When it comes to quantity, it's pretty hard to beat Netflix. As it partners with local studios and distributors worldwide, the streamer has built an enviable global reach and, consequently, a wide array of diverse titles. But even then, its catalog is still pretty limited.
In Europe, streaming services have been popping up nonstop to address this void. Some, like Portugal's Spamflix, offer the most niche titles in the area, while others like the UK's TrueStory aim to deliver little-heard stories across the world. Below, we list the best of Europe's homegrown streamers.
Mubi is a movie-streaming service featuring a curated selection of 30 movies on a daily rotation, as well as a large library of movies from previous rotations. The subscription costs $10.99 per month or $95.88 for an annual subscription. If you just want to browse the database before paying up front, you can sign up for a free account for access. Mubi has a Now Showing section, with the newest entries to the library on a given day (the library is updated daily), and a Library section featuring a back-catalog of other highlights and previously “showing” movies. You may see a section called 'Live' for live broadcasts once in a while. Aside from the options to stream via web browser, Mubi also has mobile apps for Android and iOS, media streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), and you can subscribe to Mubi as a Prime Video channel. While Mubi is not available on the Xbox One, you can access the service on a PlayStation 4 console.
Price: $10.99/month
Free Trial: 30 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV
Read also:
15 Best Free Trials for Live TV Streaming ServicesThere are more and more options to cut the cord and keep your live TV channels w...
Britbox is a streaming service born out of an alliance between two British broadcasters: BBC and iTV. If you like British humour, British detective shows, or anything British TV, it's the place for you. You won't be the only one, by October 2020, the platform had 1.5 million subscribers, a number that's growing.
Price: $8.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV
Read also:
7 Best Services to Get an ESPN Free TrialSports enthusiasts get their daily dose of the NFL, NBA, Tennis Open, Formula 1,...
True Story is an online streaming service that focuses on documentaries from all over the globe. The nature of the films seem to focus on relationships amongst real-life people in specific and unique contexts. If you enjoy exploring the complexities of interpersonal relationships while also learning surprising things about the world in an interesting and moving way, then this streamer is for you. The subscription is $8.49/month. True Story was launched in 2020.
Read also:
7 Best Services to Get an ESPN2 Free TrialLive sports coverage, game highlights, and in-depth commentaries on NFL, NBA, an...
Spamflix is a video rental service dedicated to showcasing the most offbeat and avant-garde films. The service prides itself on its absurd line-up of titles, which it claims will "surprise, shock, entertain and amaze" users. These genre films span borders and come from all parts of the world; upon purchase, which usually starts at $5, they will be available to watch for 72 hours or 3 whole days. Spamflix also offers themed film packs, online games, and for true-blue fanatics, an updated movie newsletter.
Price: free for channels available
Device availability: Android, Android TV, Chromecast, iOS, Website
Pantaflix is an internet-based, video-on-demand service that lets you pick and watch what you want among its wide variety of offers, which includes films, documentaries, TV shows, and children’s entertainment. This is for the viewer who wants to stream but would rather rent individual content rather than pay for a full-blown subscription. Pantaflix boasts no commitments and guarantees easy access to content you like. The service was launched in Germany in 2016.
Price: free for channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG, Medion/Vestel, Panasonic, Samsung Smart TV, Website
Filmzie offers its viewers worldwide high-quality content that is free. Its aim is to spotlight overlooked films in our history and support filmmakers and creators in so doing. If you’re someone who feels ethically motivated to support filmmakers and prefers not to have to pay to be entertained, this is the streaming service for you. It’s updated regularly with popular and current content. Filmzie was launched in 2021.
Price: free for channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV, Website
High quality programming: Not only are the movies curated by high-quality independent movie festivals, the films on the portal are also selected based on demanding selection criteria.
Filmmaking community: DAFilms.com invites indie directors, producers, distributors, and students to submit movies online and offers them a unique distribution channel, as well as paying makers more than 60% of revenue earned via the platform.
Price: $5.99/month
Curzon Home Media is an internet streamer that provides access to films through rentals. It releases many of its films on the same date they are available to watch in cinemas, so you can rest assured its selection is fresh.
Currently, the video-on-demand service is limited to the UK and Ireland, so if you're in the area looking for a regularly updated library that also happens to contain quality art-house, foreign, and lesser-known films, then this is for you. Curzon Home Media, launched in 2010, is owned and operated by the London-based Curzon World Group.
Price: free for channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Website
Cultpix is a streaming subscription service made especially for genre fans. But not only does it cover the entire gamut of old, weird, and beloved cinema (it has everything from horror, sci-fi, erotica, martial arts, and fantasy from before the '90s), it also collects such titles from all around the world, giving it a unique global edge over the many other cult streaming services out there. Japanese Kaij, Danish erotica, Italian Westerns—you name it, Cultpix most likely has it.
BFI Player Classics is a subscription service that makes the best of British cinema available to users around the world. These films are, according to the site, "widely loved and rarely seen," handpicked by the British Film Institute itself. They are carefully curated into collections which you can pick and choose based on your mood or interest. The streamer may not have the most extensive titles, only carrying little more than 300 at a time, but it's sure to have some of the highest quality libraries out there, perfect for cinephiles and Anglophiles alike.
Price: $5.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Website
BBC Select is a streaming service dedicated specifically to all things culture, politics, and ideas. It houses the best of the BBC's non-fiction content—namely, widely-acclaimed documentaries and docuseries—but it also occasionally sources titles from other channels, like the UK's Channel 4. While it can seem like BBC Select is competing with Acorn TV and BritBox, which are the go-to UK channels in North America, it's actually closer to the likes of CuriosityStream and Discovery Plus in its specialization of documentaries.
Price: $4.99/month
While programming depends on your geographical location, Acorn TV in the US focuses on TV shows from dozens of international networks in countries of the Commonwealth, from British channels like the BBC and ITV as well as Oceanic shows from Australia and New Zealand.
Aside from British shows, there’s also a solid selection of content from other major European networks from France, Italy and Ireland.
Price: $5.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku
Which are the best european streaming services available in the u.s.?
You can get european streaming services available in the u.s. with Mubi, BritBox, True Story, Spamflix, Pantaflix, Filmzie, Dafilms, Curzon Home Cinema, Cultpix, BFI Player Classics, BBC Select, or Acorn TV.
Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 14 live TV streaming services that offer a free trial.
More lists
Lists on how to save money by cutting the cord.
20 Cheapest Live TV Streaming Services for Cord-cutting
12 Best Services to Watch ESPN live Without Cable
50 Best Streaming Bundles in 2024
15 Best Free Trials for Live TV Streaming Services
11 Best Services to Watch Fox Sports 1 (FS1) Live Without Cable
10 Best Services to Watch TNT Live Without Cable in 2024
7 Best Services to Get an ESPN Free Trial
The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors. If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.