From its humble beginnings in the 1960s to its meteoric rise internationally in the 1980s and beyond, Japanese anime now accounts for over 50% of the world’s animated productions. It is one of the most popular and recognisable types of Japanese content in the world.
We’ve compiled a list of streaming services outside of mainstream services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video that focus on the one thing you love—anime.
[Want more streaming lists? Sign up for the ExpressVPN Blog Newsletter.]
Jump to:
Crunchyroll
Funimation
Wakanim
HIDIVE
RetroCrush
Tubi
Crunchyroll
Come on, you knew this would be No. 1 on this list! Crunchyroll, in addition to being one of the best-known anime streaming sites, is also one of the largest online libraries for manga and East Asian dramas. It focuses almost exclusively on subtitled (rather than dubbed) content.
Crunchyroll currently offers over 30,000 episodes from over 1,000 anime titles (with new releases often made available an hour after Japanese broadcast), over 200 East Asian dramas, about 50 manga titles, and several anime-based mobile games. Crunchyroll also has a healthy library of original content created just for the platform.
Pricing
- Free with ads
- “Fan”: 7.99 USD/month
- “Mega-Fan”: 9.99 USD/month
- “Mega-Fan”: 79.99 USD/year
Availability for streaming
Worldwide, although content options vary across regions. Subscribers to HBO Max also have access to a curated selection of Crunchyroll content.
Availability for manga
Worldwide (except China, France, Italy, Japan, and Germany.)
Dedicated apps
Android, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.
Funimation
Funimation currently offers around 800 movies and series totaling around 15,000 hours of anime content, plus simulcasts—content that premieres to international audiences shortly after their Japanese debut.
As Funimation has an emphasis on dubbed rather than subtitled content, specific titles are also released as “SimulDubs”—dubbed content made available the same week as its Japanese release.
Funimation is a joint venture between Sony and Japanese production company Aniplex. In August 2021, Funimation acquired the aforementioned service, Crunchyroll. Another Funimation subsidiary is the next entry in this list, Wakanim.
Pricing
- Free with ads
- “Premium”: 5.99 USD/month
- “Premium Plus”: 7.99 USD/month
- “Premium Plus Ultra”: 99.99 USD/year
Availability
Worldwide through various subsidiaries. In the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand through Funimation; and in multiple locations across Europe and Asia as Wakanim.
Dedicated apps
Android, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Amazon Kindle.
Wakanim
Part of the Funimation family, Wakanim primarily focuses on localized content for European regions. Its content has been dubbed into French, English, German, and Russian. Wakanim’s library contains just under 400 movies and series.
Pricing
- Free with ads
- 5.00€/month
- 13.99€/3 months
- 49.99€/year
Availability
In French: France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and in Canada (Quebec).
In English: Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
In German: Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
In Russian: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saint-Marin, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Dedicated apps
Android, iOS, Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, and Amazon Fire TV.
HIDIVE
Since its founding in 2017, HIDIVE has carved out a comfortable niche for itself in the anime streaming market. While some of its library may not be as mainstream as other entries on this list, the content it does include has been well curated. HIDIVE also has a fun feature that lets you switch between censored and uncensored versions of content you’re streaming.
Availability
Various locations across the Americas, the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, South Africa, and Oceania.
Pricing
- 4.99 USD/month
- 47.99 USD/year
Dedicated apps
Android, iOS, Xbox, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Amazon Fire Tablet.
Retrocrush
As the name suggests, RetroCrush focuses on retro content from the “golden age” of anime—specifically movies and series from the 90s and earlier. Its content includes both subbed and dubbed offerings across a variety of genres.
Pricing
- Free with ads
- 4.99 USD/month
- 49.99 USD/year
Availability
U.S. and Canada only.
Dedicated apps
Android, iOS, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.
Tubi
Though it doesn’t specialize in anime, Tubi does have a decent selection of subbed and dubbed anime and East Asian movies and series that are worth checking out. There’s also a pretty decent dedicated K-Drama collection.
Pricing
- Free with ads
Availability
U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Australia, although content options vary across regions.
***
How do you get your anime fix? Let us know in the comments!
Protect your online privacy and security
30-day money-back guarantee
Take the first step to protect yourself online. Try ExpressVPN risk-free.
What is a VPN?
