These 6 apps are keeping my anime culture alive – I haven’t touched Crunchyroll in ages

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The early years when Sony acquired Crunchyroll were my best moments on the app. It’s weird how I’ve since abandoned it completely.

The user interface has stagnated, and core usability issues last longer than they should.

Worse, there’s hardly any real competition to keep it in check. The only meaningful alternatives left are third-party websites, most of which are illegal or unsafe.

Crunchyroll effectively beat those sites because it consolidated licenses and became the default lawful home for anime.

Now, especially with its free tier vanishing, it hardly matters since the viewing experience is frustrating.

I would’ve given up on my seasonal shows if not for these six apps. They’ve helped me stay invested.

Netflix

Netflix was the last place I expected to watch anime. I mostly used it to catch up on live-action movies and binge on series.

The platform has slowly grown into a reliably diverse hub over the years.

I love that it’s not building walls between cultures or genres. More importantly, it normalizes your tastes. I feel comfortable rather than self-conscious when I’m browsing through titles.

I may decide to start with Japanese or Chinese anime, K-dramas, K-pop documentaries, Nigerian movies and series, or European thrillers, and flow into Hollywood blockbusters in the same place.

Admittedly, its anime collection isn’t the widest. But it does offer clearly labeled and properly organized content.

If you already have a Netflix subscription, you don’t have to pay separately. Open the app and search for what you need or browse by category.

Enjoy ad-free viewing, and then download content offline to save data.

Other streaming platforms like Prime Video and Hulu also carry select anime titles. Use them if Netflix isn’t your primary app.

WinAnime

Many free streaming platforms are annoyingly ad-centric. What’s different about WinAnime is how restrained those ads are. I’m yet to see intrusive pop-ups.

The app uses a single opt-in model. You’ll watch one short commercial, which is usually between 30 and 60 seconds. It unlocks 30 minutes of uninterrupted viewing, then it leaves you alone.

The interface also resembles Netflix with its dark and red theme, along with horizontal rows. New releases appear on the home screen, followed by subbed releases and popular ongoing shows.

There’s no traditional search bar, which is a real downside. But you can browse options with a full A–Z anime list that’s broken down alphabetically. It may seem outdated. But it’s functional, at least.

I love that I can build a personal watchlist. It works without an account system and subscription tier.

Content-wise, I’ve accessed a lot of content, including mainstream titles like One Piece, One-Punch Man, Oshi no Ko, and a long tail of niche series.

AnimePulse

AnimePulse is a free streaming app with manageable ads.

It offers access to a wide range of popular titles like Attack on Titan, Steins;Gate, Bungo Stray Dogs, One-Punch Man, and more.

It even includes To Be Hero X, which only just came out in 2025 and has quickly become one of my new favorites.

Viewing anything on the app requires downloading a separate video player called KYOTO Player. You can’t watch anything without it.

I thought it was sketchy at first because of security issues. But I eventually installed it since the player is available directly on the Google Play Store.

It allows you to watch any episode directly through it.

You’re able to adjust picture quality, switch between available servers if needed, change between dubbed and subbed subtitles, and download episodes for offline viewing.

RetroCrush

My growing interest in older anime has found a proper home in RetroCrush.

I’ve always assumed my resting place was Berserk. It was unhinged, but still interesting enough in pacing and presentation.

Lately, I’ve found myself nostalgic for stories that go further back.

RetroCrush is built almost entirely around classics. You’ll discover titles from as far back as 1966.

Its catalog is available without an upfront subscription and is supported by ads, which lowers the barrier to entry if you’re just exploring.

Playback is straightforward, and the home screen rotates featured content, followed by rows like Today’s Top 10, Exclusive Collections, and curated themes.

You’ll find titles that rarely show up on mainstream platforms anymore, including Street Fighter, Hajime No Ippo, Shining Tears X Wind, Astro Boy, and Beast Saga.

Subscriptions start at $5 for premium content, and there’s a seven-day free trial. Frankly, there’s enough for free that you won’t even notice the locked options.

I can’t remember the last time I texted anyone on Telegram. Ironically, it’s become more of a storage and sharing tool.

I follow numerous entertainment channels and have been able to track down vintage Western cartoons I hadn’t thought about in years.

I recently rewatched American Dragon and Kim Possible through one of them. Occasionally, I download live-action movies. Anime is a small part of how much more you can get from the app.

Use the search icon in the upper-right corner to find them. It’ll comb through public channels and chats. Some of the interesting spaces are private, and you’ll need an invitation.

Start with Anime Basement. The public chat offers links to titles like Tokyo Revengers and Hunter X Hunter in 1080p for free. The best part is that your downloads will be saved locally.

CloudStream

CloudStream isn’t an anime streaming app in the traditional sense. It doesn’t host content, nor does it come with a built-in catalog.

If you’re familiar with GitHub and how repositories work, it should make sense to you.

The app is merely a media player and an aggregator. The actual content comes from plugins, which pull streams from different web sources after you add their repositories.

Local playback is also possible if you have videos on your phone. Basically, what you stream and from where is entirely up to you.

However, that freedom exists in a gray area, so you want to be careful.

CloudStream itself is harmless, but some available sources aren’t licensed. The app doesn’t make that distinction for you, and it doesn’t zambiatek what you connect to.

It’s best treated as a personal-use tool, rather than for sharing and redistribution.

Install CloudStream and access supported repositories from the official website. The app is not on Google Play Store.

It’s not as popular as it used to be, so working repositories are limited. But it’s still actively updated. Use it as a last resort for anime access and flexibility.

Review your streaming arc

I wish Crunchyroll was completely replaceable. But the sad reality is that it’s not. That said, the above solutions are sufficient to cover most day-to-day needs.

Even YouTube counts as an alternative. There are rare channels like GinStone that run anime marathons or full episode blocks.

Altogether, they are better than subscribing to multiple services across the board.

Besides Crunchyroll, I’ve had to ditch many streaming services. I stepped back and reassessed the value proposition of different platforms entirely. You should do the same and see where your money is leaking.