Documentaries, second only to horror, are a divisive genre: people either love and watch non-fiction, or completely avoid it.
If you are in the first group, you probably wonder which of the most popular streaming services has the best offering for you. So here, we have ranked the most popular streaming services by which ones have the most documentary movies.
Now TV is the new cable alternative from Comcast (owner of Xfinity). For $20/month, you get over 40 live channels, 20 hours of DVR, and watch on up to three devices. You also get Peacock Premium included. And of course, no minimum commitment and you can cancel anytime.
To get it, you have to first subscribe or already be a subscriber to Xfinity internet. You can then add it at checkout.
At $20, it is one of the cheapest cord-cutting services out there, especially considering the channels that it offers.
Price: $20/month
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, iOS
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, Afro, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BBC News, CBS, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Crime+Investigation, Discovery Channel, Discovery Life Channel, Food Network, FOX, FYI, GetTV, Great American Family, Great American Living, GSN, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, History Channel, ID, IFC, Justice Central TV, Lifetime, LMN, Magnolia Network, Military History Channel, MotorTrend, NBC, OWN, PBS, Pursuit, Recipe.TV, Science Channel, Sony Movies, Sundance Channel, The Weather Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, Vice, WEtv
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 $10.99 per month or $95.88 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.
Price: $10.99/month
Free Trial: 30 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV
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.
Price: free for channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire Stick, Amazon Fire Tablet, Android, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Website
The Hulu + Max bundle gives you the ultimate entertainment experience. On the Hulu front, you get a constant stream of lighthearted comedies, hard-hitting documentaries, and the occasional prestige drama, while on the Max front, you get a bundle within a bundle: HBO hits, Discovery documentaries, Warner Bros. blockbusters, and even BBC imports.
To access Hulu + Max, you'll have to pick a Hulu base plan, which starts at $7.99/month, and add $15.99/month for the Max add-on. With this, you get everything under one platform and pay for just one bill. Plus, you can use your Hulu credentials to log into the Max app, in case you want to watch your favorite shows on the go. It's quite the deal if you're looking to tune into the most critically-acclaimed originals streaming has to offer.
Price: $23.98/month
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Website, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Amazon Freevee, or simply freevee, is a free, ad-supported streaming service powered by Amazon. It has a notable library of licensed titles and original shows, not to mention 24/7 live channels, plus it's easy to access since it runs on most if not all available devices. Although other free streamers have it beat in terms of range and variety, freevee is still a great option for newbie cord-cutters, especially since it already comes on most Amazon platforms.
Price: free for 38 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Echo Show, Google TV, LG, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Xbox, Xfinity Flex
Channel lineup: ABC News Live, Amazon Originals, BBC Earth, Bosch, Confess by Nosey, Court TV Live, Criminal Minds, Filmrise British TV, From Asia With Love, Hot Ones, Hunter, Judy Justice, Jury Duty, Latino Vibess, LiveNOW by Fox, MLB, Neighbours, NHL FAST, OUTtv Proud, PGA Tour, Project Runway, QVC, Real Crime, Swerve Sports, Tastemade en Español, Teen Wolf, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Price Is Right: The Barker Era, The TED Channel, The Washington Post, Top Gear, Unsolved Mysteries, Unspeakable, USA Today, USA Today Sports, Vevo, Washington Post, World's Most Evil Killers, XITE
If you have an existing DirecTV subscription, or if you're considering getting one, you might have heard of the DirecTV + Max bundle. It exists because Max, a premium service that's home to TV series like Game of Thrones and Succession and film franchises like the DC Cinematic Universe and Harry Potter, doesn't come pre-installed in most DirecTV packages, except in its $155 Premier plan. With this bundle, however, you're free to choose from any of DirecTV's plans, which begin at $64.99/month, and bundle in Max for free for the first three months. After that, you're automatically charged the usual ad-free price, which is $15.99/month. The bundle also gives you access to HBO channels, which will be added to your current lineup, and to the Max app, which you can sign into using your DirecTV credentials. Considering Max itself doesn't offer free trials, subscribing to this bundle could save you a considerable amount.
Price: $79.99/month
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV
Much like Tubi and Freevee, Crackle is a streaming service that offers hundreds of movies and TV shows for free. Some of the more considerable titles include network series like Shameless and Community, Hollywood hits like Mad Max: Fury Road, and small indies like Short Term 12. Granted, Crackle doesn't nearly have as many to offer as its competitors, and the ads are relentless, but it's still a worthy and penny-less alternative that fills in the gaps for any streaming needs you might have. It also plays on most major streaming devices, including gaming consoles PlayStation and Xbox.
Price: free for channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Vizio, Website, Xbox, Xbox One
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: $8.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV
AMC Plus is a premium streaming bundle that includes the same benefits of AMC Premiere, the add-on subscription service available to subscribers of AMC. The service is currently available only in the US for $4.99 per month ($8.99 for the ad-free plan). You can subscribe at a reduced price if you’re an existing AMC channel subscriber on services like Xfinity, Dish Network and Sling TV. AMC Plus can currently be accessed via Apple TV Channels, Amazon Prime Video Channels, Comcast Xfinity, DirecTV, Dish, Roku, and Sling TV. While there is no AMC Plus app at the time of writing, you can access AMC Plus content via your provider’s app.
Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 14 live TV streaming services that offer a free trial.
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.