Free streaming services for at-home entertainment

As people from coast to coast hunker down at home to stop the spread of COVID-19, many are also trying to find ways to cut costs, which can create an entertainment conundrum.

The good news is that staying entertained at home is something that can be done for free since many streaming services are offering quality content free of charge, as long as you’re OK with watching an ad or two. All you need is a TV or computer with a Wi-Fi connection to access free movies and shows for everyone. 

Tubi TV

An option like Tubi features a library of more than 20,000 on-demand movies and TV shows on more than 25 different devices, including mobile devices, smart TVs, video game consoles and more, without the hassle of credit cards or subscription fees.

Young viewers can follow the adventures of countless classic and contemporary characters such as throwback series like “Casper the Friendly Ghost,” “My Little Pony” and “Dennis the Menace,” as well as cartoon favorites like “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Transformers Rescue Bots.” Tubi also has educational programs and documentaries like “Learn with Verne” and “The Traveling Trio,” an adventure-filled series following three siblings.

With content from over 200 partners, Tubi features thousands of hours of streaming video content from studios like Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM. There isn’t any exclusive content on Tubi TV. But there  is a wealth of older TV shows and movies

Supported devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and TV Stick, Xbox One, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Chromecast, TiVo, Android TV, Xfinity X1, Cox Contour.

Pluto TV

Pluto TV is a free TV streaming service that offers several  popular networks in addition to more specialized live and on-demand content. In all, the ad-supported platform has more than 250 channels filled with movies and TV shows.

If you own a Vizio SmartCast TV, you already have access to Pluto TV, but it goes by the name WatchFree – that’s what Vizio calls its free streaming TV service, which is powered by Pluto TV. 

Owned by Viacom, Pluto TV offers over 100 live and original channels, including Paramount Movie Channel, CNN and NBC News, as well as thousands of on-demand movies in partnership with TV networks, movie studios, publishers and digital media companies. 

Supported devices: Apple TV, Roku devices, Amazon Fire TV and TV Stick, Google Chromecast, Android TV, iOS devices, Android.

Crackle

Crackle operates in a similar fashion to Pluto TV — you’ll get ads, but you’ll also get access to thousands of hours of free content. By browsing their library, Crackle has a decent library of on-demand movies, as well as some recognizable TV series and original programming that has some big names attached to the projects. It’s not hard to find some fun things to watch — the “Ace Ventura” movies are available to stream as well as movies like “A Few Good Men,” “The Other Guys,” “Zero Dark Thirty” and “The Longest Yard.” 

Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Android devices, Apple TV, iOS devices, Chromecast, LG TV, Playstation 4, Roku, Samsung TV, Vizio TV, Xbox One.

IMDB TV

IMDB TV is a fairly new free streaming service, that launched in 2019 with a modest collection of titles. It has recently added movies and series though, including “Salt” and “Schitt’s Creek” in addition to more classic options like “The Boondock Saints” and “Donnie Darko.” The service includes commercials, of course, and is a little tricky since it is inside the IMDB app. 

Titles available for viewing include new titles like “La La Land,” as well as films like “Neverending Story,” “The Illusionist” and “Airplane.”

Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick, Android devices, iOS devices, Apple TV, Roku.

Vudu

Vudu is best known for having the latest movies available to rent or purchase, oftentimes in 4K quality. But look a little further into the service, and you’ll discover a great deal more. Vudu offers a library of free content —  over 15,000 movies and 2,000 TV series. that you can watch without an account. Some titles stay free, and others are swapped each week. These TV shows and films are supported by short ads throughout. 

Vudu also claims movies will be available the same day they are released on DVD. This is a huge advantage over Netflix, at which you have to wait 28 days after a movie is released before it's available. 

Supported devices: Vizio TV, Samsung TV, LG TV, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Roku, Chromecast, TiVO, iOS devices, Android devices.