I speak to people daily who are spending $200, $300, or more monthly to watch TV. Thanks to streaming, that is often no longer necessary. In fact, you can cut the cord on cable and spend next to nothing to get your content needs. In fact, you can use an over-the-air antenna and free streaming services to keep your costs to a minimum. Here are 12 of the best options to get free TV and stretch your budget.
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Pluto TV
Pluto TV is one of the best free TV streaming services. The platform is owned by Paramount and offers over 200 channels of content.
This includes linear and live channels that focus on free news, sports, and entertainment content. Expect to see lots of content from other Paramount properties, such as MTV reality series and TV Land shows.
These are often shows from previous seasons, not current seasons.
Pluto also airs content from networks like CNN and Fox Sports. This is usually curated content and not live TV. If you’re a fan of Yellowstone, they regularly show marathons of the show for free.
Tubi
Tubi TV is one of the top free streaming apps to use if you want to minimize your entertainment costs. The platform is owned by FOX and boasts more than 40,000 movies and TV shows from over 400 partners.
It also is increasing its library of original content. This makes the platform a top alternative to Netflix if you want to spend less on TV.
While Tubi has some live TV, much of the content is on-demand or curated from popular channels like A&E, Lifetime, or NFL Network. Like Pluto, it also has entire channels devoted to one show.
Where Tubi shines is its large library of children’s content. Tubi Kids houses hundreds of TV shows and movies for children at different age-appropriate levels.
Sling Freestream
From its name, you might expect that Sling Freestream is a way to watch shows on the live TV service at no expense. That’s not the case.
Sling Freestream is the free ad-supported streaming arm of the paid service.
If you’re a paying Sling TV subscriber, you already get access to the free platform. However, you don’t need a paid subscription to use it.
Sling Freestream has over 40,000 on-demand movies and TV shows. It also has over 300 live channels. The live channels are second-tier channels or local news stations from major metro areas.
On-demand content includes curated shows from popular networks like Starz and AMC.
You don’t need to register to watch content online, but you do if you plan to watch the platform on your TV.
Roku Channel
Roku isn’t just known for its popular streaming devices. They are also one of the top free apps for cord-cutters.
The Roku Channel is similar to Tubi and carries a wide mix of free TV shows as well as movies. It boasts thousands of different titles, including popular hits like 2 Broke Girls, The Bachelorette, and Downton Abbey.
One other nice feature is Roku’s offering of roughly 300 live networks. Included in these are stations like Reuters and Weather Nation.
They also carry some local news stations. These are typically from larger metro areas, so you may not find your local broadcast affiliate.
FreeVee
FreeVee (formerly IMDb TV) is Amazon’s solution to watch TV for free. It is not Prime Video. Instead, it’s their free ad-supported streaming service that you must register to use.
FreeVee claims to have over four million titles in its library of TV shows and movies. You won’t get live TV channels with the platform since it’s all on-demand content.
Offerings include popular shows like Lost, Mad Men, and Hell’s Kitchen. Amazon is also investing money in original series for the app. If you have a Fire device, the service comes pre-loaded on it.
YouTube
YouTube is a must-use service for cord-cutters. The platform has over 500 hours of video uploaded by creators every minute.
It’s not just cat videos either. You can find anything from how to videos to TV shows, all for free. It’s also possible to rent movies and TV shows through the platform.
DistroTV
DistroTV is a newer service that lets you stream TV for free. The app launched in 2019 and is a competitor to Pluto TV.
This platform has roughly 250 channels, largely consisting of live or curated content. The live channels are a bit random and include local news for obscure locations in the U.S.
However, it does include curated content from popular networks like Dove TV, People TV, and the ACC Network.
Where DistroTV shines is its international focus. It carries content from Bollywood, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and more. Additionally, it has lots of European news coverage.
Samsung TV Plus
Samsung TV Plus is an ad-supported streaming service from the well-known device manufacturer. The service was the first offering by a TV producer.
This platform only works on smart TVs made after 2016. It also works on Galaxy devices and Family Hub refrigerators made in 2017 or later.
There is no installation necessary to use the app. It is already loaded on newer devices, and you can start watching TV shows and movies immediately.
Samsung TV Plus offers roughly 1,600 channels internationally, with approximately 500 channels for U.S.-based devices.
This allows them to offer a broad range of content. You’ll find channels like NBC News Now, AMC, Yahoo Finance, Game Show Central, and The Walking Dead Universe.
Vudu
Vudu is a part of the Fandango movie family. The streaming service is best known for its movie collection.
This platform doesn’t include live TV. Instead, it focuses on movies and on-demand TV shows.
Vudu also lets you rent recently released movies, though that typically comes with a cost of $5.99 a rental.
Fortunately, the app does a good job of segmenting, so you know if a movie is free or not. Generally, you must pay for anything produced recently. Older movies are usually free to view.
NewsOn
A common complaint of many cord-cutters is an inability to get access to local news. While you can follow news outlets on social media, that may not give you everything you want or need.
NewsOn is a good solution to that issue. The streaming app is a free platform that carries hundreds of local stations around the country. They partner with all four major networks and cover over 90 percent of the country. No registration is required.
Hoopla Digital
Hoopla Digital is a must-use if you frequent your local library. You need to have a library card and create an account so that you can use the service to stream popular movies and TV shows.
The content is a bit of a mix of everything and depends largely on what your local library offers. You can check out movies or shows, and they give you 72 hours to stream the title.
You can expect to find past seasons of popular shows, movies, PBS Kids content, shows from Acorns TV, and Ken Burns documentaries. Most libraries cycle through content, so selections will vary.
Additionally, you can stream audiobooks, music, and more through the service.
Amazon Fire TV Channels
Amazon offers FreeVee, but they recently rolled out a new, free platform. Fire TV Channels is available to all Amazon customers, and it comes pre-loaded on Fire devices.
The new platform isn’t near as robust as FreeVee, but it does boast content from over 400 providers. Content ranges from news to some sports. It’s not the best service, but could be a good complement to other free streaming apps you’re using.
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I’m John Schmoll, a former stockbroker, MBA-grad, published finance writer, and founder of Frugal Rules.
As a veteran of the financial services industry, I’ve worked as a mutual fund administrator, banker, and stockbroker and was Series 7 and 63-licensed, but I left all that behind in 2012 to help people learn how to manage their money.
My goal is to help you gain the knowledge you need to become financially independent with personally-tested financial tools and money-saving solutions.
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