Streaming services are getting more expensive so if you're looking to save some money it is worth exploring the free options. Yep, you read right, free streaming services exist and they're surprisingly plentiful. Free-to-air channel streamers and Tubi are the most popular options, but there are a whole bunch with more content that are just as easy to access. For most of them you'll just need to create a login, but for others you'll want to pop into your local library.
Best free streaming site:
Kanopy
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30,000+ titles |
| Works with Apple, Android, Roku, FireTV, and Samsung |
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Free with a library card |
With the largest content library, Kanopy tops our picks of the best free streaming services available in Australia. You can tap into the service using your library card, or an eligible university login, and even though there are limitations on how much you can stream they're pretty reasonable. Your library card gets you 30 Kanopy tickets per month, and each ticket is good for 72 hours of viewing (or 48 hours of BBC content). Even if you're speed running in 2x speed playback, you'll have more hours than there are in the month to watch til your heart's content.
Among the 30,000 picks, Kanopy holds classics like Into The Wild, The Truman Show, and Donnie Darko, as well as a range of arthouse films, documentaries, kids television, and read-along storybooks. These come in varying levels of resolution, and the downside is you can't pick your playback quality. Many older films don't exist with the kind of picture quality we have today, and Kanopy doesn't upscale, so beggars can't be chooses on this one.
On the flip side Kanopy is one of the only legal, and free streaming services with no ad breaks. Once you're logged in, you can stream without interrupting your wallet or your viewing experience.
Next best free streaming site:
Tubi
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15,000+ titles |
|
| Works with Apple, Android, Roku, FireTV, Playstation, and Xbox |
|
|
Free - ad supported |
Tubi is a close contender for the best free streaming service, but the content available won't be for everyone. While it has a bursting catalogue of over 15,000 titles, much of what Tubi streams is for the sickos (complimentary). It isn't all arthouse - Tubi has a good collection of classic and cult-followed flicks like Cruel Intentions, Bring It On Again, and Robin Hood Men in Tights - but a lot of it is what you'd classify as C, or D-tier. We're talking Titanic 2, and Terror on the Prairie. For some people (me) this is a pro, but for others it could be a deterrent.
The service is entirely free, and you don't even need to make an account, but you do need to sit through ads. On principle we don't love ads on streaming platforms that you pay for, but on free ones like this the trade-off is worth it. Once again though, the streaming resolution is where you really pay. Tubi maxes out at 720p, which is technically HD, but not really for this day and age. This will be especially noticeable on the big screen, but less so if you're streaming on your handheld device.
Special mention:
Plex
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6,000+ titles |
|
| Works with Apple, Android, Roku, FireTV, LG, Samsung, Playstation, Xbox, NVIDIA Shield, Sonos, Caavo, and Alexa |
|
|
Free - ad supported |
Plex has a good collection of free content, but the platform isn't exactly a streaming service, it is a consolidation platform. You can use Plex to connect all your streaming services, paid and unpaid, add your own media (pirated, or made by yourself) and access the content from one location.
We don't condone it, because you know the legality issues, but Australians are well-known pirates. If you've taken this route and you're looking for a sleek wrapper for your booty then Plex is worth taking a look in to.
Best free-to-air streaming site:
SBS On Demand
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2,000+ titles |
|
| Works with Apple, Android, Chromecast, FireTV, Foxtel IQ boxes, Fetch TV, Hubbl, Samsung, LG, and Hisense |
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|
Free - ad supported |
We have a handful of local free-to-air providers with their own streaming platforms, but SBS On Demand is the best option out of them. It has the largest catalogue of content, measuring up over 2,000 titles, and works on the largest number of devices. Like all free-to-air TV in Australia, SBS is bolstered by ads and the On Demand service is no different.
The streamer holds a range of live channels simulcast from partnered channels, plus a collection of movies and TV shows with local flare. Yet again, the streaming quality is just 720p, and can dip lower when the servers get overwhelmed. SBS On Demand uses adaptive streaming, so when the bandwidth is limited the resolution will be even worse.
Still, if you're looking for an eclectic selection of content like Snowpiercer, sitting alongside Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Kill Bill, it is worth your time.
Wait, are free streaming services really free?
The short answer is yes, with a but. There are always caveats, and when it comes to free streaming services you end up paying with your time, and sitting through ads. Anecdotally the ads can be annoying and repetitive, but if you're looking to save some money thems the breaks. Another way free streaming services subsidise their work is through partnerships - Kanopy for example is supported by libraries and universities, so while it is free for users those partners contribute in their own ways.
It is also worth noting that these services will collect your watching data, among other things. If you have an account the service will have your email, and that can be sold and leveraged in the wider online economy.
Anula Wiwatowska
Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram
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