Streaming services aren't just for watching blockbuster movies about intergalactic aliens and crime-fighting superheroes. They're also great for educational content like documentaries about science, nature, crime, and society. In this guide, we'll look at some of the best streaming services for watching documentaries.
CuriosityStream
It's impossible to talk about the best streaming services for watching documentaries without mentioning CuriosityStream. Founded in 2015 by John S. Hendricks, the same man who created the Discovery Channel, Curiosity Stream is a streaming service specializing in documentaries.
This service is filled to the brim with educational content, with thousands of titles - many of which are in 4K quality - on an array of subjects. From David Attenborough nature documentaries to history series and studies into the human body, there are so many options to choose from.
CuriosityStream pricing
One of the best aspects of CuriosityStream is its price. It's one of the cheapest and best streaming services for watching documentaries, and you can also pay yearly to save even more cash:
Paramount+
Next up, we have Paramount+, which is one of the fastest-growing streaming services. It may be known for its shows and movies, but Paramount+ has an impressive collection of documentaries, too.
It's a great platform to choose if you love music documentaries, as well as political, social, health and entertainment documentaries, too. Some of the best documentaries to watch on Paramount+ include 76 Days, Console Wars and An Inconvenient Truth.
Paramount+ pricing
Paramount+ has two different payment plans: Paramount+ Essential and Paramount+ w/ Showtime. You have the choice of paying monthly or annually.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is another contender when you're looking for the best streaming platforms for documentaries. As well as having its own massive library of fictional content, this service offers lots of quality documentaries, including a lot of originals and exclusives.
Some of the top documentaries on Amazon Prime Video include All In: The Fight for Democracy and Generation Wealth. A lot of the documentaries on this platform focus on politics, society and the modern world.
Amazon Prime Video pricing
In terms of pricing, if you already have Amazon Prime, which costs $14.99 a month, you'll have access to Prime Video as part of your subsciption. You can also pay for it as a standalone service:
Prime Video
- On demand content
- Stream on three screens
$8.99/month
Hulu
Next up, we have Hulu, widely-regarded as one of the best value for money streaming services and another great place to find documentaries. As well as its low monthly costs, this service stands out for its cloud DVR features and the fact that it can be bundled with other platforms like Disney+ and ESPN.
You can watch a lot of entertainment and celebrity-oriented documentaries through Hulu, such as documentaries about The Beatles or fashion icon Alexander McQueen. Sport and nature documentaries also feature on this platform.
Hulu pricing
Pricing for the Hulu VOD plan is pretty affordable. You have the choice to get this package ad-free or with ads, but if you want an ad-free experience, the price goes up:
Hulu (with ads)
Get 3 HULU, DISNEY Plus, ESPN
- Stream on two screens
- Big movies
- Hit TV shows
- On demand content
$9.99/month
Hulu (no ads)
Get 3 HULU, DISNEY Plus, ESPN
- Stream on two screens
- Big movies
- Hit TV shows
- On demand content
- No ads
$18.99/month
Hulu Live TV only
- 90+ live channels
- Stream on two screens
$81.99/month
Hulu Live TV (with ads)
Disney+ and ESPN+ included
- Stream on two screens
- ESPN+ and Disney+ included
- On demand content
- 90+ live channels
$82.99/month
Hulu Live TV (some ads)
Disney+ and ESPN+ included
- Stream on two screens
- ESPN+ and Disney+ included
- On demand content
- 90+ live channels
$87.99/month
Hulu Live TV (no ads)
Disney+ and ESPN+ included
- Stream on two screens
- ESPN+ and Disney+ included
- On demand content
- 90+ live channels
$95.99/month
Netflix
One of the biggest streaming platforms of them all, Netflix is famous for its giant content library, which not only includes movies and shows, but also a plethora of documentaries and educational content.
This platform is a good choice for true crime documentaries, home to the likes of Making a Murderer and American Murder, as well as other successful documentaries The Social Dilemma and The Great Hack
Netflix pricing
There are several different payment plans available with Netflix. The more expensive plans come with better quality content and more simultaneous streams.
Netflix Standard with Ads
- Stream on two screens
- On demand content
- HD video quality
- Downloads on up to two devices
$6.99/month
Netflix Standard
- No ads
- Stream on two screens
- HD video quality
- Downloads on up to two devices
$15.49/month
Netflix Premium
- No ads
- Stream on four screens
- HD and 4K video quality
- Downloads on up to six devices
$22.99/month
Kanopy
Kanopy is a leading streaming service aimed at the whole family. Launched in 2008, this service focuses almost exclusively on documentaries. In fact, it was first created to provide content for schools and colleges.
It has since expanded, offering a library with hundreds of documentaries and thousands of hours of content from studios like HBO and Paramount. The best part of all is that this service is available free of charge.
Kanopy pricing
As stated above, if you want to sign up for Kanopy, you don't need to worry about paying any subscription fees. It's free to use, without any monthly or annual ads. The only downside is that you need a library card or active university email address to sign up.
PBS Documentaries
PBS has been well-known for its documentaries for many years. The PBS Documentaries streaming service is a platform that is made just for documentary fans. It features hundreds of hours of educational content covering all sorts of subjects.
All of the classic PBS documentaries from the last 50 years feature on this service, including titles from studios like Independent Lens, Frontline, and American Experience.
PBS Documentaries pricing
PBS Documentaries is a cheap streaming service for documentaries. It only has one payment option: $3.99 per month for total access to all content, without any ads or hidden charges.
Magellan TV
Last up on our list is Magellan TV. This is another streaming service that aims to rival the likes of Curiosity Stream and PBS Documentaries by focusing 100% on documentaries and educational content.
It offers more than 3,000 documentaries on a wide range of subjects. This includes military history, politics, nature and science. Most of the content on this service is available in 4K quality and new documentaries join the catalog all the time.
Magellan TV pricing
There are several ways to pay for Magellan TV. You can either pay a monthly fee of $5.99, or you can even try the annual plan for $59.88 a year.
Watch science and nature documentaries on Discovery+
Source: Discovery+
Discovery+ is a no-brainer if you love science and nature documentaries. For your money, you get access to thousands of hours of content from channels like Animal Planet, Discovery, Science Channel, Travel Channel, and more. Some of their top nature and science documentaries include:
- Planet Earth II
- Frozen Planet
- The Blue Planet
- Africa
- Life Story
And that’s just the beginning. It’s safe to say that if you subscribe to Discovery+, you won’t run out of nature and science documentaries and shows any time soon. You can also watch it on four devices at once, and on pretty much any device, including:
- Android and iOS
- Web browsers
- Amazon Fire devices
- Apple TV
- Roku
- Chromecast
- Xbox consoles
- Select smart TVs
It offers a free trial, too. Just click here to try Discovery+ free for a week and see if it’s right for you.
Watch science and nature documentaries on Disney+
Source: Disney+
Disney+ is also a fantastic choice for anyone who loves science or nature documentaries. That’s because it has the entire catalog of National Geographic documentaries. For your money, you’ll get a truly enormous lineup of documentaries and shows. Some top highlights include:
- America’s Natural Parks
- Secrets of the Whales
- Paradise Islands
- Growing Up Animal
- Deep Blue
In total, there are thousands of shows and feature-length documentaries and tens of thousands of hours of Nat Geo content on Disney+, so it’s a good option for any documentary fan. You can steam on up to four devices at once. Speaking of which, it also has great device support, including:
- Android and iOS
- Web browsers
- Amazon Fire devices
- Apple TV
- Roku
- Chromecast
- Xbox and PlayStation consoles
- Select smart TVs
It doesn’t offer a free trial, but you can sign up and see if you like Disney+ by clicking here. After signing up, you can cancel at any time with no fees or penalties.
Disney+ Basic
Get 3 HULU, DISNEY Plus, ESPN
- On demand content
- Stream on four screens
- HD and 4K video quality
$7.99/month
Disney Bundle Duo Basic
- Includes Disney+ and Hulu
- On demand content
- Stream on four screens
$9.99/month
Disney+ Premium
- No ads
- Stream on four screens
- HD and 4K video quality
- Offline viewing
$13.99/month
Disney Bundle Trio Basic
- Includes Disney+ Hulu and ESPN+
- On demand content
- Stream on four screens
$14.99/month
Disney Bundle Duo Premium
- Includes Disney+ and Hulu
- On demand content
- Stream on four screens
- Offline viewing
- No ads
$19.99/month
Disney Bundle Trio Premium
- Includes Disney+ Hulu and ESPN+
- No ads
- On demand content
- Stream on four screens
- Offline viewing
$24.99/month
History Vault
The History Channel launched its own over-the-top service called History Vault. It contains the network’s archive of documentary specials and TV shows that anyone can access - no cable subscription required.
You do, however, have to buy a History Vault subscription. A monthly plan costs $4.99 while the twelve month plan costs $49.99.
For the money, you get to dig deep into two decades of documentaries the History Channel has produced. The naval warfare category Battles of the Deep, for example, has thirty videos that span ancient Greece through the nuclear era.
Khadija Bilal • Author
Khadija Bilal is an accomplished writer with over a decade of experience under her belt. Having developed a versatile writing style that allows her to tackle a wide range of topics, Khadija has several publications to her name. Khadija’s expertise includes in-depth guides and how-to articles.
Davan Hamilton • Editor
Davan Hamilton is an editor and writer based in Jacksonville, FL. Holding a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, her writing spans a wide range, from essays on film criticism and analysis to surreal poetry. Now, she works for Flixed as an editor, continuing to ignore the list of passion projects she’s accumulated. When she’s not glued to her computer, you can find her building endless amounts of Lego sets, binge-reading manga, or playing with (fighting) her cat.
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