Where to Watch Anime Legally in 2026: Free and Paid Services

If you're in the US, start with Crunchyroll, the largest anime-only service. Plans run $9.99 to $17.99 a month and there's no free tier any more. Netflix and Hulu are the next services to check, and between the three of them they carry every series in our title table below. HIDIVE ($7.99 a month) and Prime Video fill gaps. If you don't want to pay, Tubi, Pluto TV and RetroCrush are free with ads, but they mostly carry older series. Outside North America the picture changes: Crunchyroll and Netflix sell subscriptions internationally, and across much of South and Southeast Asia the official Muse Asia and Ani-One Asia YouTube channels stream licensed episodes for free. Hulu works only in the US, HIDIVE has withdrawn from some countries outside North America, and RetroCrush works only in the US and Canada.

Last checked: September 23, 2026 against each service's own plan and help pages (Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HIDIVE, RetroCrush, Tubi, Pluto TV), the official Muse Asia and Ani-One Asia YouTube channels, official anime sites and service title pages, and JustWatch's US listings.

Every legal anime service at a glance

Prices are official US list prices for new subscribers on the date above. The "Where it works" column comes from each service's own help or company pages.

Crunchyroll's prices took effect in February 2026. The announcement says every tier is ad-free. Fan allows downloads on one device, Mega Fan streams on four devices at once and Ultimate Fan on six. On Netflix's ad plan, a lock icon marks the titles that plan doesn't include. For a fuller price, trial and screen-count comparison, see our anime streaming service comparison.

Which service to start with

Our pick for most US viewers is Crunchyroll. It's the only one of these services built entirely around anime. In our US title table below it carries 11 of the 12 series, and it gets new episodes shortly after they air in Japan, according to its own help centre. If more than one person watches, pick Mega Fan. Crunchyroll's announcement lists streaming on four devices at once for Mega Fan, and no multi-device streaming for Fan.

Add a second service only when your watchlist needs it:

• Netflix if you want its exclusives. In the table below, Sakamoto Days and JoJo: Stone Ocean are on Netflix and nowhere else.
• Hulu if you already pay for Disney+. Hulu says bundle subscribers can watch select Hulu content inside the Disney+ app.
• HIDIVE if a series you follow is licensed there. It's the cheapest paid anime service at $7.99.
• Prime Video if you already have Prime. Amazon sells a Crunchyroll channel through Prime Video, but that is a separate Crunchyroll subscription billed by Amazon. It is not included in Prime. JustWatch's US data shows some series included with Prime, such as Jujutsu Kaisen and JoJo. Others, such as Solo Leveling and Kaiju No. 8, come only through the Crunchyroll channel or as purchases.

Free and legal options, and their limits

Crunchyroll used to be the easy free answer, but it ended its ad-supported free viewing on December 31, 2025. Its premium page now offers paid plans with a 7-day trial, and you need a valid payment method to start the trial. These are the free legal routes left:

• Tubi. The service is free and ad-supported. JustWatch's US listings show Tubi carrying Naruto, Death Note, Hunter x Hunter (2011) and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
• Pluto TV. Pluto says it is completely free thanks to ads and never requires a credit card. The official One Piece site lists Pluto TV among its streaming partners. Pluto mixes on-demand shows with live channels, where you join whatever episode is airing. JustWatch lists Pluto TV live channels for Naruto, JoJo and Hunter x Hunter.
• RetroCrush. It says "Free to stream. No subscription required." It focuses on older anime, it says a small amount of programming may contain ads, and the paid option is for a limited-ad experience. It works only in the US and Canada, and it notes that some US titles aren't available in Canada.
• Prime Video free with ads. JustWatch lists some classics, including Naruto and JoJo, as free with ads on Prime Video in the US. What's available changes by title.
• Muse Asia and Ani-One Asia on YouTube. These are licensed channels, not re-uploads. Each episode is geo-blocked to the countries in its description, and neither channel serves the US.

The common limit is catalog age. JustWatch's US data shows a free, ad-supported route for only three of the 12 popular series in the table below: JoJo (Tubi, Pluto TV and Prime Video), plus some My Hero Academia episodes on Rakuten Viki and some Dan Da Dan episodes on Adult Swim's site. For the rest, you'll need a paid plan.

Where to watch popular anime in the US

The services below come from each series' official site streaming list or the service's own title page, cross-checked against JustWatch's US listings on September 23, 2026. A dagger (†) marks a service that only JustWatch's US data lists. We couldn't open that service's title page to confirm it (Hulu's pages load only inside the US). A service may carry only some seasons, so open the title page before you subscribe. For 16 more series and films, including Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, Naruto and Studio Ghibli, see our where-to-watch hub.

When we checked, every Crunchyroll page linked above listed both Japanese and English audio, except the JoJo entry, which was listed as subtitled only. For arc-by-arc and language detail on the longest series, see our legal One Piece streaming guide, JoJo watch order and Demon Slayer Infinity Castle guide.

Watching outside the US

Anime licenses are sold country by country, so a service's US catalog tells you little about anywhere else. Two services cover most of the world:

• Crunchyroll is sold in many countries, with local pricing. Its premium page notes that "device and content availability vary by country or region."
• Netflix operates in more than 190 countries and says its library varies by country and changes periodically.

Across much of Asia, the rights often go to regional licensors instead. The official Kaiju No. 8 streaming page is a good example. Besides Crunchyroll, it lists Ani-One's regional YouTube channels, Bilibili, iQIYI, Catchplay, Laftel and several other local services.

On YouTube, the two big licensed channels are:

• Muse Asia. It's run by Muse Communication, which its channel description says is the agent for "more than 30 well-known anime and manga copyright partners." Each video lists the countries it plays in. For example, the Re:ZERO Season 4 upload lists Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan and India.
• Ani-One Asia. Its channel says it is wholly owned by Medialink Group. Each episode's description lists its countries. A recent episode lists 40 Asia-Pacific markets, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Ani-One adds that dates and regions can differ from one platform to another.

Hulu's help centre is clear that it can't be used abroad. It streams anywhere in the US, including Puerto Rico and US military bases, and it doesn't work with VPNs or proxies.

Funimation is gone

Crunchyroll's help centre confirms that the Funimation app and website closed on April 2, 2024. Crunchyroll says "most of the content has been migrated", so not all of it. Funimation digital copies aren't supported on Crunchyroll. Some official pages haven't caught up: the One Piece links page still lists Funimation as a place to watch. If an old guide sends you to Funimation, look for the title on Crunchyroll instead. Our Crunchyroll vs Funimation explainer covers what happened to subscriptions and watch history.

How to spot a pirate site

Our read: a site is almost certainly unlicensed if it has any of these signs:

• No company behind it. Every service in the table above names its owner, publishes plans or terms, and runs a help centre. A pirate site usually has none of these.
• A catalog that's too complete. If one free site has every show, including titles that official sites list as exclusive to one paid service (such as Sakamoto Days on Netflix in the US), it isn't licensed.
• The official site doesn't mention it. Many anime sites publish a streaming page, such as JoJo, Kaiju No. 8 and One Piece. If a site isn't on that list or on the service's own title page, treat it as unlicensed.
• YouTube uploads from unofficial channels. Muse Asia and Ani-One Asia are licensed. A full episode on a random channel is not.
• Constantly changing domains, pop-ups, and prompts to download a "player" or turn off your ad blocker.

Don't enter payment details or reuse a password on a site you can't tie to a known company.

Frequently asked questions

Can you still watch Crunchyroll for free?

No. Crunchyroll ended free, ad-supported viewing on December 31, 2025. The cheapest US plan is now Fan at $9.99 a month. New subscribers get a 7-day trial, and starting it requires a payment method.

What is the best free, legal anime service in the US?

Tubi, Pluto TV and RetroCrush are all free with ads. RetroCrush is the only one that carries nothing but anime, and it focuses on older series. None of the three carries current simulcasts.

Is Funimation still available?

No. The Funimation app and website closed on April 2, 2024. Crunchyroll says most of its content has moved to Crunchyroll, but not all of it.

Are Muse Asia and Ani-One Asia legal?

Yes. Both are official channels run by licensors: Muse Communication runs Muse Asia, and Medialink's Ani-One runs Ani-One Asia. Each episode plays only in the Asian countries listed in its description, and neither serves the US.

Which service has the most anime?

Crunchyroll says it has more than 2,000 series and films and over 50,000 episodes. Netflix and Hulu carry many of the biggest series too, but Crunchyroll is the only one of the three built entirely around anime.

Can I use Hulu or HIDIVE outside the US?

Hulu works only in the US, including Puerto Rico and US military bases, and it blocks VPNs. HIDIVE stopped serving certain areas outside North America in December 2023, so check that it's sold in your country before you sign up.