10 Best Anime Websites to Watch Anime Legally (Free and Paid)
Mar. 20, 2021Note:Some of the websites mentioned here are limited to specific regions. We’ve mentioned the availability in the ‘Supported Regions’ section. If you’re not in an officially supported region, you can use a VPN to access it. However, this approach may break the T&C of some services, and you’ll have to use it at your own risk. Check out thebest VPNs for Windows,best free VPN services,Android & iOS, andAndroid TV. Grab one that suits your budget and use-case.
So, without further ado, grab some popcorn and get ready to watch some anime. You can use the table below to navigate to the website you want to read about in detail.
Crunchyroll is the most popular website for watching anime legally. You’ll find both mainstream anime titles such as Naruto Shippuden and trending titles like Attack on Titan on Crunchyroll. The service has a vast library of anime witha total of over 30,000 episodesto choose from, but the exact availability of titles depends on your region.
Cost:Free tier; premium plan starts at$7.99 per month
VisitCrunchyroll
Funimation is another website you can use to catch up on all your favorite anime. This anime streaming website ishome to over 10,000 episodesof different anime shows. Funimation also focuses on dubbing anime to English. While purists may argue that you should watch anime in the original language with subtitles, Funimation has you covered if you prefer watching anime in English.
Supported Regions:United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand
Cost:Free tier; premium plan starts at $5.99 per month
VisitFunimation
Although Netflix primarily focuses on regularmoviesandTV shows, the streaming platform has an ever-expanding anime collection. You can stream anything from thecritically acclaimedDeath Note(no, I’m not talking about the Netflix adaptation. Don’t ever watch that) to Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist, all theStudio Ghibli films, and more on Netflix.
Netflix’s category codeof anime is 7424,and you can visit the link below to browse all the anime content available on the website. If you’re looking for recommendations, do not forget to check out our article on thebest anime on Netflix.
Supported Regions:Over 190 countriesexcept for China, Crimea, North Korea, Syria.
Cost:Starts at $8.99
VisitNetflix
VRVbundles a collection of anime channels into a single package. As of this writing, VRV includes Cartoon Hangover, Crunchyroll, HiDive, Mondo, Rooster Teeth, and VRV Select. Although VRV previously also bundled Boomerang and Nicksplat, they are no longer available on the platform.
One disappointing fact about VRV is that it is limited to the US due to some licensing limitations. If you’re someone who already pays for Crunchyroll, you should go check out VRV to gain access to more content at a slightly higher cost.
Supported Regions:United States
Cost:$9.99 per month
VisitVRV
Another US-centric streaming website you can use to watch anime is Hulu. In case you didn’t find the anime you’re looking for on Netflix or Crunchyroll, you’ll probably find it on Hulu since it has a vast collection of anime. If you’re someone who’s already using Hulu for watching movies and TV shows, you should not miss out on their anime collection.
Supported Regions:United States
Cost:starts at $5.99 per month
VisitHulu
Supported Regions:United States and Canada
Cost:Free tier; ad-free premium plan starts at $4.99 per month
VisitRetroCrush
AnimeLab is another excellent anime streaming website for staying in the loop with your favorite anime. What I like the most about Animelab is the design and user experience. Thewebsite is smooth and responsive, and there are dedicated apps for almost every platform out there.
AnimeLab is limited to Australia and New Zealand at the moment. But I hope it expands to more countries in the future because the UI/UX of this platform is excellent, and the anime collection is decent too.
Supported Regions:Australia and New Zealand
Cost:Free tier; premium plan starts at $7.95 AUD (~US$ 6.10)
VisitAnimeLab
HiDive is not a website for an average anime viewer because it doesn’t include anime shows that are popular and well known. On the flipside, HiDive’slimited collection may seem appealing to those who want to expand their watching habitsand explore new titles.
At $4.99 per month, HiDive is not the most expensive anime streaming website. The company alsooffers a 1-month trialif you want to try it out to know if you find the collection appealing.
Supported Regions:North America, Latin America, Central America, South America, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
Cost:starts at $4.99 per month
VisitHiDive
Supported Regions:Over 200 countries
VisitAmazon Prime Video
Supported Regions:United States
Cost:Free; starts at$6.99 a month
VisitCONtv
Best Websites to Watch Anime Legally
So, those are our picks of the best anime websites out there. Given the rising popularity of anime, we’re glad there are such streaming services to help fans watch anime without any added friction. Do you watch anime legally on any other streaming website that is not featured here? Do not forget to let us know in the comments, and we will check it out.
Subin writes about consumer tech, software, and security. He secretly misses the headphone jack while pretending he’s better off with the wireless freedom.
