The life of an average anime watcher has never been an easy one. Since not many legal services are available to watch anime online, many of them resort to pirated anime websites to keep up with their favorite anime such as Attack on Titan, Steins Gate, and more. However, it is 2021, and things have changed quite a lot. To help you watch the anime you love (legally), we’ve handpicked the best anime streaming websites out there.
Note: 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 the best VPNs for Windows, best free VPN services, Android & iOS, and Android TV. Grab one that suits your budget and use-case.
1. Crunchyroll – Best Anime Website Overall
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 with a total of over 30,000 episodes to choose from, but the exact availability of titles depends on your region.
Crunchyroll has an ad-supported tier to watch anime for free. However, the paid subscription gives you unlimited access to the Crunchyroll library, and new episodes become available to watch one hour after Japan’s air time. You can also download anime for offline viewing in the paid tier.
Funimation is another website you can use to catch up on all your favorite anime. This anime streaming website is home to over 10,000 episodes of 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.
3. Netflix
Although Netflix primarily focuses on regular movies and TV shows, the streaming platform has an ever-expanding anime collection. You can stream anything from the critically acclaimed Death Note (no, I’m not talking about the Netflix adaptation. Don’t ever watch that) to Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist, all the Studio Ghibli films, and more on Netflix.
Visit Netflix
VRV bundles 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.
Cost: $9.99 per month
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
As the name tells, RetroCrush is a service for those interested in watching vintage anime. RetroCrush’s appeal depends on the kind of anime viewer you are. If you have been watching anime for years, discovering RetroCrush is likely to be a pleasant surprise. There is an ad-supported tier that lets you watch the collection for free, but you can consider getting a premium subscription if you want an ad-free experience.
Supported Regions: United States and Canada
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. The website 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.
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’s limited collection may seem appealing to those who want to expand their watching habits and explore new titles.
10. CONtv
While CONtv’s library is not as vast as other anime streaming websites on this list, you’re likely to find some anime that are usually not available elsewhere. CONtv lets you watch anime for free through its ad-supported tier, but streaming popular anime titles requires a premium subscription that costs $6.99 per month.
