Countless streaming services are now available on your various connected devices. Many streaming services charge from $ 18 a month to access their content. Fortunately, we’ve also seen an increase in completely free streaming services – – This includes one of the oldest and most famous options, crackle.
What is crackle, you might ask? Let’s dig deeper into what this free streaming service offers.
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If you’d like to test the service now, you can do so at the link below:
What is crackle?
Simply put, Crackle is a free streaming service that has been around since 2004.
If you haven’t heard of Crackle by now, it could be because it has changed its name several times over the years. It was originally launched under the Grouper name until it was changed to Crackle in 2007, a year after it was purchased by Sony Pictures. In 2018, Sony decided to rename the service to Sony Crackle.
Nowadays it has been renamed Crackle again under new ownership of Chicken Soup for Soul Entertainment.
The streaming service currently has a solid selection of classic films and TV shows, as well as new releases. It also features a growing amount of content exclusively available to Crackle. The best part is that it can be streamed for free.
Is crackle worth it?
Definitely worth signing up for Crackle if you’re looking for premium streaming services on a budget. You will need to see ads occasionally, but that is the “price” of accessing such a service. While you won’t get access to the latest and greatest exclusive streaming shows and movies available on Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, or HBO Max, the content should be entertained on Crackle.
Also read: 17 best websites to legally watch free movies online
Although the service is free to use without an account, we recommend signing up for a free crackle account to unlock more features, including parental controls.
Where is it available?
Crackle is currently only available in the US. The service has since been discontinued in the Latin American and Canadian markets.
What devices does Crackle support?
The service is available on almost every device you can think of. Here is a list of the supported platforms:
- Android (smartphones and tablets)
- Android TV (sticks, set-top boxes and smart TVs)
- Chromecast
- Amazon Fire TV (Sticks, Fire TV Boys, and Smart TVs)
- Apple TV set-top boxes
- iOS (iPhone and iPad)
- Roku (sticks, set-top boxes and smart TVs)
- Xbox One
- Playstation 4
- Samsung smart TVs
- LG Smart TVs
- Vizio smart TVs
- Web browser
- Windows: Internet Explorer 10+, Microsoft Edge 14+, Chrome 39+, Firefox 44+
- Mac: Safari 8+, Chrome 39+, Firefox 44+
- iPhone / iPad OS 11.2 + and Safari 11.2 (Chrome is currently not supported on iPhone / iPad)
- Android Mobile OS 4.4+ and Chrome Browser 39+
User experience
Once signed up, you can browse Crackle’s selection of shows and films in a number of different ways. If you know exactly what show you want to stream, you can just type it into the search bar. You can also browse the different categories of the service. There are two main films: movies and television. There are also sub-categories like Sci-Fi and Fantasy, Crime Time, New on Crackle and many more.
Other properties
Crackle is completely free, but there are some additional features that you can access when you sign up for a free Crackle account. No credit card information is required. After logging in, you can access the following functions:
- Watch later – If you find a movie or show that you want to see on the service but don’t have time to check it out right away, don’t fret. You can select “Watch Later” for all Crackle content and it will be placed in a “Watch Later” queue for easy access later.
- Parental controls – Some of the content on Crackle contains more mature topics. You may not want your children to watch the service unsupervised. You can go into your crackle account settings and enable parental controls. You can then create a PIN code so that only you can access the service.
- Captions – When you sign up for an account, you can now also turn on subtitles for movies and TV shows. Just go to your profile settings and enable subtitles.
Movies and TV shows on Crackle
The wide variety of movies on Crackle changes frequently. Some movies will only be shown on the service for a month before they will stop showing temporarily.
Fortunately, the selection of TV programs is a bit more stable. Currently, you can watch shows like Third Rock from the Sun, NewsRadio, Hell’s Kitchen, and many more.
Does Crackle have original content?
There are some movies and TV series that are only available on-service. This includes shows and movies like the following:
- The oath – – A group of crooked police officers are arrested, but then they are offered a deal to bypass prison. You need to add an undercover FBI agent to your ranks to track down other criminals.
- Start up – A drama that revolves around a Miami startup dealing with organized crime. It features Martin Freeman, Adam Brody and Ron Perlman.
- Playing With Force: The Nintendo Story – A documentary about the origins of Nintendo in the 19th century.
- Robert the Bruce – A historical action film about the King of Scotland in the 14th century.
- Spides –A science fiction series about a woman who wakes up from a coma in Berlin. She has no memory of who she once was, but she soon realizes that there is a non-human threat that could kill her and everyone around her.
Best alternatives
Crackle is certainly not alone when it comes to free streaming services. Here are just a few of his rivals.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV offers tons of free on-demand content. Pluto TV also offers countless other movies and shows on hundreds of live streaming channels, similar to traditional television.
Connected: Here are the best Pluto TV channels to watch from home for free
While Pluto TV has almost no original content, the channels on offer offer entertainment that is normally not available for free anywhere else. Overall, it’s an excellent alternative to crackle.
Tubi TV
Like Crackle, Tubi TV has a lot of new and classic shows and movies that can be streamed on demand. The service is also slowly increasing its original content. Tubi TV also offers live local news from over 200 Fox TV partners in the US.
IMDb TV
Amazon’s free content streaming service has grown in importance over the past year. You can watch great recent movies as well as great TV shows like Lost or Mad Men for free. More original content is also added, starting with the UK spy drama Alex Rider. We expect more original shows to be available next year. There is definitely one to be seen.
peacock
Peacock streaming service recently launched by NBCUniversal lets you watch thousands of movies and TV shows for free. There are also channels like Pluto TV that stream content like live news and more. Access even more movies and shows for $ 4.99 per month. You can also pay $ 9.99 per month to use the service ad-free.
Other FAQs
Q: How many people can stream on Crackle at the same time?
ON: Since the service is free, you can stream on as many devices as you like at the same time
Q: Is Crackle available in 4K?
ON: Unfortunately, Crackle’s video streams are currently displayed at 1080p HD resolution, so 4K support is not available.
Q: Can you share a crackle account with friends and family?
ON: Yes, you can share your Crackle account with others. You can also set up a PIN number so that your children cannot access it without your permission.
Q: Does Crackle work offline?
ON: Unfortunately, the service’s mobile apps do not currently support downloads of its shows. However, this feature could be added at a later date.
Watch Crackle For Free!