What streaming services can you watch for free?

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Best free streaming services UK
Best free streaming services US

last updated 17 October 2022

With the cost of living hiking up everyday prices, including energy bills and weekly food shops, many of us are trying to cut down on products and services that we don’t need. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify the price of non-essential purchases and subscriptions and unfortunately, streaming services fall under this category.

If you have more than one streaming service, this can really add up monthly and annually so if you’re trying to save money, you might want to consider pressing the cancel button. However, all is not lost as there are plenty of free streaming services that have plenty of TV series, films, documentaries and other content to choose from.

Before you take the plunge and cancel your paid-for streaming services, below is a full list of free streaming services from the UK and US. Most of the streaming services mentioned in this post can be found in both the UK, US and other countries but there are specific US streaming services that aren’t yet available in the UK, but we’ll explain all of this in more detail.

Best free streaming services UK

BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer is run and owned by the BBC, and has access to hundreds of TV series, films and documentaries available to watch live or on-demand. All BBC channels including BBC 1, BBC 2, BBC 3, BBC 4, CBBC, CBeebies, S4C, News, Alba, Parliament, Scotland and Radio 1 are available. There are also plenty of old classics and new movies to watch, and there are tons of TV series too, including Peaky Blinders, Normal People, Conversations With Friends, Line of Duty, Silent Witness, Pretty Little Liars and more. For more details, here are 3 reasons why you should consider cancelling Netflix for BBC iPlayer.

Best free streaming services US

Most of the free streaming services mentioned above can also be used in the US but there are a few apps and platforms from the US that can’t be accessed yet in the UK. However, you can use these services if you have a VPN – see our best streaming VPNs for more.

For more money-saving hacks, check out the best streaming service deals for this month and how to save money on streaming services.

Beth is Home Editor for T3, looking after style, living and wellness. From the comfiest mattresses to strange things you can cook in an air fryer, Beth covers sleep, yoga, smart home, coffee machines, watches, grooming tools, fragrances, gardening and much more. If it's something that goes in your house, chances are Beth knows about it and has the latest reviews and recommendations! She's also in the know about the latest deals and discount codes from top brands and retailers.

Having always been passionate about writing, she’s written for websites, newspapers and magazines on a variety of topics, from jewellery and culture, to food and telecoms. You can find her work across numerous sites, including Wedding Ideas Magazine, Health & Wellbeing, The Bristol Post, Fashion & Style Directory, TechRadar, CreativeBloq and more. In her spare time, Beth enjoys running, reading, baking and attempting craft projects that will probably end in disaster!