Best Streaming Services for Kids in 2024
Find out where to stream family-friendly shows and movies like Cocomelon, Bluey and Teen Titans Go.
Our Experts
- Though Kourtnee hasn't won any journalism awards yet, she's been a Netflix streaming subscriber since 2012 and knows the magic of its hidden codes.
What to consider
Cost
Simultaneous streams
Parental controls
Our Picks
What to consider
Cost
Simultaneous streams
Parental controls
What's the best kids streaming service overall?
Netflix and Disney Plus may be winners in your household when it comes to kids' choice. The content catalogs on these platforms feature a large variety of family-friendly programming suitable for different ages, with safety tools provided to help you monitor the content your kiddo is watching. Deciding which of the best streaming services for kids should get the top spot was a challenging feat. They must balance educational and fun programming perfectly while giving parents practical tools to ensure the content is age-appropriate. Disney Plus has ticked all these necessary boxes, so we've chosen it as the best streaming platform for kids, but it's not the only one with much to offer.
We put each of these streaming services to the test, based on content libraries, ad load times, subscription cost and safety features like parental controls. The streaming services on this list are chock-full of great films and TV shows, with some operating as entertainment hubs for your kid's favorite characters. If you're looking for the streaming platform that may be the best fit for your family, read on for our expert guidance.
Best Streaming Service for Kids in 2024
Disney Plus offers a wide variety of family-friendly content, including shows and movies from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic, Disney Junior and Disney Channel. Everything is easily accessible through the streamer’s navigation menu, which can be broken down by category, title, character or genre.
Keep toddlers occupied with animated and live-action Disney classics. Tweens and teens can enjoy The Proud Family, Gravity Falls, Turning Red, Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and the Mouse House’s lineup of blockbusters.
Parents can add a four-digit PIN to set rating limits on profiles. Creating a kid's profile automatically curates appropriate content for all ages. The Kid-Proof exit feature adds an extra layer of security, preventing profile switching. Disney Plus's $8 ad-supported tier features commercials on many titles. However, there are several ways to enjoy ad-free streaming.
Best for franchises like SpongeBob, iCarly, Paw Patrol, Rugrats
Paramount Plus
Paramount Plus has a nice collection of iconic characters and series. It's basically Nickelodeon central. SpongeBob, iCarly, Rugrats, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig and other Nick superstars sit beside Paramount Plus originals Big Nate and Star Trek: Prodigy.
The menus feature a kids section for the shows or movies tabs, but you can also search for Noggin, Nick Jr., or other branded content. A selection of curated live channels stream 24/7 kids content, including dedicated hubs for SpongeBob, Paw Patrol and Kids and Family Fun.
"Kids Mode" allows parents to create kids' profiles with character-based avatars and to specify a profile's age range. The content adjusts ratings based on your selection. Subscriptions cost $6 for the ad-supported Essential version and $12 for ad-free Premium.
Best range of ad-free content and curated kids profiles
Netflix
Netflix caters to every age and stage in your child's life and offers a variety of entertaining and educational titles, including popular series like CoComelon and Octonauts, originals like The Sea Beast and My Dad the Bounty Hunter and DreamWorks titles such as Camp Cretaceous.
You can set up parent controls with age restrictions on each profile. Netflix Kids Experience offers pre-selected, age-appropriate content with a distinct logo. If you choose titles outside the Kids Experience ratings, the logo is removed and the profile type is changed automatically.
To cap it off, the platform showcases a Top 10 row for kids' programming and sends out biweekly emails to parents with recommendations and other child-centric tools. Netflix's Mystery Box feature surprises kids with a new title to check out. Go ad-free for $15 per month or try the ad-based plan at $7 a month.
Best for Cartoon Network, feature films and DC titles
Max
Don't sleep on Max. It offers Cartoon Network favorites like We Bare Bears and Adventure Time, as well as Sesame Street, Looney Tunes and animated DC superheroes, including OG Teen Titans.
You can easily find content by selecting the Kids & Family category or clicking on a character's icon – like Elmo, Scooby Doo and Batman. Max also organizes content by age groups (2-5, 6-9, 10-12 and 13 and up) and has popular shows like Blippi and Vlad & Niki for its preschool Cartoonito viewers. Additionally, there are plenty of titles available for teens who need a break from animation.
You can create a separate kid profile on Max for your children to access age-appropriate content. Adults need to log a four-digit PIN and provide birthdate information. Max offers three subscription options: $10 a month with ads, $16 for ad-free, or $20 for ad-free with 4K titles.
Best free app for educational shows
PBS Kids
PBS Kids has been the go-to for childhood favorites like Sesame Street for decades. Characters like Elmo, Arthur (the longest-running animated kids’ show in history), Daniel the Tiger and Curious George entertain and teach. Despite ownership by Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO, new Sesame Street episodes are still available on PBS Kids.
The service is free for Prime Video subscribers and available on The Roku Channel. Parents can download the PBS Kids video app for free on a mobile device or TV. That means your children can stream shows like Elmo or Wild Kratts, whether on the couch or on the go.
Best free platform with mainstream characters
HappyKids
HappyKids is a streaming app offering 110,000 titles for children from babies to tweens. It includes live channels, movies, popular kid vloggers and TV shows like Blippi, Cocomelon, Total Drama Island, Winx Club and The Wiggles.
When you open the app, you'll have 12 categories to choose from. Pick an age group, or click on Lego Corner, movies and TV, gaming videos, learning or Spanish content. Some titles are from YouTube, but there are also new episodes, films and shorts available. Parental controls allow you to block specific titles or disable access to certain genres or topics.
HappyKids is ad-based, so your child may encounter commercials for everything from Star Wars Legos to Juicy Drop. The streamer is free and available on most devices, including Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and mobile devices.
Best free streaming for kids 12 and under
Kidoodle TV
Kidoodle TV, similar to PBS Kids, provides free entertainment for kids up to age 12. It includes educational and recreational content featuring licensed shows and movies like Lego, My Little Pony, SpongeBob and Pokemon.
The app also offers nature and animal videos from the Dodo, game-themed content with Mario, Minecraft and Roblox, as well as crafting tutorials. Parents can find YouTube favorites like Ryan's World and choose from a range of educational videos. Kidoodle TV also offers original content – like StoryRaps from Wes Tank – and has language-learning videos in French, German, Spanish, Russian and Mandarin from Little Pim.
You can watch Kidoodle for free as a guest, but signing up allows you to create accounts for kids and parents. The app offers age-appropriate content vetted by Kidoodle parents and staff. The Freemium account includes family-friendly ads, or you can upgrade to the Premium version for $5 per month to skip commercials. Parental controls let you set screen time limits, choose titles and monitor viewing habits, along with an automatic shut-off option. Kidoodle is available on Roku, FireTV, smart TVs and other devices.
Factors to consider
- Selection of kid-friendly programming: Some streamers offer a wide variety of family-friendly titles for all ages, from preschool to teens. Others have limited catalogs or cater more to a younger demographic.
- Parental controls: Some services don't offer the ability to change age ratings or block certain content for kids. Be sure you can adjust parental controls, control access to mature content or curate each child's profile based on age.
- Simultaneous streams: Services may charge extra for additional streams. Ensure household coverage and consider account-sharing costs.
- Finding shows and movies: Is the interface user-friendly? It should be fairly easy to search for things to watch using menus and other features.
How we test kids streaming services
It's likely you've heard of most of the platforms on this list, but it's by no means comprehensive. There are plenty of other ways to stream and hundreds of other choices out there. As we evaluated these streaming options, we kept certain things in mind for kids.
We first considered how much, what type and the quality of content available on each service for every age group. We tested parental control settings and kid profiles. In addition to catalog size and maturity settings, we looked at design (i.e.: ease of use across different TV and mobile platforms for kids), ads, features (like mobile downloads, recommendations, watch lists and number of streams) and value (price compared to these other factors). Click through to the full reviews for more details.
Other streaming services we tested
Prime Video: This service is easily accessible for Prime members with a catalog that combines Freevee, Amazon originals and some licensed content, such as the uber-popular Peppa Pig. Though Prime Video has a decent selection of movies and TV shows, it gleans much of its kids' programming from Nickelodeon, PBS Kids and other Viacom properties.
Hulu: Like Prime Video, Hulu offers originals (such as Animaniacs) and titles for every age. Much of it comes from other networks. Compared with its rivals, Hulu's price and content lineup is less appealing for a spot on this best list. But our perspective may change when Hulu and Disney Plus begin offering a single app option that will bring titles from both streaming services into one platform.