2026 Guide: 7 Best Free Streaming Apps UK: Hidden Gems You're Missing

Owned by Paramount, Pluto TV offers over 250 free linear channels covering news (Bloomberg, Euronews), entertainment, movies, comedy, reality TV, music, and kids content. It also includes a growing on-demand library. No account required — open the app and start watching. The UK-specific channel lineup is expanding rapidly with dedicated channels for popular shows, movie genres, and British content. Available on Smart TVs, Firestick, mobile, and web.

Best for: Background viewing, channel surfing, discovering new content

Tubi has one of the biggest free movie and TV show libraries available in the UK — over 40,000 titles across every genre imaginable. The film selection is genuinely impressive, ranging from mainstream titles to independent cinema and cult classics. The interface is clean and browsable, with personalised recommendations that improve with use. Available on Smart TVs, Firestick, mobile, and web.

Best for: Film lovers, binge-watching, on-demand browsing

Plex combines free streaming content (live channels and on-demand) with personal media server capabilities. If you have your own digital movie or TV collection, Plex organises and streams it beautifully alongside free content from its AVOD service. The free channel selection includes news, movies, documentaries, and lifestyle content. Available on all platforms.

Best for: Tech-savvy users, personal media library owners

Rakuten TV offers a mix of free ad-supported content and paid rentals/purchases. The free section includes a rotating selection of movies and a linear free movie channel with curated programming. The quality of the free film selection is high — often featuring titles you would normally pay to rent. Available on Smart TVs, web, and mobile.

Best for: Movie nights, quality over quantity

If you own a Samsung or LG Smart TV, you already have access to 100+ free channels without installing anything. Samsung TV Plus and LG Channels are pre-installed FAST services that launch automatically when you turn on your TV. Channels include news, entertainment, movies, sports highlights, and music. The channel selection is surprisingly strong for a built-in feature.

Best for: Samsung and LG TV owners who want instant free channels

UKTV Play is the catch-up app for UKTV's family of channels: Dave, Drama, Yesterday, and Gold. It offers on-demand access to recently broadcast programmes plus a library of box sets from some of the UK's most popular channels. The Drama and Yesterday content is particularly strong for fans of classic British television. Free with ads, available on most platforms.

Best for: Fans of Dave, Drama, Yesterday, and Gold channels

Freely is the newest platform, built by BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 together. It combines all UK free-to-air channels into a single app with a unified electronic programme guide. Instead of switching between four broadcaster apps, Freely gives you one interface for everything — live channels and catch-up. Currently available on selected Smart TVs with expansion planned.

Best for: Viewers who want a simple, unified free TV guide