Have you recently cut the cord? Do you now own a Roku device or you recently obtained a big screen TV with Roku OS installed within and you don’t know the best channels to have to make your streaming experience worthwhile? Well if your answer is yes to the question above then I believe you are in the right place as today I’ll be showing the best Roku channels 2021.
The best things in life, you’d agree with me are not usually cheap, so most of the channels I’ll be introducing to you won’t be free as you will be required to pay a monthly fee to gain access to them.
If you are new to Roku then before introducing the best channels out there for Roku users it’ll interest you to note that the term channels used in Roku is not identical to what you knew channels to be while using satellite TV but they are more like apps you’d have to install into the device.
Best Roku Channels 2021
The channels I’ll be introducing you to will be a mix of both paid and free channels. So get your seatbelts buckled and be prepared for the ride.
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Peacock
Peacock is an American video streaming service owned by NBCUniversal and was last year, precisely July 15, 2020. Accessing the Peacock channel on Roku comes in two tiers: Free (comes with ads) and premium (without ads). Not to worry irrespective of your choice, both offers thousands of hours of movies and television shows from NBCUniversal. With the channel, you get to watch battle star Galactica, parks and recreation, and a lot more. The originals aren’t free though if you’d love to enjoy them you’d have to pay $4.99 (with Ads), if you hate commercials during a movie then you’d have to pay $9.99 (without Ads).
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Roku Channel
Roku channel offers lots of movies and TV shows for free and if that’s not enough for you, you’ll also enjoy live TV news and sports. You can also use the Roku channel as a medium to sign up for premium services like Showtime, Starz, etc. And watch some episodes from them for free. Additionally, Roku intends to expand its free channel by adding Originals under the Roku brand. So if you are looking for a free channel to enjoy while using Roku, this is a great place to start.
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Amazon Prime Video
Amazon prime video is a streaming and rental service from Amazon. With this channel, you stand to enjoy movies and series produced by Amazon Studios or licensed to Amazon as prime originals like Black box and Hand of God. Amazon video also offers a la carte ( a pricing model for pay television services where a subscriber can pay or subscribe to individual channels) purchases and rentals.
Amazon prime sadly doesn’t come for free, you’d have to pay a sum of $99 per year membership fee. But if you can’t afford that then your best choice would be to go for Amazon Video and that’ll cost you only $9 per month. Check out our guide on how to signup for Amazon Prime, plus other interesting guides.
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Netflix
Netflix is among one of the biggest streaming services out there in the world today having over 200 million subscribers worldwide. With Roku, you can gain access to all of its exclusive series and movies.
Netflix is not also free, to gain access to the streaming service you’d be required to pay a starting fee of $8.99 per month.
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Crackle
Crackle is a video streaming platform owned by chicken soup for the soul entertainment. Even though it’s a free streaming channel, its library consists of original content and also acquired programming. It’s one of the best channels to enjoy free big-budget movies, although it is not ads-free. The only downside is the channel is only available to 21 countries, so you’ll have to check if your region is among the permitted regions to gain access to the channel.
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Disney+ (Disney Plus)
Disney plus is an American video-on-demand streaming service owned by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. As of April 3, 2021, Disney plus boasts 103.6 million subscribers. With Disney’s vast library you are sure to enjoy a lot of great classic and recent movies or TV shows. There isn’t a lot of original content using Disney plus as they are slowly building their original content library. We have a lot more interesting guides on Disney Plus here.
Disney Plus is also not a free channel and gaining access to its streaming services would cost you $7.99 per month.
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Hulu
Hulu is another American video-on-demand streaming service and just like Disney plus, it is owned by The Walt Disney Company with NBCUniversal as an equity stakeholder. With Hulu, you get to gain access to broadcast network TV shows just a day after the broadcast on those networks such as Fox, NBC, and ABC. Asides from the broadcasting networks you can also enjoy a lot of movies and TV series both classic and the most recent.
Hulu services have originals TV series like The Handmaids Tale and other original movies. Hulu services aren’t free, to gain access you’ll be required to pay a sum of $5.99 per month with a free trial.
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HBO Max
HBO Max is an American video-on-demand streaming service owned by AT&T via WarnerMedia Direct Subsidiary of WarnerMedia. HBO Max is currently dragging attention as it was launched on May 27, 2020, and as of April 22, 2021, they boast an amazing 44.2 million subscribers.
With HBO Max, you’ll be enjoying a lot of original content from both movies and TV series. You enjoy shows like the popular Doctor Who and most importantly with HBO Max you’ll be able to watch theatrical movie releases by Warner Bros on the same day and date as theaters.
For such amazing content, it doesn’t come for free either as you’ll be required to pay a monthly sum of $14.99.
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FandangoNow
FandangoNow is quite similar to Amazon video as it offers a variety of movies and series you will definitely enjoy. The movie selection isn’t quite different from competing services but unlike Amazon Video you won’t have to pay a monthly subscription but rather you can either buy or rent a particular movie or TV show and the price varies based on the title.
The downside is that FandangoNow is geoblocked and currently only accessible to people living in the US and you’d have to use a VPN to gain access if you are living outside the US. We have a guide here on how to set up a VPN on your Windows PC.
- ESPN+ (ESPN plus)
Are you a sports lover? If you are, then ESPN plus is a must-have. It’s one of my favorite go-to channels for sports entertainment.
ESPN Plus is an American subscription video streaming service. It’s another company owned by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution (Having 80% stake) and Hearst Communication (Having 20% stake).
For a sports channel, ESPN Plus boasts 13.8 million subscribers. With ESPN Plus, you are sure not to miss out on all the fighting on UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), Football, golf, boxing, and a lot more.
ESPN Plus is also geoblocked and is not free either, using the service will cost a sum of $5.99 monthly.
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Apple TV+ (Apple TV Plus)
Apple TV Plus is a video-on-demand streaming television service owned by Apple Inc.
The Apple TV Plus doesn’t have a lot of originals but they are growing steadily. If you enjoy shows like The Morning Show or Dickinson, then you sure are in for a ride.
With the Apple TV Plus, you’ll also access contents (tv shows and movies) purchased from iTunes but just like every other Apple product, the Apple TV Plus doesn’t come for free as you’ll be required to pay a monthly fee of $4.99.
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Tubi TV
Tubi TV is an American ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation.
With Tubi TV you are sure to enjoy shows and movies from Fox Entertainment and also from major providers like Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company, and a lot more.
Well if you will be able to put up with a few commercials here and there then Tubi TV is another great channel to have on your Roku device because this channel is completely free.
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Showtime
Showtime is another great start for people looking for channels to enjoy wholesome content. Showtime is the home for amazing shows like Billions, Homeland, and The Affair. With Showtime you can have access to comedy specials, sports, TV shows, and movies.
Showtime isn’t free and its services will cost you a sum of $10.99 per month.
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Youtube
As interesting as it is, Youtube is also a channel on Roku. YouTube has become one of the biggest free streaming services out there today. Since Youtube is not a TV channel it might be tricky to gain access to quality movies on the platform but other than that, you stand to enjoy a little bit of everything ranging from original web shows, small clips from popular movies and TV shows, music, videos, documentaries, gaming and a lot more.
If you want to do away with the annoying adverts, then you’d have to subscribe to Youtube Premium for $11.99 per month after a 30-day trial.
The above list was carefully selected and without a doubt, with time some of the channels listed here may become your go-to channels for wholesome content. While most of the channels here are paid channels there are also free channels for your consumption.