Tubi TV offers considerably more free movies than TV shows, but it continues to grow its extensive library and its live channel lineup. This ad-supported network doesn't require an account, although signing up for one enables you to save favorites and resume playback if you switch between devices.

Tubi offers nationwide and local news livestreams in addition to live sports, weather and entertainment channels. The streaming site's TV selection offers some of the reality shows we've come to expect, such as Hell's Kitchen and Dance Moms, plus oddball inclusions such as the Australian drama McLeod's Daughters.

To watch TV series on demand, you can browse by title, network or genre, including a Tubi Kids category. Not every show has full seasons available, but you'll find Archer, Broadchurch and The Powerpuff Girls among the choices. There are also a stack of Tubi originals as well as feature films such as The Heat and Legally Blonde.

Pluto TV is noteworthy for offering not only on-demand, free movie streaming, but also hundreds of live and linear channels on the platform, including CSI, Star Trek, America's Funniest Home Videos and CBS News. Because it's a Paramount-owned brand, Pluto also has episodes of shows like Criminal Minds and Survivor.

Pluto offers a broad selection of live channels sorted into categories like news and opinion, reality, comedy, sports and movies in a grid format. Navigating it is similar to its on-demand content section, which lets you browse by genres including drama, documentaries, travel, crime, anime and more. One oddity: If you're watching a livestream, there's no way to pause. You can only mute it. 

Roku Channel is a free TV streaming service designed for Roku streaming devices and TVs, but it's also available via Roku's apps for phones and tablets as well as online. 

The Roku Channel offers more than 500 live channels, including a channel guide, with its existing selection of on-demand content. While the linear TV includes live news and lifestyle channels, the on-demand content ranges from Roku originals (like the Weird Al Yankovic biopic) to reality TV (Hoarders, Kitchen Nightmares) to popular series like 2 Broke Girls and Castle. You'll also find anime (live and on-demand) and crime shows. 

Unfortunately, not every TV series is complete (Duck Dynasty, for example), and the service offers only a single episode in some cases. There's plenty of stuff to watch, including a dedicated kids section. There's also a solid array of classic and new movies, including The Sandlot and It Follows. In addition, you can subscribe to premium services, including Paramount Plus, much like you can via Prime Video channels or the Apple TV app.

Although you'll need to pay for Sling's live TV packages, Sling Freestream offers more than 40,000 titles of free on-demand TV, and movies and over 600 live TV channels. Sling Freestream is a bulked-up and rebranded version of Sling TV's former offering, Sling Free.

Sling TV's free streaming service includes live streams for news, entertainment, sports, kids and more. You'll find channels for ABC News Live, The Walking Dead Universe and Bon Appetit and on-demand selections including Ryan's World, Kim's Convenience and The Dark Crystal.

You do not need to create an account to watch Sling FreeStream, but if you do, it makes it easier to personalize what you watch, create profiles, or use parental controls. One notable advantage of Freestream is the ability to record shows and movies (the service offers 10 hours of free DVR space). Sling Freestream is available to watch on a web browser and via the Sling app. No payment information is required for viewing.

Previously, Amazon offered both the paid streaming service, Prime Video, and the free, ad-supported streaming service Freevee. However, some consolidation has taken place.

The Freevee app is no longer available, but the ad-supported streaming service's content remains accessible in the Prime Video app. Popular movies like Sing 2 are available for free on Prime Video, as well as the Lethal Weapon TV show and multiple seasons of Project Runway. Other titles include M. Night Shyamalan's Old, The Invisible Man and the Freevee originals Jury Duty and Judy Justice.

Notably, full seasons of Prime Video original series like Homecoming and Upload (plus movies like The Vast of Night) are also available to stream for free with ads.

Starting as a way for users to stream content stored on users' computers, Plex has evolved to incorporate other sources such as free streaming TV. You don't need to install the Plex server, you just stream it with the basic Plex app, or if you want, sign up for an account.

More than 600 live TV channels are in the mix with Plex's free streaming service, including Stories by AMC, Hallmark and niche 24/7 streams for certain series, including MythBusters and Duck Dynasty. On-demand content includes Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Weeds and Kitchen Nightmares.

Movie fans can search by title and genre. Or you can check out themed rows such as Most Watchlisted or That's So 90s.

Cons

• Only available through certain libraries

Got a library card? Check whether your library has partnered with Hoopla. This digital media service lets you check out all kinds of content -- from ebooks to movies to TV shows. When you "borrow" one, you have 72 hours in which to watch it. Your library determines the total number of titles you can borrow each month. A bonus for this service is that no commercials interrupt your viewing experience.

Hoopla's TV selection is something of a hodgepodge, with a smattering of well-known shows mixed in with a lot of self-help, documentary and family fare. For example, you'll find two seasons of Chewing Gum, both seasons of The Jim Gaffigan Show and lots of Ken Burns documentaries. Hoopla also has instructional videos from The Great Courses series, various kids' shows and plenty of Acorn TV content that would otherwise require a subscription. Film selections rotate on and off the platform, so be sure to check the rotation regularly.