The very reason we invest in media streaming devices is to vastly expand our streaming horizons. One Amazon Fire TV device has the potential to be packed with hundreds of channels and apps — a lot to sift through. In addition to streaming giants like Netflix, there are many Fire Stick free channels. To give you a taste of what’s available, we figured a roundup of the best Fire Stick channels was in order. 

Key Takeaways:

• Firestick channels are the apps that Fire TV devices support. They could be streaming services like Netflix, cable channels like the Cooking Channel and Fox News or cord-cutting TV providers like DirecTV Stream. There’s also plenty of free educational and entertainment channels for kids. 
• Free movie and TV streaming services on Firestick include Tubi, Plex, Pluto TV and Xumi. These services are easy to use and you can start streaming straight away. The only catch is that they’re often ad-based. 
• Some Firestick channels require you to use a TV provider login to stream free content, whereas others are subscription-based. These are usually channels you would find on cable. 

Firestick is just one of a few handy streaming devices. If you’re interested in learning more about Amazon Firestick’s top competitors, check out our what is Roku and Google Chromecast beginner’s guides. You can also see how the three streaming devices compare in our Roku vs Firestick vs Chromecast guide.

What Are Fire Stick Channels?

Firestick channels are the apps supported by Amazon Fire TV. There are many different app categories to choose from, including on-demand streaming services, sports, news, cable TV subscriptions and local channels. You can also watch live TV channels on some apps. 

Installing official Firestick apps is really easy. You simply search for the app in the Fire TV user interface and tap “install.” Exploring the user interface is a great way to find new apps too. If you go to “categories,” you’ll find all the different channels within them. 

Bear in mind that channels may differ depending on your location. For example, you may not find some U.S. channels in the U.K. and vice versa. Plus, some channels are paid, so if you’re wondering what’s free on Amazon Fire Stick, we’ve added plenty of choices to this list.

Movies and TV Shows

For cinema and TV lovers, a Firestick gives you access to many popular streaming services. There’s the usual suspects like Amazon Prime Video, but you may be surprised at the number of free streaming services and the great content they offer. You can also check out the paid services’ free trials. Let’s explore some of the best paid and free movie and TV streaming services. 

Amazon Prime Video (Paid)

As the Fire TV Stick is Amazon’s line of streaming devices, it should come as no surprise that Amazon Prime Video is a Firestick channel. If you’re a fan of Amazon Prime Video, Firestick is definitely for you, as the Fire TV interface recommends plenty of Prime Video content. 

If you’re new to streaming services, Amazon Prime Video is one of the most popular streaming services out there. There are lots of free movies and series with your subscription, but you do need to pay to rent or buy certain content. Content can vary depending on your geographical location. 

Netflix (Paid)

Streaming giant Netflix is another app that Firestick supports. A Netflix subscription gets you unlimited access to thousands of movies, series, documentaries and Netflix originals. It works differently from Amazon Prime Video in that you don’t pay extra to rent or buy content — everything is included in your subscription.

Disney Plus (Paid)

If you’re a fan of Disney, you’ll be pleased to know that Disney Plus is a Fire TV Stick channel. Disney Plus is also the hub for Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel and National Geographic. If you’ve got kids and want entertainment and educational content all in one place, you might want to consider installing Disney Plus on your Firestick. Check out our guide on how to enjoy Disney Plus for free.

Peacock TV (Free and Paid)

Peacock TV is a streaming service that gives you access to a wide variety of free content. This includes NBC shows, late-night TV, news, kids’ content and Spanish channels. For those looking for more, Peacock Premium is the service’s paid plan. This plan unlocks many more movies and shows and gives you access to next-day content. We have a comprehensive guide on how to get Peacock TV from anywhere.

Max (Paid) 

If you’re a fan of HBO, Max is where you want to be. A subscription to this on-demand service gets you access to HBO series and originals including West World, The Sopranos and The Wire. For movie fans, there are plenty of blockbusters, classics and lesser-known indie gems for your viewing pleasure. 

Hulu (Paid) 

U.S. streaming service Hulu is available on Fire TV. On Hulu, you can watch originals like The Handmaid’s Tale and Dopesick on demand. Like Max and Netflix, Hulu also has a wide movie selection. You can get the Hulu-Disney Plus-ESPN bundle if you’d like the best of three worlds. 

The Roku Channel (Free)

Roku is far from just a streaming device. Its own streaming service, The Roku Channel is available on Fire Stick and is free. The Roku Channel has movies, TV series, news and sports, including ABC News. Optional premium subscriptions are also available, such as Showtime and Starz. 

Showtime (Paid)

Showtime is another well-known streaming service. It is home to new and original series of Dexter and Yellowjackets as well as classic movies like Pulp Fiction and Titanic. If you have a subscription to Showtime or like what it offers, why not give it a whirl on your Firestick? 

Plex (Free)

Plex is a free streaming service. Its content includes movies from the Spiderman franchise, award-winning dramas like Sophie’s Choice and classic horrors like Friday the 13th and Train to Busan. If we do say so ourselves, this isn’t a bad collection of free stuff. 

Xumo (Free)

Xumo is a media streaming service with over 180 free channels. It also gives you free reign over its multi-genre movie selection. If you’re looking for a completely hassle-free movie night, Xumo is well worth a gander — you don’t need to enter any payment details or even register to use it. 

YouTube (Free)

This one requires no introduction. What streaming device would be complete without support for trusty old YouTube? Just be careful not to confuse YouTube with YouTube TV. YouTube is free, whereas YouTube TV is a live TV and on-demand streaming service requiring a paid subscription — we’ll talk about that a little later, though. 

Starz (Paid)

Starz is another popular streaming service with a vast library of series, movies and originals. Popular movies on Starz include The Devil Wears Prada, Iron Man 3 and the Saw series. Series include Outlander and Blindspotting.

Comedy Central (TV Provider Required)

Comedy Central is home to South Park, Futurama and Moonbeam City. There’s also live TV and stand-up comedy to get sucked into. Comedy Central is fully supported by Firestick, so all you need to do is search for and install it. 

Britbox (Paid)

For your favorite British TV series like Classic Doctor Who and Father Ted, and movies like Atonement, you might want to consider Britbox. Britbox digitally launches you across the pond if you’re in the mood for exclusive shows or a bit of good old British dry humor.  

Live TV 

If watching something in real time is more your thing, Fire TV Stick devices support a number of live TV channels. Many subscription-based services are compatible with Firestick, but there are also some great free live TV channels for you to explore. 

Pluto TV (Free)

Pluto TV is something pretty rare in the streaming world — a free live TV streaming service for which you don’t need an account. It doesn’t cover every cable channel, but, considering it’s free, its selection isn’t bad at all. The service’s 200-plus channels include the Star Trek channel, Hell’s Kitchen channel and the CBS News channel. 

In addition to live TV, you can also watch free movies. Pluto TV is supported by ads, which is why it is able to remain a free service. 

Tubi (Free)

Tubi is another great live TV streaming service that your Fire TV devices support. Not only does Tubi let you watch live news and sports — including Fox Sports, MLB and beIN Sports Extra — it’s also a movie and TV streaming service.

For a free service, Tubi’s selection is pretty impressive — plenty of classic and popular movies caught our eye when we were having a look around. Tubi is entirely free with no catch, unless you count the fact that it’s ad-supported. 

Hulu With Live TV (Paid)

For cord-cutters in the U.S., Hulu with Live TV is a service you may have crossed paths with. With the live TV plan, you get access to more than 75 channels including Fox, ABC, National Geographic and local channels. In addition to this, you have the entire Hulu on-demand streaming library at your fingertips.

YouTube TV (Paid)

YouTube TV is another option for those thinking about cutting the cord. It doubles as a live streaming and on-demand service. A subscription to YouTube TV allows you to watch more than 85 channels. Whether live sports, breaking news or a wide selection of movies is your thing, YouTube TV pretty much has it all. 

Sling TV (Paid)

Sling TV is another high-flyer in the world of live TV streaming services. It has fewer channels than some other live TV services, but is a cost-effective option for those who don’t want to break the bank. Channels include BBC America, Comedy Central and Discovery. 

Philo (Paid)

Philo lets you watch live TV and on-demand content. You get more than 60 channels with your subscription, including Paramount Network, AMC and Comedy Central. Philo is another affordable option with convenience and flexibility as its major selling points. There’s no contract, and you can cancel your subscription at any time. 

fuboTV (Paid)

With more than 100 live HD channels and a vast library of content you can watch on demand, fuboTV is among the livestreaming elite. Whether you’re looking for movies, series, educational videos on Discovery or want to stream live sports and news, fuboTV is the place to go. 

DirecTV Stream (Paid)

DirecTV Stream is the internet version of DirecTV, which requires a satellite dish. DirecTV Stream, by contrast, lets you watch all its available channels online without a dish. Like other cord-cutting services, DirecTV lets you watch cable channels on devices like Fire TV Stick and Google Chromecast. 

Sports Channels

Many of the streaming services we’ve listed, like Peacock, Hulu with Live TV and fuboTV let you watch sports on your Firestick. 

In this category, you’ll find more sports-dedicated apps compatible with Fire TV. Bear in mind that the below apps are free to download, but may require a paid subscription to a TV provider like Hulu with Live TV or Sling TV. Others may require individual subscriptions. 

ESPN Plus (Paid)

ESPN Plus is an on demand sports streaming service. Here, you can find replays, sports-related movies, shows and more. If you download the ESPN for Fire TV app on Firestick, you’ll find the ESPN Plus tab. Log in to ESPN Plus via that tab to access ESPN Plus on your Firestick (read our comprehensive guide on how to watch ESPN).

Fox Sports (TV Provider Required)

This app is free to download, but you need a subscription to a TV provider to access the content. If you don’t have cable, you can log in with your cord-cutting service subscription like Hulu with Live TV. If you’re in need of your NBA or NFL fix or love boxing or NASCAR, Fox Sports may be just what you’re looking for. 

NFL (Free and Paid)

For football fans, this app is your go-to hub for all things NFL. The NFL app is free to download and use — you can read sports news and watch game highlights — but it does require paid subscriptions for certain content, like the NFL Game Pass. The good news is that there is an international game pass, so sports fans around the world can enjoy NFL content. 

NBC Sports (TV Provider Required)

If you have a TV provider, you can watch NBC Sports at no extra cost. If you don’t have a TV provider, you can head on over to NBC’s new streaming service, Peacock, where you can watch NBC Sports for free. Peacock replaced NBC Sports Gold as the hub for NBC’s sports content. 

CBS Sports Stream & Watch Live (TV Provider Required)

CBS Sports is a free sports streaming service, though you do need to link your TV provider. For NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB coverage, game highlights and replays galore, this is the app you need on your Firestick. 

NBA on Fire TV (Paid)

NBA on Fire TV is the home of live and on-demand NBA games, League Pass games and game archives. For full access, you will need a subscription to the NBA League Pass, so don’t forget to sign up before you install NBA on Fire TV. Prices vary depending on your preferences. 

News Channels

For those who like to keep up with current events, there are plenty of news channels that Fire TV supports. Whether you prefer watching, listening to or reading the news, you’ll never be short on apps to install on your Firestick. Like the sports apps above, some news apps require a TV provider login. 

Fox News (TV Provider Required)

Infamous U.S. news outlet Fox News, owned by the Fox News Group, is available on Firestick and is free to use with your TV provider login. Cord-cutting TV providers with the Fox News channel include Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, fuboTV, YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream. 

CBS News – Fire TV (Free)

CBS News is a Canadian news channel with 24/7 coverage, breaking news stories and more. Viewers can also access on-demand news clips and business news. It’s also an official Fire TV channel, so installing it on your Firestick won’t be an issue. 

Al Jazeera (Free)

One of the world’s most popular and well-known independent news channels is Al Jazeera. It’s available worldwide and, of course, on Fire TV devices. This is great news as it means you don’t need a TV provider subscription or cable TV subscription to get your news fix. 

CNBC – Fire TV (TV Provider Required)

For live news, episodes and business news, CNBC is another news outlet you can watch on your Firestick. To access CNBC, you need to use a TV provider login. This can be via cable or a cord-cutting service like DirecTV Stream. 

ABC News Live (Free)

The ABC News app gives you access to live news, fresh stories, clips from Good Morning America, Nightline and more. Best of all, you don’t need a cable subscription or other TV provider to watch ABC News on Firestick. 

Sky News (Free)

Sky News is a British news outlet owned by Sky Group with 24/7 coverage of live and worldwide breaking news. It also covers topics including weather, business, politics, climate and more. Sky News is one of the apps that Fire TV officially supports. Another way to watch Sky News is to head over to Pluto TV, where you can watch Sky News for free. 

MSNBC (TV Provider Required)

MSNBC is the NBCUniversal News Group’s news outlet. It covers various news topics alongside NBC content. If you have a TV provider, you can get access to MSNBC. If not, you get a limited amount (around 10 to 15 minutes) of streaming time daily.

NBC News (TV Provider Required)

NBC News is a live news channel in the U.S. In addition, you can watch news shows like Nightly News and TODAY and get the latest stories from award-winning journalists. If you don’t have a cable login, you can sign in with a cord-cutting TV provider. 

CNNgo (TV Provider Required)

CNN is short for Cable News Network, which is one of the top news organizations in the U.S. By signing in with a TV provider, you can keep up to date with breaking news and a range of live and on-demand content. 

Kids’ Channels

Fire TV devices let you set up multiple user profiles, making it easy to separate your content from your childrens’. For parents, appropriateness can be a big concern when deciding which channels their kids can and can’t watch. With that in mind, we’ve picked out some great child-friendly Firestick channels and have given each one a test-drive. 

PBS Kids Video (Free)

PBS Kids is a fun Firestick app full of free episodes and videos for kids. Top content on PBS Kids includes Sesame Street, Daniel Tiger and Wild Kratts. Having had a good look around, we think PBS Kids is a real Fire TV gem. Along with the high-quality video content, we really appreciate its emphasis on educational content and activities. 

Noggin Preschool Learning Videos for Kids (Paid)

Noggin Preschool Learning is an app centered around early education. A subscription gets your kids access to ad-free Nick Jr. episodes and episodes with famous characters like Peppa Pig and Blue’s Clues. Noggin also emphasizes parent–child learning through play and reading as well as watching. There’s a 30-day free trial if you’d like to try it out. 

HappyKids (Free)

HappyKids is compatible with multiple devices, including Fire TV. This kids’ app is full of awesome free content including Shaun the Sheep, The Teletubbies, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Wallace and Gromit. 

GoNoodle (Free)

This activity-based free app has a focus on getting kids moving, working and learning. There are dance routines, exercises, routine videos, episodes and downloadable worksheet activities. If you’re a teacher using a Firestick in your classroom, this app is full of quick activities and routines you could incorporate into lessons. 

Kidoodle.TV (Free and Paid)

Family-focused app Kidoodle was created with a commitment to kids’ online streaming safety. Content on Kidoodle.TV includes Paw Patrol, Lego City Mini Movies and Roblox. This app is free but if you want an ad-free experience, you can upgrade to the premium version. 

Cooking Channels 

Watching cooking channels is a great way to relax and pick up new skills. If this is something you enjoy, these food and cooking apps can be installed on your Firestick. 

Food Network Kitchen (Paid)

The Food Network Kitchen app is loaded with recipes, live and on-demand cooking classes, meal plans and cooking show episodes. What more could a kitchen whiz want? This app is compatible with Fire TV. You get a seven-day free trial, after which a subscription is required. 

Cooking Channel Go (TV Provider Required)

If live Cooking Channel shows sound good to you, you might want to install Cooking Channel Go on your Firestick. In addition to live shows, you get access to on-demand episodes and seasons the same day they come out on TV. 

Final Thoughts

One of the best things about streaming devices like Firestick is having all the channels and apps you love in one place. Whether it’s movie channels, local channels, live news coverage or NFL Sunday Night football that you’re into, you can get it all on your Firestick or Fire TV Cube.

To learn more about different Firestick models, check out our Firestick comparison guide. We also have a comprehensive troubleshooting guide in case your Amazon Firestick isn’t working.

Do you own a Firestick? What are your favorite Firestick channels and apps? Let us know in the comments and, as always, thanks for stopping by! 

FAQ

• Does Firestick Have Free TV Channels?

  Yes. Firestick supports plenty of channels that let you stream movies and TV shows for free. Free Firestick channels include Tubi, Plex, Xumo and Pluto TV. PBSKids and GoNoodle are two of the best kids’ Firestick channels.

• How Many Channels Can I Get With Fire Stick?

  You can get hundreds of channels, both free and paid. You can also watch more than 200,000 free movies and TV series with free channels alone.