25 Cheapest Streaming Services in the UK

uk-tv › cheapest streaming services • May 10, 2024 • Staff

The cheapest streaming services are the ones that come free. That could be services like My5 and Channel 4, which depend on ads to stream free content. The BBC iPlayer counts as well if you already have a TV licence on hand. Now, if you're already subscribed to these, the next cheapest options are those that don't go beyond the £10 monthly price point. That would mean a lot of on-demand streaming services like Britbox (£5.99) and Apple TV+ (£6.99) as well as affordable live TV streamers like Discovery+ (£3.99) and Now (£9.99 for the entertainment pass).

Below is a full list of the cheapest streaming services in the UK, as well as relevant details about each one of them.

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WOW Presents Plus

WOW Presents Plus is an on-demand streaming service that prides itself on its LGBTQ+ content, most of which comes in the form of vibrant reality and sketch shows. This is where you'll find the latest seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race as well as its many iterations and spin-offs.

The platform serves as a streaming arm of The World of Wonder, a production company that has been at the forefront of queer storytelling since 1991.

The shows on WOW Presents Plus can be downloaded and viewed on most streaming devices (no TV provider required). A subscription costs £4.43/month or £43.38/year.

Shudder

If Netflix, Amazon, or Disney’s vast catalog of films never really met your needs as an avid horror fan, then Shudder just might be the streaming service for you. It’s dedicated to the most thrilling, hair-raising, and frightening titles available, both from Hollywood and around the world. Although a number of popular and classic titles are missing from its catalog, you’ll be sure to find newer and fresher horror fare here, such as Let the Right One In and The Ring. Shudder has also recently invested in original content, which most notably includes Deadstream, Mad God, and Dragula Titans.

If you’re looking to test the waters before diving headfirst, Shudder offers a seven-day free trial, after which you’ll have to pay £3.99/month to continue streaming. Given its careful curation and affordable price point, Shudder is worth checking out especially if you’re a big fan of the genre.

Paramount+

Paramount+ is a streaming service that brings together thousands of titles from Paramount Studios, CBS, Showtime, Nickelodeon, and MTV all in one place. You can find blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick here, as well as beloved series like Yellowstone, Star Trek, and Yellowjackets. It even has UK-exclusive shows like The Flatshare up its sleeve.

A subscription costs £6.99/month, and it offers much of the same features you'd expect from on-demand streaming services like offline viewing, multiple user profiles, and simultaneous streams. It even has parental controls for those with young ones hoping to tune into kid shows from Nick. If you're not quite satisfied with your Netflix and Prime offerings and don't mind shelling out a few extra pounds, then Paramount+ is certainly worth considering.

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Now

Now TV (or simply Now) is Sky TV's standalone and contract-free streaming service. It features the best of the Sky Channel, but in specialized membership formats that you can choose according to your viewing needs. As of this writing, this includes a cinema pass for £9.99/month (perfect for cinephiles), an entertainment pass for £9.99/month (perfect for TV lovers), a Hayu pass for £4.99/month (perfect for reality show enthusiasts), and finally, a kids pass for £3.99/month (perfect for the little ones). You can subscribe to one of these passes or bundle them together and add extra channels like Sky Sports.

If you prefer to have the fat trimmed off of your choices, you'll appreciate this specialized approach to streaming. But you have to be careful about the expenses, which can stack up via add-ons. You’ll also have to have what’s called a Boost upgrade if you want to unlock 1080p streaming (the standard is 720p) and access simultaneous streaming for up to three devices (the standard is two devices).

It seems tricky, but once you get the hang of Now, it’s actually a top-notch service with quality programming.

Netflix

For the longest time, Netflix has remained undefeated in the streaming stratosphere. It solidified its top position by providing an endless catalog of original films and TV shows and by taking risky moves early on, like allowing offline viewing and releasing interactive games.

However, amid rising competition, Netflix has had to make a few changes to its iconic viewing experience. For one, it now has an ad-supported tier, which cord-cutters on a budget can subscribe to for £4.99/month. Under this plan, you can expect to see four to five minutes of advertising per hour of viewing. But Netflix’s basic plan, which allows one device to watch ad-free at any given time, still costs £6.99. Meanwhile, the standard and premium plans are still priced at £10.99 and £15.99, respectively (the latter offers 4k quality for that extra crisp viewing experience).

With an extensive media library and affordable price plans to boot, Netflix remains a great option for streaming and binging.

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Magellan TV

Magellan TV is an on-demand streaming service dedicated to educational non-fiction content, making it a worthy option for lifelong learners and documentary lovers. What sets it apart from other docu-heavy streaming sites is its careful curation and broad range. It's also a great choice if you're into history and science more than any other topic.

While Magellan TV is available in most parts of the world, it does charge USD— $5.99/month in particular. That works out to be £4.99/month in the UK, more or less. If you're still not sure it's a worthy addition to your streaming lineup, you can try the service out for free for seven days.

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Lionsgate Plus

Previously known as Starzplay, Lionsgate+ is an on-demand streaming service that can be accessed as a standalone service or as a subscription add-on to existing platforms like Amazon Prime, Roku, and Virgin TV. Either way, it's available to try for free across multiple devices.

While Lionsgate doesn’t quite have the breadth of options that Netflix and Amazon Prime have, it offers quality titles from many studios around the world (but particularly from America) and if often does so exclusively. It’s home to the critically acclaimed series Gaslit and Outlander from Starz, as well as Station Eleven and Tokyo Vice from HBO. At £5.99 a month, Lionsgate is certainly worth checking out if you're a fan of popular and well-received TV shows and films, especially those coming from the other side of the pond.

ITVX

ITVX is ITV’s official streaming service. It’s the cordless home of the network’s deep reserve of shows, which includes reality hits like Love Island and Big Brother, as well as imported titles like Freaks and Geeks and The Sex Lives of College Girls. It also has licensed films from the US and original content on the way, making it a hefty rival against the likes of Now, BBC iPlayer, and even Netflix.

Since ITVX is ad-supported, you can watch all of its channels and select titles for free. But if you do opt to go premium and pay £5.99/month (or £59.99/year), then you will have access to offline viewing and ITV’s Britbox selection, which has significantly more titles as it also sources from the BBC and Channel 4, among others.

It may be relatively new to the streaming world, but because it gives viewers free and premium options, ITVX already packs a mighty punch.

Hayu

You can say what you want about reality TV, but it’s hard to beat the fact that no other type of show can satisfy your drama cravings quite like it. Whether you’re watching a cooking competition or a dating series, there’s something addictively thrilling about the outbursts and meltdowns that go down in these shows.

Hayu is an on-demand streaming service dedicated to all things reality TV. It features up to 300 shows, most of which stream on the same day as the US and all of which you can access on major streaming devices. Here, you'll find all 20 seasons of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, as well as multiple iterations of The Real Housewives, Vanderpump Rules, and Top Chef. It’s not bad at £4.99/month, but if you’re still not sure whether it warrants a monthly subscription, you can try their seven-day free trial to test it out.

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Flix Premiere

Flix Premiere is a British on-demand streaming service that brings together the best of independent cinema into one place. It partners with premier film festivals like TIFF, SXSW, Cannes, and Berlinale and selects the best of the bunch—the most beloved and awarded in the circuit—to stream on the platform.

Perhaps the best thing about it is that, unlike mainstream streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, Flix does not use algorithms at all. Everything is proudly hand-curated by a team of film lovers, so you know it comes from a place of passion. Though, like mainstream streamers, Flix does allow offline viewing and is reasonably priced. A subscription costs £5.99/month, but if you're still on the fence about its offerings, you can test the service out for free for 30 days.

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WOW Presents Plus

Shudder

Paramount+

Now

Netflix

Magellan TV

Lionsgate Plus

ITVX

Hayu

Flix Premiere

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