20 Best Alternatives to Netflix for Movies and TV shows streaming

Netflix is king but we can’ get all stuff under one hood. So we brought a list of some best alternatives to Netflix that offers live streaming of sports and offer a lot of anime and cartoon shows for kids too. Let’s catch the some best Netflix Alternatives.

20 Best Alternatives to Netflix to Watch Movies and TV shows

When it comes to online streaming of TV shows and movies, Netflix doesn’t mean it’s always the best one. Sometimes you’re looking for something different, and sometimes you want to be surprised.

Maybe you live in a country where Netflix isn’t very good or it’s blocked (even though Netflix is now available globally, with some exceptions of-course).

What do you do then? Here are 20 apps or websites that you can give a try instead of Netflix to watch TV and movies.

Alternatives to Netflix

#1. Amazon Instant Video

Amazon is really picking up the pace when it comes to video streaming—their original content is getting more recognition for being high-quality, they’re getting a lot of the shows and movies that people want to watch, and the price for instant video is also included in Amazon Prime, which has plenty of its own benefits.

With a lot of new releases available to view or buy, Amazon is good way to go for viewers who want fast access to the newest movies available.

It also offers a free 30-day trial to see if you like the selection of movies and shows that they have on offer. And at $99 per year after that, it’s very competitively priced, especially with the bonuses you get with Prime.

#2. Hulu Plus

If you’re just looking for TV shows, Hulu Plus is a great way to go—with episodes of the newest shows, you won’t miss out on any of your favorites when you can stream them instantly.

Signing up for the Plus option at $8 per month gives you the most options for what to watch, and removes the pervasive ads that have long been the bane of non-paying users of Hulu.

With shows like South Park, Empire, Mythbusters, CSI, Law and Order, and The Tonight Show, you can watch the biggest names out there in the most popular shows.

#3. Vudu

Owned by Walmart, Vudu has a lot of purchasing power and so offers quite a few of the most popular movies and shows online.

One of the coolest parts of Vudu is that you can buy movies and TV shows, much like on Amazon, but there’s always a Deals section available—at the time of this writing, Spaceballs is available for $8, Collateral can be had for $5, there are plenty of two-movie sets for $10, and there are seasons of popular shows for $20.

#4. iTunes

You might not think of iTunes as a streaming service, but you can rent just about any movie from the iTunes library for a few bucks, making it a viable alternative to Netflix, especially if you don’t watch very many movies. For $3 or $4, you can find tons of movies in both standard and high definition to rent for 48 hours.

#5. Stan (Australia)

Although Netflix is generally considered to be the best streaming service in Australia, Stan is making a run for the top spot.

The company has made deals with a lot of content providers, and has a number of exclusives, including Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Stan is also producing its own content to rival the shows and movies produced by other streaming services.

Its $10 per month price tag is tough to beat, especially with the wide variety of movies and shows that you’ll find on the service, including a few things produced by Amazon, which will likely never make it to Netflix.

#6. Acorn.TV

People around the world love British shows, like Holy Flying Circus, Queer as Folk, and Outnumbered, all of which can be streamed in the US and Canada through Acorn.TV for the very reasonable sum of $5 per month. There are lots of weekly releases, bonus features, and trailers to check out, too.

The selection is rather limited, but if you’re a Brit abroad in North America—or just an Anglo-TV-phile—it might be worth it to subscribe to catch your favorite shows.

#7. Crackle

Sony’s online streaming service, Crackle, is free to watch, but includes commercials. If you’re trying to cut costs but still want to catch your shows and movies, this might be your best bet.

It’s hard to know if you’re going to be able to find what you’re looking for, but there are quite a few options that will appeal to many viewers.

Right now, National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, House of Flying Daggers, Seinfeld, and District 9 are all available.

You absolutely can’t beat free, and with the solid selection offered by Crackle, it can serve as a great replacement or supplement to another streaming service.

#8. Fandor

Are you into indie and foreign movies? If so, Fandor has you covered. Popular indie flicks like Insomnia and Blind, documentaries including Propaganda and 5 Broken Cameras, and quirky cult classics like Ichi the Killer and Dark Star are all available on this service.

While you’ll find some movies here that are also on other services, this is definitely the place to look for movies you can’t find anywhere else.

Plans start at only $7.50 per month, and half of what you pay goes back to the rights owners of the movies, so you can be confident that you’re supporting the indie and foreign film industries by becoming a member.

#9. M-GO

A newcomer to the online streaming scene, M-GO aims to become your one-stop shop for movies and TV shows. Because they’re new, the selection isn’t quite as good as some of the other services, but it’s growing quickly, and this site could be a major player in the very near future.

The site itself is one of the biggest advantages of the service; it’s well-organized, can help you find lots of things that you’re looking for, and provides great recommendations.

#10. HBO Max

HBO’s video streaming service has a lot to offer. From the latest hit shows like Chernobyl to older ones like The Sopranos, you will always find something interesting to watch.

Other great HBO shows worth mentioning include Westworld, Game of Thrones, and Barry. There are also a number of upcoming shows to get excited about such as The Nevers and The Undoing — check out a few others here.

In addition, HBO Max includes tons of additional content not found on HBO. That includes sitcoms like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, South Park, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and TV dramas like Doctor Who and Pretty Little Liars.

HBO Max retails for $14.99, making it $2 more expensive than Netflix’s standard plan and a dollar cheaper than the premium plan that offers 4K streaming. It’s definitely not the cheapest service on this list, but it’s still worth the money because of all the great content it offers.

#11. CBS All Access

If you’re a fan of CBS shows, this is the Netflix alternative to go with. It’s doesn’t offer nearly as much content as Netflix, but it has a lot of great shows on offer including NCIS, Blue Bloods, The Big Bang Theory, and Young Sheldon, among others. There are also a number of classic shows you can watch like Frasier and a few originals including The Twilight Zone. Combined, there are over 10,000 episodes available.

In addition to content on-demand, the service offers live sports streams and local news coverage. Pricing in the US starts at $5.99 and goes up to $9.99 if you want an ad-free experience. CBS All Access is only available in the US and Canada and, unlike Netflix, doesn’t support 4K or HDR streaming.

#12. Disney Plus

If you don’t already know about Disney Plus, we’d be surprised. The service launched in mid-November in the US and other parts of the world. If you have kids, it is a great alternatives to Netflix, with tons of classic and current family movies and TV shows to watch under one service. You can watch nearly all the Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel Cinematic Universe movies on Disney Plus as well.

The price for Disney Plus on its own is $6.99 a month, or $69.99 for an annual subscription. There used to be a seven-day free trial but it was recently discontinued.

#13. Pluto TV

Pluto TV has become hugely popular over the last year, mainly because it’s completely free to use. Pluto TV actually offers two streaming services.

One is formatted like a cable TV provider, offering hundreds of channels to stream. You can watch live news coverage from several outlets, or watch classic films and TV shows.

There are channels for sports fans, kids, and Spanish-language audiences. CBSViacom bought Pluto TV in 2019 and it’s been slowly adding content from its library, including most recently channels devoted to Star Trek and CSI, with more on the way.

You can also watch movies and TV shows on demand. If you don’t want to spend any money, Pluto TV is one of the best Netflix alternatives.

#14. Shudder

Shudder is the best of the Netflix alternatives for horror movie fans. Even if you are not a fan of the genre, Shudder might make you one with its diverse programming.

The service always has a number of original movies it debuts every month, and they almost always get great reviews for how they stretch the horror genre.

 The service also has classic horror films, along with little-seen gems. It’s also branching out into original TV shows, including the acclaimed anthology series Creepshows.

In the US, it costs $5.99 a month, or you can sign up for an annual subscription for $56.99, or $4.75 a month. It also has a seven-day free trial.

#15. Britbox

Like Acorn TV, Britbox is one of the best streaming services devoted to British TV content. You can watch tons of comedy, drama, and most especially the many great British detective dramas that have been released over the decades. Doctor Who fans can also watch all of the “classic” episodes from the sci-fi drama on Britbox.

In the US, you can get BritBox for $6.99 a month, or for $69.99 for an annual subscription. It’s a great bargain for people who want an alternative to Netflix, and you can bet almost none of Britbox’s content will be available on Netflix.

#16. Apple TV Plus

Apple TV Plus is a great alternatives to Netflix right away because of its low price; it’s just $4.99 a month. For that price, you can get high quality shows made for families (Snoopy in Space, Helpsters) and series for adults (The Morning Show, See, For All Mankind, and more). Apple TV Plus continues to add new programs on a regular basis.

While its library of content can’t match Netflix, its quality is certainly solid. Another big plus for this service is that it’s available in over 120 countries right off the bat.

#17. Quibi

Quibi is a very different Netflix alternative. It’s made mainly for mobile devices (iOS and Android) but the service is working on casting content to supported TVs.

 Quibi offers new shows with episodes that are less than 10 minutes each. This is supposed to allow people on the go to watch Quibi episodes quickly.

It costs $4.99 a month with ads, or $7.99 a month without ads. There’s a 14-day free trial available.

#18. Peacock

After months of waiting, NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service finally launched in mid- July. Its biggest feature is that much of its content is free to stream (with ads) so you can watch classic series like Parks and Recreation, Two and a Half Men, Battlestar Galactica, and more.

It will also be the exclusive streaming home for The Office starting in January 2021. If you want to watch even more content, and Peacock originals like the very adult sci-fi series Brave New World, you can pay $4.99 a month for Peacock Premium (with ads) or $9.99 a month (without ads). There is a seven-day free trial

Bonus – Other Netflix alternatives

Other Netflix alternatives that are available include:

  • Starz – The cable TV channel also has a streaming version. It offers thousands of movies, some classic TV shows, and recent shows like Power, Outlander, and many more.
  • Showtime – Here’s another cable TV channel with a streaming component. It’s biggest drawn is its acclaimed list of exclusive shows, including Homeland, Billions, and many more.

There you have it, folks — these are the best Alternatives to Netflix in our opinion. Most of the paid options on this list offer free trials, so we suggest you take advantage of them to figure out which one is right for you.