Stop Paying for Streaming: 5 Legit Ways to Watch Movies and Series for Free—Plus the Best Picks on Each Service
Broadcast and cable once owned your screen. Now Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock are the default gatekeepers of TV and movies, reshaping how—and where—we watch.
If you are tired of juggling five paid apps just to watch two shows and a movie, welcome. Free streaming has quietly gotten great — yes, ads, but also zero monthly bill. Here are the free platforms that are actually worth your time right now, plus what to watch on each this month.
Free streamers that deliver (and what to watch in May)
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5) Tubi
Fox owns it, it launched in 2014, and it has grown into a monster: Tubi says it pulls in more than 100 million monthly active users and claims the largest library of Hollywood movies and TV shows, on top of its own Tubi Originals.
Where you can use it: United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, United Kingdom, and Australia. It runs on 30+ devices and platforms — iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire, and your web browser. On the web, you can watch without an account; sign up free if you want to save your place across devices.
What it offers: Movies, TV series, live TV, a Spanish-language hub, and Tubi Kids.
What to watch in May: The first four Hunger Games films, the sci-fi drama Colony, and all three current Creed movies. That barely dents the catalog, but it is a solid starter pack.
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4) Pluto TV
If you miss channel surfing, Pluto is the move. Owned by Paramount, it is the biggest free TV-style streamer out there, with hundreds of live linear channels and thousands of on-demand titles. Thanks to deals with hundreds of international media partners, the channel lineup is wildly broad across genres, languages, and niches.
Where you can use it: Pretty much anywhere you have an app store or a browser. You do need a free account.
"Stream now. Pay never."
What it offers: A deep Live TV grid (the game show section alone is a time warp — yes, Supermarket Sweep is here) and a healthy movie shelf.
What to watch in May: All eight seasons of The CW's Arrow landed May 1, alongside The 100, Hart of Dixie, and My Wife and Kids. Movie-wise, the first five Mission: Impossible films joined the lineup. It is also a big month for Battlestar Galactica completists: The Miniseries, Seasons 1–4, and The Plan are all streaming.
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3) Plex
Plex is the oddball in the best way: it has both free and paid options, but the free side is stacked. It is available in 180+ countries on smart TVs, phones, tablets, and the web.
What it offers: More than 50,000 ad-supported movies and shows, free live channels, and built-in rentals for new releases if you want to pay a la carte. Its 'discover' feature will also point you to where a title is streaming across other services without leaving Plex — helpful, even if those external options are not always free.
What to watch in May (free): Fruitvale Station (Michael B. Jordan 's breakout), plus Bodies Bodies Bodies, Hereditary, and Beau Is Afraid.
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2) Kanopy
The best free service too many people forget exists. Kanopy skews documentaries, indie gems, educational programming, and classic cinema — basically the good stuff that disappears elsewhere.
How to get in: It is free via your public library card or a university login. Not every library participates, but a lot do. If yours is on board, you are set.
What to watch in May: The Mist and Brian De Palma 's 1976 Carrie both arrive May 15; This Is Spinal Tap turns it up to 11 on May 22.
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1) The Roku Channel
No, you do not need a Roku device. The Roku Channel streams on the web, mobile apps, and many smart TVs, and it doubles as a free live TV portal plus an on-demand library.
What it offers: A huge spread of free live channels and a growing slate of Roku Originals. Recent crowd-pleaser: The Reunion: Laguna Beach. There is also a 'Not on Netflix ' section if you want to browse with a little attitude. You can even hop into other paid services from inside The Roku Channel, and anything that costs money is clearly flagged with a dollar sign so you do not click yourself into a bill by accident.
Bottom line: If the paid-platform shuffle is wearing you down, these five will cover a ton of ground for free. Try one, see what sticks, and let the ads buy your popcorn.