Want to binge some cartoons? We’ve pulled together all the best streaming services to get your animation fix. While there are some illegal ways to do this, we’re sharing perfectly legal options, many of which you can stream for free.
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Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a great all-around streamer for families, but it excels at animation. It’s home to all the best shows from Nickelodeon, so it’s perfect for kids. There isn’t much adult animation to be found, however.
If you’re getting this for your kids, consider paying up for the ad-free version.
Highlights:
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Star Trek: Lower Decks
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Avatar: The Legend of Korra
- Beavis and Butt-Head
- Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
- Hey Arnold!
- The Ren & Stimpy Show
- Abby Hatcher, Fuzzly Catcher
- The Backyardigans
- Rugrats
- Dora the Explorer
- The Penguins of Madagascar
- Drawn Together
- The Wild Thornberrys
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Amazon Prime Video
Prime Video offers an enormous variety of entertainment for the whole family. That includes an impressive animation library. You’ll see plenty of kids entertainment, but also the gory superhero drama of “Invincible.” Remember that you can add many of the services from this list as Prime Video channels. Almost all offer free trials.
Highlights:
- The Legend of Vox Machina
- Invincible
- Teen Titans
- Dexter’s Laboratory
- Undone
- Monkie Kid
- Ed, Edd n Eddy
- The Real Ghostbusters
- Super Wings!
- Thomas & Friends
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Netflix
Netflix does just about everything well, and that includes animation. There are shows for the youngest children and adult animation fans as well. When you create a kids profile, you’ll see Netflix loaded up with popular adventures boys and girls love. It’s rare to find a service that serves adults and children equally well, but Netflix fits the bill.
Highlights:
- Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- BoJack Horseman
- Fast & Furious Spy Racers
- Big Mouth
- F Is for Family
- The Dragon Prince
- Justice League Unlimited
- The Cuphead Show!
- Carmen Sandiego
- PJ Masks
- The Octonauts
- Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu
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Disney+
Disney+ is your obvious go-to for animated movies - you’ll find everything from “Snow White” to “Frozen” and Pixar favorites like “Toy Story” and “Inside Out.” But the service has an excellent library of animated series as well. You’ll see lots of kid-friendly titles and superhero adventures to appeal to teens.
Highlights:
- Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
- Bluey
- The Simpsons
- X-Men: The Animated Series
- Phineas and Ferb
- What If…?
- Star Wars: Rebels
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- PJ Masks
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Lego Star Wars
- Higglytown Heroes
- Big Hero 6: The Series
- Young Jedi Adventures
- Doc McStuffins
- The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Spidey and His Amazing Friends
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Hulu
If you love adult-themed animation, Hulu may be the easy choice. You’ll get popular animated sitcoms from FOX, and a new reboot of “Futurama.” Bundle this with Disney+ to save money and get even more animation for your streaming dollar.
Highlights:
- The Simpsons (current season)
- Futurama
- Family Guy
- Rick and Morty
- Bob’s Burgers
- King of the Hill
- Archer
- American Dad!
- Thundercats
- Animaniacs
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Max
Max is home to the animated adventures of DC superheroes and some Cartoon Network and Adult Swim standouts. “South Park” and “Rick and Morty” are popular animated comedies for adult audiences. You won’t find many cartoons for very young children, however.
Highlights:
- My Adventures with Superman
- South Park
- Rick and Morty
- Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
- The Jetsons
- Teen Titans
- Harley Quinn
- The Flintstones
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force
- The Looney Tunes Show
- Tuca & Bertie
- Super Friends
- Sealab 2021
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Crunchyroll
If you love anime, you can’t find a better service than Crunchyroll. You’ll see more than 30,000 episodes, and you can see new episodes shortly after they air in Japan. It’s the best anime streamer by a mile.
Highlights:
- Slow Start
- Usakame
- Ensemble Stars
- Puzzle & Dragons X
- To Be Heroine
- Undead Murder Farce
- Virtualsan - Looking
- Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence
- My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1
- Senran Kagura Shinovi Master: Tokyo Yoma-hen
- Uchû kaizoku Mito no daibôken
- Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon
- The Great Cleric
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Apple TV+
Almost everything on Apple TV+ is an original show, but you will find some classic Charlie Brown holiday specials. Expect a lot of newer shows, with the high bar of quality Apple is known for.
Highlights:
- The Snoopy Show
- Duck & Goose
- Doug Unplugs
- Central Park
- Wolfboy and the Everything Factory
- Shuriken School
- Stillwater
- Pinecone & Pony
- Eva the Owlet
- Get Rolling with Otis
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PBS Kids
If you have young children, PBS Kids is a must-have streaming app. It’s free if you want limited episodes, but you can add the Prime Video channel for a small fee if you want every episode of these beloved shows. From the emotional development of “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” to the wry humor of “Word Girl,” this service is a rare streamer where parents can truly trust the entire library.
Highlights:
- Hero Elementary
- Dinosaur Train
- Alma’s Way
- Work It Out Wombats
- Clifford the Big Red Dog
- Molly of Denali
- Elinor Wonders Why
- Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
- Arthur
- Wild Kratts
- Curious George
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HIDIVE
HIDIVE is a good streamer for anime fans. It’s not in the same league as Crunchyroll, but it may have some series you can’t find elsewhere.
Highlights:
- Vinland Saga
- Oshi no Ko
- Made In Abyss
- The Eminence in Shadow
- Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
- Call of the Night
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RetroCrush
RetroCrush is another anime-focused streamer. This service brings classic anime series to its audience.
Highlights:
- Fighting Spirit
- Ghost Stories
- Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan
- Key the Metal Idol
- Iria: Zeiram the Animation
- Bubblegum Crisis
- Cromartie High School
- Flame of Recca
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Kartoon Channel
Kartoon Channel has a wide range of cartoons to keep your family entertained. All programs are carefully curated to be entertaining and enriching, but also to ensure there is no violence, no negative stereotypes, no inappropriate language, and no excessive commercialization.
Highlights:
- Peppa Pig
- Angry Birds
- Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten
- Yu- Gi-Oh!
- Sunny Bunnies
- Beckbro Jack
- Shaq’s Garage
- Slick Slime Sam
- English Tree TV
- Finny the Shark
- Rainbow Rangers
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Peacock
Peacock is great for sports lovers and adults, but there’s also a fair amount of animation to be found. It may not be your go-to streamer for cartoons, but it’s worth considering.
Highlights:
- Garfield and Friends
- Too Loud
- Joe and Jack
- Pocket Dragon Adventures
- Mondo Yan
- Bob the Builder
- Yu-Gi-Oh!
- Strawberry Shortcake
- ALF (the cartoon)
- Nina’s World
- Popeye the Sailor
- The Adventures of Puss in Boots
- Danger Mouse
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Tubi
If you’re looking for free cartoons, you can see a fair amount on Tubi. The service has a huge library of movies and TV shows for all audiences.
Highlights:
- The Transformers
- The Woody Woodpecker Show
- Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
- The Jetsons
- The Care Bears
- Madeline
- G.I. Joe
- The Busy World of Richard Scarry
- The Flintstones
- The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
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Sensical
If you have a child between the ages of 2-10, Sensical is worth adding to your streaming lineup. You’ll see all kinds of shows designed to be kid-friendly. The service does have ads, but they’re not unnecessarily jarring.
Highlights:
- 64 Zoo Lane
- Barbie Dreamtopia
- Dino Ranch
- Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures
- Oddbods
- PJ Masks Music Videos
- Brewster the Rooster
- Chloe’s Closet
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Hopster Learning
Hopster is another streaming service catering to young kids. You’ll see hundreds of educational, diverse, super fun shows that balance literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional learning.
Highlights:
- I’m a Monster
- Pocoyo
- Alphabet Stories
- Number Blocks
- Talking Tom and Friends
- Masha and the Bear
- Molang
- The Hive
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Toon Goggles
Toon Goggles is another streamer for kids. Content is divided into six categories: boys, girls, comedy, action, preschool and educational. You can pay to remove ads.
Highlights:
- VIP Pets
- Winx Club
- The Fixies
- Sunny Bunnies
- Ricky Zoom
- Rollbots
- Transformers Rescue Bots
- Pirate School
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Kidstream
This kid-focused streamer offers safe, non-violent programming for kids. You won’t find many A-list titles here, but it’s a good option for little ones.
Highlights:
- Kate & Mim-Mim
- Circle Square
- Dot.
- Madeline
- Rocket Monkeys
- Kung Fu Bunny
- Best Sports Ever!
- Me and My Robot
- Through the Woods
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Ameba
Yet another streamer with lots of cartoons for kids, Ameba offers traditional cel, stop-motion, and cutting-edge modern animation.
Highlights:
- Bob the Train: Nursery Rhymes and Kids Songs
- Around the World With Willy Fog
- Babar
- Franklin and Friends - Deep Sea Voyage
- Wayside
- Gummy Bear and Friends
- Everything’s Rosie
- Kit n Kate
- Jelly Jamm
- Pound Puppies
- Shaq’s Garage
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
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Kidoodle.TV
If you let your children watch TV while you’re not in the room, you’ll appreciate Kidoodle TV’s parental controls.
Highlights:
- SpongeBob SquarePants
- Santiago of the Seas
- Kent the Elephant
- Miss Moon
- Cocomelon: JJ’s Animal Time
- Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear
- Magic Mixies: Mixlings
- True and the Rainbow Kingdom
- Gabby’s Dollhouse
- Little Angel
- Lego City Mini Movies
- Bubble Guppies
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Kanopy
This service is free if your library participates, and the selection is great. While there are lots of A-list live action movies, the animation library is good. There’s a dedicated kids section packed with educational cartoons, but you’ll also see lots of award-winning animated shorts aimed at adults.
Highlights:
- Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City
- The Secret of Kells
- Charlotte’s Web
- The Busy World of Richard Scarry
- Arpo
- Dr. Panda
- Kit & Pup
- Madeline
- Franklin and Friends
- Max & Ruby
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Hoopla
Hoopla is another streamer that comes free with many library cards. You’ll find some popular traditional cartoons, anime, and animated films as well.
Highlights:
- One Piece
- Naruto
- Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
- Rick and Morty
- Death Note
- Beavis and Butt-Head
- The Venture Bros.
- Samurai Jack
- Arthur
- Masters of the Universe: Revelation
- Happy Tree Friends
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
- Adventure Time
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Osmosis Jones
- The Secret of NIMH
- All Dogs Go to Heaven
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Yippee
Christian parents will appreciate Yippee for its Bible-focused animation. Yippee is home to the popular VeggieTales series, along with other religious cartoons.
Highlights:
- VeggieTales
- Music Machine
- Treasure Champs
- Superbook
- Listener kids
- The Garden
- Woof and Joy
- Hey-0 Stories of The Bible
- 3-2-1 Penguins!
