Are you planning the next series marathon, but don’t want to take out a subscription to Netflix, Disney+ or one of the other streaming platforms? No problem, there are enough providers that can be used without registration and additional costs.
The Internet now offers many legal alternatives that you can use to bypass a paid Netflix or Amazon Prime subscription. The most famous free streaming provider? YouTube, of course. But if you first think of DIY tutorials or clips from influencers when you hear the keyword YouTube, you should know that countless films and series can also be found here – you just have to know where. In addition to YouTube, there are many other platforms on which you can stream films and series for free. TECHBOOK has selected the best providers for you and gives you an overview.
Also Read: Where to Watch TV for Free on the Internet
YouTube – the classic for free streaming
The big advantage of YouTube is the variety of offers. On-demand content from a wide variety of cultural areas, countries and languages is available here. Whether it’s a Turkish series with English subtitles, the music videos of a K-Pop band or heartwarming independent short films, like hush me – there is almost nothing that does not exist.
The worldwide popularity of the video portal ensures that videos are usually first published on YouTube before they end up on other platforms such as Dailymotion or Vevo. That’s why YouTube is a great place to start if you want to stream movies and series for free. There is now a subscription version with YouTube Premium and individual paid channels, but a large part of the offer is still freely accessible. You just have to accept the advertising.
Among the free YouTube channels there are also those that offer a huge selection of films. If you are looking for German-language content, providers like net cinema and Cinemat Germany find it. Some TV series can also be found here, especially if they are a bit older. If you are not into dubbed films and series and are more looking for the original versions, you will find channels like popcorn flix even more variety of free content in different languages.
German streaming provider
But not only YouTube offers free streaming of films and series, but also other services where registrations and costs are not a must.
net cinema
net cinema is not only represented with a channel on YouTube, but also has its own website, which is visually reminiscent of Netflix. With around 2,500 films and series, Netzkino offers a wide range of entertainment, but the main focus is on genre cinema. In principle, Netzkino does not require any registration in order to be able to stream the films and series free of charge, because the service is mainly financed by advertising revenue. Since 2017, however, there has been an ad-free, but paid Plus subscription, which also includes well-known blockbusters and a download function. The monthly subscription costs 4.99 euros.
Netzkino also offers apps for Apple’s App Store, Google Play, the Windows Store and Amazon’s Fire TV. Netzkino not only works on smartphones and tablets with iOS and Android, but also on Windows PCs and Smart TVs. TV manufacturers such as Samsung, LG and Sony also support the Netzkino app.
Joyn
The provider has been scoring since June 2019 Joyn with a combination of on-demand offerings and free TV streaming and is a real competitor to other services such as YouTube. There are more than 50 live channels per stream. This includes, for example, ProSieben and Sat. 1, but also ARD, ZDF, Comedy Central and DMAX. Only the broadcast package from the RTL Group has to be dispensed with with Joyn. To this end, Joyn provides on-demand content that can be called up at any time and can be used free of charge. Here you also get access to exciting Joyn originals and exclusives.
Most of the content is available free of charge. You can access it either via the browser or via Joynapp. The disadvantage here too: repeated commercial breaks. And the solution, as always, is: a paid Joyn Plus subscription for 6.99 euros per month.
Also interesting: Beware of subscription traps with streaming providers
watchbox
Since March 2019 is watchbox a channel of the offer belonging to the RTL Group on RTL+. From horror movies to comedy and drama to anime, Watchbox offers a lot. Unfortunately, a large part of the offer is now only accessible with the paid premium subscription. Even the anime focus that Watchbox used to have is pretty much thinned out now, and aside from Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto, there’s very little available for free. Nevertheless, you can still stream some exciting content free of charge.
International free streaming providers
Rakuten TV
Similar to how the (paid) streaming provider Cliq drives Rakuten TV two-pronged: A large part of the films and series is available free of charge, but you also have the option of buying or renting newer films. Some of these prices are just as steep as for a DVD.
But the free offer from Rakuten TV invites you to browse. A particular focus is on Korean series, which are sometimes neglected by other free streaming providers. The same applies to old Western films and “The Guardian” documentaries. Incidentally, Rakuten TV belongs to a Japanese company, but most of the content is available in German or at least with German subtitles. One looks in vain for animes.
Crunchy roll
Attention anime fans! While more and more streaming providers are also adding popular anime series to their offerings, it is and will remain so Crunchy roll one of the richest platforms. Anyone for whom a Crunchyroll Premium subscription is not worthwhile should still drop by here occasionally. Because Crunchyroll also offers some free animes – not only niche no-name productions, but also bestsellers like “Jujutsu Kaisen”, “Black Clover” or the slice-of-life series “Horimiya”. But as before, if you don’t want to see any advertising, you have to pay for a subscription.
Classic Cinema Online
The page Classic Cinema Online is without question the strangest in our list and differs greatly from previous providers. This is because classic films from all over the web are bundled here and made available to users free of charge. The offer includes films and series mainly from the 1930s and 1940s, but also some later titles from the years after can be found in the huge range and streamed free of charge. If you’re looking for a vintage spaghetti western or want to see how sci-fi filmmakers from the ’50s and ’60s envisioned the future, this is the place to be. And if you generally like old films, you can get great inspiration here.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV offers – just like Joyn – both live TV and on-demand content. The program is completely free to receive and films and series are available for streaming free of charge and without registration. A wide range is represented, from sci-fi and fantasy to comedy and documentaries. If you would rather do something for your health than a series marathon with popcorn, you will also find workouts and yoga videos in the media center. Pluto TV may look similar in structure and function to other providers at first glance, but if you scroll through the offer, you will also discover other content such as music, sports and other entertainment videos.
