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Finding streaming service free trials isn’t as easy as it was just a few years ago. Read on for an overview of the current state of the free trial in the on-demand streaming industry.
What happened to streaming service free trials?
Two of the big trends over the past few years in the streaming industry concern prices and free trials. And not in a good way.
There have been a lot of new streaming services (either launched or rebranded) since 2019. Most of them debuted with low prices to attract subscribers and hit targets, so it came as no surprise when subscription prices went up around the industry. (Granted, the world’s 2 oldest major streaming services, Netflix and Hulu, also raised prices.)
But price increases are to be expected like rain in a David Fincher film. The other trend was a little more hurtful.
Streaming services stopped offering free trials. And in digital services, free trials are just… basic. They’re to be expected. But since Netflix got the ball rolling in the fall of October 2020, at least 5 other major streaming services ended their free trials.
To clarify, we’re talking about standard free trials directly through the streaming service. A free trial through a third-party partner or some other deal still equals a NO in our books. (But we’ll still cover all those partner deals.)
So what are the streaming services with free trials in 2024? And does “no free trial” really mean that there’s NO free trial?
Keep reading as we answer both questions and also look at ways to save money with streaming service discounts.
The best free trials in streaming (30 days)
A 30-day free trial lets you really get a feel for a streaming service. You get to experience it unhurried, over multiple weekends. That sure beats a single weekend and few busy work days when you nod off 20 minutes into a show or movie.
But as good as it is, there are only 2 major streaming services with free trials for a full 30 days in 2024—Prime Video and Hulu. In one sense Prime gets a slight edge because it’s part of the more comprehensive Prime Membership, but Hulu arguably has the better library.
Prime Video free trial
The Prime Video free trial is the arguably the best around. Not only do you get a full month to binge a series or 2, you can give it a go every 12 months.
It also gives you access to Prime Video Channels—which are only available to Prime members. That means you can also get free trials for streaming services that may not offer them directly. Follow the link below for a detailed post on Prime Video’s free trial.
Free Trial
Length: 30 days
Repeatable: Yes (every 12 months)
Watch after cancelling: Yes
Payment method required: Credit card, debit card, Checking, Venmo
Hulu free trial
Hulu’s 30-day free trial is right up there with Prime. And depending on what you like to watch, it may be the best streaming free trial around.
You can choose either the Hulu (No Ads) plan or the standard ad-supported Hulu plan. There’s no option to choose a free trial for Hulu + Live TV as that’s technically a different service with its own plans. You also can’t choose a Disney Bundle free trial, which is too bad. But a month free of Hulu is still nothing to sneeze at.
Free Trial
Length: 30 days
Repeatable: Yes (eligible subscribers only)
Watch after cancelling: No
Payment method required: Credit card, debit card, PayPal, gift card
The next best streaming free trials (7 days)
A 30-day free trial is obviously preferred, but a week is still better than nothing. (And a lot of streaming services seem to believe in nothing!) Here are all of the streaming services with free trials of 7 days in 2024.
AMC+ free trial
If you can manage an episode every day, AMC+’s 7-day free trial is just long enough to binge one of the new series in The Walking Dead franchise. But do you go with Negan and Maggie, Rick and Michonne, or Darryl and… a bunch of French strangers?
The AMC+ free trial gets you access to every the streaming service offers. That’s not only AMC+, but also Shudder, Sundance Now, BBC America, and IFC Films Unlimited. You also get 6 live TV channels.
You can choose one of the 2 AMC+ monthly plans or the annual plan when starting your free trial.
Free Trial
Length: 7 days
Repeatable: No
Watch after cancelling: Yes
Payment method required: Credit card
Apple TV+ free trial
Apple TV+ has grown slowly but surely since launching in 2019 with a limited library of original series. And it’s grown with quality originals.
Back in the early days, the 7-day Apple TV+ free trial used to be long enough to binge through a lot of the library. But with multiple seasons of hit shows like Slow Horses, The Morning Show, and For All Mankind—not to mention limited series like Black Bird—that’s no longer the case.
Apple TV+ is still completely ad-free, so there’s only one plan to choose from when getting your free trial.
Free Trial
Length: 7 days
Repeatable: No
Watch after cancelling: No
Payment method required: Credit card, debit card, Apple Card, Apple Pay, Apple Cash, PayPal, gift card, Apple Account balance
MGM+ free trial
While there are some good MGM+ original shows, it’s mostly movie lovers will appreciate the MGM+ free trial. The MGM movie library is one of the most iconic in the history of Hollywood.
There’s only one plan to choose from, which means everything is ad-free. You get a full week free and you can get the MGM+ free trial more than once. (You just need to wait 12 months before helping yourself to seconds.)
MGM+’s free trial requires a credit card, so if that’s not possible you’ll need to sign up for the free trial through another service. Follow the link below for other ways to pay for MGM+.
Free Trial
Length: 7 days
Repeatable: Yes
Watch after cancelling: Yes
Payment method required: Credit card
Paramount+ free trial
The Paramount+ free trial is one of the best deals around. That’s not because it’s the longest, but because of what it gets you.
You can choose either Paramount+ plan when signing up for the free trial, which obviously means you should choose the Paramount+ with Showtime plan. That not only gets you Paramount+ and Showtime (obviously), but you also get a live feed of your local CBS channel and an extra helping of live sports.
Just remember to downgrade to the Paramount+ Essential plan if you want to save money by watching ads, less sports, and don’t need your local CBS channel.
Free Trial
Length: 7 days
Repeatable: No
Watch after cancelling: Yes
Payment method required: Credit card, PayPal
Streaming services without a free trial (directly)
Even though a streaming service may have stopped offering a free trial directly, that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no free trial to be had. Many of them still offer free trials through other third-party partners like Walmart or Amazon, or even through other streaming services.
Read the snapshots below then follow the links for more details if there are still free trials through third parties and if any (direct) discounts are available through the streaming service.
Disney+ free trial
The Disney+ free trial was quite possibly the shortest-lived free trial in the history of streaming. Maybe in the history of free trials. The House of the Mouse put an end to the offer in June 2020—barely half a year after it started. (And that was 4 months before Netflix put an end to its own free trial.)
But that didn’t stop it from ascending to upper echelons of the industry and becoming the third most popular streaming service in the world.
The options are slim for getting a Disney+ free trial, but there are a few partner deals to be had and discounts for US service members.
Free Trial
Last offered: June 2020
3rd-party trials: No
3rd-party deals: Yes
Discounts: Military
(HBO) Max free trial
HBO put an end to the Max free trial just before Christmas 2020—and a few weeks before the release of Wonder Woman 1984.
But even though you can no longer get it directly through HBO, you can still get a 7-day Max free trial through other streaming services, including Prime Video, Hulu, and DirecTV Stream.
There are also HBO Max deals to be had with wireless partners. Follow the link below for more about HBO’s Max free trial and discounts.
Free Trial
Last offered: December 2020
3rd-party trials: Yes
3rd-party deals: Yes
Discounts: None
Netflix free trial
While Disney+ technically beat Netflix to the punch, nixing its free trial 4 months earlier, it had only been around for a few months. And everyone knows Disney and its brands. It probably didn’t need to offer a free trial at all.
But the Netflix free trial was the foundation of the streaming industry. And it used to be a full 30 days. So when the world’s #1 streaming service announced an end to the Netflix free trial, it was like TNT announcing it wouldn’t air the (already completed) Snowpiercer Season 4.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t that devastating, but it still sent shockwaves through the industry and got the ball rolling. Not only that, it basically marked the end of the Netflix free trial completely, as you can’t get one through third parties either.
There are still a few Netflix deals to be had through mobile and cable companies, so just follow the link below for more details.
Free Trial
Last offered: October 2020
3rd-party trials: No
3rd-party deals: Yes
Discounts: None
Peacock free trial
NBC’s streaming service launched in 2020 both with a free trial and a completely free tier. But it scrapped its 7-day Peacock free trial in 2021 and the Peacock Free plan met its demise in February 2023.
However, Peacock is one of the best streaming services—if not the best—when it comes to offering direct discounts on its plans. Read more about Peacock deals and discounts here or by following the link below.
Free Trial
Last offered: November 2021
3rd-party trials: No
3rd-party deals: Yes
Discounts: First Responders, Military, Students, Teachers
Starz free trial
Starz kept its free trial around a lot longer than the other streaming services that ended theirs. And it may be gone directly through Starz, but there are still plenty of ways to get a Starz free trial through third parties.
Most of the free trials are 7 days, but can be as long 30 days. Follow the button below or click here to learn more about getting a Starz free trial in 2024.
Free Trial
Last offered: January 2023
3rd-party trials: Yes
3rd-party deals: Yes
Discounts: None
Final thoughts on streaming service free trials
It’s been a few years since Netflix abandoned its free trial and started the trend in the industry. Since then finding streaming services with free trials can be a challenge.
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