Anime has been around for a long time, but its popularity has only grown in recent years. All you need to watch it is turn on your TV, but the quality of streaming services can vary widely.
Crunchyroll (Free With Ads or $7.99/mo Premium)
What makes Crunchyroll so great is the variety of its content. You can watch anime that are based on manga, anime that are adaptations of video games, and even anime that are produced by studios outside of Japan. Plus, the company offers a wide variety of add-ons such as simulcasts of live-action movies and documentaries.
Crunchyroll is a streaming service that offers a variety of anime shows and manga. The premium service includes an included subscription to their Manga app. ..
If you’re a free user, you may experience frequent advertising and a delay between when new episodes air and you can watch them. There’s a 14-day trial for new users to give you a taste of Premium. For $7.99 per month, it’s very hard to recommend going the free route if you can afford it.
You can watch anime online with Crunchyroll on a browser as well as Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Roku, Apple TV, Android, iOS and a few others. Unfortunately Crunchyroll no longer makes smart TV apps but they do state that they develop apps as new platforms come along.
Crunchyroll is a streaming service that offers subtitles for most new shows that air on television. Additionally, Crunchyroll has a wide range of devices that it supports, including smart TVs and gaming consoles. If you are okay with reading subtitles and want access to most of the new shows as they air, Crunchyroll is the service we recommend to everyone.
Funimation (Multiple Tiers Starting At $5.99/mo)
Funimation is the other major player in the anime distribution world and offers a deeper catalogue with a stronger focus on dubbed anime. When it comes to new, simulcast shows you’ll find plenty of overlap with Crunchyroll, but there are more classic shows and additional features such as the ability to download episodes to mobile devices. Funimation also offers a wider variety of content, including dubbed and subtitled versions of anime, as well as exclusive content such as live-action movies.
Funimation is a limited-time streaming service that only offers classic anime and dubbed versions of anime. If you’re in the USA and want to watch classic anime, then Funimation is the best option. If you want to watch subtitled anime, then Crunchyroll is the better option.
HiDive ($4.99/mo)
VRV is a great way to get all of your favorite geek-friendly content in one place. You can also use it to bundle Crunchyroll and HiDive together, which gives you a lot of different options for watching content. Plus, HiDive has exclusive rights to certain popular anime studios, so you can be sure that you’re getting the best possible experience.
The Funimation service offers some unique perks as well, such as the home video editions of some shows, and dubbed versions of shows within two weeks of the episode airing. Similar to Crunchyroll.
HiDive supports a large number of devices, including ChromeCast, Android, iOS, Xbox ONe, Fire Tablet and Roku. It will also work everywhere the VRV app works.
HiDive is a great way to get Crunchyroll, as it includes both HiDive and VRV. This bundle is definitely worth the asking price.
Netflix (Starting At $9/mo)
Netflix is a world leader in on-demand streaming services and is well-known for its original content, such as The Witcher and Stranger Things. When it comes to streaming anime online with Netflix, the selection is not as large and varied as some other providers. ..
Netflix has a number of high-quality anime titles on offer, such as Knights of Sidonia, Devilman Crybaby and Violet Evergarden. These titles are definitely worth subscribing for if you’re interested in watching them. ..
Netflix is a streaming service that offers anime content that is exclusive to the service. If you don’t already subscribe, it’s definitely worth doing so for a month or two just to watch shows that are only available on Netflix. Even then, the price still represents an amazing deal.
Hulu (Starting at $5.99)
Hulu is a streaming service that is only available in the United States. It has a large library of content, including older classic shows.
Hulu has a great selection of anime shows, with many classics and high-quality shows. However, the monthly price for ad-free viewing is $11.99. ..
Hulu is a great streaming service for anime fans. If you can only afford one streaming service and want to stream both general content and anime online, then Hulu is hands-down the best overall choice.
