Free Streaming Services: Best Options in 2025
In 2025, it’s very easy to stream movies and TV for free. There are dozens of free streaming services and each has something worth watching. Free streamers are essential to our mission of saving money, so Streaming Smarter will always spotlight your best options.
Best Ad-Free Option
Your quest for free streaming should begin with your local public library. Most libraries will partner with Kanopy and/or Hoopla. Kanopy is basically a miracle. Your library assigns you a limited number of digital “tickets” each month and you get to decide how you spend them. My library gives me 30 tickets each month, while kids’ content has no ticket restriction. Most films cost 2 tickets.
I’m always surprised at what’s available when I open Kanopy. As I write this, I can watch great flicks like “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Parasite,” “Coming to America,” “Oldboy,” “The Conversation,” “Paddington 2,” “Tropic Thunder,” “Good Will Hunting,” “The Naked Gun,” “Best in Show,” “The Truman Show,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Zodiac,” “Fargo,” “Gladiator,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Memento,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Mean Girls,” “Collateral,” “The Apartment,” and “A Bronx Tale.” Any streaming service would kill for that lineup.
Kanopy’s TV selection is disappointing unless you like BBC programming.
The instructional library is pretty great with several of The Great Courses. Check out the series to learn “Screenwriting 101,” “Birding in North America,” “The Art of Travel Photography,” “Yoga,” “Master Outdoor Cooking,” “Scientific Secrets for Self-Control,” and “Cooking with Vegetables.”
For kids, you’ll get titles like “Sesame Street,” “Bob the Builder,” “Molly of Denali,” “SciGirls,” “Madeline,” and “Rosie’s Rules.” You’ll also see read-along video books.
See our full review of Kanopy ►
Best for Kids
I tell every new parent to fire up PBS Kids when it’s time to let their toddlers watch TV. “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” is the perfect gateway show. It teaches life skills and emotional intelligence in a way young kids can understand. I used Daniel Tiger to potty train my kids. (There are entire episodes dedicated to things like that or going to the dentist or supporting autistic classmates.)
As your kids grow, PBS Kids is there with “Wild Kratts,” “Super Why,” “Word Girl,” and “Work It Out Wombats.” My kids lost interest in PBS Kids around kindergarten, but it was a godsend until then.
Beyond the PBS Kids video app, there’s also the PBS Kids Games app with its free learning-focused games, perfect for even the youngest players. PBS Kids Learning and Science offers games that lean into STEM.
Best for News
Haystack News is my choice for news streaming. Unlike other free streamers, Haystack allows you to choose which TV stations and which topics you see. Beyond your initial settings, you can also “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” a clip, so the app tailors itself to your preferences over time. Haystack taps into more than 400 providers.
Unlike its competitors, Haystack allows you to skip news clips or replay them as you like. I love the “Popular” section, which gives you really intriguing stories. Haystack fuses national and local news sources – I use it to keep track of my hometown and where I live now.
Best for Movies
If Kanopy doesn’t have what you’re looking for, Tubi probably does. It’s a giant library of titles. You’ll see blockbusters, Oscar winners, and the most pure cinematic trash ever filmed. It’s a wild assortment and there’s always something to watch. Tubi claims it has 275,000 movies and TV episodes.
As I write this, I see titles like “Edge of Tomorrow,” “The Thing,” “Casino,” “The Town,” “Tropic Thunder,” “Drive,” “Kill Bill,” “Road to Perdition,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Donnie Brasco,” “I, Tonya,” “A League of Their Own,” “Moonstruck,” “The Last Waltz,” “Tommy Boy,” “The Lego Movie,” “Labyrinth,” and “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”
The TV library has “Empire,” “Scandal,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “All in the Family,” “Community,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Shameless,” and “Moonlighting.”
Best for Background TV
I always find myself drifting to Pluto TV when I just want “something” on in the background. Although Pluto TV has on-demand options, I usually just watch the channels.
Pluto has channels dedicated to specific genres, but I also love the channels pinned to specific titles, like “Cheers + Frasier,” “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” “I Love Lucy,” “The Addams Family,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Star Trek,” “Blue Bloods,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Survivor,” “The Amazing Race,” “60 Minutes,” and “Peppa Pig.”
It’s great to throw on an old favorite show and let it play 24/7. Pluto TV is the best for that.
