What is Amazon Freevee, and is it really free?

Amazon was one of the very first companies to offer a streaming service, even predating Netflix. In that time it’s evolved considerably, and Amazon Prime Video has become one of the best streaming services on the market. Still, times are tight, and we’re all just looking to save a little money here and there. That’s where Freevee comes in. But what is FreeVee exactly? Good question.

This Amazon-owned streaming has thousands of movies and shows to watch, with no subscription required. It’s also 100% free, though there are ads. Unlike most other free streaming services, Freevee actually has quite a few exclusives you won’t find elsewhere for free. However, many of the shows are also available directly from the Amazon Prime app. You can also start watching right away directly from the Freevee website.

What is Freevee and is it really free?

Amazon Freevee launched in 2022 as an evolution of Amazon’s previous free streaming service attempts. Since then, Freevee has grown quite a bit and has a pretty impressive library considering it is completely free. This service gets all of its revenue from ads, though it is important to note you do need a free Amazon account. Again, Amazon Prime is absolutely not required and you can use your existing Amazon account or create one for free.

One issue we often run into with free streaming services are poorly timed commercial breaks. Thankfully, Freevee is better at placing its ad breaks than many of its competitors and gets it right more than it misses. In comparison, Tubi tends to have some of the most poorly timed breaks, cutting into conversations mid-sentence and other similar issues.

Freevee is available on most major streaming platforms including Roku, Apple TV, Google TV/Android TV, and even many smart TV interfaces. There are also mobile apps and the option to watch via a browser. Right now you can only watch Freevee in the US, Uk, or Germany officially.Watching Freevee in other regions with a bit of VPN magic is possible, but doing so is a gray area at best due to local licensing restrictions.

What shows and movies are available on Amazon Freevee?

While a streaming service may be free, that doesn’t mean much if its content is lacking. Thankfully, Freevee has a lot of great movies and TV shows to watch, and its library of original programming is not only growing, but getting better as well. There are a few different types of content on offer at FreeVee:

• Freevee movies: As with most streaming services, the selection of movies on Freevee can vary greatly from month to month. Amazon has set up contracts with many of the major Hollywood studios — including Disney, Sony, Universal, and Lionsgate — that will allow Freevee to access a portion of their movie libraries. Some examples include Jurassic World, Super Troopers 2, The Emoji Movie, and F9: The Fast Saga.
• Freevee TV shows: Freevee’s selection of television shows is a bit more stable, with removals occurring much less frequently. You can look forward to watching lots of classic TV like Bewitched, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and more. There are also more recent shows like Mad Men, Schitt’s Creek, Bones, and Lost.
• Live TV channels: Freevee’s main focus is on-demand streaming, but it also has its own list of channels. While not as big as Pluto TV, Freevee channels run content 24/7 that the user has no control over, like a typical broadcast or cable TV channel. You can select from truly live news content like Newsy or AccuWeather Now, or watch constant reruns of shows like Unsolved Mysteries, classic Doctor Who, and more. Recently FreeVee expanded its channels to include NBCuniversal content including channels for Little House on the Prarie, Top Chef, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Saturday Night Live, and more.
• Freevee Originals: Amazon is going all-in for Freevee, even including original TV shows and imports that can only be streamed on the free service.

The best Freevee originals

Freevee doesn’t have nearly as many originals as you’d get with a subscription service, but the number is certainly growing with over 20 shows or movies, and several new projects slated for release in 2023. Here’s just a spattering of the shows we recommend watching.

• Bosch: Legacy — The continuation of Amazon Prime Video’s Bosch crime drama series is only available via Freevee.
• Judy Justice — The star of the hit daytime court show Judge Judy returned to TV via Freevee. Judge Judy Sheindlin once again presides over her civil case court, with a whopping 120 episodes to watch already, and more to come.
• Leverage: Redemption — The former TNT series about a group of con artists who now try to help people is back on the service with new episodes, starring much of the original cast.
• Alex Rider — This UK import, based on the novels about a teenage boy who works as a super-spy, is a Freevee exclusive in the US.
• Pretty Hard Cases — This is a Canadian import show about two female police detectives, a Freevee exclusive in the US.
• Sprung — A comedy series about a man who’s just been released from jail and moves in with a former cellmate. Unfortunately for both of them, a global pandemic is starting to affect the world. It’s a limited run series that fans of Raising Hope or My Name is Earl will love.
• Play-Doh Squished — Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland hosts in this family-friendly reality competition show centering around Play-Doh. My 6 year old adores this show; we watch it every week when a new episode airs.

Best Amazon Freevee alternatives

Amazon Freevee is most definitely not alone in offering free streaming video content. Here’s a look at some of its biggest competition for your eyeballs.

• Crackle: Crackle was one of the first free streaming services to be launched, and it’s still one of the best. It includes a number of library movies and TV shows to watch, plus a small number of exclusive movies and shows. It even offers parental controls if you sign up for a free account. You can start watching Crackle free right from their website. 
• Tubi: Fox owns Tubi, and as such uses that relationship to quickly show recent episodes of Fox reality shows only a few weeks after they drop, like The Masked Singer. The service also has a number of exclusive films from B movie outlets like The Asylum, and a few original shows like the animated series The Freak Brothers. Tubi TV also offers live local news from over 200 Fox TV affiliates across the United States. Start watching Tubi now!
• Pluto TV: Pluto TV was the leader in offering a cable TV-like experience for streaming, with hundreds of channels to watch content. Paramount owns Pluto TV, so you can check out many classic and current movies and shows from that studio, including Star Trek, Mission Impossible, and more. Get started watching Pluto TV right from their website.
• The Roku Channel: Roku, the same company that makes streaming TV sticks, boxes, and the OS for several smart televisions, is also offering the free Roku Channel streaming service for several platforms. Like Freevee, it also has both on-demand and live streaming “channels” to check out. It also has a growing number of original shows and movies. You can check out the Roku Channel for more great shows and movies.

Other FAQs