Top 6 Anime Streaming Platforms

Emerging from its modest inception in the 1960s, Japanese anime experienced a dramatic surge in popularity on the international stage in the 1980s and continued its ascension thereafter. Today, it represents more than half of the world’s animated content, asserting its dominance in the globe’s animation industry. Its distinct style and narrative complexities have made it one of the most beloved and identifiable forms of Japanese entertainment worldwide.

We’ve curated a selection of streaming platforms, distinct from mainstream giants such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, which cater specifically to your passion for anime.

Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll Undoubtedly taking the top spot on this list, Crunchyroll is a renowned anime streaming platform noted for its vast online libraries comprising both manga and East Asian dramas. The platform is predominantly renowned for its subtitled content.

Crunchyroll boasts a collection of over 30,000 episodes from over 1,000 anime titles, regularly updated just an hour post their Japanese broadcast. The platform also offers more than 200 East Asian dramas, around 50 manga titles, and various anime-centric mobile games. Additionally, Crunchyroll is reputed for its rich library of original content crafted primarily for the platform.

Pricing Access is free albeit with ads, with premium subscriptions priced at 7.99 USD/month for “Fan”, 9.99 USD/month, and 79.99 USD/year for “Mega-Fan”. The content is available worldwide, although the options vary by region. HBO Max subscribers also gain access to a curated selection of Crunchyroll content.

Availability for manga The manga is accessible worldwide with exceptions being China, France, Italy, Japan, and Germany.

Dedicated apps Android, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.

Funimation

Funimation is a collaborative venture between Sony and Japanese production company Aniplex. Hosting around 800 movies and series, it offers roughly 15,000 hours of anime content, inclusive of simulcasts, which are content premieres for international audiences shortly following their Japanese debut.

Given Funimation’s emphasis on dubbed content, specified titles are also released as “SimulDubs”—dubbed content made accessible within the same week of its Japanese release. Moreover, Funimation marked the acquisition of Crunchyroll in August 2021, and one of its subsidiaries includes our next entry, Wakanim.

Pricing Access is free but with ads, with premium subscriptions priced at 5.99 USD/month for “Premium”, 7.99 USD/month for “Premium Plus” and 99.99 USD/year for “Premium Plus Ultra”. It’s available worldwide through various subsidiaries.

Dedicated apps Include Android, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Amazon Kindle.

Wakanim

A part of the Funimation family, Wakanim focuses predominantly on localized content for European regions, featuring content dubbed into French, English, German, and Russian. Wakanim’s library hosts slightly fewer than 400 movies and series.

Pricing Access is free with ads, with premium subscriptions priced at 5.00€/month, 13.99€/3 months, and 49.99€/year.

Dedicated apps Android, iOS, Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, and Amazon Fire TV.

HIDIVE

Since its emergence in 2017, HIDIVE has carved a comfortable niche within the anime streaming market. While some of its library may not be as mainstream as other platforms, the included content has been meticulously curated. HIDIVE also offers a unique feature that lets you switch between censored and uncensored versions of streaming content.

Pricing is 4.99 USD/month and 47.99 USD/year Availability is in various locations across the Americas, the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, South Africa, and Oceania.

Dedicated apps Android, iOS, Xbox, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Amazon Fire Tablet.

Retrocrush

As hinted by its name, RetroCrush is focused on retro content from the “golden age” of anime—predominantly movies and series from the 90s and earlier. The platform features both subbed and dubbed content across a multitude of genres.

Pricing Access is free with ads, with premium subscriptions priced at 4.99 USD/month and 49.99 USD/year. The content is available only in the U.S. and Canada.

Dedicated apps Android, iOS, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.

Tubi

Though Tubi doesn’t exclusively specialize in anime, it does offer a good selection of subbed and dubbed anime along with East Asian movies and series that are worth exploring. It also features a commendable collection of K-Drama.

Pricing Access is free with ads, and the content is available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Australia, although options vary across regions.

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