Six Paid and Free Hulu Alternatives

The popularity of streaming services among the popcorn-loving community provides us with more options than ever in how we view our favorite shows and movies. With a greater degree of freedom in content licensing, if you’ve seen it on a screen, it’s most likely part of a streaming service.

Many viewers rely on a Hulu subscription to watch their shows, and the site has gathered a substantial audience of long-time members. But these subscribers have other options they can use to binge-watch seasons of Shameless or Game of Thrones — providing the same level of quality they now expect.

In this article, we’ll list six paid and free Hulu alternatives that you can switch to today.

1. Amazon Prime Instant Video

What separates Amazon Prime Instant Video from other services is its inclusion in the Amazon Prime package. Many people already subscribe to Amazon Prime, so the shows they gain access to are at no additional cost. With a discount for students, viewers in school pay even less for Prime.

People interested in the service can start a free 30-day trial that includes other features like a library of digital music, 2-day shipping and exclusive shopping deals. Subscribers pay $12.99 per month for their Amazon Prime membership — students pay a reduced rate of $6.49.

2. Pluto TV

Though it doesn’t have the same backlog of content that Hulu boasts, Pluto TV is a free television and movie streaming site with wide compatibility with modern devices. Whether you use Apple TV, the Amazon Fire TV Stick or Roku, you’ll have access to over a hundred different channels at no cost to you.

With both TV shows and movies at your fingertips, Pluto TV offers a great deal. As long as you don’t mind the occasional ad popping up as you flick through channels — and the absence of a cloud-based DVR service — Pluto TV is an excellent alternative to your current provider.

3. Sling TV

Unlike Hulu, members of Sling TV can choose to purchase individual networks based on what appeals to them. Instead of paying for one cohesive package, this style of service allows users to spend their money more selectively, saving on content they have no interest in.

If Sling TV seems more your style than Hulu, you can try it out in a 7-day free trial. With the ability to customize their service, users pay $25 per month to watch live TV on all their favorite channels, including TNT, ESPN and more. Adding channels to the initial package costs an extra $5.

4. Tubi

With a selection of shows and movies trumped only by Netflix, Tubi is a free alternative that provides its users over 7,400 of their favorite titles in HD. Similar to Pluto TV, Tubi is also compatible with Apple TV, the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku, Chromecast and more, providing full viewing flexibility.

Though this streaming service is free, those who choose Tubi should still expect to see short ad breaks intermittently placed throughout their content. However, of all the free streaming sites available, Tubi’s catalog should be enough of a selling point to convince even the most impatient of us.

5. Crackle

A subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Pictures, Crackle has been around for over a decade, amassing a diverse collection of free television shows and movies. Users have over 100 movie titles and 50 shows to choose from — quite the generous selection. However, the picture quality is limited to 480p.

If the low resolution doesn’t deter you, Crackle could be what you’re looking for. It has the usual headache of ads and is only available in North and Central America, but those who use the site will appreciate its simple interface. Crackle is also compatible with all streaming devices.

6. Netflix

The most widely known streaming service available today, Netflix is a paid alternative to Hulu with an enormous backlog of content. More than that, they produce their own original shows and movies available only to their subscribers. It also has a mobile app with lots of hidden perks.

Those who want to switch from Hulu can try a free month-long trial, after which viewers have the option of three different monthly plans. The $7.99 basic plan allows viewing on one screen, the $10.99 standard plan on two and the $13.99 premium plan on four.

That’s a Wrap!

Whether you intend to marathon an entire season of The Office or binge-watch clips on YouTube, you have choices in your streaming platform. With all the new ways to watch and download a variety of video content, why not try out one of the paid or free Hulu alternatives above to see if you like it?

Happy watching!