Places Online to Stream Movies and TV

Whether cutting the cord or simply looking for something to watch, this extensive list of streaming services offers a wealth of movies, TV shows and more. - SahmReviews.com

Well, shucks. For the past several years, I’ve started each year with an article highlighting the annual movie slate. Then I started featuring a monthly article with movies that were getting ready to release in theaters and occasionally include some debuting on streaming services. If you look over our list of movies releasing each month, you can see I put a lot of effort into gathering as much information as possible all into one place. I pull media details from as many movie studios as I can and provide a trailer, the release date, genre, cast, social hashtag, official website and a synopsis. But as we all know, that list of movies releasing in March 2020 wasn’t exactly accurate since some movies rescheduled due to the fact that theaters have been closed for health reasons and people around the world are staying home.

As we rolled into April, we didn’t know the state of the country, whether theaters would be open and if studios were going to release anything new. So it wouldn’t be practical for me to create a list of “movies to see in (month)” like I normally did. We started seeing recent movies like Onward slated to release on Disney+ in lieu of theaters. This got me thinking that it would be more useful to create a list of places online where you can watch movies and TV shows instead! These are a mix of free (ad-supported) programs, paid subscription services and connected services that require confirmation of your cable service, DirecTV or Dish subscription. And if you have a cellular phone package, be sure to check the benefits of your plan. I know that both T-Mobile and Verizon provide a free subscription to one or more streaming services such as Apple TV+, Paramount, Disney+ and Netflix. Supplemented with some of these free services, it’s a nice way to save a few bucks a month and have a whole lot of streaming options. So get your TV mounted to the wall then check out this extensive list of streaming services!

Acorn TV: A subscription streaming service offering commercial-free mysteries, dramas, comedies, and documentaries.
Amazon Prime or Amazon Prime Video: Prime has a lot more benefits than just 2-day shipping!
Apple TV+: With a number of originals getting buzz, Apple TV+ offers a 7-day free trial to test it out.
CBS All Access: The low monthly fee allows you to stream episodes of your favorite daytime, primetime and late night CBS shows as well as originals like Star Trek Picard. That one original is why most people sign up!
Crackle: Crackle (by Sony) is a free to use video entertainment network featuring full-length movies, TV shows, and original programming.
Criterion Collection: The library includes more than 1,000 classic and contemporary films, documentaries and more and continues to be updated with content from major studios, art-houses and independent distributors.
Crunchyroll: Here’s your one-stop shop for all things anime. There’s a 14 day free trial to try it out.
Curiousity Stream: With a focus on educational content, you’ll find thousands of titles, including exclusive originals, that demystify science, nature, history, technology, society, lifestyle and more with this paid subscription service.
Disney+: Keeping Netflix on its toes, Disney+ offers fantastic content including movies, shows, shorts, and originals from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more.
ESPN+: Enjoy live sports (someday soon, hopefully!) and sports originals. You can get a stand-alone subscription or bundle with Disney+ and Hulu.
FandangoNow: No monthly subscription, this on-demand service gives you access to the latest movies, sometimes before they hit elsewhere.
FilmRise: The ad-supported content library includes iconic TV shows like My Favorite Martian, The Commish, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Green Acres and 21 Jump Street. The film lineup offers a variety of movies and documentaries featuring award-winning actors and stories.
Fandor: Get unlimited streaming access to the greatest indie, foreign, and documentary films with this paid service.
FoxNation: This new subscription service includes thousands of hours of original shows, documentaries and more.
Hoopla: Hoopla is a free service offered by your local public library that allows you to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows. Sign up using your public library card.
Hulu: Subscribe to a regular service or upgrade to Hulu Live to watch exclusive series, hit movies, Hulu Originals, kids shows, and more.
IMDb TV: You’re probably familiar with this comprehensive database, but they offer free movies and TV shows too!
IndieFlix: This ad-free, paid service offers high-quality shorts, features, documentaries, and series with a focus on  promoting and supporting social impact films to create positive change in the world
Kanopy: Stream thousands of films for free, thanks to the generous support of your public library or university. If you’re lucky enough to have a local library participating, grab your library card and give it a shot.
Mubi: Stream a new film every day on this ad-free subscription service with a mix of cult classics and modern masterpieces.
Netflix: This subscription services needs no explanation. Does it?
Peacock: Stream your favorite NBCUniversal shows and movies. Free and premium plans will be available.
PlutoTV: This free service office a huge library of on-demand content of movies, news, TV shows, sports and documentaries.
Popcornflix: This free service has full-length movies, documentaries, foreign films and unique original web series.
Qello: In addition to Qello TV where you can tune in to over 30 channels of continuous concert moments, you can also access full-length concerts and music documentaries on-demand.
Revry: Revry, the LGBTQ+ streaming network, is the world’s first global queer TV streaming network. Offering free 24/7 live TV channels and On Demand Movies, Shows, Music, News and Podcasts.
Shudder: Shudder is a subscription service for the horror, thriller, and suspense genres and includes originals, movies, TV series, podcasts, and live streaming events.
Sling Free: Free access to thousands of shows and movies or upgrade to the Sling TV paid model for more options.
Snag Films: Boasting “philanthropic movies and TV shows online”, find over 2,000 movies, TV show episodes, eye-opening documentaries and exclusive original comedy shorts.
Topic: This is a newer entertainment and storytelling studio from First Look Media offering a wide range of subject matter, both fiction and nonfiction, with an emphasis on stories of consequence.
Tubi: Choose from thousands of movies and TV shows free via the app on iOS, Android, Roku or Amazon Fire.
Twitch Prime: Included in your Amazon Prime account, you can also access TwitchTV, participate in watch parties and soak up a bunch of exclusive video game content and offers.
Vimeo: Documentaries, independent films, shorts, animation, commercials, branded content and a whole lt more are available free to watch. If you’re seeking more, you can purchase high quality videos directly from the people who created them with Vimeo On Demand.
Vudu: No subscriptions or contracts required. You can rent or own from over 100,000 titles or watch thousands of movies free with Vudu Movies On Us.
Xumo: Download the app for iOS and Android devices or find it on select smart TVs to get free LIVE and on-demand streaming entertainment of an assortment of TV shows and movies.
YouTube TV: If you’re looking to cut the cord this subscription services offers live TV from 70+ channels as well as local sports and news. YouTube Premium (previously YouTube Red) is an ad-free version of YouTube along with access to music videos. YouTube Originals now have a dedicated channel.

In addition to this list of streaming services, you can also use your AppleTV app to organize all your normal network apps into one interface. Whether you’re trying to keep occupied while staying at home or are looking for sources so you can cut the cord, this list of streaming services has no shortage of options. Eventually, I’ll be able to get back to my regular articles about movie trailers!

What is your favorite online streaming services or app?

30 thoughts on “Places Online to Stream Movies and TV

  1. My favorite is acorn tv being commercial free matters SOO much to me. Thanks for the tip about Mubi

  2. I watch some netflix, but mostly (if at all) I watch regular tv (DVR’ed)
    I don’t like the hassle (for me) of having to switch back and forth between systems. so I keep it simple

  3. I We have a SmartTV. We can watch YouTube videos or movies on it. I also have a lot of digital codes that I have downloaded. We have Roku and Direct TV. During this pandemic, we have watched so many movies that we didn’t have time to watch before or the grandkids had control over what they wanted to watch on TV. We are all so sad that we can’t see each other! We even play our Photo DVDS on our TV set so we can lessen the missing each other!
    You have a very good list that I pinned so I can compare later! Thank you for sharing this information!! Be safe! Happy Easter!

  4. I use Netflix and Amazon Prime. There is enough content on those two to keep me entertained. I don’t watch a lot of TV and spend more time playing games or reading.

  5. I need to try out Crackle, sounds up my alley. One of my favorite streaming services is Tubi, but that’s because I have a love of bad movies. Tubi has a TON of laughingly bad movies.

  6. I use several of these services now. You did not list Britbox and PBS’s online service. Thanks for the list. There are a couple I learned about I want to check into.

  7. I currently use Sling, Netflix, and CBS All Access. I learned about Xumo, Snag Films, and Qello.

  8. We have an expensive cable TV package. We love movies. This list will help us make a decent decision about which streaming package to pick. Thank you for sharing this information!

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