Media & Entertainment · alternatives
Alternatives to Paramount+
19 media & entertainment tools sit alongside Paramount+ in this directory. Below is what separates each from Paramount+ on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 19
- With a free tier
- 9
- Cheaper to start
- 6
- Paramount+ starts at
- $5.99/month
Why people look past Paramount+
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Paramount+ entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for Paramount+ carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 9 of the 19 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
The best podcast app for iPhone
- Can be used without paying; Paramount+ cannot.
- Starts $3.959999999999999 a year dearer, at $9.95/year.
Your personal entertainment server
- Can be used without paying; Paramount+ cannot.
- Starts $1 a month cheaper, at $4.99/month.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than subscription.
Podcast app with episode inbox
- Can be used without paying; Paramount+ cannot.
- Starts $19 a year dearer, at $24.99/year.
The ultimate entertainment center
- Can be used without paying; Paramount+ cannot.
- Starts $5.99 a month cheaper, at Free.
- Sold on a free model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Paramount+'s 2.
The free software media system
- Can be used without paying; Paramount+ cannot.
- Starts $5.99 a month cheaper, at Free.
- Sold on a free model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Paramount+'s 2.
Watch, publish, and share videos
- Can be used without paying; Paramount+ cannot.
- Starts $5.99 a month cheaper, at Free.
- Sold on a free model rather than subscription.
- 1 tier to Paramount+'s 2.
Every Paramount+ alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paramount+ (this page) | $5.99/month | Subscription | 2 | |
| Overcast | Free, then $9.95/year | - | 2 | vs Paramount+ |
| Emby | Free, then $4.99/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Paramount+ |
| Castro | Free, then $24.99/year | - | 2 | vs Paramount+ |
| Kodi | Free | Free | 1 | vs Paramount+ |
| Jellyfin | Free | Free | 1 | vs Paramount+ |
| Dailymotion | Free | Free | 1 | vs Paramount+ |
| Castbox | Free | - | 2 | vs Paramount+ |
| Crunchyroll | Free, then $7.99/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Paramount+ |
| IMDb TV (Freevee) | Free | Free | 1 | vs Paramount+ |
| HBO Max | $9.99/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Paramount+ |
| Discovery+ | $4.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs Paramount+ |
| Audible | $7.95/month | Subscription | 2 | vs Paramount+ |
| ESPN+ | $10.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs Paramount+ |
| Criterion Channel | $10.99/month | - | 2 | vs Paramount+ |
| Hulu | $7.99/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Paramount+ |
| MUBI | $7.99/month | - | - | vs Paramount+ |
| Disney+ | $7.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs Paramount+ |
| Apple TV+ | $9.99/month | Subscription | 1 | vs Paramount+ |
| BritBox | $6.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs Paramount+ |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Paramount+ badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (9)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Overcast , Free, then $9.95/year
- Emby , Free, then $4.99/month
- Castro , Free, then $24.99/year
- Kodi , Free
- Jellyfin , Free
- Dailymotion , Free
- Castbox , Free
- Crunchyroll , Free, then $7.99/month
Cheaper than Paramount+ (6)
Entry price under Paramount+'s $5.99/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Emby , Free, then $4.99/month
- Kodi , Free
- Jellyfin , Free
- Dailymotion , Free
- IMDb TV (Freevee) , Free
- Discovery+ , $4.99/month
What you would be giving up
Paramount+ is most often brought in for tv streaming, sports, kids content. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Paramount+ is broadly right and the question is cost, the Paramount+ pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Media & Entertainment category lists everything the directory holds, and best media & entertainment tools ranks them.
Paramount+ runs on web, ios, android, smart-tv. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Paramount+ alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Paramount+?
- 19 other media & entertainment tools are listed in this directory, led by Overcast, Emby, Castro, Kodi. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Paramount+?
- 9 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Overcast, Emby, Castro, Kodi, Jellyfin.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Paramount+?
- Yes. 6 of the alternatives below start under Paramount+'s $5.99/month: Emby at Free, then $4.99/month, Kodi at Free, Jellyfin at Free, Dailymotion at Free.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Paramount+?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Paramount+?
- Paramount+ is most often brought in for tv streaming, sports, kids content. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Paramount+?
- None of the media & entertainment tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Paramount+ alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Media & Entertainment, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored slot runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Paramount+ against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Paramount+ covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every media & entertainment tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Media & Entertainment category, 19 tools beside Paramount+. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.