The default first subscription for most households, mainly because the original film slate arrives steadily and the app behaves the same on phone, tablet and television. It also sits at the higher end of monthly subscriptions, and the catalogue here is smaller than the American one. Downloads are reliable for commuting.

A strong pick for households with children, since the Disney and Pixar libraries rarely leave the service. Marvel and Star titles widen it for adults, although the grown-up film selection is thinner than the series line-up. Profiles, parental controls and offline downloads are handled properly, which matters more than it sounds.

Prime Video earns its place through breadth rather than polish. Regional Indian cinema is unusually well represented, and a rotating set of Hollywood films sits alongside the originals. The interface is cluttered and rentals appear next to included titles, so read the label before pressing play. Offline viewing is supported.

The practical choice when the household already pays for Astro, because the app extends that subscription to phones and tablets without a second bill. Live channels, catch-up television and on-demand films sit in one place. It is not a standalone service, so it makes little sense on its own, and live channel quality varies with your connection.

Easy to dismiss as a video site, yet it carries a large collection of full films uploaded by rights holders, plus trailers and interviews. Search “full movie” and sort by upload date to find recent additions. Ads are unavoidable on the free tier, and downloads need the paid plan. The free catalogue is larger than most people expect.

A straightforward ad-supported library with a deep bench of older Hollywood films, genre pictures and television. No account is required to start watching, which makes it a low-commitment install. The weak point is geography: Tubi is not available in every country, so check your local Play Store first. Worth installing even for occasional viewing.

Pluto TV works like free cable. Channels are scheduled rather than on demand, so you drop into whatever is playing, with a small on-demand section on top. It suits background viewing more than deliberate film nights. Like Tubi, it is region-limited, and availability depends on where you watch from. Channel line-ups differ between regions too.

Plex is two things at once: a player for your own video files and a free, ad-supported film service. The free section rotates and includes some genuinely good older titles. The personal library needs a computer acting as server, but the streaming half works straight after sign-up. The app also runs on smart televisions.

The most natural fit on an iPhone, because purchases and rentals already sit in your Apple account and the app ties them together with Apple Originals. Picture quality is excellent and the interface is quiet rather than busy. It is less useful if your library lives elsewhere, since it aggregates rather than replaces other subscriptions.

The default for anime, with current-season shows arriving close to their Japanese broadcast and a deep back catalogue behind them. Subtitles are handled well and dubs exist for the more popular series. The free tier is ad-supported with a limited selection, so most regular viewers end up on the paid plan for simulcasts and downloads.

Worth installing even if you never pay, because the free ad-supported film section rotates and the app plays almost any video file you own. On iPhone it handles casting and downloading neatly. The catch is that the personal-library half needs a computer running the server, so it suits people with a folder of files already.

A regional service first and a general one second, which is exactly why it works in Malaysia. Korean, Thai and Chinese drama arrives with English and Malay subtitles, and the free tier is usable if you tolerate ads. Downloads sit behind the paid plan, and the catalogue leans towards series rather than feature films.

The most useful app on this list, precisely because it does not try to stream anything. Set your country, search a title, and it lists which services carry it, whether that means subscription, rental or free with ads. Availability depends on your region, so keep the country setting accurate. It also flags when a title moves to a different service.

Google TV pulls recommendations from the services you connect and puts them on one home screen, which is genuinely convenient if you forget which app holds what. The watchlist spans providers and syncs across devices. The trade-off is that it nudges you towards Google’s own store, and the interface can feel busy on a phone.

The Up Next queue is the reason to use it: anything you start in a connected app appears in one row, so you stop losing half-watched series. Browsing the store is clean and rentals are straightforward. Outside the Apple ecosystem it is less compelling, since the queue only tracks apps that cooperate with it.

Less a search engine than a shelf that happens to be well organised. The free film section is browsable by genre and decade, and the app remembers where you stopped. If you also keep your own files, the same interface covers both, which makes it the odd one out here in a good way.

The strongest all-rounder for Southeast Asian viewers, with Korean dramas arriving close to their original broadcast and Thai and Chinese titles filling the gaps between seasons. English and Malay subtitles are standard, and the free tier is usable with ads. Downloads sit behind the paid plan, which is the main reason to upgrade.

Deep on Chinese film and variety shows, including period dramas that never reach Western services. Subtitle quality has improved a lot and the app is well organised by genre. Some titles are locked to the paid tier and a few carry region restrictions, so the catalogue depends on where you watch from.

Built around Chinese drama and animation, with a steady flow of romance and costume series that release episodes weekly. The free tier shows ads and holds back the newest episodes; the paid tier unlocks them and allows downloads. Subtitles are generally solid, though timing on brand-new episodes can be rough for a day or two.

Part streaming service, part community platform. The animation catalogue is large, comments scroll over the video, and the app feels social in a way the others do not. Interface translation is uneven outside Chinese, and some content needs the paid tier, but for animation it is hard to beat on range.

Weekly releases suit it, because the franchise series are built to be discussed one episode at a time. Family sitcoms, Marvel spin-offs and Star drama sit together with proper parental controls. The film catalogue gets the attention, but the series line-up is what keeps a subscription active between big releases.

If your watchlist is mostly Korean and Thai drama, this is the app that understands the release calendar. New episodes land close to their home broadcast, subtitles are ready on arrival, and the free tier covers older series. Only the paid plan allows downloads, which matters if you watch on the train.

A steady supplier of Chinese romance and costume drama, often with episodes released in weekly batches rather than all at once. The interface is easy to follow even with limited Chinese, and subtitle timing is generally reliable. The free tier is ad-supported and holds back the newest episodes, which is the usual nudge towards paying.

The local option, and the one that carries Malay and Indonesian series you will not find on the global platforms. News, entertainment and drama share the same home screen. Technical polish lags behind the international apps, but for local programming there is no real substitute at this level of access.

The most-used app on most phones and the one people underrate as a film source. Rights holders upload full features, film festivals post shorts, and trailers live here before anywhere else. Casting to a television works well, and the paid tier adds background playback and downloads. Watch for clickbait reuploads with misleading titles.

Install it and it becomes the front door: recommendations pulled from your connected services, one watchlist across apps, and a remote-friendly interface if you also use a Chromecast. It does not host content, so its usefulness depends on what you already subscribe to. The phone layout is cramped compared with the television version.

The most complete anime app on Android, with simulcast seasons, a large back catalogue and both subtitles and dubs on popular shows. The free tier is ad-supported and limited to older titles, so simulcast viewers need the paid plan. Downloads and casting are supported, and the player handles subtitles cleanly.

A free, ad-supported library that leans on older Hollywood films, cult titles and reality television. You can start watching without an account, which makes it easy to try. The obvious caveat is geography: Tubi is not available in every country and geo-blocks the rest, so availability depends on your region.

It earns its spot through integration rather than exclusives: rentals land in your Apple account, the Up Next queue follows you between devices, and AirPlay-adjacent features work without configuration. The Originals are a bonus. If you buy films digitally, this is the app that keeps them tidy in one library.

Still the widest single catalogue, and the iOS app is one of the better-behaved ones: downloads are dependable, subtitles scale properly, and playback resumes across devices. The recommendation engine is the real product. The downside is cost, which keeps climbing while the Malaysian library stays smaller than the American one.

Awkward interface, strong library. Regional Indian cinema is the standout, and the rental store fills gaps when a film is not included anywhere else. On an iPad the layout finally makes sense, with enough room for the rows of categories. Downloads work, but check whether a title is included or a paid rental before pressing play.

Built for phone viewing, which suits the way most anime gets watched: short episodes, often on a commute. Simulcasts arrive close to Japanese broadcast, subtitles are legible at small sizes, and the download queue handles a full season at once. The free tier is ad-supported and does not include current-season shows.

The default for a reason: new episodes land within hours of the Japanese broadcast, the back catalogue runs deep, and subtitles are consistent across the whole library. Dubs exist for the bigger shows but lag behind. The free tier carries ads and excludes current seasons, so simulcast viewers end up subscribing. Downloads and casting both work.

Its anime strength is the original slate and the dubbing quality, not the breadth of licensed seasons. A handful of titles are genuinely excellent and unavailable elsewhere, and multiple language tracks make it the easiest option for watching with family. The catch is that the anime catalogue differs noticeably between countries.

A YouTube channel rather than an app, which surprises people who expect a store listing. It licenses seasonal anime for Southeast Asia and posts episodes with English subtitles, usually free with ads. There is no download option and no offline viewing, but for current shows the price is hard to argue with.

Another licensed channel operating on YouTube, with a similar model and a slightly different slate of seasons. Episodes carry English and Chinese subtitle tracks, and release timing is usually close to broadcast. Availability depends on your region, since the channel licenses territory by territory and blocks the rest, and the slate rotates each season.

The most consistent subtitle quality of any service, largely because it commissions its own translations rather than accepting whatever arrives with the licence. You can usually pick between full subtitles and captions for the hard of hearing, and the size and style are adjustable. Downloads keep the subtitle track you selected.

Its international catalogue is broader than most people assume, with Indian regional cinema and European titles that rarely appear elsewhere. Subtitle availability is good on licensed films but inconsistent on older additions, where only burnt-in captions exist. Rentals sometimes offer fewer language options than included titles, which is worth checking before you assume a film is unavailable.

Chinese cinema with English subtitles on most of its catalogue, plus Malay on some titles. Timing is generally clean, and period dramas include explanatory notes for historical terms. Some titles are region-restricted and a few only carry subtitles on the paid tier, so check a title before committing to a series.

The weakest of the group on subtitle consistency, but the only place to find certain Chinese and Japanese animation with community-translated captions. Quality varies from excellent to rough, and English coverage is partial. It is worth installing for the handful of titles nobody else carries, not as a primary service, and not for a full season.