Top Crunchyroll Alternatives for Anime & Asian Drama Streaming
Crunchyroll has long been a go-to platform for anime and Asian drama enthusiasts, offering an extensive library of over 25,000 episodes and 15,000 hours of content, often available just an hour after TV broadcast. However, with evolving streaming needs and a diverse market, many users are seeking out the best Crunchyroll alternative that better suits their preferences, whether for different content, pricing, or platform compatibility.
Best Crunchyroll Alternatives
If you're looking to expand your streaming horizons beyond Crunchyroll, you're in luck. There's a wide array of excellent services available that offer similar, and sometimes even unique, benefits for watching your favorite anime and Asian dramas. Below are some of the top picks that might just become your new favorite streaming destination.
Netflix
Netflix stands as a global leader in subscription streaming, offering a vast library of TV episodes and movies, including a growing selection of anime and Asian dramas. Available on nearly every platform imaginable (Windows, Web, Android, iPhone, Apple TV, Roku, PlayStation, Xbox, and more), it provides ad-free streaming with features like movie recommendations, offline viewing, and advanced filtering. While not exclusively anime-focused, its ever-expanding content makes it a strong Crunchyroll alternative for general entertainment.
Hulu
Hulu offers a comprehensive streaming experience with a mix of current and classic TV shows, movies, and web originals, including a notable collection of anime. It operates on a commercial subscription model, available across numerous platforms like Web, Android, iPhone, Apple TV, PlayStation, and Xbox. Key features include live TV options (with certain plans), media streaming, and the ability to track your watched shows, making it a robust Crunchyroll alternative, especially for those who enjoy a broader range of TV content.
Tubi TV
Tubi TV is a compelling free Crunchyroll alternative, offering a large collection of movies and television shows, including anime. It's accessible on Web, Android, iPhone, Apple TV, PlayStation, Fire TV, Roku, and Xbox. Its notable features include movies filtering and TV shows, all completely free, making it an excellent option for budget-conscious viewers who still want a wide selection of content.
Mcomix
MComix is a free and open-source image viewer, specifically designed for comic books, though it can also serve as a generic image viewer. It's available on Windows and Linux. While not a video streaming service like Crunchyroll, it's an excellent open-source alternative for enjoying digital manga and comics that often accompany anime fandom, reading images in various archive formats. If your interest extends beyond animated content to its printed origins, MComix is a valuable tool.
Squire
Squire is a commercial media center designed to stream movies and shows from torrents or local files, primarily for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV users. As an always-running menu bar app, it offers a convenient way to manage and stream your personal video library. While it doesn't directly offer an anime catalog like Crunchyroll, its ability to stream video to Apple TV and process local or torrent-based files makes it a versatile Crunchyroll alternative for those who prefer to manage their own content sources.
Apple TV
The Apple TV app consolidates content from numerous video streaming apps, including HBO NOW, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, into one convenient place. Available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, it allows users to quickly find and watch their favorite shows, movies, sports, and news. While it doesn't host content directly like Crunchyroll, its role as a centralized hub for multiple streaming services makes it an excellent Crunchyroll alternative for unifying your diverse video subscriptions, including any anime content offered by those integrated services.
Playary
Playary is a free web-based platform that organizes and presents music videos and short films from YouTube, offering a music player UI. It focuses on music discovery, playlist management, and even provides a platform for artists. While not a direct Crunchyroll alternative for anime streaming, it's a great free option for those who enjoy anime music videos or looking for diverse video content outside traditional streaming services.
MUBI
MUBI is a commercial curated online cinema that focuses on cult, classic, independent, and award-winning movies, with a new film introduced daily. Available on Web, Android, iPhone, Apple TV, PlayStation, Fire TV, Roku, and Chromecast, it offers a unique, curated selection of cinema. While its focus isn't anime, it can be an interesting Crunchyroll alternative for film connoisseurs seeking a high-quality, hand-picked selection of international and art-house films, offering a different kind of video streaming experience.
Roku
Roku provides a platform for streaming entertainment to your TV, with thousands of available channels. While Roku itself is a device and an operating system rather than a content provider, it hosts many streaming apps, including those that offer anime. As a free platform available on iPhone and Roku devices, it serves as an essential Crunchyroll alternative by providing the gateway to a multitude of streaming services, allowing you to access a diverse range of content from one central hub.
FUNimation
FUNimation Entertainment is a direct and strong Crunchyroll alternative, focusing exclusively on anime. Known for popular titles like Dragon Ball Z and Fullmetal Alchemist, it offers video streaming of anime content on a Freemium model. Available on Web, Android, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, and Xbox, Funimation is dedicated to bringing the best in anime to its fans, making it a prime choice for those specifically seeking more anime streaming options.
Whether you're looking for a broad content library, specific anime focus, free options, or cross-platform compatibility, the market offers a diverse range of Crunchyroll alternatives. Explore these options to find the streaming service that best fits your entertainment needs and enhances your viewing experience.