Key Takeaways
- Free streaming services like Tubi and Pluto TV offer a variety of content, including older shows and movies.
- Both services provide user-friendly layouts, but Tubi offers over 200 live TV channels while Pluto TV has more timely content.
- Unlike cable TV, Tubi and Pluto TV do not censor their content, allowing viewers to watch shows and movies as intended.
There has to be some caveats when you’re using free streaming services . You’re obviously not going to get the exact same content that you’d get for paid subscription services or even with cable. There’s a reason certain channels, services, or programming is labeled as premium. It takes a little while to discover exactly what you’re getting from each free streaming service that you try, which is why there are so many and why you’ll have to search around if you’re looking for a specific piece of content to watch.
If you’re using a service like Tubi , you’re able to watch a ton of “live” channels that show content that isn’t really live. It is programming set up to run all day but is frequently not the most timely content. You’ll watch a “live” episode of a show that originally debuted in the 1960s, but it will be on one of Tubi’s live channels. Because you don’t have to pay for these kinds of streaming services, you will be getting some content that you want and plenty that you don’t. But you’ll also find that with cable, so it’s really up to you on how much you want to rely on paying for content that’s current and timely.
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Another aspect of it is how much of the original content you’re getting. If you’ve ever been watching a movie on cable and before it starts there is a card that comes up on screen that reads “this film has been edited for content,” you know you’re not getting the same movie that you would’ve seen in theaters. That’s because there are laws and censors that watch over the programming that people have access to. Premium channels carry a heavier cost but also don’t censor your content. But do free streaming services like Pluto and Tubi censor your content? Let’s find out.
Pluto TV and Tubi: what do they offer?
Both give you a ton of free content
Pluto TV
- notable shows
- The Andy Griffith Show , Sanford and Son , The Twilight Zone , Charmed
- notable movies
- Top Gun , Trading Places , Mission Impossible , Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Premium Subscription
- No
- Originals
- No
- Live TV
- 250+ channels
Tubi
- notable shows
- Hemlock Grove , Babylon 5 , Spartacus , Gotham , Columbo
- notable movies
- Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead , Child’s Play , White House Down , Knives Out , It
- Premium Subscription
- No
- Originals
- Yes
- Live TV
- 200+ channels
When it comes to what you’re actually getting when you use these free streaming services, it all differs slightly. Many of them offer older films and TV series readily available to stream for free at any time. But, you aren’t able to watch much current television and only some offer live channels. All of them offer some version of an on-demand library, allowing you to search and choose something at any time. Pluto TV and Tubi are two great examples of higher-end free streaming services because of all that they offer.
Tubi, which has become one of the most popular streaming services, paid or unpaid, has thousands of TV series and movies for free. While there aren’t movies or TV series that have come out in the past few months, there are plenty of recognizable titles that you’re sure to enjoy. If you’re someone who loves to sit for a movie night and just relax with some popcorn, Tubi is a great option for you. There’s an on-demand library available for you to choose from and the app layout is easy to maneuver.
Pluto TV is similar, as it has a very user-friendly app layout. There are many live channels to choose from and you can get some more timely content than some of the other streaming services, as it is owned by Paramount and offers channels like NFL Network or CBS Sports to provide you with some current headlines. The on-demand lineup isn’t as strong as Tubi but there are over 200 channels to choose from, many of them movies, so you’re still getting a lot of content at your fingertips.
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Do these streaming services censor content?
It’s up to you
Crackle/Pluto TV/Tubi/Pocket-Lint
One thing you might be wondering is whether or not you’re getting censored content with these free streaming services. Neither Pluto TV nor Tubi censor their content. You can go onto Pluto TV right now and watch Pulp Fiction the way Quentin Tarantino intended you to watch it. It’s similar to watching the movie on a premium film channel like Showtime, HBO, or Starz.
The streaming services don’t censor the content, so you’re able to get the shows and movies in the way they were meant to be watched. Pluto TV has an entire channel dedicated to The Walking Dead Universe. That show isn’t edited for TV when it airs on AMC when you watch it on cable. The same is said when you watch it on Pluto TV. You’re not stuck wondering if someone is going to be eaten alive by a walker. You’ll be able to see it.
How do I limit my content on Tubi?
There are multiple parental controls
If you want to be able to control what you or your kids are watching on Tubi, there’s an easy way to do so. You can go to the Settings menu and the first option in the settings menu is Parental Controls. Tubi offers multiple levels of parental controls, which is not common. Normally, there is a way to turn on a Kids Mode and that’s about it. But Tubi goes a step further and lets you pick the level of content that you can offer people who are watching.
You can choose from little kids, older kids, teens, and adults. When you select little kids, only content appropriate for smaller children will be able to be watched. As you go up in age, the content available is more adult. If you select adult, which is the original default setting, all the content on the streaming service is available to you. There is also a Kids Mode that you can put on if you don’t want to change the current parental control settings as well.
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How do I limit content on Pluto TV?
Parental controls again
For Pluto TV, there aren’t different levels of age-appropriate content you can choose from. Instead, there is an all-or-nothing kids mode which can be found in the settings menu that blocks all content not rated for children or general audiences. Parents can set a four-digit pin code that won’t allow small children to change the setting.
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