Sometimes, choosing the exemplary streaming service has less to do with taste than budget. There are so many options for streaming movies and television, even the abundance of selection isn’t a factor. Of course, plenty of free streaming services exist, but sometimes you want to splurge for something a little without ads.
The good news is that you don’t have to break the bank expanding your streaming selection beyond whatever is offered on the free platforms. Specifically, if you’ve set a limit as small as $8 a month, your options are not as limited as you might expect. Here are some quality streaming services you can easily work into your entertainment budget.
Magnolia Selects
Magnolia Pictures has been a notable distributor and producer of indie and international cinema since 2001. Today, it continues that tradition and extends it into streaming with Magnolia Selects. Their catalog includes controversial documentaries (Blackfish), intense martial arts epics (Ong Bak), and subversive horror (Let The Right One In).
Magnolia Selects costs a mere $5 monthly, with an even lower monthly rate and an annual price of $50. I will admit that it’s not the best streaming service for TV shows, considering they have a pitiful selection of programs like the short-lived Robocop series and reruns of Tom Green Live. But the films they offer are some of the best, especially from revered directors like Takashi Miike (13 Assassins), Lars von Trier (Melancholia), and Ruben Östlund (Force Majeure). If you dig those directors or you’ve been meaning to watch their works, this is the cheapest way to check out their filmography.
Sundance Now
The Sundance Film Festival usually conjures up thoughts of prestige and independent films making their debut. Sundance Now is the streaming service that brings that same allure into your living room. Spinning off from the Sundance TV channel, the service features plenty of acclaimed movies like the surreal Enter the Void, the engrossing documentary Room 237, and even James Gunn’s underdog superhero satire, Super. And if TV shows are more of your jam, there’s a host of intoxicating thriller shows like The Newsreader, Midwich Cuckoos, and White Lies.
Sundance Now won’t cost you much at $7 monthly or $5 a month when under an annual plan. That’s a pretty good deal considering the quality films (some bleeding in from AMC+ and Shudder) and an impressive assortment of television shows, ranging from true crime stories like Smugshot to the hilarious road trip adventure The Trip. Although there’s a little from every genre on the service, I’d recommend it most for lovers of true crime and thriller lovers who can’t get enough of that on television.
Film Movement Plus
Offering the latest in independent and world cinema, Film Movement Plus boasts films fresh off international festivals. Recent additions include the coming-of-age comedy A Nice Jewish Boy and the Iraqi survival drama Europa. If older films are more of your speed, Movement also offers restored classics like the mesmerizing Hong Kong drama of Center Stage and the tense Western, The Great Silence.
Film Movement Plus is affordable on an annual plan at $6 a month or $60 a year. While there are a few titles that you can find on other movie-centric streaming platforms, this service boasts a more eclectic assortment of movies from around the world. From China to Brazil, there are great collections of new and old foreign favorites to help expand the appeal even the most voracious of cinema devourers. It’s also a solid alternative for those who can’t make it out to the arthouse theater or don’t live near one to catch up on the best that world cinema has to offer, making you feel like you’ve got your own passport to festivals around the world (which the platform does sort by, if you’re interested).
Kino Film Collection
Kino Lorber is a distributor that many film collectors should know. They have distributed many classic and revered movies on home video. Kino Film Collection is their streaming platform that gathers together their new and old acquisitions. They’ve got plenty of classic horror, like the silent essential Nosferatu and the underrated 1980s gem Possession, but also recent hits like Paul Schrader’s contemplative drama, Oh Canada, and Ana Lily Amirpour’s unorthodox vampire film, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. But what might be their biggest draw is their collection of recent documentaries like the Oscar-nominated Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat.
Kino’s service, which streams mainly arthouse affairs, costs a mere $6 monthly. It’s an ideal choice for those who want to see quality films from the indie scene or a beloved classic given a loving restoration (which they offer in much better quality on their physical media discs). It’s also a simpler alternative for those who can’t afford to shell out the cash for Kino’s quality Blu-ray releases. For the cinephiles, Kino Film Collection is a cheap streaming solution for great movies.
Shout! TV
One of the cheapest streaming services for access to classic television and old films can be found on Shout! TV. Their throwback hits include hilarious sketches from The Carol Burnett Show, edgy alien antics on Farscape, retro weirdness on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, and silly film riffing on Mystery Science Theater 3000. The movie selection is stellar, with must-watch titles like the thrilling caper Point Break, surreal offbeat science fiction with Donnie Darko (both theatrical and director’s cut), and the philosophical passages of My Dinner with Andre.
Shout! TV is mostly free to watch with ads, but you can go ad-free and get access to more of their catalog with a cheap subscription. Priced at only $4 a month, it’s an affordable way to indulge in a little bit of everything, including several live streams that perfectly cater to whichever genre you’re craving, ranging from comforting TV comedy to Hong Kong cinema classics. It’s an upgrade worth paying for, considering how much more you get and avoiding the tedium of ads for the geeks who celebrate the annual MST3K Turkey Day marathon.
ScreamBox
Horror fans who need fresh meat from the genre will likely want to check out ScreamBox. The horror-specific service boasts plenty of essential and fresh horror films that every fan should check out, including such cult classics as Chopping Mall, Night Breed, and Zombie. It’s also the only streaming service that features the complete series of Terrifier movies, which you may want to watch if you wish to understand the new slasher obsession with Art the Clown.
ScreamBox is cheap at $7 a month, with an annual subscription making that monthly cost even lower. There are some fascinating collections and curations on ScreamBox, ranging from Troma’s library of B-movies to a fine assortment of scream queen features. I was also impressed with the documentary collection, which gives audiences a wealth of behind-the-scenes stories and footage of Child’s Play, Terrifier, and I Spit On Your Grave. Additionally, armed with TV shows and live streams, ScreamBox is a horror fan’s dream (or nightmare, whichever is better).
HIDIVE
Crunchyroll might be the biggest anime streaming service, but HIDIVE is a top competitor with just as many titles. There’s plenty of new anime you can’t see on Crunchyroll, including recent titles like Yandere Dark Elf and Rock is a Lady’s Modesty. There’s also plenty of classic anime, as with the original 1971 caper show Lupin the Third, which Crunchyroll does offer, but not the recent English dub. And if you’re really into Lupin, this is the only streaming service where you can watch the show’s latest episodes.
HIDIVE is surprisingly cheap at only $7 a month or $5.83 a month with an annual plan. While not as overflowing with properties as Crunchyroll, there are enough exclusives to warrant watching, including the colorful remake of Urusei Yatsura and the classic action of anime staple Ninja Scroll. For anime fans on a budget, this is an excellent choice for staying updated on the genre and indulging in old favorites.
AMC+
Surprisingly, the AMC TV channel, which is notable for Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and Mad Men, offers far more on its streaming service. AMC+ also comes bundled with Shudder and Sundance Now, granting access to recent horror films like Clown in a Cornfield and international hits like the mysterious. Riviera. The service also boasts six live TV channels: AMC (of course), IFC, BBC America, Sundance TV, and The Walking Dead Channel (you can probably guess what’s on this one).
AMC+ is like the Disney bundle for horror lovers, boasting shows like Mayfair Witches and films like Late Night with the Devil. It’s a good deal, considering the ad-supported tier is only $7, and the annual monthly cost of an ad-free subscription is only $8. So if you want a few more quality TV shows to go along with your Shudder subscription, AMC+ is a bargain, considering that Shudder’s subscription price is $9/monthly.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, $7/month
- Live TV
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Yes, $10/month or $96/year
AMC+ offers plenty of TV shows from the AMC TV channel as well as movies from Shudder and Sundance Now.
MGM+
MGM+ can be considered the premium cable movie channel for Prime Video, even though it is actually cheaper than Prime Video. As you might assume from the title, the streaming service is where you can find the most films made by the acclaimed MGM Studio, ranging from as old as 12 Angry Men to as recent as A Working Man. There’s also plenty of exclusive TV series that include the supernatural horror series From and the Western adventure Billy the Kid.
MGM+ is a rare studio-specific streaming service offering a lot for less. It boasts a huge history of classic movies, recent hits, and TV shows you can’t see anywhere else. While the monthly plan is $8, the annual plan is only $5.17 a month. Worth noting is that MGM+ also has a lot of crossover with Paramount+, making it a cheaper alternative if you really wanted to watch the new Naked Gun movie or the recent Ninja Turtles animated movie. Add in a handful of live-streaming channels to make selecting easier, and this is a valuable streaming choice for those on a budget who want a little bit of everything.
PBS Passport
When you donate to your local PBS station, you can gain access to its extensive streaming library through PBS Passport. While new PBS programming is free to watch, there’s so much more to explore on Passport, ranging from older episodes of Nature to the most important documentaries through Frontline and POV. It’s also the best way to stay caught up on all the British Masterpiece programs if you never got around to watching sleeper hits like Midsomer Murders, Grantchester, and All Creatures Great and Small.
Passport can be accessed for any donation level with a minimum of $5 monthly. The assortment of British dramas, important documentaries, and even live performances makes for robust programming that is equally enriching and entertaining. Best of all, there’s a sense of pride in supporting public media, which makes it feel like your money is going towards more than that of another streaming competitor. Various donation tiers will get you more goodies, but I’ve been very content with my $5 donation, which grants me valuable television and a mailed guide of monthly PBS programming. It’s a good value for a vital media resource.
- Price
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$5/month or $60/year donation
- Subscription with ads
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No, ad-free
PBS features documentaries, educational programs, and British dramas that can be watched for free or with the PBS Passport.
Streaming doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg or even ten bucks. Most of the streaming options presented here can help you stay on a budget while still enjoying a healthy diet of essential movies and must-watch television. Times get tough, and you might have to tighten your streaming belts, but there are some good alternatives so that you won’t be stuck with public domain titles and YouTube content.
