The pandemic turned us all into streaming video-addicted shut-ins, but if you’re being honest, weren’t you well on your way already? Now that millions of us have cut cords with cable companies, pretty much everyone subscribes to one streamer or another, and likely more than one (or two, or three). But what if you want to explore the cinematic universe beyond the confines of Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+?
Unsurprisingly—and reflecting the cable TV model of old—there is a niche streaming service out there for basically every kind of viewer. Below, we’ve rounded up 25 of our favorites (and counting). Whether you’re a budding otaku or a hard-core cinema snob, there’s something here worth your monthly subscription fee (and a few free options as well). Let’s explore together.
The best streaming services if you love classic cinema
Credit: Joel Cunningham – Fair Use
The Criterion Channel
From the dawn of the Laserdisc era through today, The Criterion Collection has been considered the gold standard of film labels among those who think of themselves as cinema buffs, but its streaming service—launched in the wake of the shutdown of Filmstruck in 2018—might be even better. Offering up a rotating monthly catalogue of classics from around the world, not to mention a healthy smattering of more recent critical darlings, it offers a movie for every mood, and the high level of curation—with movies grouped into monthly themes or paired off in related “double features”—makes exploration a delight (and makes up for the slightly byzantine way its offerings are sorted).
Cost: $10.99/month or $99.99/year, 14-day free trial
The TCM hub on HBO Max
Yeah, you probably know all about HBO. But the issues with the launch of HBO Max (which is, at least, finally available on Roku and Amazon Fire Stick) obscured the fact that it’s one of the best services around for movie-lovers—and for fans of classic cinema in particular. Max’s content is sorted into various subsections, or “hubs,” and one of them collects content from Turner Classic Movies. While not nearly as all-encompassing as The Criterion Channel’s offerings, the TCM hub is more than worth exploring if you dig movies from Hollywood’s Golden Age. Content is sorted by decade and subject matter, from “‘30s Comedies” to “’70s Blockbusters” to the Big Apple-centric “New York, New York.”
Cost: $14.99/month, 7-day free trial
The best streaming services for anime
Credit: Jordan Calhoun
RetroCrush
There’s a lot of anime out there, and where you may look to CrunchyRoll and Funimation (which recently merged into one mega-streamer) for what’s new and trending, you might want to look elsewhere for the rarest titles from the golden age of anime. That’s where RetroCrush comes in, a newer service that launched just this year as a place to find forgotten gems and deep cuts. Given its angle of super niche, vintage anime, it comes with a narrower library but a high volume of movies and series that you just won’t find anywhere else. Paying subscribers get ad-free viewing of their library, plus exclusive (and euphemistically titled) age-gated content. If you’re looking for the marriage of niche and nostalgia, RetroCrush might be just what you need.
Cost: Free with ads, or $4.99/month without ads
The best streaming services if you love horror
Credit: Joel Cunningham
Shudder
This Netflix for the horror freak, owned by the AMC Network, is an absolute must if you want the scariest scares and the most blood-curdling shrieks streaming. The content runs the gamut from popular franchises like Friday the 13th to bizarro cult entries to high quality originals like the quarantine-themed Zoom-based chiller Host. If you’re looking for truly classic movies—older than 1960 or so—the pickings are slim, but there’s plenty to choose from when it comes to the dark side of cinema from the ‘70s and ‘80s to today. The material could be better organized, but there are some curated collections as well as TV and podcast offerings.
Cost: $5.99/month or $56.99/year, 7-day free trial
Screambox
Though not quite as high-profile as Shudder, Screambox—which bills itself as having been “started by fans, for fans”—drips with authenticity. The primary difference is that you aren’t liable to spot nearly as many movies you recognize on Screambox. Aside from a few stone-cold classics like Audition, many of the subgenre-spanning entries are of the B-movie variety—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it comes to horror.
Cost: $4.99/month, 7-day free trial
The best streaming services if you love independent film
Credit: Joel Cunningham
MUBI
This highly curated streamer is a cineast’s dream, and the answer to the “endless scroll” problem caused by services packed with too much content. MUBI’s “hank-picked” collection is limited to just 30 titles, and it changes every single day, with one title entering and one title leaving. [Correction: While the service was originally limited to 30 titles a month—and the “Now Showing” section still highlights 30 titles—MUBI now offers a much more expansive collection of previous selections in the “Library” section.] The unpredictable, limited lineup creates an urge to watch, and the offbeat selections, from recent indies, to deep cuts from celebrated auteurs, to choice imports, mean you’re always going to be able to find something new to you.
Cost: $10.99/month or 98.55/year, 7-day free trial
IndieFlix
Hey, waitaminute! IndieFlix also proclaims to offer the best hand-picked movie lineup around. Well, it’s certainly a worthy competitor: In addition to a grab bag of classics and Hollywood films, the service offers thousands of far more obscure independent and foreign films, as well as documentaries and TV series. The quirky organizational system sorts them not by genre but by broad categories like “Social Impact” (movies with a message of social justice) and “Snack Watch” (featuring short films under half an hour). The site also partners with film festivals like the 2020 Stony Brook Film Festival, allowing you to take part in exclusive screenings.
Cost: $69/year (nice), 7-day free trial
Music Box Direct
The official streaming service of Chicago’s famed art house theater the Music Box, this platform proclaims to “[bring] the art house to your house.” It’s a great place to unearth obscure domestic and international gems, including documentaries and the occasional TV series. Some titles even include “Deeper Dives,” or DVD-like bonus features.
Cost: $4.99/month or $49.99/year, 7-day free trial
The best streaming services if you are seeking works from Black creators
Credit: Jordan Calhoun
Brown Sugar
Brown Sugar calls itself the “biggest collection of the baddest movies” and comes with a library of Black-led films for the nostalgic viewer. The most fun you’ll have scrolling through Brown Sugar might be finding titles starring household name celebrities from before their careers took off (like the 2011 Kevin Hart vehicle 35 & Ticking), or longtime celebrities like Method Man in films you’ve never heard of, like the 2015 sports comedy #Lucky Numbers. Expect plenty of old movies from Robin Givens and Jeremy Hines, and old Blaxploitation films like Blacula. It’s definitely the best place for older viewers to find celebrities who are “blackfamous”—people who every Black person knows but are unknown to most non-Black people.
Cost: $3.99/month, 7-day free trial
Urban Movie Channel
Started in 2014 by BET founder Robert L. Johnson, Urban Movie Channel features both movies and ongoing TV series that star Black talent. It has its own original programming, like the soap opera A House Divided and the docuseries Behind Her Faith, as well as some external network programs like WE tv’s Growing Up Hip Hop and OWN’s Black Love. New content is added every week.
Cost: $4.99/month, 7-day free trial
kweliTV
Former journalist DeShuna Spencer launched kweliTV as a place to highlight the work of Black thought leaders and filmmakers. Here you can find everything from indie films and web series, to children’s programs and live events. Meaning “truth” in Swahili, kweliTV aims to offer a truer representation of the global Black experience than what’s often most prominent in pop culture. It touts that over 90% of their films have been official selections at film festivals, and more than half of them are award-winning. Expect not only Black American movies, but works from people across the African diaspora.
Cost: $5.99/month (60% of your subscription goes to support the filmmakers featured on the service), 7-day free trial
The best streaming services if you have weird taste
Credit: Joel Cunningham
Kino Cult
This free, ad-supported service from boutique film distribution label Kino Lorber launched Oct. 1 with apps for Roku, Apple TV, Google TV, and Amazon Fire TV, and seems destined to become a haven for fans of eclectic classic and contemporary cinema. At launch, their totally free lineup includes a wide range of critical favorites and decidedly more obscure fare, including the recent Iranian art house horror flick A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, vintage “Drive-In Favorites” like Astro Zombies and The Nude Vampire, and a whole bunch of obscure ‘70s and ‘80s horror. TO help you zero in on your particular flavor of weird, films are neatly sorted by theme, from “Artsploitation” to roundups of films from influential creators like Mario Bava. My personal pick? The zany 2009 French stop-motion animated film A Town Called Panic, in which a pair of toys named Cowboy and Indian try to find the perfect birthday gift for their friend Horse.
Cost: $0
Night Flight
Sprung from the titular cult late-night TV 1980s series that aired on the then-nascent USA Network, Night Flight is the streaming equivalent of a back-alley curio shop run by an introverted weirdo, and the sort of thing the internet was made for. It houses all sorts of weird video, from cult films, to extremely specific documentaries (The Sacred Triangle: Bowie, Iggy and Lou, 1971-1973), to fringe music videos and a hell of a lot more. The highly curated lineup (which The AV Club likened to a pop culture fever dream) offers something for… well, not for everyone, and it’s definitely not all for anyone, but that’s pretty great.
Cost: $4.99/month or $39.99 annually, 7-day free trial
Shout Factory TV
The name says TV, but this streaming offshoot from the beloved boutique DVD label includes lots of movies too. Of course, their crown jewel combines them both: This is where you’ll find streaming episodes of the legendary bad-movie mocking series Mystery Science Theater 3000. But there are also a ton of great movies, most of which the company has also released on DVD, from fantasy schlock like 1982’s Sorceress to my personal favorite animated movie of all time, The Last Unicorn.
Cost: $2.99/month, 7-day free trial
The best streaming services if you just want to watch something for free
Credit: Jordan Calhoun
Crackle
Crackle is a revolving door of TV and movie content that won’t cost you a thing, but of course that means it needs to generate ad-based revenue, and its library is relatively thin compared to what you’ll get from paid services. You might find great episodes of a show you’ve forgotten, but you also run the risk that the availability of said will be limited to a scant number of episodes or seasons. Crackle offers some original programming as well, like the docuseries Going from Broke and the horror-comedy movie Office Uprising. Given its ever-changing lineup, Crackle is best for sampling new shows or poking around for some forgotten entertainment from the past.
Cost: $0
Tubi
Tubi has a surprisingly large library, considering it is completely free. You’ll run into ads, of course, but you also might find plenty of shows or movies you wont’t find elsewhere. (I, for one, owe an eternal debt of gratitude for allowing me to rewatch Transformer’s Beast Wars not long ago, which I couldn’t find on any of my many paid streaming services at the time.) Don’t expect a ton for new or trending titles, but the free back catalog makes Tubi something that might even be worth paying for. You know, if it wasn’t free. (Its FAQs understandably feature the questions “Is Tubi really free?” and “Is Tubi legal?,” and fortunately, it’s both.)
Cost: $0
Vudu
Vudu isn’t completely free—there are plenty of titles you can pay for—but it’s worth adding to the list given the amount of free titles available. There are over 10,000 of them, and you can easily filter to find the free stuff, which includes plenty of B-rate movies, old sitcoms, and endless horror movies (if you’re browsing for something random in October). Vudu is great if you have no idea what you want to watch; poke around to discover an obscure old movie or random old series to watch for free—and if you see something newer that you want to buy, it’s just a click away.
Cost: $0 (more or less)
The best streaming services if you’re a documentary buff
Credit: Kanopy
Curiosity Stream
If you like Discovery or History channel, Curiosity Stream might be a streaming service for you. It’s a documentary-based streaming platform with nature and science-based programs, where you can expect to find titles like Age of Big Cats, Scanning the Pyramids, and History of Food. As its name suggests, this one’s for the intellectually curious viewer who’s interested in the untold histories and discoveries of our planet.
Cost: $11.99/year, but could be free depending on your internet carrier
Documentary+
The nonfiction film and television studio XTR is launching their documentary streaming service Documentary+, and if you want quality dramatic nonfiction, this platform looks promising. The service will have features like the Tribeca Film Festival short Lazarus, about an albino musician from Malawi, and You Cannot Kill David Arquette, about the actor’s rather extraordinary life. The official release date has yet to be announced, but check the studio’s site for updates.
Kanopy
Kanopy is a hub for genre-based documentaries. Like Hulu and Netflix, Kanopy separates their films by category with a wide selection of titles—categories that include historical perspectives, art and artists, ethnicity and identity, and more. A great platform for indie and documentary buffs, you can expect everything from indie series to popular features like For the Love of Spock. The content is selected for its educational value, and Kanopy is free for librarians and students.
Cost: $0. Sign up with your student ID or library membership
The best streaming services if you love reality TV
Credit: Hayu
Hayu
The streaming service NOWTV has customizable streaming programming with their collection of “passes,” and Hayu is NowTVs reality TV “pass,” offering U.S.-based reality TV content to the UK and across Europe. Although it specializes in providing American content overseas, it’s still accessible by anyone in the U.S. looking for a place to get their reality TV without a cable subscription. It focuses primarily on reality TV in the style of Real Housewives, Keeping up With the Kardashians, and Love and Hip Hop (you know, the classy stuff), so if you love long-form reality TV, you can find it with Hayu.
Cost: £4.99 per month, so just under $7
Sling
Sling is not a dedicated reality TV streaming service, but it does have access to a wide range of programs in the reality genre. Sling partners with stations like TLC—known for its roster of reality shows—and includes Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Toddlers in Tiaras, and Say Yes to the Dress. Its cost is more than some other options on this list, but you’re also getting over fifty other channels to choose from.
Cost: $30/month, three-day free trial
The best streaming services if you love comedy
Credit: Next Up
Next Up
Next Up is a UK-based streaming service catered to comedy. Its options include “on demand,” where you can choose from sketch, observational, character, alternative, and other comedy styles, and they also have live streams for tuning into stand-up comedy in real-time (once comedy clubs reopen, that is.) My favorite part of this platform is that they split their revenue 50/50 with content creators. Since it’s based in the UK, you may not see the regular comedians you know from the states, but you’ll definitely find laughs.
Cost: €9.99 a month, so just under $11
Funny or Die
Funny or Die is another that isn’t exactly a streaming service, but they include blogs, comedy news, and original shorts by comedians and other celebrities. The site allows you to search for your favorite ones by name, using the “celebrities” drop-down menu, where you can find anyone from Will Ferrell to Zach Galifinakis to Don Cheadle. Original content on the site features hilarious sketches by up-and-coming creators as well, like Amanda Cerny’s How to be a Jerk. Many of the weird, funny videos that your comedy-loving friend has shown you might have started on Funny or Die, so if you want to be on the new wave of online comedy content, Funny or Die is a great place.
Cost: $0
The best streaming services for live sports
Credit: Fubo TV
Fubo TV
If you’re missing sports after cutting your cable subscription, Fubo TV offers over one hundred channels of live and on-demand television. If your entertainment needs are high, the number of channels for the price makes FuboTV a contender for the most bang for your buck. Unfortunately, though, you’d still need to pay extra to watch any original Hulu, Netflix, or Prime content, so you’ll want to compare with cable and streaming costs to decide if paying for FuboTV is worth it.
Cost: $80/month
This story was originally published in October 2020 and was updated on Jan. 14, 2021 with additional streaming services covering reality TV and sports. It was updated again on Oct. 4 to add Kino Cult.
