser. In addition to on-demand streaming, you can rent or buy titles that are not on the service or purchase add-on channels like HBO, Starz, and MLB.TV to watch on the Amazon Prime platform. And apart from Amazon devices, the app is available on any mobile device, including iOS, Android, or Windows. The app also works on Apple and Windows computers, a wide range of TVs, mobile devices, and gaming consoles.

Netflix is an ad-free streaming platform that operates on a monthly, or annual, subscription. There are three pricing plans – Basic, Standard and Premium – and the one you choose will determine the number of devices that you can simultaneously use to watch Netflix, in case you want to share the account with someone else. There are three plans, though pricing differs from region to region. First up is the Basic plan, which allows you to watch on one device at a time. Upgrading to the Standard plan allows you to watch shows and movies, and download them for offline viewing, on up to 2 different devices at a time. The top-tier Premium plan lets you watch and download on up to 4 different devices, and comes with the options to watch videos in HD and Ultra HD. Once subscribed, you can watch movies and TV shows directly on your browser via Netflix.com. You also have the option of downloading the app on pretty much any mobile device, including iOS, Android, or Windows. The app also works on computers using Windows XP or later and Macs with OS X Tiger or later.

Mubi is a movie-streaming service featuring a curated selection of 30 movies on a daily rotation, as well as a large library of movies from previous rotations. The subscription costs $14.99 per month or $119.88 for an annual subscription. If you just want to browse the database before paying up front, you can sign up for a free account for access. Mubi has a Now Showing section, with the newest entries to the library on a given day (the library is updated daily), and a Library section featuring a back-catalog of other highlights and previously “showing” movies. You may see a section called 'Live' for live broadcasts once in a while. Aside from the options to stream via web browser, Mubi also has mobile apps for Android and iOS, media streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), and you can subscribe to Mubi as a Prime Video channel. While Mubi is not available on the Xbox One, you can access the service on a PlayStation 4 console.

Formerly HBO Max, Max is a subscription-based on-demand platform that is only available in the US. New subscribers can choose from three monthly tiers ranging from $9.99 (with ads) to $16.99 (no ads) to $20.99 (no ads, plus more concurrent streams, downloads, and 4K streaming). An annual subscription option is also available. When you subscribe, you'll get HBO’s world-class exclusives, such as The Wire and Game of Thrones but Max also functions as a bundle: you'll get content from Discovery, DC, Criterion Collection, Looney Tunes, Studio Ghibli, Turner Classic Movies, and Crunchyroll. And as of September 2023, you will also get a live stream of CNN. It's not a direct 24/7 simulcast of the channel, but many segments of it are broadcast live. Most mobile devices that can stream video support Max, although there is yet no app for Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices.

Crunchyroll is a video-on-demand streaming service that specializes in all things anime. It's also recently absorbed a competitor, FUNIMATION, offering an even bigger catalog. You can opt for either a free ad-supported plan or subscribe to one of its paid tiers, which starts at $7.99. These tiers remove ads out of the picture and feature episodes that are simulcast from Japan. for the longest time, you could try these plans free for 14 days, but it's since shortened that trial period to 7 days. You can access Crunchyroll via a web browser or app, the latter of which is available on all major streaming devices.

Paramount+ with SHOWTIME (previously Paramount+ Premium) is a Netflix-style streaming service, offering movies and TV shows on-demand like The Good Fight and Yellowstone. But unlike Netflix, it gives you access to Live TV from CBS. That means CBS local channels, CBS News (CBSN), CBS Sports, ET live, and some live sporting events like NFL on CBS Live. It also offers on-demand access to programming from Comedy Central, MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Paramount Pictures, and Smithsonian Channel.

As of 2024, it increased its monthly price to $12.99, but with that comes a significant upgrade: members now have access to all of Showtime's content, which includes movies and shows like Billions, Dexter, and Yellowjackets, as well as live coverage on sports including boxing, football, and MMA. Since Showtime shut down its standalone service in early 2024, this Paramount+ plan is now one of the few ways to watch Showtime without cable.

Looking to keep your favorite shows at your fingertips, preserve access to live sports and news broadcasts, but still want to cut the cord? YouTube TV is the answer. At $73 a month it skews more expensive than other live streamers, you won’t be able to find a more extensive, all-inclusive package anywhere else.

The Roku Channel can't replace Netflix or a cord-cutting service like Sling, but it's a nice added bonus if you already have a Roku device. The selection of live channels is limited, but there's something for everyone, including news, sports, and entertainment. It has a nice mix of free on-demand movies (ad-supported of course) that range from indie hidden gems to blockbuster classics. And thanks to a multi-year deal, The Roku Channel will air a weekly Sunday MLB game for free, indefinitely.

Shudder is an on-demand streaming service dedicated to niche horror movies. In the US, a monthly subscription currently runs at $6.99 per month or  $71.88 per year. In 2020, Shudder extended its operations to Australia and New Zealand, where pricing differs. You can also sign up for Shudder via your Amazon Prime account. Shudder can be accessed via a full range of services including Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Xbox One and is compatible across Apple and PC computers, and Android and iOS phones and tablets.

Sling TV has always been the affordable live TV option, but in case you're looking for something more premium, you'll be happy to know that the platform is now offering Max as an add-on for $17/month, on top of your base Sling TV subscription. That would mean $57/month if you're a Sling Orange user, but for Blue and Orange + Blue users, Sling offers discounted packages: you can get Sling Blue with Max for just $51.99/month, or Sling Blue + Orange with Max for just $66.99/month, saving you $5/month. These bundles are perfect if you want to combine the accessibility of local news and sports coverage with the entertainment value of a heavyweight streamer like Max. It comes with HBO shows like Game of Thrones and Succession; WB classics like Friends and the Big Bang Theory; blockbusters like Harry Potter and Barbie; and of course, on-demand content from sister channels like HGTV, TLC, CNN, and TCM. If you purchase the Sling + Max bundle, you'll also have access to the following HBO channels: HBO East, HBO West, HBO 2, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Latino, HBO Zone, and HBO Comedy. Lastly, you can access the Max app separately using your Sling credentials.

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.

One important thing to know: ESPN+ will not allow you to watch ESPN channels live. However, it has a lot of on-demand content that has aired on the channels and is a good way to watch some sports live. Namely: UFC events, many soccer leagues (such as LaLiga and Bundesliga), golf, tennis, and MLB. For the price, ESPN+ is worth at least a try if you are a fan of any of these sports.

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. With the introduction of Criterion24/7, Criterion Channel also entered the Live TV world, offering a great alternative to channels like Turner Classic Movies.