Exploring beyond Netflix: the most promising free streaming alternatives for 2024

For many of us, the new year feels like the perfect time to finally break away from Netflix and look beyond, especially with all the drama this year – from the crackdown on password-sharing to those sneaky price hikes (followed by some of the biggest players in the industry like Disney+ or more recently Prime Video with the inclusion of ads). That's why we want to gather some of the most promising free alternatives to Netflix for 2024, with the same type of content (if not better), and without you having to resort to overly complex or insecure methods 🎉 So, if you're looking for a very similar alternative to Netflix but without having to pay, you might want to give some of these a try:

Cost: Free with ads. Highlights: Offering a diverse range of channels, Pluto TV is like flipping through traditional cable, but online and without any subscription fees. It provides a live channels-surfing experience, along with some on-demand content offerings as well. Availability: USA, Canada, Europe and Latin America.

Cost: Free with ads. Highlights: Tubi offers 40,000+ movies and shows on-demand, legally and without the need for sign-up. Enjoy features like dark mode and support for Smart TVs, Roku devices, Amazon Fire Sticks, video game consoles, and more. Availability: USA, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, India, Mexico & Panama. NOT available in Europe.

Cost: Freemium (with ads). Highlights: The Roku Channel is your go-to for free and premium TV, offering a diverse selection of on-demand shows and movies. Unlike the previous two, with Roku Channel you have the option to pay to remove ads and access more content if you want, but it's not 100% necessary. A great alternative, especially for Roku device users. Availability: USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Mexico and Latin America.

Cost: Freemium. Highlights: Fandango at Home is another free ad-supported streaming app similar to Netflix (great for horror films), offering a collection from Warner Bros, Discovery, and NBCUniversal. Some movies are paid-only for renting or buying. Availability: USA and Mexico.

Cost: Freemium. Highlights: Popcornflix is a free, ad-supported streaming service offering a diverse range of content, including popular movies, TV shows, hidden gems, and cult classics. With new additions regularly, PopcornFlix is user-friendly and entirely legal, relying on ads instead of subscription fees, making it a popular choice for free content in the US. Availability: USA and Canada.

Cost: Free. Highlights: Kanopy is a hidden gem for those who crave original content without the price tag (you can borrow movies for free with a library card). With a mix of classic cinema, indie films, and top-notch documentaries for free, it's ideal for those seeking meaningful and thought-provoking content beyond Netflix's selection (Plus, it includes a lot of content from The Criterion Channel) Availability: USA.

Cost: Free. Highlights: Similar to Kanopy, Hoopla Digital can be easily accessed if your public library has an agreement with the platform, with the advantage that it not only offers movies and series but also audiobooks, music, and more. Availability: USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Cost: Freemium. Highlights: Plex is one of the most recognized media servers platforms out there, featuring a free online streaming library with an ad-supported model similar to Netflix. It also acts as a platform to connect with other services for renting or purchasing movies, and allows you to add your own content for watching on multiple devices. Availability: Available in more than 200 countries.

Cost: Free Highlights: Stremio is a media center designed for instant viewing of movies, series, and YouTube channels. Offering HD viewing, automatic subtitle downloads, and the ability to cast any file to TV through DLNA, Chromecast, or AppleTV, it also provides notifications for new episodes or movies. Availability: You may need a VPN to stream content based on your location. Please research your country's situation before using it.

Remember that not all of the mentioned platforms are available in every region, so if you want to see the full list of possible alternatives and customize your search by platform, pricing model, or features, take a look at all Netflix Alternatives here. And of course, feel free to recommend your top choices below!