Quitting Subscriptions to Netflix, Uber Eats and More? Try These Free Options Instead – CNET

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A lot of subscription-based apps like Netflix are raising prices while offering new choices like a cheaper, ad-based tier. And Peloton raised its subscription prices back in June 2022 (while lowering the up-front cost of buying a bike). As this trend of increasing prices continues, it may be prudent to cut down on those services you may not be using to the maximum.

The good thing is, many of the services you’re paying for — including Hulu, Apple Music, Grubhub and DoorDash — can be swapped for free alternatives. You might not get the exact same experience, but you can often get pretty close. And it might be worth trying if it allows you to stretch your budget further.

There’s one downside, though — many of these free services are ad-supported, which is how they’re able to stay free. They also won’t let you download content to watch or listen to them offline. But some have deals and decent free trials that you can take advantage of now.

Here’s how to replace many of the services you pay for with the best free subscription services we’ve found. 

<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="Best for streaming older movies and TV shows" description="

Replaces: Netflix

Crackle&nbsp;is an ad-supported streaming service that offers movies and some TV shows, including original content. You can find a variety of movies including Train to Busan, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In terms of TV, you’ll find more than 100 different shows, including a lot of classics such as Highway to Heaven, Alf and Benson. But not every series has all seasons available.

You can stream on Crackle without signing up for an account, and can watch on virtually any device, with apps for all mobile platforms, game consoles and any major streaming device. If you do create an account, you can save favorites, get recommendations and resume playback if you switch between devices.

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Crackle is home to hundreds of movies you can stream for free — and some of them are actually worth seeing!

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Crackle is home to hundreds of movies you can stream for free — and some of them are actually worth seeing!

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<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="Best for free channel surfing" description="

Replaces: Hulu Plus Live TV&nbsp;(or your whole cable subscription)

One big caveat here: Much of the programming on Pluto isn’t the same live TV channels you’ll find on pay cable or satellite, even if the channels have the same names. So, while news junkies will find live programming from CBSN, NBC News Now and Bloomberg TV, Pluto’s versions of MTV, AMC and CNN are time-shifted or alternate programming from those providers.&nbsp;

Ultimately, none of that matters, because you’re still getting a wealth of streaming video that’s truly free (it’s ad-supported, of course). There are more than 250 channels,&nbsp;including dedicated stations for CSI, Hallmark movies, Classic Doctor Who and The Walking Dead. And because there are literally dozens of in-progress streams to toggle through in real-time, Pluto offers the best analog to flipping through the myriad channels on a traditional cable system (or paid streaming alternative, like Hulu). You can also browse channels by categories like news, sports, comedy and movies, and find on-demand TV content, though it’s mostly crime and reality shows.&nbsp;

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Pluto TV is arguably the single best place to watch live streaming TV at no charge.

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Pluto TV is arguably the single best place to watch live streaming TV at no charge.

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