Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Hulu may be dominating the streaming wars, but did you know there are more than 200 streaming services around the world? From on-demand and live TV to broad and niche content, there are multiple services, each with its own strength, that are waiting to be discovered by cord-cutters like yourself. Some cater to specific communities, some are offered free, and some preserve whatever's left of a particular archive. Many are actually excellent. So, if you're looking to expand your lineup beyond the usual, read on as we explore the best streaming services you probably haven't heard about, till now.
50 Best Lesser Known Streaming Services
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Frndly TV offers more than 40 live TV channels, including Hallmark, Lifetime, and A&E for a friendly price of only $6.99. If you’re just looking to cut the cord and reduce expenses, Frndly TV is where you get the bang for your buck.
Price: $6.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku
Channel lineup: A&E, AccuWeather, BabyFirst, BYUtv, Circle, Crime-Investigation, Curiosity Channel, DECADES, Dove Channel, Dove Family Movies, Dove Kids, FETV, FMC, FYI, Game Show Netowrk, GetTV, Great American Family, Great American Living, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Heartland TV, Heroes & Icons, History, INSP, Justice Central TV, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Local Now, MeTV, Military HISTORY, Outdoor Channel, Pixel, QVC, Recipe.TV, Sportsman Channel, Start TV, Story Television, The History Channel, The Weather Channel, UPtv, Vice, World Fishing Network
Magnolia Selects can be accessed via an array of iOS and Android phones and tablets as well as desktops and Roku devices. It is also available as a channel through Sling TV and Amazon Prime Video.
Subscriptions with unlimited access to Magnolia Selects cost $4.99 per month or a discounted $49.99 per year.
Another plan is available for “sub-genre subscriptions” that gives access to specific genres (action, comedy, horror, documentary) for only $2.99 per month.
Fearless is a Toronto-based streaming service built around inclusivity. Their focus is on showcasing films highlighting stories from LGBTQ+ people, Women, BIPOC, and stories on disability. They also enable creators to directly submit their work on either a Free license basis (for creators only interested in traction) or a paid/exclusive license.
Price: $5/month
Free Trial: 14 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Chromecast, iOS, Website
Watch all you can with your family and friends with Yip TV! For only $49.99 per year, Yip TV offers a more affordable annual subscription than an additional international package to your standard cable plan. Access your favorite 44 Live TV shows and on-demand content simultaneously with 5 different devices so everyone in the family can watch what you want. Yip TV offers Spanish content, which is not typically offered by other streaming services.
Price: $14.99/month
Device availability: Android, Apple TV, iOS
Channel lineup: ¡Hola! TV, 360 Tune Box, Antena3, Arirang TV, Atreseries, BizTV, Bloomberg TV, Bolivia TV, Canal 52 MX, Canal Sur, CB24 Noticias, Centroamérica TV, Cine Sony, CubaMax TV, Destinos TV, Dominican View, El Financiero Bloomberg TV, FashionBox Live, FilmBox Art House, FilmBox Russia, France 24, Kino Polska International, Kino Polska Muzyka, Latin Angels, Mi Gente TV, Mis Películas, NTN24, Pasiones, RCN Novelas, Show Business TV, Sony Movie Channel, Supercanal, Tele El Salvador, Teleformula, Telesur, Televisión Dominicana, TV Chile, Video Rola, WAPA América, YouToo America
Volta was the name of the first cinema that opened in Ireland in 1909. And this streaming service lives up to the name - it's the first independent Irish streaming service. You will find a range of Irish content as well as some international releases.
TysonPlus is an internet streaming service that spotlights diverse content from marginalized communities, with a particular focus on queer and Black stories. This provider is for those who don’t want to sift through an overwhelming number of titles just to find quality and thoughtful representation in the media they consume. TysonPlus, first released on Amazon in 2019, is a growing streamer that offers a subscription for $9.99/month. The company also produces original content, which they release both online and in select film festivals.
True Story is an online streaming service that focuses on documentaries from all over the globe. The nature of the films seem to focus on relationships amongst real-life people in specific and unique contexts. If you enjoy exploring the complexities of interpersonal relationships while also learning surprising things about the world in an interesting and moving way, then this streamer is for you. The subscription is $8.49/month. True Story was launched in 2020.
Trickle UP features original and exclusive content from New York City artists. Created in 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it endures now as a platform to help artists promote their work. The diverse Trickle UP catalog includes plays, spoken word, music and dance productions, performance art, funny videos, interviews, and a behind-the-scenes look at the artists' process. If you love the arts and want to support its on-ground movement in New York, then you might want to consider Trickle UP, especially since a large portion of the subscriptions goes directly to the streamer's contributors.
Topic is an online streaming service operating in the US and Canada.
In the US, a monthly subscription currently runs at $5.99 per month or $56.99 per year.
Topic can be accessed via Apple iOS, and AppleTV, Android, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku, in addition to Amazon Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, Roku Premium Channels, and Bell Fibe.
Price: $5.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, Roku
Toon Goggles is an on-demand service dedicated to streaming kids' shows, including popular cartoons like PJ Masks, live-action features like Guinness World Record, and even games like Angry Birds. There are hours upon hours of content here, not to mention pre-screened ads and strict parental controls, making it a suitable service to leave the children with.
Some of Toon Goggles' shows can be streamed for free, but if you want full access and no ads, you'll have to subscribe to its premium tier, which costs $1.99 in the US and Canada and just $0.99 everywhere else.
Price: $1.99/month
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Google TV, Hisense Smart TV, iOS, LG Smart TV, Panasonic Vera Connect, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, Vizio Smart TV, Website
Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 14 live TV streaming services that offer a free trial.
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The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors. If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.