“Free.” Doesn’t everyone love that word?
When it comes to free trials, that’s when heads start to really turn. Cord cutters have the freedom to get a small taste of live TV and on-demand streaming services and what they have to offer. After a week or more of obsessive binge-watching, the viewer can say, “Adios” and move on to the next. With so many streaming services offering free trials, there’s a lot to experiment with without hurting your wallet.
Each service has its pros and cons, but it’s all free, so why not check them all out? Below are some of our faves, but it’s up to you to explore and choose which one you like best!
Live TV Trials
Live Services
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DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is a live TV streaming service, which is essentially the streaming version of the DIRECTV service. The service is the new name of AT&T TV is available without a contract or extra fees.
Pros: DIRECTV STREAM is the king of regional sports networks. If you love sports, this service offers far more than any other. The channel possibilities are huge. They currently offer a 5- dagars gratis provversion.
Cons: Once your free trial ends, DIRECTV STREAM can become wildly expensive. It’s sprawling channel packages may be a godsend for TV fans, but some may find the price too steep.
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Fubo
Fubo is a live TV streaming service with about 90 channels for $74.99/month. This plan includes local channels, 25 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs). In total, you should expect to pay about $85.98/month, after adding in their RSN Fee. Fubo was previously known as “fuboTV.”
Pros: Sports nuts will be attracted to the large helping of sports content such as professional and college sports leagues.
Cons: The one potential downside is the lack of certain regional sports networks. Due to contract issues with providers, some fans may be unable to watch their local team. There’s also no TNT, which might be a dealbreaker for NBA fans.
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Philo
Philo is a live TV streaming service designed for entertainment lovers which includes 60+ channels for $25 per month.
Pros: Bargain-hunters unite! Enjoy a week of 60+ channels to choose from, and don’t worry about missing your favorite show because the unlimited DVR takes care of it for you. Once the week is up, and you decide to take the leap and subscribe, you’ll be relieved to know that Philo is super affordable.
Cons: Due to its lower cost, there are no local broadcast stations, live sports, or major cable news networks. Philo only focuses on entertainment and lifestyle channels, so if that isn’t your jam, signing up for a trial probably isn’t worth the effort.
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YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $72.99/month. This plan includes local channels, 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs) in select markets.
Pros: An unlimited DVR lets you record as much TV as you want. The channel lineup is broad and covers most popular channels. YouTube TV also has an easy and clean user interface. You can even delete or rearrange channels in your channel guide. The service free changes frequently, from 3-14 days.
Cons: Some of the commercials are extremely repetitive. You can’t really make a skinnier bundle, so it’s a pricier option.
More live TV options:
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Frndly TV (7-day free trial) - A channel lineup with curated family-friendly content.
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NBA League Pass (7-day free trial) - Watch any game from any NBA team (blackouts apply). Choose home or away audio streams. The most premium tier of this service provides in-arena coverage where commercials would normally air.
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MLB.TV (7-day free trial) - You can see every out-of-market game live or on demand, and choose home or away TV and radio feeds. The app allows fans to watch up to four games simultaneously on the same screen through their multi-view feature.
Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, and ESPN+ do not offer free trials at this time.
On Demand Trials
On-Demand Services
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Hulu
Hulu is a video streaming service that gives access to thousands of full seasons of exclusive series, hit movies, kids shows, and Hulu Originals like The Handmaid's Tale.
Pros: If you only want a trial of the on demand Hulu (minus the live channels), you get 30 days to sample the service. That makes it easier to rip through the catalog. Be sure to check out their documentary collection for some excellent titles. You’ll also find a lot of older sitcoms like “Cheers” available to stream.
Cons: The Hulu Originals slate is a little light, but it looks like that’s starting to turn around. After your 30 days, your willingness to continue may rely on whether the library of older content appeals to you, because new series are slow to arrive.
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Amazon Prime Video
Pros: You’ll love the huge movie library with over 10,000 titles (three times the amount of Netflix). The selection changes monthly, including A24 indie films and originals like “The Big Sick.” So make you sign up for a free trial before your favorite movie expires.
Cons: The library is huge, but bloated with a staggering amount of low-budget crud and pseudo-documentaries with incredibly slanted political agendas. Platform navigation is less than ideal.
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Apple TV+
Pros: You’ll see high-budget, gorgeous series, including the ultra-popular “Ted Lasso.” Everything looks and sounds great. Apple TV+ tends to lean toward high-concept sci-fi series.
Cons: The library isn’t particularly deep, so you may not find a reason to return all that often.
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discovery+
discovery+ is a video streaming service that offers more than 70,000 episodes of 2,500+ current and classic shows from several popular TV brands including Discovery, Investigation Discovery, HGTV, TLC, Food Network, A&E, Lifetime, och History.
Pros: If you love “unscripted entertainment,” discovery+ has that in spades. It’s perfect “background TV” if you’d just like something on while you scroll on your phone or fold laundry.
Cons: You won’t find blockbuster movies or epic entertainment here. It’s aimed at its niche.
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Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. The lineup includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and MTV’s “Laguna Beach.” From well-loved franchises to compelling originals, Paramount+ offers a great library worth streaming. Live NFL games are included. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate.
Pros: Offers 12,000+ TV shows and a continuously growing collection of films like the “Mission: Impossible” movies. Upcoming “South Park” movies will entertain fans of that franchise. Nickelodeon content will appeal to kids.
Cons: Paramount is a little light in the movie franchise department. Aside from “Star Trek” and “Mission: Impossible,” there aren’t many marquee names. Seven days should be enough to help you decide if this service is right for you.
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STARZ
STARZ offers a subscription video streaming service that gives access to content on the STARZ channel without the need of a cable subscription. With your subscription, you’ll get access to 7,500+ films and episodes, including all of their current originals like “Outlander,” The Serpent Queen,” “BMF,” and “Power.”
Pros: STARZ offers a quirky collection of entertainment that strays from what you’d typically find on these services. Shows like “Spartacus,” “Black Sails,” and “Ash vs. Evil Dead” join movies like “Whiplash,” “Big Fish,” and “District 9.” You’re sure to find some hidden gems.
Cons: The library is certainly unique, but this may be the kind of service where you return every few months, rather than as a weekly habit. Give it a whirl for a week and see if there’s enough here to merit the subscription.
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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.
Pros: If you’re a science enthusiast, this Discovery+ lookalike is for you. Explore various original documentaries like the thought-provoking “Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places.” The best thing about this platform is that everyone in your family can stream different shows at the same time.
Cons: There are fewer titles available than Hulu or Netflix and there is no comedy, action, horror, or other genre content. It’s also unavailable to stream on PlayStation.
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SHOWTIME
SHOWTIME offers a subscription video streaming service that gives access to content on Showtime without the need of a cable subscription. With your subscription, you’ll get access to all of their current originals like Yellowjackets, Billions, and American Gigolo. If you choose to bundle Showtime with Paramount+, you can get both services for $7.99/month (with ads) or $12.99/month (ad-free).
Pros: All the original Showtime titles that you love are listed like “Billions,” “Shameless,” and “Homeland.” There is also a complete library of every television series that the channel has released. Some of the documentaries are top notch, including “The Comedy Store” and “The Fourth Estate.” Showtime is willing to tackle edgier topics than more mainstream services.
Cons: The movie library is more “miss” than “hit.” At the time of this writing, it only featured 30 films with a rating of 8 or higher on IMDb.
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Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is a subscription video streaming service catering to fans of anime with over 30,000 episodes. Viewers can see new episodes of shows one hour after they air in Japan, and read hundreds of chapters across dozens of manga titles. Some of their more popular titles are Dragon Ball Super, Attack on Titan, and Fire Force.
Pros: Anime buffs have access to 1,000 anime titles which include ones with Japanese voice acting and English subtitles, as well as titles with English dubs.
Cons: They only allow one profile, so users have to share the same queue. The content is also uncensored (which could be a good or bad thing depending on the type of viewer).
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Shudder
Shudder is a streaming video service specializing in horror, thriller and supernatural fiction titles. The service has a vast library of both classic and contemporary films as well as new, original programming such as Wolf Creek, and Slaxx. Shudder also benefits from content courtesy of AMC including Eli Roth's History of Horror and fan-favorite zombie survival series The Walking Dead. The platform is available to users in the U.S., Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Ireland.
Pros: The platform’s audience is mainly horror-lovers due to its growing selection of scary originals and international content ranging from episodic and documentary-style shows to full length features. There are also classics like “Absentia” and “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.”
Cons: The obvious one would be that they don’t exactly have entertainment comprised of sunshine and rainbows. It’s also not compatible with PlayStation or Nintendo devices.
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Funimation
Funimation is a streaming service focused on Japanese animation. Funimation is likely to die out in time - many of the site’s pages redirect to its sister service, Crunchyroll. While Funimation continues to add new episodes of its current series, all future anime series will stream exclusively on Crunchyroll. Funimation does still serve anime fans with shows like “My Hero Academia,” “One-Punch Man,” “Dragon Ball Z,” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.”
Pros: With two weeks of anime entertainment, dubs, and exclusive content, boredom is not an option here.
Cons: It’s a distribution platform, so there is no original content. Not necessarily a bad thing, but still worth mentioning.
More on demand options:
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Acorn TV (7-day free trial) - Enjoy content from dozens of international networks in countries, from British channels to Australian, French, Italian, Irish, and other major European networks.
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BET+ (7-day free trial) - Watch over 1,000 hours of Black content from the Black creators.
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VRV (30-day free trial) - An over-the-top streaming service that celebrates anime, animation, video games, comics, science fiction, fantasy, and tech.
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Ovid TV (7-day free trial) - An on-demand streaming platform, available in the US and Canada, that focuses heavily on independent movies.
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Film Movement Plus (30-day free trial) - A video-on-demand platform centered around independent and international films.
Please consult The Streamable's full list of streaming services - most will offer at least a 7-day free trial.
Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+ do not offer free trials at this time. You can get a 7-Day Free Trial of HBO Max through Hulu.
Permanently Free Options
Always Free
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Tubi
Tubi is a free video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 45,000+ movies and television shows - more than any other streaming service. Its ad breaks are shorter and less frequent than most free services. Fox executives have called their service “TV on steroids.”
Pros: Offers more content than any other streaming service. Don’t be fooled by the free price, there are A-list and award-winning titles that will even impress those with a richer taste. The library’s variety is also notable and offers niche categories like anime, faith, LGBTQ, and sci-fi & fantasy.
Cons: No parental controls can be a problem as some content contains nudity. Commercial breaks play every 25 minutes.
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Pluto TV
Pluto TV is a free live TV streaming service that provides more than 350 channels of live TV and thousands of on demand movies and TV shows.
Pros: 007 fans need to check out Pluto, purely for its James Bond channel. There are also a lot of older shows like “The Nanny” and “Deal or No Deal.” So if you love retro TV and old classics, you may want to cancel weekend plans for a while.
Cons: Top cable channels like CNN, Bloomberg, and NBC News are available but only as stripped-down versions of the real thing. This also goes the same for sports channels as they often are just recaps or documentaries.
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Roku Channel
The Roku Channel is a free live TV streaming service that provides 450+ live linear streaming channels and more than 80,000 free movies and TV shows. The library contains entertainment from several different decades, including some major hits.
Pros: The amount of free movies and shows is, quite frankly, overwhelming (in the best way possible). Plus, they have a Kids & Family section that is categorized by age.
Cons: Navigation can also be frustrating and seemingly endless. In addition, there are no parental controls. Not available on all platforms.
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Crackle
Crackle is a free video streaming service that includes on-demand access to movies and TV Shows.
Pros: There are a lot of classic television series that will transport you to the past of legendary comedy stars and sitcom actors. There are titles such as “My Two Dads” and “The Dana Carvey Show.”
Cons: The film selection is lacking, but there are some interesting documentaries. Also, the service doesn’t allow you to download titles for offline viewing.
More free options:
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Documentary Plus - Has a wide variety of documentaries, including Academy Award-winning classics, box office hits, and cult classics.
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Plex- Free on-demand content. It also allows you to create your own private on-demand streaming library and share them with friends.
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IMDb TV- Offers a substantial library of free on-demand content.
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Plex - Contains 20,000+ movies and TV shows including many throwbacks and guilty pleasures.
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Xumo - Includes 180 completely free virtual channels, revolving reality TV, vintage TV, and game shows.
Related: Best Free Video Streaming Services