Are Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and other subscription sites killing your budget? Watch shows and movies for free with one of these Netflix alternatives instead!

Netflix is famous for its wide variety of shows and movies in a ton of genres, so that’s where we’re starting out: general streaming services like Netflix where you can find just about any type of content you want to see.

1. Tubi (Best General Option)

Tubi is easily one of the best places to catch free shows online, and they also have an impressive movie selection. Tubi is often called the free alternative to Netflix, and for good reason: not only can you watch many of the same shows that Netflix has, but there are a number of great movies and shows available on the service that you wouldn’t be able to find on either Netflix or Hulu. (And you can tell they’re proud of it, because they literally have a category labeled “Not on Netflix.”)

02. Vudu (Runner-Up in Movies)

Vudu once was just a marketing ploy by Walmart to go with DVDs and Blu-Rays purchased at their stores. However, with time, it’s grown to be one of the bigger streaming services out there, with a pretty decent selection of free options.

Wal-Mart is now taking steps to ensure that their service remains stocked with quality films that you can watch for free (as long as you’re willing to deal with the ads—it’s pretty par for the course).

Like a lot of the other sites listed here, you’ll have to sign up to start watching the free movies and shows Vudu has on offer. The site also has a paid option to unlock even more content. The downside is that if you’re looking for high-quality television shows, it’s not the best option out there.

03. Top Documentary Films (Docs on Numerous Subjects)

If you’re a documentary buff looking for a more focused selection of free documentaries online, then try Top Documentary Films, self-described as “the world’s greatest documentary library.”

The thing that sets these documentaries apart from the ones available on the other services is the sheer diversity of sources. For example, while PBS documentaries are mainly developed by PBS themselves, the documentaries on this site span a variety of disciplines and are created by varied filmmakers and directors. Top Documentary Films will help you learn about a ton of new topics and appreciate the sheer amount of creativity and diversity in documentary style.

A fairly intuitive user interface makes it easy to narrow down your choices: filter by category or work your way through the Top 100.

04. The Roku Channel (Runner-Up Overall)

The Roku channel is a completely free streaming service with a relatively light number of ads and a few “real world” networks available, like live streaming from ABC News. If you have a Roku streaming player, you can watch shows free right on your TV, but you don’t need a Roku to access the channel—you can easily just visit it in your browser and sign up to enjoy from there.

Content is organized by genre—adventure, comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, etc—to help you find what you’re in the mood to watch. Through Roku, you can also pay for premium subscriptions to channels like HBO and Showtime.

Unless you add a premium channel, you probably won’t be catching the latest episodes of every show or all the latest hit movies on The Roku Channel, but you will be able to find a variety of content fairly easily without being constantly interrupted by ads.

05. Pluto TV (Television Like You Know It)

There’s something to be said for the traditional television experience—the way you can just flip through channels and see what’s on without having to put much thought into it. Pluto TV brings you that experience absolutely free with a selection of different channels ranging across a number of topics.

A Movies channel provides you a number of new films updated every month, while other channels focus on niche interests in order to provide a little something for everyone.

Are you a fan of true crime? There’s a channel for that.

Documentaries? A channel for that as well.

You can scroll through all the channels at the bottom of the Pluto home screen. The other bonus of Pluto is far fewer ads than you would get while watching traditional television.

If you want to actually choose what you watch, Pluto also has a selection of on-demand offerings. And like with cable TV, you can see what will be playing on their live channels within the next few hours so you can decide if you want to tune in.

With all of that said, Pluto TV offers a fairly unique experience compared to the other sites on this list. If you’re looking for something simple in the background while you do something else, or looking to broaden your horizons and watch TV in a more “traditional” way without paying anything, Pluto TV provides an excellent option.