Streaming services have come full circle, with password crackdowns and multiple price hikes prompting more of us to churn through our services, canceling at least one of them over the last six months, according to Deloitte. All those monthly fees add up—subscribing to the top tier of services will now cost you more than cable—so why not cut down on those monthly fees by taking advantage of a free trial before paying for a new service?
Here’s here are 10 major streaming services that still offer free trials in 2023.
Prime Video
You can receive a free 30-day trial of Prime Video when you sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime. (If you have been inactive Amazon Prime user for at least 12 months, you qualify for the free trial again.) You can pay $9 per month for Prime Video access only, or $15 per month/$139 per year for an Amazon Prime membership, which includes a bunch of other benefits like free two-day shipping, access to Amazon Music streaming, and more.
Apple TV+
You can get an Apple TV+ 7-day free trial to check out the streaming service. However, if you buy an Apple iPhone, Mac, iPad, or Apple TV, you can get an extended 3-month free trial of Apple TV+. If you don’t cancel, you’ll pay $7 per month or $69 per year.
Crunchyroll
Anime lovers can watch all their shows with a 14-day free trial. Afterward, you’ll pay a monthly fee of $7.99 for the “Fan” plan, $9.99 for the “Mega fan” plan, or $14.99 for the “Ultimate fan” tier. None of the plans have ads; the primary difference is how many concurrent streams are allowed.
Discovery+
Though HBO Max and Discovery+ were said to be “merging” into Max, Discovery+ still exists as a standalone service, and you can get a 7-day free trial as a new subscriber. Discovery+ offers two subscription tiers, a $5 per month plan with ads and a $7 per month plan with no ads and the option to download shows to watch on a mobile device.
Hulu
You can get a free 30-day trial for Hulu’s standard service and a 7-day free trial for the Live TV package. Hulu currently offers a basic plan for $8 a month with ads and a Hulu Premium with no ads for $15. You can also combine either plan and get a bundle with Hulu’s Live TV package, ESPN+, and Disney+ for $70 with ads and $83 with no ads.
Paramount+ With Showtime
You can get a 7-day free trial if you’re a new subscriber to Paramount+ With Showtime. You’ll have to choose and sign up for one of their plans to get it, but it’s easy to cancel before the deadline if you change your mind. Otherwise, you can pay $5.99 a month for the basic Paramount+ Essential plan, or $11.99 a month for Paramount+ with Showtime, which includes additional content that used to be a part of the standalone Showtime app.
YouTube TV
You can get a YouTube TV 30-day free trial as a first-time subscriber. Make sure to cancel before the trial ends if you aren’t in love with the service—otherwise, you’d have to cough up $64.99 for your first three months, and then $72.99 a month thereafter. You’ll get access to over 100 channels and live sports.
The Criterion Channel
With its devotion to classic and contemporary art films, The Criterion Channel—a spinoff of the iconic Criterion Collection home media label—is a bit more niche than some of these other offerings, which may be why it still offers a 7-day free trial. If you like what you see (and if you like movies, I think you will), you can sign up for $11 a month or $100 a year (which is like getting three months free).
MUBI
Like The Criterion Channel, MUBI is a streaming services geared toward cinema buffs, with an emphasis on independent, non-english language, and cult films. Recently the company has also started acquiring films for distribution in theaters, so MUBI is the exclusive home to acclaimed titles like Park Chan-Wook’s award-winning drama Decision to Leave. You can get a 7-day free trial, and thereafter pay $13 a month or $108 a year (a 31% discount).
Shudder
If you like horror, the idea of not subscribing to Shudder is scary. The service not only premieres new horror films, but has also given spotlight to long-neglected cult hits like 1981’s Possession (never previously available in the U.S. in its original cut) and the Mexican supernatural flick Poison for the Fairies. You can get a 7-day free trial, and join up for $6 per month or $57 per year.
Don’t forget about free services
There is also a wide array of free TV and movie streaming options if you don’t feel like paying for your entertainment and you have exhausted your free trials. And if you’re concerned your monthly streaming bill is getting unwieldily, here are ten strategies to cut it down to size.
