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Kourtnee Jackson
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Kourtnee Jackson Senior Editor
Kourtnee covers TV streaming services and home entertainment news and reviews at CNET. She previously worked as an entertainment reporter at Showbiz Cheat Sheet where she wrote about film, television, music, celebrities, and streaming platforms.
Expertise Cord-cutting | TV and music streaming services | Netflix | Disney Plus | Max | Anime | Interviews | Entertainment Credentials
- Though Kourtnee hasn't won any journalism awards yet, she's been a Netflix streaming subscriber since 2012 and knows the magic of its hidden codes.
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What's the best streaming service for documentaries overall?
We get it, the real-life aspect of documentaries is easy to get sucked into. If you're looking for the best place to catch more, then you probably already know that there are many streaming services with just documentaries. However, the best documentaries aren't necessarily on these dedicated platforms. Max and Netflix are top picks as they regularly have new and updated documentaries coming in. If you're set on going somewhere specifically for documentaries Curiosity Stream has a great selection and price. Other platforms offer quality documentary movies and series, and we urge you to use those that fit your budget and preferences.
We've included niche services alongside mainstream names that you're likely familiar with, as most platforms provide a slate of interesting, cinematic stories that touch on everything from fraud to wildlife to food to humanity. Even if you don't see your favorite streaming service -- like Discovery Plus -- on this list, know that you can go on an intriguing journey with just a few clicks.
Read more: Free Movies: 9 of the Best Netflix Alternatives to Entertain You
Pros
- Slick interface
- Documentary content from multiple brands like HBO, Discovery
- Reliable library with new and older releases
With documentaries and series from Discovery Plus, Max, CNN, HBO and more under a single roof, Max has one of the largest, most diverse libraries among streaming services. Choose from award winners, sports themes, originals and beyond. In addition to titles from Criterion, you can stream docs such as Andre the Giant, Class Action Park, Superpowered: The DC Story, The Janes, David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, Tina, Black and Missing and upcoming releases that include Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project and Jerrod. All of Discovery's Shark Week lineup also lives here.
Home to quality content, the service drops new titles on a routine basis and its back catalog in the genre will keep you busy. Max offers three subscriptions, which range from $10 to $20 per month.
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Pros
- Large selection for adults and kids
- Supports 4K
- Affordable price
Cons
- Many titles are under 1 hour in length
A prime destination for documentaries, Curiosity Stream offers nothing but edutainment-style content across multiple topics. You’ll find thousands of movies and series divided into genres such as tech, originals, nature, crime and biographies, and there’s even a section for kids. Topics span dinosaurs, Wall Street, oceans, spy missions, art heists and an array of figures in politics, film, history and beyond. A subscription is required, and pricing starts at $5 per month.
The app is available on a range of smart TVs and devices, including Amazon Fire Sticks, Xbox, Roku, Android and Apple phones and web browsers. You can also get Curiosity Stream as an add-on channel via Prime Video, Comcast/Xfinity, Sling TV for Fubo. Check the company’s site to verify whether your device is supported.
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Pros
- Organized layout and design
- Vast selection in documentary category
- Family-friendly titles available
Cons
- Some low-quality titles
From gripping, in-depth features to the strange and quirky, Netflix has a varied selection of docuseries and films in its catalog. Titles like Making a Murderer, Tiger King, 13th, Beckham and My Octopus Teacher have won audiences over. Like Max, the streamer consistently releases new documentaries every month.
Whether you like nature, true crime, personal stories or investigative series, Netflix carries a multitude of niche titles. The service offers originals and award-winning pieces too, and starts at $7 a month to watch with ads.
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Pros
- Educational content
- Lots of Ken Burns titles
- Family-friendly
Cons
- No dedicated section for docs
- Must upgrade for additional content
If you don't have access to your local PBS station, you can get the PBS app to watch shows, films and its stock of documentaries. There's a collection of Ken Burns releases, as well as a roster of docs that showcase nature, space, international travel, lifestyle and American culture throughout time.
You'll need to sign up for a PBS account if you download the app to your streaming device like Roku, and Prime Video offers a separate PBS documentaries app as an add-on. It's free to access, and you can stream on multiple devices. One thing to note is that you must have a Passport subscription if you want to access additional titles, including premium documentaries. That requires a donation to your local PBS.
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Pros
- Available globally
- Library that's 100% documentary content
- No ads
Cons
- Does not work on every TV model
MagellanTV strictly offers documentaries, with 3,000-plus titles available. Whether you're watching on the website or its app, the content is easy to find because it's organized into subcategories. You can opt for a curated playlist or click on genres and stream a batch of titles that cater to your interests.
New releases are added weekly to the ad-free platform, with shows and movies that range from under 60 minutes to feature length. Stream biographies, historical series, space and nature docs and more. It costs $5 per month or you can get an annual plan for $60. The service has free trials available.
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Pros
- Large selection of docs
- Can access free content via Freevee
- Dedicated documentary section
Cons
- Non-Prime content mixed with Prime Video titles
- App layout can be confusing
Prime Video blends content from its own library along with Amazon's free streaming service, Freevee. That grants easy access to both libraries for anyone with a Prime account, and there are lots of documentaries you can watch if you feel like doing some digging. Amazon originals, celebrity tales, urban legends, social issues, sports, nature, crime and other themes are ripe for exploring.
Watch releases such as Lucy and Desi, Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles, Coach Prime and Airbnb Nightmares. There is a documentary category within the Prime Video app, and if you drill further, you can check out a few subgenres.
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Pros
- Free to stream
- Live channels
- Decent selection
Cons
- Some content is lower quality
A combination of films and episodic docuseries are available to stream on Tubi, with roughly 600 on-demand titles in the lineup. If you like stories about celebrities, true crime, humanitarians or deep dives into various industries (like cat pageants), there is plenty to explore. The service also has live channels -- like BBC Earth -- featuring content about true crime, nature, travel and space.
You can browse two categories for the genre or scan the movies or TV shows tab in the app and check out Tubi's original documentaries. The platform is free, easy to navigate and available on most devices.
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Pros
- Quality selection of documentaries
- Free to access
- No ads
Cons
- Monthly cap on how many titles you can watch
Kanopy costs nothing and is an ad-free streaming platform available via your local library. Among the documentaries you'll find are Waste Land, Trouble the Water, Motherland, The Witness and They Call Us Monsters. There are titles from indie filmmakers as well as PBS, and Sundance Award winners too. One downside of Kanopy is that you are limited in how many titles you can watch per month. It's typically no more than 10, but it depends on your library.
Sign up through your library and install the app on your iOS or Android device, smart TV, or through media players like Roku and Amazon's Fire Stick. You can also stream on a laptop or computer.
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Pros
- Solid selection of quality titles
- Easy to find documentaries
- Affordable ad-based plan
Cons
- App can be glitchy
- Ad-based version has high ad load
Hulu has a little under 200 documentaries/series available to stream, covering subjects such as crime, cults, celebrities, social issues and travel. You can click on the documentary genre under its TV or movie menus to choose from shows or films. Some of Hulu's newest releases include The Lady Bird Diaries, A Compassionate Spy, and Harvard Park, and the platform also streams The Jewel Thief and The Last Tourist. Although there are some National Geographic titles available, I would not recommend Hulu as the first stop for family-friendly documentaries.
Get Hulu as a standalone subscription, which starts at $8 a month, or as part of the Disney Bundle.
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Other streaming services we considered
YouTube: There are YouTube accounts/channels specifically dedicated to documentaries that are accessible for free, but you have to do your own searching. Some examples include Free Documentary, Timeline and Frontline PBS. Subscribe to each individual channel to keep up with the latest releases.
OVID tv: This platform is another great option and offers more than 1,300 documentaries from around the world, with quality releases from distributors like the British Film Institute, Icarus Films and First Run Features. Animals, artists, food, wellness and more are on the app. It costs $7 per month.
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How we chose these services
You may not be familiar with every platform on this list, and it's not a full collection of every documentary-filled streaming service or app. Other services that may offer what you want. As we analyzed these streaming platforms, we considered a few things. This list was compiled based on each service's catalog (size, variety and content quality), app design (ease of use, accessibility and layout), features (like 4K, hubs or a number of multiple streams), and value (price compared to these other factors).
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Factors to consider
- Library: It's all about the catalog size, subgenre offerings and quality. Are you a fan of zany documentaries about obscure or taboo topics? Do you dig human experience stories from indie directors? Some platforms have more of those than others. If you like science, music, art, history and biopic-style docs, then you'll gravitate to services that offer all of that under one umbrella. And If you have kids, you'll want platforms with enough age-appropriate content.
- Finding content: Is the interface user-friendly? It should be fairly easy to search for what you want, including titles, genres or designated docuseries if applicable.
- Price: How much do you want to pay each month? Services like Netflix and Max have more than just documentaries, which may provide value for your subscription. Others only offer documentaries, so you decide if it's worth the price for a single type of content.
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Streaming documentaries FAQs
What about live TV streaming services?
Another option for streaming TV is to use a live platform like Sling or YouTube TV. They stream channels similar to linear TV without a contract and offer access to content about true crime, animals, celebrities and more. Pluto TV is free and has a selection of documentary-themed channels, but these live TV streaming services cost more than on-demand platforms.
What if I don't want ads?
Expect to pay to stream without ads on streaming services like Netflix, Magellan, Max and Hulu. Most free services include ads (except Kanopy) because it's how the platform is supported.
Which app is best for kids?
You'll likely find the most family-friendly documentary content on PBS, Magellan, Kanopy and Curiosity Stream. Although Disney Plus is not on this list, it houses excellent content from National Geographic.
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