The Free Animation Streaming Guide
Modern fans of TV and film are used to the idea of paying for subscriptions. If you want to stay on top of all the latest releases, you'll need to shell out for multiple services. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Crunchyroll, Paramount Plus- the list goes on. But if you are unable or don't want to pay, there are actually several streaming sites that won't cost you a penny. If you can put up with the occasional (or more frequent, depending on the site) advert interrupting your viewing, there is a lot to be discovered. Known in the industry as FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming), it's a growing field. For animation fans, these sites have a varying amount of animated content. And in our first ever Free Animation Streaming Guide, we run down just what you can expect to find on each of the major sites, in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
It should be noted that there are also numerous "unofficial" (ie pirate) streaming sites with generic names like "WatchToonzOnline". They are best avoided, as they exist only to make money for shady individuals from advertising without giving anything to creators. And the risk of picking up a virus or malware is not insignificant.
All listings are accurate to the best of our knowledge at time of publication but are subject to change at any time.
Tubi
Tubi, now owned by Fox Corporation, is probably the highest profile of the FAST sites. The majority of its library could charitably be compared to the sort of thing that in an earlier time you might find in the bargain bin in your local Blockbuster. In the United States at least, it has more recently upped its game in adding films and shows you've actually heard of. It does also offer animation. The Tubi Originals selection includes adult animation The Freak Brothers, Robo Force, Breaking Bear, Millennial Hunter, The Doomsday Brothers, and America's Next Top Cryptid.
In the US, Tubi also actually boasts a pretty impressive range of animated movies, from major studio fare to foreign and independent films. Titles streaming include Monster House, The Angry Birds Movie, The Missing Link, Penguin Highway, Paprika,The Legend Of Hei, Ne Zha, Redline, Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Ernest and Celestine, Barnyard, Jack and The Cuckoo Clock Heart, Gandahar, Seoul Station, Lesbian Space Princess, When The Wind Blows, Flee, The Plague Dogs, The Trouble With Terkel, Appleseed, The Wonderland, Ghost In The Shell, Ghost In The Shell 2.0, Nocturna, Cryptozoo, Kite Liberator, Wicked City, My Love Affair With Marriage, Rock and Rule, Rumble, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat In Space, I Married A strange Person, Deep Sea, Riding Bean, Nerdland, Have A Nice Day, Robot Carnival, Warrior King, Path of Blood, She, The Castle Of Cagliostro, The Last Unicorn, Time of Eve, Jiang Ziya, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, Ainbo, Bilal, Early Man, The BFG, The Pirates: A Band Of Misfits, Attack Of The Demons, A Cat In Paris, Mad God, Heavy Metal and Bill Plympton's The Tune.
In terms of TV, US visitors can stream Archer, Brickleberry, Ghost Stories, Ghost In the Shell: Standalone Complex, Fugget About It, Red Vs Blue, Happy Tree Friends, Bordertown, The Critic, Megalobox, Kill Blue, Camp Camp, Goku Midnight Eye, Bob and Margaret, Labyrinth Of Flames, Boogiepop Phantom, John Callahan's Quads, Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress, Smodimations, Super Team Canada,Angelina Balerina, Zig and Sharko, Shaun The Sheep, Tougen Anki, Mary Shelly's Frankenhole, Aika, The Stockholms, DAP, The Mind Machine, My Little Pony, Death Note, Mega Zone 23, The Jackie Chan Adventures, LEGO Ninjago, The PJs, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Pokemon: Sun and Moon, Transformers Prime, Naruto, Hunter X Hunter, Animaniacs, The Garfield Show, Beetlejuice, The Flinstones, Braceface, Garfield and Friends, The Real Ghostbusters, Sailor Moon, Transformers, Mr Bean, Sonic Boom, After War Gundam X, Bubblegum Crisis, Bubblegum Crash, Riding Bean, Inu Yasha, Thundarr The Barbarian, Transformers Rescue Bots, World War Blue, Freakazoid, Transformers: Beast Wars, GI Joe, Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal, Pacman and the Ghostly Adventures, Monster Eaters, Thunderbirds Are Go, Gaiking: Legend Of The Daiku Maryu, Ryan Defrates: Secret Agent, Lupin The 3rd, Blood+, The Magic School Bus, MIB: Men In Black, Rabbids Invasion, Gundam Ace, Yu-Gi-Oh GX, There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless..., Green Green, Ranma 1/2, Very Private Lesson, Knights Of The Zodiac, Terror in Resonance, Sonic X, Voltes V, Sailor Moon Crystal, Galaxy Express 999, Bunny Drop, Bakuman, Pretty Cure, Speed Racer, Doomed Megalopolis, Alien Nine, Vampire Knight, Rio Rainbow Gate, Strawberry Panic, Angel Sanctuary, eXD, Gene Shaft, Requiem From The Darkness, Lupin the 3rd Part 5, Black Jack, Naruto: Rock Lee, Angel Cop, Shamen King, Space Brothers, Bartender, Tonbo, Magic Knight Rayearth, Stratos 4, Captain Harlock, Girls' High,Jem, Oggy and the Cockroaches, God Mars, Tetsujun 28, BT-X, Kimagure Orange Road, and Knight Head.
The site also has a rotating library of series from Warner Bros/Cartoon Network. At the time of writing it includes The Grim Adventures Of Billy and Mandy, Scooby-Doo Where Are You?, Looney Tunes (classic), Tom and Jerry, Green Lantern, Justice League, Ed, Edd and Eddy, The Batman, Ben 10, The Powerpuff Girls, Juctice League Unlimited, Foster's Home For Imaganary Friends, Operation Kids Next Door, Dexter's Laboratory, Grim and Evil, Courage The Cowardly Dog and Teen Titans.
In the UK the rather limited and random selection of animated TV they offer includes Bob and Margaret, Kevin Spencer, My Deer Friend Nokotan, Umamusume: Cinderella Gray, Tougen Aki, Sassy The Sasquatch, Aika, Aika R-16: Virgin Mission, Committed, Betty Boop, Labyrinth Of Flames, MeatCanyon, After War Gundam X, Tide Line Blue, Bubblegum Crisis, Bubblegum Crash, Stratos 4, Alien Nine, Melty Lancer, I'm Gonna Be An Angel, Inn Yasha, Blue Submarine No. 6, The Girl Who leapt Through Space, Yukikaze, Gundam Age, The Daichis, Tonbo, Rescue me Mave Chan, DC Heroes United, Tasokare Hotel, eX-D, Fancy Lala, Your Forma, BT-X, Black Jack: The Complete OVA Series, Sola, Gunbuster 2, Angel Sanctuary and Figure 17.
The Creatorverse (available in the US and UK) features work from online creators and influencers. It features animated shows Salad Fingers, Eddsworld, The Cyanide and Happiness Show, Best Of Cartoon Box, Zoomy, Pencilmation and FlashGitz.
Pluto TV
In the US, Pluto has a pretty decent selection of anime, including some of the biggest names and classics. It includes Naruto, Death Note, Ranma 1/2, One Punch Man, Sailor Moon, Inu Yasha, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon: The Series, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Hunter x Hunter, Vampire Knight, Vinland Saga, Speed Racer, Astro Boy, Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead, Yasha Hime: Princess Half-Demon, Lupin the 3rd, Mononoke, Terror In Resonance, Rose Of Versailles, Girls Band Cry, Monster Rancher, Galaxy Express 999, Antique Bakery, Cats Eye, City Hunter, Galaxy Angel, Devilman Lady, Key The Metal Idol, Kimba The White Lion, Kimagure Orange Road, Lupin The 3rd Part IV, Mr Omatsu, Pop Team Epic, Saint Seiya, Samurai Troopers, Love Hina Again, Dirty Pair, Space Adventure Cobra and The Twelve Kingdoms. Select series are also offered with a Spanish dub.
In other animated TV, Pluto offers both kids and family and adult animation. Available kids titles include Sonic Boom, Inspector Gadget (80s), Inspector Gadget (remake), SlugTerra, The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That, Archie's Weird Mysteries, Heathcliff, Charlie and Lola, Sabrina The Animated Series, The Super Mario Bros Super Show, The Busy World Of Richard Scarry, Sonic Underground, DinoPaws, LEGO Monkie Kid, Street Sharks, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures, Camp Lakebottom, Double Dragon, Classic Popeye, Doozers, Extreme Dinosaurs, Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet, Grizzly And The Lemmings, Highlander: The Animated Series, The Hurricanes, King Arthur and the Knights Of Justice, Madeline, Masha and The Bear, Mr Bean, Rainbow Rangers, Roswell Conspiracies, Sam and Max, Strawberry Shortcake, Teen Wolf, The Ultimate Book of Spells and Super Dave.
Adult animation offered includes Beavis and Butthead, Bromwell High, Fugget About It, Red Vs Blue, The Goode Family, GTO, and Daria.
Movies on offer include, A Wind Named Amnesia, Bleach: Fade To Black, Bleach: Hellverse, Blue Thermal, Bouto: Naruto The Movie, Naruto Shippuden: The Movie, Demon City Shinkiju, City Hunter: Bay City Wars, Deemo, Digimon Adventure Tri (1-6), Ghost In The Shell, Godmars, Haikira-San: Here Comes Miss Modern Parts 1+2, InuYasha Movies (various), Lupin the 3rd Movies and Specials (various), Halo Legends, Kakurenbo, Kimagure Orange Road The Movie, Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms, Mega Zone 23, Millenium Actress, Ne Zha, Poupelle Of Chimney Town, Prime Rose, RWBY, Riding Bean, Robot Carnival, Sailor Moon R: The Movie, Sailor Moon S: The Movie, Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie, Sound Euphonium: The Movie, The Wonderland and Yu-Gi-Oh: The Movie, Adolescence Of Utena, Bebe's Kids, Lesbian Space Princess, Rango, The Queen's Corgi, The Legend Of Hei, Wicked City, A Dog's Courage, A Monster In Paris, Alpha and Omega, Astro Boy, Asterix: The Mansion Of The Gods, Captain Morten and The Spider Queen, Checkered Ninja, Digimon Adventure Tri (1-6), Dilili In Paris, Dino King, Ella Bella Bingo, Escape From Planet Earth, Even Mice Belong In Heaven, Ferngully The Last Rainforest, Igor, Jack and The Cuckoo Clock Heart, Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius, Kensuke's Kingdom, Lost In The Moonlight, Maya The Bee, Missing Link, Monster Family, Monster Island, Princess Emmy, Puffin Rock and the New Friends, Rock Dog, Rock-A-Doodle, Snow Queen, Stan Lee's Mighty 7, The Adventures Of Mark Twain, The Adventures Of Tintin, The Canterville Ghost, The Stolen Princess, Thunder And The House Of Magic, Tito and The Birds, Fire and Ice, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, The Monkey King Reborn and Yu-Gi-Oh: Bonds Beyond Time.
You'll have to scroll a long way down through the live channels to find any animation. But eventually you'll find channels including Nickelodeon Pluto, Dora The Explorer, 90s Kids, Totally Turtles, Pokemon, RWBY, Pluto Anime, Garfield and Friends, Crunchyroll, Hi-Dive, Sailor Moon, One Piece, Naruto, Boruto, and Pluto Kids Movie Club.
There are pretty slim pickings to be had for users in the UK. The site offers numerous live channels, and animation relevant feeds include Pluto Animation, Pluto Kids, Pluto Retro Toons, plus channels devoted to South Park, Pokémon, Arthur, The Raccoons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Smurfs and Mona The Vampire. On-demand offerings are even sparser. It features Bob and Margaret, Betty Boop, Kevin Spencer, and Moonbeam City.
Animated movies available in the UK include The Last: Naruto The Movie, Road To Ninja: Naruto The Movie, Boruto: Naruto The Movie, Rango, Fantastic Planet,
YouTube
The world's biggest video streaming site needs no introduction. YouTube hosts more animation than any one person could ever watch in their lifetime, and more than we could ever hope to cover here. Of course, there is a ton of "unofficial" content, illegally uploaded by users. We would never condone piracy, but with some things it's the only way it's even possible to watch it. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of independent animators and small studios releasing short films and series It introduced us to names such as Mr Weebl, David Firth, Eddsworld, FlashGitz, Mashed, Simon's Cat, How It Should Have Ended, Glitch Studios, Rollingstar Studios, Cartoon Hangover, Channel Frederator, Aardboiled, TomSka, Vivziepop, JaidenAnimation and RatherGood. It's a treasure trove, if you can find it amongst all the AI Slop that has flooded the platform.
In the Films and TV section, there is a selection of films offered Free With Ads. Animated titles offered in the US include Storks, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, A Turtle's Tale, Le Leyenda De La Nahuala, LEGO Batman: Family Matters, The Iron Giant, All Dogs Go To Heaven, The Emoji Movie, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2, The Nut Job, Eight Crazy Nights, The Secret Of Nimh, Superman: Doomsday, Persepolis, Igor, Bebe's Kids and Rise Of The Guardians.
Many well-known names have official channels that offer clips, compilations and often full episodes. They include Bluey, Moomin, WB Kids, SpongeBob SquarePants, Warner Bros Classic, Cartoon Network, The Pink Panther, Curious George, Shaun The Sheep, Disney Jr, DC Kids, DC, The Amazing World Of Gumball, The Loud House, Nicktoons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man: Masters Of the Universe and She-Ra, Disney Channel Animation, Inspector Gadget, and Adult Swim. Regional availability will vary.
BBC iPlayer (UK only)
The UK's Public Service Broadcaster has an impressive streaming offering. Because it's from the BBC, there are no ads, but technically it's not free because you pay for it through your TV Licence. Animation available includes a collection of TV specials including the four Wallace and Gromit shorts (but not the movies), Shaun The Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child, Tabby McTat, Room On The Broom, Tiddler, The Scarecrows' Wedding, Zog, The Snail and The Whale, Superworm and The Smedds and the Smoos. There's a rotating library of films available for a limited time. At the time of writing they include Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek The Third, Shrek Forever After, Shaun The Sheep Movie, Shaun The Sheep Movie: Famageddon, Teen Titans: Trouble In Tokyo, Puffin Rock: the Movie and a big selection of Scooby Doo movies.
The BBC's kids' channel CBBC features a large amount of animation. Featured series include Danger Mouse (2015), Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese, Duck & Frog, Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug and Cat Noir, Dennis and Gnasher, Pokemon XY, Transformers EarthSpark, Teen Titans Go!, Scooby Doo and Guess Who?, Ivandoe, Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Deep, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dragons: The Nine Realms, Counterfeit Cat, Arthur, The Amazing World of Gumball, Apple and Onion, Monster Loving Maniacs and Submarine Jim. A Non=stop Cartoon Channel is also available. Meanwhile, the Beeb's preschool channel CBeebies has an animation library of its own. It includes Bluey, Bing, Bob The Builder, Alphablocks, Charlie and Lola, The Clangers, Chuggington, Fireman Sam, Froglets, Go Jetters, Grizzly and The Lemmings, Hey Duggee, JoJo and Gran Gran, Kiri and Lou, Knee High Spies, Messy Goes To OKIDO, Mojo Swoptops, Moon and Me, Nikhil and Jay, Octonauts, Pablo, Peter Rabbit, Piripenguins, Piggie Builders, Puffin Rock, Raa Raa The Noisy Lion, Sarah and Duck, Spidey and his Amazing Friends, Supertato, Tee and Mo, Twirlywoos, Vida The Vet and Yakka Dee! Additionally, iPlayer is home to over 1150 episodes of One Piece (with English dub), Dragon Ball Super, Naruto, Naruto Shippuden and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Digimon Ghost Game. The selection of adult animation is pretty limited, currently consisting of Krapopolis, The Golden Cobra, and Ten Year Old Tom. Programs are typically available after their broadcast for a minimum of 30 days.
ITVX (UK only)
The UK's largest commercial broadcaster offers one of the country's biggest free streaming services- although it offers a paid option without ads. ITVX is the UK's free streaming home for some of the biggest US adult animated series currently airing. Family Guy, American Dad, Bob's Burgers and Universal Basic Guys all offer a limited number of recent-ish episodes.
ITV shut down its CITV children's channel and moved it all to ITVX. The CITV collection includes Looney Tunes Cartoons, Lloyd of the Flies, Bad Jelly, Bob the Builder, Claude, Dennis & Gnasher, Doggyworld, Fairyteens, Goat Girl, Grizzly and The Lemmings, Happy Hoglet, Hotel Transylvania, Inspector Gadget, Iyanu, LEGO Monkie Kid, Masha and The Bear, Mermaid Magic, Mr Bean, Mr Magoo, Paddington Bear, Pingu In the City, Pocoyo, Riley Rocks, Smarty Pants, Star Trek Prodigy, Superted, Tales of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen Titans Go!, The Rubbish World Of Dave Spudd, The Loud House, Thunderbirds, Totally Spies, Winx Club and Zak Storm.
Additionally, there is a big selection of Scooby-Doo series and movies, LEGO specials and Barbie movies. ITVX's movie selection currently includes Coraline, The BoxTrolls, Kubo And The Two Strings, ParaNorman, The Croods, Madagascar, Hotel Transylvania, Madagascar 3, Ratchet and Clank, The Wind In The Willows, The Snow Queen, The Snow Queen 2, The Snow Queen: Mirrorland, and Scared Shrekless.
There is also the Old School Classics Collection, which hosts a selection of classic (or at least old) cartoons. It includes Bananaman, Inspector Gadget, The Clangers, Bagpuss, Around The World With Willy Fog, Dogtanion And The Muskahounds, Jamie and The Magic Torch, Count Duckula, Willo The Wisp, Rubarb and Custard, Ivor The Engine, Trumpton, Chigley, Camberwick Green, Button Moon, The Raccoons, Captain Scarlet, Wolves Witches and Giants, Danger Mouse, and Fantomcat.
Channel 4 (UK Only)
The UK's fourth original channel barely shows any animation these days, and its streaming service largely reflects this. Since they lost the rights to Adult Swim in the run up to HBO Max's UK launch, they haven't had much to offer animation fans. But what they do offer is the only place in the UK you can stream The Simpsons without a Disney+ subscription. You won't find full seasons; instead, they offer a rotating random assortment of episodes from throughout the show's long history.
Aside from that, you'll find 90's adult stop-motion comedy Crapston Villas, a handful of shorts and a selection of animated Christmas specials, including the classic The Snowman, Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas, Quentin Blake's Clown, and Terry Pratchett's The Abominable Snowbaby.
And The Rest...
RetroCrush (US) The retro anime-focused site used to offer a lot of free shows and movies. It has since mainly moved behind a paywall, but there is a handful of free shows offered each month. Kanopy Offering free streaming with a public library card or University login, the animation selection in the US includes numerous titles from GKIDS Films. Plex Offers a modest library of animated films, but not much that isn't already available for free elsewhere. The Roku Channel Has some animated content that can be streamed via a Roku device, or via desktop or App. Darkroom (US) The boutique streamer has a modest collection of anime, independent and international animated films that can be watched for free. The newest/most high-profile titles are available via premium or rental only.
Did we miss anything? Let us know.
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