Finding free streaming content is a growing necessity. Paid services continue to hike prices — even Apple TVnow costs $15 per month, despite starting at $5. More importantly, the devices we watch things on have become more expensive, owing to factors like tariffs, the cost of gas for shipping, and rabid memory consumption in the name of AI datacenters.
The good news is that if you’re not picky, you can watch plenty for free on the big smart TV platforms, Fire TV included. You do pay a cost in the form of advertising — but using a combination of apps, you might not even miss Netflix or cable TV.
- Display Size
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55 and 65 inches
- Display Type
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QLED
The best ways to get free streaming on Fire TV
Four main options
My usual preference is Tubi. I don’t like that it’s controlled by Fox, and a lot of its movie selection is littered with B- and Z-movies — but otherwise, it’s hard to deny how great it is as an all-in-one service. Its live channels include a mix of news, sports, and show-specific feeds, and there are on-demand episodes for all ages. It’s frankly amazing that you can watch everything from UFC and The IT Crowd to Sesame Street.
Despite what I just said about its movie library, that’s also part of its appeal. While the company is smart enough to include mainstream hits like The Matrix, Midsommar, and The Witch, it’s also a haven for genuine cult classics that can be hard to find anywhere else, such as Turbo Kid, Cherry 2000, or The Blood on Satan’s Claw. I should also shout out the one original Tubi series I like: Safe Space. For a show set in a single room, it manages to be funnier than sitcoms with 10 times the budget.
My next vote is for Pluto TV. As the name implies, the focus is on the live aspect, although you will find a few on-demand movies and shows worth watching. It launches as if you were using a cable TV guide, and there are also curated genre channels, some examples being Pluto Retro Action Movies and Pluto British Comedy. Personally, my family and I use Pluto if we’re in the mood for Frasier or I Love Lucy — but I could see some people defaulting to this service whenever they have nothing in particular in mind.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the free content on Amazon Prime Video, but frankly, you’re doing things wrong if you rely on that. There may be some worthwhile material, yet you won’t get much without a Prime subscription. Indeed the best content requires paying for further add-on services like Shudder or Starz, which make more sense as separate subscriptions, so that you get separate bills and aren’t tied to one platform.
Plex: The king of free?
Some tech savvy required if you want to go all the way
Based solely on its ad-supported content, I probably wouldn’t rank Plex high on my list. It has a healthy amount of channels and on-demand content, but nothing to raise it over Pluto or Tubi, unless something special you’re interested in happens to be available this month or the next.
What really elevates Plex is the function it was originally built for: streaming content from a Plex Media Server, usually a Mac or Windows PC. Once you’ve built a personal media library, you can play whatever you like, whenever you like, with no ads getting in the way. Of course, collecting all that media and finding storage for it can pose a big hurdle, but it’s worth it in the end. If you’re truly determined, you can connect antennas and DVR tuners to your computer to harvest over-the-air broadcasts. That almost defeats the purpose of Fire TV, I think, but you can hypothetically turn Plex into an omni-app without even paying for a Plex Pass.
