The Levy Library Blog

No Subscription? No Problem! Free Documentaries and How to Find Them

Gali Halevi, MLS, PhD

Associate Dean of Libraries and Information Sciences

I am a well-known documentaries enthusiast. I find them to be informative and insightful. The main streaming channels like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and others have plenty to offer but they each require a subscription. Lately, I began to look for documentaries that are legally free to watch and do not infringe on copyrights and found a few good options. 

A simple Google search for “free documentaries” has a curated list of documentaries organized by topics. Each movie option lists all the channels where it is available to watch, including those that are free of charge:

Top Documentaries Films has a vast collection of free-to-watch documentaries. Organized by topics, this site makes it easy to browse which films are new or most popular:

Documentary Heaven has a big collection of free documentaries that are free to watch. Also organized by category and rankings, this easy-to-navigate site will help you find your next documentary to watch:

Finally, Documentary Tube includes a wide variety of full-length documentaries covering twenty-two categories:

What's your favorite documentary available for free? Let us know on Twitter!