What are the best documentary streaming services?
What are the best documentary streaming services?
See our top recommendations for mainstream services with big documentary libraries, as well as streamers specifically geared toward documentary lovers.
While there’s plenty of room to debate the merits and drawbacks of subscription streaming services, there’s no denying that streaming services allow viewers to access a huge amount of content all in one place — and in many different genres. Most streamers offer a wide range of titles, including scripted series, reality titles, blockbuster movies, and even documentaries.
In fact, some of the best-known documentary films ever made are available to stream on demand, and there are even whole streamers completely dedicated to offering documentary movies and TV shows. Streaming has helped to bring much wider documentary access to fans of the genre, but it can be a bit difficult to discern which streamers have the best documentary options available.
The Streamable wants to clear up any confusion on which documentary streamers we think are the best in streaming. Find out which services you should turn to first to scratch your documentary itch, and learn a little bit about each of these platforms below!
What are the best documentary streaming services available?
Mainstream services
If you want more of an all-in-one streaming experience that includes documentaries alongside other kinds of content on the same subscription, there are several mainstream services with big documentary catalogs. See which of these services is our favorite below.
Netflix
What immediately stands out about Netflix as a documentary streaming service is its huge budget to devote to originals. This has led to the creation of titles like “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” “The Last Dance,” “Tiger King,” and many others. These shows often become huge cultural touchpoints, driving conversations in person and on social media.
Of course, a Netflix subscription also brings with it a big library of scripted and unscripted originals, licensed titles, and even some live sports. Viewers can watch documentaries on Netflix starting with the streamer’s Standard with Ads plan, which costs $9 per month.
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”
Disney+ and Hulu
Disney+ is home to the National Geographic library, giving subscribers access to a huge selection of top-quality nature documentaries ranging from wildlife to space exploration. Since Disney+ costs just $1 per month more to bundle with Hulu, it seems silly not to include that streamer’s pop-culture and true crime documentaries. Put together, Disney+ and Hulu feature a formidable lineup of documentaries suitable for all age ranges.
Customers who opt for the Disney+ and Hulu Basic bundle will get a huge selection of on-demand entertainment for both adults and kids, and even a selection of live sports from ESPN. The cost of this plan is $13 per month, and customers can add ESPN Unlimited or upgrade to ad-free streaming in these bundles if they prefer.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”
HBO Max
HBO Max takes a deeply investigative approach with many of its documentaries, and its films and series are most well known for their focus on complex social phenomena and infamous, grizzly crimes. The HBO Max library also includes programming from Discovery, including nature-themed documentaries and other titles from its non-fiction catalog.
All of this documentary content is available with a subscription to the HBO Max ad plan, starting at $11 per month. Customers can upgrade to ad-free HBO Max starting at $18.49 per month, though this will not unlock any more documentary access — though it does bring some live sports coverage with it.
HBO Max
HBO Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library and exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Within HBO Max, B/R Sports allows users to watch live NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.
Documentary-specific services
If you’d rather narrow your focus to streaming services that specialize in documentaries, there are plenty to choose from. See which streaming services we think have done the best job of constructing documentary-only libraries here, and how much a subscription costs.
Curiosity Stream
A Curiosity Stream subscription unlocks a lineup of highly educational documentary films and series, led by experts like David Attenborough, Stephen Hawking, and Michio Kaku. Its library offers titles focused on science, technology, history, nature, and space, with new titles added to the streamer regularly, and no ads during playback.
Curiosity Stream offers plans for as little as $6 per month, and has creative subscription options including lifetime plans available. Viewers can also find the Curiosity Stream app on a wide range of devices, making it ideal for viewers who love to watch on connected TVs.
Curiosity Stream
Curiosity Stream is a subscription streaming service that offers 1,800+ documentaries and series on science, space, technology, nature, history, health, and more. The service was created by the Discovery Channel founder, John Hendricks, in 2015.
MagellanTV
MagellanTV has a fantastic array of military history and true crime documentaries, making it ideal for history buffs and amateur cold-case sleuths. It’s also a great choice for fans of high-quality video, since it has an extensive selection of documentaries available in Ultra-High-Definition 4K.
Viewers can watch MagellanTV ad-free starting at $5 per month, and like Curiosity Stream, customers can watch its library of content without having to worry about being bombarded with ads during playback.
MagellanTV
MagellanTV offers 3,000+ documentaries and series that span nearly every topic. Among the platforms titles is “Life Is One: Growing Up Sunbear,” along with curated documentary sections for 4K space films like “Hubble Eye in The Sky 4K,” true crime content such as “Customs,” and stay-at-home travel guide programs like “Germany From Above.” New programs arrive on the service every week.
PBS Documentaries
PBS Documentaries will feel like a king’s ransom to any Ken Burns fans out there, offering the complete catalog of the filmmaker’s famous documentaries on subjects like the Civil War, baseball, jazz, and World War II. Viewers will also get access to investigative series like “FRONTLINE, “NOVA,” and other beloved PBS documentary titles.
Viewers can find PBS Documentaries through Prime Video or Apple TV Channels, and can sign up for the service for $5 per month after a seven-day free trial.
PBS Documentaries
Get access to the past 50 years of documentaries with the Amazon Prime Video add-on channel, PBS Documentaries. The ad-free streaming service provides over 1,000 hours of programming, which is mainly PBS’s original documentary films and television shows and features.
Free streaming services
If you’re more of a casual documentary fan, or simply don’t have the room in your budget for another subscription streaming service, there are some free documentary streamers to choose from. Check out how you can watch high-quality documentary films and series at no cost here.
Documentary+
If you want to watch excellent documentaries at the most affordable possible price, Documentary+ is a great choice. This service has a curated selection of festival darling documentaries, as well as independent films, short films, and classic documentary titles. It may not have all the premium documentaries found on some other platforms on this list, but if you’re looking for a service with no subscription fee, Documentary+ is the way to go.
Documentary+ plans are free because the service is supported by ads. It offers both free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels, as well as a library of on-demand documentary titles.
Documentary+
Documentary+ is a free, ad-supported streaming service spotlighting real-life stories. There are dozens of high-quality films available.
Kanopy
Kanopy offers access to a range of documentary titles, as well as TV shows, movies, and other video made available through your local library. Its collection includes titles from A24, the Criterion Collection, and PBS, giving viewers access to a wide range of rare and educational titles.
The service is widely used by universities and has a great selection of academic documentaries, as well. Kanopy is always free to use and has no ads, but the selection of titles available can vary depending on the titles your local library has. Viewers must connect a public library card or university account.
Kanopy
Kanopy is a streaming platform for independent films and documentaries. It has a collection of more than 30,000 films such as a wide array of dramas, comedies, biopics, and television series. The library includes award-winning films and shows from major television networks like HISTORY, A&E, and PBS.
Hoopla
Like Kanopy, Hoopla offers access to documentaries and other streaming titles through library memberships. There are no wait lists or holds involved with using Hoopla, and the service offers non-fiction audiobooks, ebooks, and educational instructional content all on the same platform as its documentary catalog.
Documentary fans whose libraries partner with Hoopla can sign up for a library card and access everything the streamer has to offer completely free.
Hoopla
Hoopla is a free streaming service accessible with your library card. The service features movies and TV shows, along with millions of audiobooks, ebooks, comics, and more. The BingePass feature also allows free access to services like Curiosity Stream, iNDIEFLIX Hellosaurus, and Hallmark+.